Foodie phenomenon spreads to London wine drinkers

By Gemma McKenna

Published: 11 November, 2013

Organisers of a new wine event for Londoners are hoping they can follow in the footsteps of the foodie revolution and make wine more accessible.

The London Wine Sessions, which takes place later this month, will host a series of speakers including Jancis Robinson MW and Wine Chap Tom Harrow, as well as offering a pop-up bar and food on-site.

Organiser and freelance journalist Sophie Dening said: "People have been obsessing over food. It's been such a phenomenon, but wine hasn't become as accessible, perhaps because people need a bit more knowledge about wine to really enjoy it. Now it's wine's turn."

After the recent Toast festival, which focused on why people eat what they eat, Dening met up with Emily O'Hare, sommelier at the River Café; Zeren Wilson who writes for Evening Standard; and Toast organisers Miranda York and Sarah Chamberlain to look at how such an event could work for wine.

They maintain that wine is moving away from the confines of specialists and following foodie trends where consumers are keen to enjoy and experiment more with wine in less formal surroundings. "It's not all focused on what's new or on natural wines or trends. We hope it will have a broad appeal to people who are curious about wine," Dening said.

The Wine Sessions, which will kick off at 11am on November 23 at the Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell, will host talks from experts including Joe Wadsack (Sunday Express, Saturday Kitchen), Mark Andrew (Noble Rot, Roberson Wine) and sommeliers Ruth Spivey (Street Vin, Wine Car Boot), Frank Embleton (Clove Club), Emily Harman (Zetter Group) and Jack Lewens (Quo Vadis, Skye Gyngell), as well as importers Tutto Wines and Passione Vino (pictured) among others.

Tickets are priced from £15 for one session to £75 for an all-day pass.

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