*Please note that there is a £1.50 booking fee per transaction

Please note

Tickets are no longer available online. All tickets can now be purchased and collected from the Castle Gate entrance to the festival. All tickets pre-purchased from Exeter Phoenix will be on the food festival gate for collection.

Exeter Festival of South West Food & Drink 2016

Cheese and Wine Tutored Tastings

45 minute sessions

This event sponsored by Great Western Wines.

Explore wines from around the world accompanied by South West Cheeses at the Exeter Festival of South West Food & Drink.

Book your ticket and enjoy a tutored tasting of at least 4 wines with expert advice and information from Susy Atkins and our team of wine experts from Great Western Wines, accompanied by a platter of at least 4 cheeses from the South West of England

Learn from our wine expert, Suzy Atkins familiar to many wine & food lovers as a regular wine expert and presenter on BBC1’s flag-ship cookery show Saturday Kitchen.

The South West of England is home to a wealth of cheese makers crafting outstanding artisan, traditional cheeses. Each session will offer a selection of local cheeses, with an array of magnificent flavours.

Ticket Information

PLEASE NOTE: The Perfect Pairings ticket does not include entry to the festival.   A valid entry ticket for the festival is also required.

Places are limited for each session so book early to avoid disappointment.

Over 18s only.

NB – Suzy Atkins will not host the Saturday afternoon sessions taking place after 1pm.

The organisers reserve the right to change the published timings and content of sessions.

Saturday 23 April

11-11.45am Crossroads – Unique wines from Hawkes Bay NZ

A tour around Crossroads awards winning wines. Experience wines grown from New Zealand’s oldest wine region on the east coast of the North Island. For 25 years, Crossroads has brought wine lovers the very best of small parcel winemaking from Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The terroir in Hawke’s Bay creates fruit that can be crafted into wines of great finesse and elegance. The quality and craft of Crossroads wines continues to be recognised at home and abroad, with accolades including Best New Zealand Red Wine for Crossroads Winemakers Collection Syrah 2012 and NZ Wine Producer of the Year.

12.15-1pm English Sparkling wine

English fizz has started getting a name for itself, with our sparkling wines now winning international wine awards and vineyards springing up all over the place. Many are every bit as good as – and sometimes better than – Champagne. So dust off those flutes and enjoy a sample of some of England’s best bubbles. 

1.30-2.15 pm Off the beaten track – the road to exciting wines from unusual regions and unusual grapes.

The road to exciting wines from unusual regions and unusual grapes.

The aim of this tasting is to explore areas and countries that are typically less familiar to us all. It will be fun and educational to travel to lesser regions and taste grape varieties that many have not come across before.

2.45-3.30pm   Sergio De Luca – Great Red wines from Piemonte

Piemonte has strongly established itself as one of the most important areas in Italy for Food and wine. It is also the birth place of that great world movement called Slow food. The wines are all from great areas around the town of Alba.

4.00-4.45 pm   Yealands Estate – Carbon neutral wines from Marlborough NZ

Learn about Yealands passion for the environment and taste their range of aromatic white wines.   Located in the cooler, Awatere Valley of Marlborough, Yealands produces award winning wine in harmony with the environment, being the world’s first winery to be certified CarboNZero from inception. On 08.08.08, Peter Yealands shared his vision of becoming the world’s most sustainable wine producer, and that the only way to craft truly beautiful, award-winning wine was in partnership with Nature. Every day Yealands is growing closer to their goal of becoming energy self-sufficient and carbon negative.

5.15-6pm Discover Wines from the South West of England

The South West is a premium wine-producing region, with around 139 vineyards in England producing sparkling and still wines.  English wines have been winning many prestigious awards. Book your place to taste and find out more about this exciting, local and growing industry! 

Sunday 24 April

12pm English Sparkling wine

English fizz has started getting a name for itself, with our sparkling wines now winning international wine awards and vineyards springing up all over the place. Many are every bit as good as – and sometimes better than – Champagne. So dust off those flutes and enjoy a sample of some of England’s best bubbles.

1.15 pm Dirceu Vianna Junior MW – The French Classics

A great opportunity to taste excellent examples of classic wines from the best regions of France.  Come and cement your knowledge of French classics. If you are a beginner join us simply to enjoy a trip around some of the greatest vineyards and drink some of the best wines France can offer.

2.30pm Sergio De Luca – Southern Italian gems

A discovery of great wines following the Greek domination of Southern Italy 2,500 years ago. Falanghina, Fiano, Greco, Aglianico, Nero d’ Avola, interesting discoveries through unusual grape varieties from Southern Italy regions.

3.45pm Discover Wines from the South West of England

The South West is a premium wine-producing region, with around 139 vineyards in England producing sparkling and still wines.  English wines have been winning many prestigious awards. Book your place to taste and find out more about this exciting, local and growing industry!

Venue – Exeter Festival of South West Food & Drink 2015, The Ballroom, Exeter Castle. Entry via Castle Street, Exeter.