We all know wine can be an expensive business. The quality (or perceived quality) of a wine, it’s rarity and brand have all contributed to some wines demanding an exceptionally high price. However, a lucrative industry such as this one does attract attention from less scrupulous characters and encourages business and even countries to try some interesting things to protect their investments!
We obviously couldn’t try any illegal wines on the night but we did take some inspiration from some
of the wines we tried! Take, for example, our first wine: a Masottina Contrada Prosecco Superiore
from Veneto, just NW of Venice. This was a great Prosecco with a creamy, intense feeling in your
mouth yet is a really crisp wine that was a little like tasting liquid Golden Delicious apples! We heard
how Italy, in an attempt to protect their highly profitable cargo, tried to rename the Prosecco
grape to Glera and make it only possible to produce wine from this grape in Italy, much like
the Champagne region. Unfortunately they soon found out that several other countries had already
been growing Prosecco vines for some time and were promptly told that wouldn’t be acceptable.
If you have ever tried wine from Austria, then you may have seen a red and white striped cap on the
top, indicating that the wine has been tested for quality, This is a necessity given that, several years
ago, New York Times reported that the Austrians had added “antifreeze” to their bottles in an
attempt to sweeten wine during a poor harvest: they hadn’t (but had been up to no good adding
some compounds that would allow them to sell their wine)! The result was they had to throw away
several million litres of wine and the fallout was sufficient to cause sales of Austrian Riesling to
plummet overnight and it took them over 15 years to recover!
We heard many other stories about people who drilled through concrete walls to get to cellars
containing precious bottles of wine (just like a bank robbery), and a lady who ordered room
service in a high end French hotel late at night, so her boyfriend could steal the wine cellar keys and
get away with over £1.5m of wine!! Perhaps the scariest was when Romanee-Conti, a vineyard in
the French Burgundy region producing Pinot Noir that starts at around £1,800 per bottle, was sent a
detailed map of their vineyard, with a note saying that unless they paid 1 million EUROs, each vine
would be poisoned! The blackmailer was caught but it begs a question as to how you protect your
land!
The Upton wine club is about wine but it is about so much more. Each month, a large proportion of
the of 50+ members (mainly from the village), come together each month to learn a bit more
about wine but also to have a great social time! If you are interested come and give it a try, details
can be found on our website. The meeting will be held on 19th March at 8pm – we hope to see you
there!

This month we were delighted to invite Martin from local wine retailer, Grape Minds to talk to our
members about the effects of age on wine. With a Diploma in wine, he was able to provide some
great background into the economics of aged wine and the influence it has on the taste. Over the
course of the evening, we tried wine that was over 30 years old and some as young as just 2, which
was fantastic and allowed us all to sample wine that we probably wouldn’t go out and buy without
trying first!
The ageing process significantly influences the flavour profile of wine. As wine matures, its
flavours become more complex and nuanced. Young wines often exhibit vibrant, fruity, and
floral notes, while aged wines develop deeper, more integrated flavours. Over time, tannins in
red wines soften, leading to a smoother mouthfeel and a more balanced taste. Additionally,
secondary and tertiary aromas, such as earthy, nutty, or spicy notes, emerge, adding layers of
complexity. The acidity in white wines may mellow, resulting in a richer, rounder palate.
However, not all wines benefit from long-term ageing; some are best enjoyed young to appreciate
their fresh, lively characteristics. Some wines, for example Rioja, have quality restrictions that mean
it must have a minimum number of years in oak barrels before it can be released. We tried a Gran
Reserva Rioja this month, which means it must have had a minimum of 5 years in an oak barrel
before being released for sale.
Next month we will be taking members through some of the stories behind wine, that have caused
producers, sellers and wine intermediaries to do some unscrupulous things in the hope it will make
them a bit more money! It really is amazing (and at times humorous) what people will do! If you
want to come along and join in the fun, please see our website for details. The meeting will be held on
19th February at 8pm – we hope to see you there

Our December Wine Club meeting was held a week earlier this month, giving us all a head start
on the Christmas festivities! Celebrating our 20th season, it was wonderful to see so many villagers
enjoying the evening. We are fortunate to have a diverse selection of wines to sample, ensuring
there’s always something new for our members to experience. Each wine comes with its own story,
and a big part of our club is not just discussing the wine, but also its connection to people, places, and
its role in creating a bit of history! Wine has made people wealthy, landed some behind bars, kept
families together for generations, and sparked a few feuds! Whatever the case, it has always
generated interest, and our village would be a little poorer without a Wine Club! So, I’d like to extend
my gratitude to everyone who makes it happen each month – from the committee who come up
with fantastic topics and make it all possible, to those who help tidy up at the end of each meeting,
and of course, all the members who join us to enjoy a glass or two and create more memorable
moments!
In January, we will explore what age does to a wine. We have invited the local wine business,
Grape Minds, to share their experiences. Hope you can join us!