MFDF celebrates local wine merchants with dedicated wine festival

Do you know your Chardonnay from your Shiraz? Could you distinguish a Semillon from a Sancerre? Well, now’s your chance to find out as Manchester Food and Drink Festival presents an exciting new wine tasting event for serious wine lovers and novices alike.

This new festival event is set to become a regular annual feature. Set in the uber-modern Urbis building, the wine festival takes place on Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3, from 12 noon to 8.30pm.

Across two days, Manchester’s independent wine merchants only will be invited to bring their best wares and vintages to sample, with the opportunity to buy anything that tickles the tastebuds. The result will be a unique tasting, with exclusive and bespoke wines to taste, excellent learning opportunities, and a perfectly iconic venue to enjoy it all in.

Siobhan Hanley, festival director, said: “We’re hoping this wine festival will become an annual event. We’re lucky to have such high quality, independent wine retailers as these in the region, and the event’s all about celebrating that. Plus with our mini masterclass theatres there’s some fascinating tutorials and discussions to take part in, which means the event is perfect for novices and serious wine-lovers alike’

Phil Jones, executive director, added: “This is a great opportunity for visitors to learn more about wine and how to distinguish different characteristics of a variety of grapes. We have 15 independent and local wine merchants all bringing something special and unique to this event.”

Whether you’re a connoisseur or struggle to navigate your way around a wine list, this event is certain to whet your appetite for wine. This new offering will promote and introduce the region’s best independent wine retailers to a new audience.

Merchants include: Origin, Molly Brown’s Wine list, Wine Buffs, Hanging Ditch, Carringtons, Smithfield Wine, Evuna, Ramsoms, Harvey Nichols Second Floor Wine Shop, Wine and Spirit Education Trust, Reserve, Winos, Co-op and Gaucho.

In the Second Floor Gallery, there will be a main tasting area, as well as smaller ‘break out’ areas with timetabled masterclasses and tutored tasting.

Information

WHAT: Independent and Local Wine Festival

WHEN: October 2 and 3, 12noon to 8.30pm.

WHERE: Urbis Second Floor Gallery

HOW MUCH: Day tickets are £10, or £15 for a two day pass.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT http://thegreatermanchesterwinefestival09.eventbrite.com

For a full line up of Manchester Food and Drink Festival events, visit: www.foodanddrinkfestival.com