Wine flies when you’re having fun – and that old pun has never been truer than at this post-pandemic wine tasting revival.
BoBo, a cool bar on Castle Street has reinstated its monthly wine tasting events and if the first is anything to go by, future revellers are going to be in for a wine old time!
The wine industry itself is fizzing at the moment. A recent industry survey revealed that a third of adults who drink say wine is their top tipple of choice. Wine can clearly no longer be saddled with that elitist status because during the repeated lockdowns of the last couple of years it was the drink that many of us reached for to numb the pain and make staring at four walls a little more palatable. Wine sales were up 10 per cent year on year in 2020, while sparkling wines were up five per cent.
So, it is with some relief that you can now sample many fine red and whites in the company of experts at Liverpool’s only authentic Iberian bar.
No stuffy evening at BoBo this, but an uplifting, informal and fun wine tasting had by all who attended and it truly lived up to its ambition of offering people a chance to discover and learn more about wine in a relaxed fashion.
It wasn’t like being in a classroom, either, sitting an exam – no po-facedness here. If anything it’s more like a big drinking game – so it’s good for groups and there were several attending. There’s just the right balance between learning a little about the wines you are tasting in a way you can relate to and remember without being too dumbed down.
The hosts, Adam Keegan and Rosie, with the reassuring second name of Calvo Gonzalez, have a very engaging way of making the curious sipper feel relaxed and encouraged to share thoughts on the wines while they also give advice on how to taste, smell and appreciate the different aspects that the wines have to offer.
It’s a perfect combination – like wine with cheese – which they also supply, incidentally, alongside cold meats and bread sticks.
On this particular night we tried out our taste buds on a selection that showed off the quality and diversity of Spanish and Portuguese wines, with a good mixture of well-known classic and rarer grape varieties. Don’t worry though, because extremely impressive and interesting background and tasting notes are provided, which you can pour over as you cope with a fuzzy head next morning, or even use to buy those wines next time you visit BoBo.
Among my favourites was the crisp refreshing 2020 Leme Vinho Verdo from the rare Avesso grape; a beautiful wild berried red, Ronsel do Sil Vel’Uveyra Ribeira Sacra Mencia 2018; and a lovely cherry and thyme Rioja Tempranillo de Laderas 2018 from producer Badiola. You see – those tasting notes are handy.
For £25 the evening is fantastic value because firstly there are no wines “from the devil’s kitchen” – they all have a decent price tag – and secondly the portions are very generous. When it’s over you also have the chance to refill your glass and taste and drink more.
BoBo’s wine events are on the first Thursday of the month, the next being March 3rd. They last two hours from 6pm – meaning handily you can go straight from work, uncork and unwind, but making sure you bring at least one partner in wine.
Written by Jonathan Caswell
