Wine, food and travel with Clare

Thursday, 26 March 2026

Valentine's Day Wine Tasting

Last month Hubby and I hosted another wine tasting evening for our friends, there was no definite theme although we did include a few nods to it being Valentine's Day.

The room always looks good when everything is set up; glasses, quiz sheet and importantly the wine list with tasting notes.

It had been requested that we try new wines which is a little tricky as we have been hosting these evenings for over 12 years, probably 3 times a year ... that's a lot of wines already tasted.

However with new wines in our supermarkets appearing and our recent trip to The Wine Society we did serve 12 new wines.

Our evening started with Asda's Wine Atlas Garda made from Garganega grapes using the charmant method when the second fermentation is in large stainless steel tanks. This was a lovely sparkling wine enjoyed by everyone with flavours of red apple and lemon sherbet.

Our rose and white wines all had something interesting on their labels and were from France, Austria, Sicily and Portugal

As we were trying new wines our French wines were my favourites with a difference. I have enjoyed Duo de Deux Mers from the Wine Society many times but it was a first to try Duo des Plages, a rose made from Cinsault and Grenache. From Rousillon in Southern France this rose had plenty of fresh fruit with a smooth finishing giving a subtle grapefruit flavour.

I really enjoy Sauvignon Blanc from the Tourraine region in the Loire Valley and this white caught my eye with its unusual spelling, Le Cheteau. It was very much enjoyed by those who like Sauvignon Blanc.

Carricante from Sicily is a new tasting for our group. Wine making is an important part of Siclian heritage with this grape variety being grown in Eastern Sicily for at least 1000 years. Carricante wa a light wine with floral notes and peaches flavours with a subtle mineral edge to its finish.

Our other two wines were from The Wine Society, one was in their Enomatic Wine tasting machines, the other had an unusual label depicting a bell.

Gemischter Satz from Familie Mantler was a delicious Austrian wine made from two grapes we had tried before and a new variety. This unoaked white was 80% Gruner Veltiner, 15% Muller-thurgau and 5% Muskateller. It was a really good wine that we would not have discovered if it hadn't been an offered tasting at The Wine Society.

The bell on the label of Casa Ermeinda Freitas Sino Grande pays homage to the daily rhythm of the Vineyard that was established in 1920. From one of Portugal's largest producers this wine made using Fernao Pires, Antao Vaz and Verdelgho was full of apple flavours with citrus high notes.

All our red wines had striking black and red labels, nod to Valentine's Day.

Our first wine was Asda's Extra Special Sicilian Reserve. A Nero d'Avola wine full of dark fruits with a superb note of chocolate on its finish. Produced in a warm Mediterranean climae with cooling coastal breezes it is aged in French oak barrels before a further 12 months maturation in the bottle.

Staying with an Italian wine our next tasting was Masso Antico Primivito from Puglia. It's name is taken from Masseria, an old farmhouse on their first vineyard that was covered in old gnarled vines, hence the detail on the label.

Four Portuguese varieties were used to make this delicious deep red wine; Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cao. Beefsteak The Beast is matured in port barrels and as its name suggests pairs well with steak.

From The Wine Society and full of dark fruits flavour Baccolo Appasimento Rosso Veneo was enjoyed by everyone. A tribute to the ancient wine divinity Baccus, Barcelona had intense flavours from the Merlot and Corvina being partly dried before pressing.

Our final red was from one of my favourite French wine producers, Cellier des Dauphins. The Reserve Intense is a blend of Cotes du Rhone grapes Grenache and Syrah with the addition of Mourvèdre giving a complex flavour of blackberries, blueberries, plums, spice and vanilla.

All the reds were very well received, each having subtle differences that highlighted the right pairing and occasion for each to be enjoyed.

Our final tipple of the evening was Asda's Espresso Martini Cream Liqueur. I did think of pouring everyone a Baby Guinness but as this had very similar flavours I thought it worth a try as an easier pour. It was delicious, a great easy drink but not quite a Baby Guinness shot or Espresso Martini.

Another super tasting with a few extras for Valentine's, I wonder what wines will be next!

Thursday, 12 March 2026

Coventry Charterhouse - National Trust

National Trust have been working on saving Coventry's Charterhouse which has had a varied history over hundreds of years. Although I lived in Coventry for a short while I didn't know about it although Hubby who was born in city did know it was there.

