Welcome to "From the Grapevine!"

 

This site explores the world of wine and spirits in Swindon and the surrounding area, through blog posts, social media posts and local tasting events.

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You can hear me once a month on BBC Radio Wiltshire contributing to the Wines for the Weekend feature on Graham Rogers Drivetime show.  If you ever miss the details of the wines we discuss, you can search our Wines for the Weekend category. 

 

The blog

In the blog I'll highlight some of the delights on the shelves of local supermarkets and wine shops, and give you advice and insight to help you explore the wonderful world of wine and spirits.  We write up what happened (and what we drank) at the charity wine tasting events I run and occasionally, I'll delve into my cookbook to pair up some food recipes with wine.  We also give you the selection of the monthly Wines for the Weekend.

 

Events

If you come to one of my events I have several promises;

- I never sell any wines at my events.  I will tell you what you have tasted, how much it is and where you can buy it from (if you like it)

- I only use wines that you can buy locally

- My events are seated, informal and intend to be a mix of information, enjoyment and often rivalry (we usually have a team quiz!)

- I never profit personally from the events.  I give my own time and price the event to cover the costs of the venue, wines, cheese and nibbles and expenses (such as licencing).  If there is a surplus, this is donated to a charity.

 

From the Grapevine is run by Claire Fleming, Wiltshire wine enthusiast, and WSET qualified. As a day job I work in local government, and on the side, I'm also a published fiction writer (why not pair my novels with wine at www.cfleming.co.uk)? 

 

If you have any feedback, we'd love to hear from you - you can get in touch through the Contact tab.

 

Cheers!