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 our own member Fred Richardson kindly stepped into the breach. He playfully titled the evening ‘Whitby Sommeliers Spring Seminar – An evening with (some of) Fred’s Favourites – I hope that you enjoy them!’
Well we certainly did enjoy, them as well as Fred’s humorous and informative presentation. He had clearly enthusiastically put in some serious research and had sourced the wines from a variety of sources.
It was definitely a very enjoyable evening. Our traditional much anticipated Raffle was won by one of our guests – hopefully this will result in a future new member.
Our Chairman, Robert Smith, rounded off the evening with huge thanks to Fred (much applause followed!) and a reminder that our next meeting is to be held on Monday 20th April 2026.
The wines sampled were as follows:
Welcome Wine: Comte de Senegal Champagne Brut – Bought from Lidl and at £14 viewed as excellent value.
Intermediate Wine: Laudun Côtes‑du‑Rhône Village Château Courac 2023 – A Wine Society pick at £11.95 – liked by all.
Starter Wines: Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch South Africa 2025 – £9.95 from M & S.
Domaine Mandeville Viognier Van de Pays D’Oc 2025 – £9.00 from M & S – both these wines were again very well received.
Main Course Wines: Gomartartzi Syrah/Cabernet Franc Bononia Estate Bulgaria 2024 – Wine Society £11.50
Old Kapunda Road Barossa Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 Australia – £12 from M & S.
Slightly more varied opinions with these, while both well liked the Bulgarian offering, with it’s more fruity and spicy notes, somewhat the favourite.
Dessert Wine: The Liberator “the Francophile” Chenin Blanc Limited Edition 2018 South Africa – This, being a limited edition (only 800 cases!) has now sold out and easy to see why with it’s lovely citrus and pineapple flavours.
