Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux – Bordeaux wine tasting experience review

Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux. is a four-day food and drink festival taking place across Liverpool this Jubilee Weekend. The fantastic event is in partnership with the Bordeaux Wine Council and the French Government and celebrates Liverpool as the UK’s host city for 2022’s Bordeaux Wine Festival. The four-day festival is made of four different experiences:

• Bordeaux Wine Tasting Experience at Liverpool Town Hall
• Specially created menus paired with Bordeaux wine at over 50 restaurants, bars and cafes in Liverpool
• Chefs demos and kitchen disco at the Bombed Out Church
• A local producer’s market

As part of day one of the festival, I headed to the Liverpool Town Hall to take part in the Bordeaux Wine Tasting Experience. Spread over two hours, the immersive experience gave guests the opportunity to:

• Try six tastings of Bordeaux wine
• Receive a complimentary Bordeaux wine tasting glass
• Gain entrance to one wine masterclasses
• Talk to the world’s finest wine producers

Having just completed my WSET Level 2 Award in Wines, I was thrilled to have the chance to put my new knowledge to the test and speak to some of the world’s finest wine producers about their unique wines.

Throughout the venue, there were six stalls that each represented a region of Bordeaux. Visitors were invited to make their way around each of the stalls and choose a wine from each region to try. To make the most of the experience, me and my guest picked a different wine at each of the six stalls and tried each others. So, in the end, we managed to taste 12 different wines! While I could talk you through all 12 of the wines we tried, I think we’d be here all day. So, instead, I’ve picked out just a few of my favourites from the day.

I was most excited for the Sauternes and this particular bottle certainly didn’t disappoint. On the nose, it had pronounced aromas of honey, almost like syrup, as well as dried yellow fruits and floral notes. That came through on the palette too. Whilst a Sauternes is a sweet, dessert wine, this bottle had an acidity that cut right through and balanced it out perfectly.

I didn’t get the chance to go to one of the masterclasses as I ran out of time but, from speaking to a few other guests at the events, it sounded absolutely brilliant – especially if you’re new to wine tastings. Attendees of the masterclass were given two tasting samples of wines (red and white) and were taught how to approach a proper wine tasting. If you’re new to wine tasting then it sounds like it would be a really beneficial masterclass to get involved in, and would definitely help you get the most out of the day (and the wines!).