Saturday 14th June was a special day in the Upton Wine Club calendar because it marked the 20th
Anniversary of our club. For the past 20 years we have averaged an overall annual membership of
50+ residents from our village and have sampled over 1,600 wines! Although many members keep
coming because they have an interest in wine, either just enjoying it or looking to try something
different or even wanting to learn a little more into what makes a quality wine, I believe that a key
factor in the club’s success is its social side.
During each monthly meeting, we always allow time between tasting wine for our members to
catch up for a social and this Saturday we took that to the next level. Upon arrival, members enjoyed a
cocktail, a Bellini made from mixing peach juice and prosecco. This is a great welcome drink for
small or large parties. After some celebrations, where we thanked past chairmen Mike Collins and
Will Betts and secretary, Fiona Betts for their support in setting up and its continual running
over the years, we settled in to a wonderful BBQ.
We enjoyed the food with two whites, a Coral-do- Mar Albarino from the Rias Baixas region, which
had characteristics of stone fruit and a wonderful citrus flavour and a Buitenverwachting Buiten Blanc,
a crisp, medium-bodied Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa. For the red we had a Codici-masserie
Primitivo from Italy, a beautifully red berry/dark fruity, jammy wine which is great on its own but
amazing with some food! We finished the evening with some amazing chocolate brownies and a
dessert wine called Elysium black Muscat Quady. If you have not tried this and enjoy sweet wine, do
try it: it’s simply wonderful with any sweet dessert! And what better way to finish the evening than a
line dance! A first for the wine club but so popular it wouldn’t surprise me if it didn’t become a
candidate for another Upton club! A massive thank you to all that came along and enjoyed the evening
and to all those who made it such a fantastic celebration. The wine club is off now for the
summer months but will be back again on 17th September 2025 for a new Season. Look forward to
seeing all the familiar faces again and if you wanted to come and give it a try, don’t forget all the
details can be found on our website.