A Personal Reflection on an Evening of Wine With the Wonderful Gill Young – Matthew Swallow, Sheffield Section Chair The Sheffield section of the Yorkshire Guild of Sommeliers enjoyed a warm, lively, and wonderfully engaging tasting hosted by Gill Young, who brought both knowledge and charm to a line‑up that travelled across Greece, Australia, Spain,…
WHITBY’S MARCH 2026 MATCH REPORT BY JAMES R CARSON Our meeting was, as usual, held in Sanders Yard Bistro in Church Street, Whitby. We had in the region of 30 attendees in total – slightly down on our usual turnout. Unfortunately our planned presenter was unable to attend due to matters beyond his control so…
Yes, we should be drinking English wines! – Joanne Maxwell, Section Chair In a first for us, we devoted an entire evening to tasting English wines. In another first, our speaker, Alfie Smith, debuted as a presenter to a group of wine drinkers rather than his usual audience of wine buyers. Alfie, an engineer by…
AN EVENING OF AUSTRIAN WINE AND FOOD – ROY SMITH, CAISTOR SECTION CHAIR As wine lovers, we often choose bottles we already know, enjoy, and feel comfortable paying for. Being members of our sommeliers group gives us the chance to step outside that comfort zone and try wines we might never normally consider. This was…
A showcase of Austrian and German wines in a historic Yorkshire setting This year’s AGM took place at the elegant Middlethorpe Hall, where guests enjoyed an evening that combined the society’s annual review with a curated exploration of Austrian and German wines. Following the formal session, wine specialists Paul Tate-Smith and Alex Danson led a…
GREEK WINE: WHY DON’T WE KNOW MORE ABOUT IT? Despite being one of the world’s oldest wine‑producing regions, Greece remains surprisingly under‑the‑radar for many wine lovers. With hundreds of indigenous grape varieties — most rarely seen outside the country — Greek wine can feel both ancient and undiscovered at the same time. Six of us,…
Preet’s new selection of South African Wines by Joanne Maxwell, Section Chair February’s meeting saw the return of Preet Sahota from Edgmond wines who showcased a new selection of South African wines. Preet’s easy yet informative style made him something of an “in demand” speaker at Guild events in 2025 so Hull were more than…
ALPINE WINES, YORKSHIRE CHARM There was a lovely buzz in the room last Monday as we settled into a new venue, a new presenter, and a line‑up of Swiss wines that instantly reminded us why the Swiss are fourth in the world for per‑capita wine consumption — and why they keep the vast majority of…
WHITBY’S JANUARY 2026 MATCH REPORT BY STEVE BREMNER January’s meeting at Sanders Yard Bistro was both reflective and warmly engaging, setting an appropriate tone for the first gathering of the year. With Chairman Robert unable to attend, Malcolm took on hosting duties for the evening. In his opening remarks, Malcolm paused to remember Gillian, whose…
Hull section AGM and Committee’s Personal Choices by Joanne Maxwell, Section Chair Hull section members came together for what was promised to be (and was!) a very brief AGM. Chair Joanne Maxwell encouraged everyone to continue to introduce prospective new members. Secretary Jo Coupland reported that the section ended the year with 62 members, but…