It is not a furnished property, National Trust have focused on the building and how it has changed with various occupants. Built in the late 1300s it was originally a monastery with cloisters and a church, both destroyed in Henry VIIIs reformation. During the reign of Elizabeth I it was home to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and later John Whittingham who built the walled garden and cultivated a nursery. The house and grounds did fall into decline after beings a children's home, an old aged pensiors house and a training centre.

Inside the house there are many examples of the various occupants and styles of the times. One of the main changes is the addition of a second floor splitting the monastery's original huge dining hall in two and making more rooms on a first and second floor.

On the first floor there remains some amazing wall paintings. They are thought to have survived thanks to subsequent owners covering them with panelling. The black and white painting is from the 1500s and depicts wealth with fruits and plants, it has had additions as it is not all by the same artist, the main figure may be depicting Robert Dudley.

The coloured painting has been split by the addition of the second floor, this is apparent with it showing only the lower part of people, in particular Jesus's crucification being just his feet on the cross.

Outside there is evidence of the church with one wall remaining and it is hoped some archaeology be done on the site to discover more. There has already been some features of the cloisters found, these have been placed in one of the garden walls. In the far corner a apple store still survived, thought to be an 18th century folly.

It was a great day exploring a local National Trust property with of course a coffee and scone in the cafe. With extensive parkland it's a great place to visit, a lovely green space in the middle of Coventry, I hope we visit again when the plants and flowers are in bloom.

Wednesday, 11 February 2026

The Wine Society

We've been members of The Wine Society for over 10 years and have attended their wine tasting events in Birmingham and Leicester.

It's £40 to become a lifetime member which opens up a huge variety of wines with free delivery on every bottle. There is no requirement to buy a certain quantity to receive lower prices, the wines are the price displayed and even a single bottle is delivered free of charge.

We haven't visited The Wine Society Cellar in Stevenage before although we did visit their beautiful Cellar in Montreuil-sur-mer in France, sadly now closed. They host many tasting and members events at Stevenage so we booked for a drop in tasting, the Premier Inn is just up the road making a perfect weekend away .....until, due to technical maintenance, the tasting was cancelled but as the Cellar shop was still open until lunchtime and our hotel booked we travelled to Stevenage as planned.

The Wine Society is huge, they do offer a warehouse tour which we hope to do one day. I loved the layout and feel of the Cellar with some bottles laid in racks and comfy leather chairs. There was a huge range of French wines, I did spot a white Chateauneuf-du-Pape which of course was added to our order.

There was a huge variety of Champagne and Sparkling Wine which we didn't really look at, I was too absorbed with the lovely Old World selection. Another good reason to visit again and who knows next time we may be allowed 'in the cellar' ... yes I want one!

The Cellar at The Wine Society has two Enomatic Wine counters which serve a tasting of wine at the push if a button. There was a great selection from all wine countries and a variety if producers. I really liked the Ardèche Viognier and in the red selection The Society's Corbière's and the Lascar Carmenère.

We ordered a selection of wine to be delivered on Wednesday, and they arrived as promised today at the time given by the courier. I ordered my favourite Duo de Deux Mers Sauvignon along with the Chateauneuf-du-Pape. In our red selection we ordered The Society's Cote du Rhone which is produced by Domaine Jaume who we have visited in Vinsobres.

The Wine Society staff also gave us a bottle of Verdicchio because of the tasting cancellation which was very generous of them.

Although not our day as expected we really enjoyed our visit to The Wine Society and are now looking forward to trying our wine purchases at home and hopefully visiting Stevenage again.

Sunday, 1 February 2026

Dry January

This year I have done Dry January to help raise a few more pennies, or pounds, for Nuneaton North Scout Group Minibus Appeal.

This is the link to my Just Giving page which is currently at 67% of my target thanks to my amazing friends.

Just Giving - Clare Hearnden

Although wine/beer tasting is my hobby and I love visiting vineyards and breweries I don't actually drink much in either quanity or frequency.

I enjoyed looking for and trying new alcohol free drinks, especially my final Eisberg wine which I tried when expecting our son who is now 35!

I think the biggest success was the Zerozecco from Aldi, it was a refreshing drink that Hubby enjoyed too. Here's a collage of my Dry January drinks (I had some more than 1 day).

I began the month with a non-alcoholic Espresso Martini and started February with a lovely Hendrick's Lunar with diet tonic.

It's been an interesting month which has added a bit more to our Minibus Appeal.... thank you everyone!

Saturday, 10 January 2026

Voyage to the Canaries

Early December before the festivities began *and passed so quickly) we did a repositioning cruise with Marella. We have cruised with them before and previously enjoyed our repositioning cruise from the Canary Islands to Corfu.

Our previous cruises have been on Marella Explorer but this time our ship was Marella Voyager, it was like going home with some of the furniture moved. I have already blogged about life on board so this blog is all about where we visited.

Flying from Gatwick after an overnight stay we arrived in Malaga. Spain isn't a country I have visited much off and although dark it was interesting to travel through this popular holiday resort, the Christmas lights added to its welcoming look.

Our second day we awoke in Gibraltar, a place we have visited before and really enjoy as a wander around stop. There were excursions to the top of the rock or the WWII tunnels but we were happy to stroll into the town and browse around.

There is so much history here with it being in a strategic position at the entrance to the Mediterranean. The Battle of Trafalgar was not far away, the sailors cemetry is at the top end of the town, and there is evidence of the previous inhabitants as far back as the Moors

There was certainly a Christmas feel, a little odd in warmth and blue skies and birds of paradise in fill bloom.

We were very lucky to be in the main street when the guards marched through.

Being a winter cruise the sun sets late afternoon, great to see before going to dinner. The Gibraltar Rock looked stunning with yellow and orange hues.

Arriving in our next port the sunrise was as stunning as the previous night's sunset hut to our surprise just an hour later it was thick fog outside. Even more surprising were the blue skies the appeared as we set off to explore Cadiz, a place I have always wanted to visit.

Again we didn't take an excursion instead we enjoyed a wander along the Atlantic coast promenade and around the city square amongst its Christmas decorations and market stalls.

Cadiz is certainly a place I would like to visit again as there was so much to see. We couldn't visit the Cathedral as being a Sunday there were services on. It was a stunning view as we sailed away with another beautiful sunset once out in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Atlantic revealed itself on our sea day, nothing too rough but certainly choppy and quite a hazy sky which was disappointing for our fellow cruisers that enjoy sunbathing by the pool. We enjoyed time on our balcony and a wine tasting afternoon before dinner and watching another superb show.

Arriving in Funchal was quite an experience, wet and windy weather making it hard work for our Captain and the two pilot boats.

As we were docked overnight in Funchal, Maderia, we had planned to walk into town the first afternoon and stay until dark to see the Christmas lights but the weather was not very inviting. Funchal looked stunning with so many lights stretching high into the hills. Funchal is a port that is very popular for New Year's Eve cruises as the whole town is lit up with fireworks.

This was our fourth visit to Funchal, we have previously taken the cable car high up to fantastic views and an excursion into the mountains to a hidden valley. We have also enjoyed a trip to Blandy's to learn about Maderia wine so this visit we decided to wander a round and take in the Christmas atmosphere. It was a bit of a dull start to the day but dry and blue skies did appear later in the day.

Marella Voyager looked stunning looking through beautiful red hot poker plants with the blue skies. The flowers in Maderia are so beautiful.

Our penultimate day was in Tenerife after a day at sea traveling from Maderia. The weather had certainly turned with wind and rain. We ventured out but not for long as it was quite rough. As with Maderia we have visited Tenerife a few times and so did not mind going back onboard to enjoy Marella hospitality.

Our final night's crossing from Tenerife to Gran Canaria was very rough with 6m waves and 70mph winds.

On our tv in the cabin there is a channel showing the route of our cruise. We were surprised to see how wigglely our journey had been from Maderia to Tenerife and on to Gran Canaria, our Captain was certainly trying to avoid the worse weather. It was quite rough disembarking in Gran Canaria and I know Voyager did not sail that day due to the storm, I think we came home at the right time.

Another great cruise, we do enjoy the repositioning cruises although I don't think we could manage the 8 days at sea to the Caribbean. Voyager was a lovely ship but we do prefer Explorer and are very much looking forward to cruising the Mediterranean on its Marella 30th Birthday Cruise in May.

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