Jeremy Dunn

I have been requested to publish this media release about Norfolk’s own wine school 01/09/2017

Grape Expectations as Norfolk get its own independent Wine School

Wine lovers across the region are raising a glass in anticipation of Norfolk’s first independent wine education company, which will launch next week.

Wine expert Jeremy Dunn is opening Norfolk Wine School on Tuesday, September 6, offering an exciting range of bespoke tastings and courses for those who are keen to learn more about wine or want to indulge an existing passion.

The new school will be the first large-scale wine course provider in the area, recommending carefully selected wines from local, independent wine merchants. It’s the latest franchise within the rapidly expanding www.localwineschool.com family – a nationwide network of 22 independent wine schools that first opened in Newcastle sixteen years ago.

Since re-locating back to Norwich with his family this summer, Jeremy has been busy getting to know the local independent wine merchants and their ranges, as well as immersing himself in the local Norfolk food and drink scene.

His passion for wine stems from his ten-year career working in the industry, for Majestic Wine Warehouses and Waverley Wines and Spirits. Whilst representing several prestigious wine suppliers in the UK market, he visited many vineyards and wineries in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, California and Australia and was awarded the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma.

Jeremy said: “I’m delighted to be launching the Norfolk Wine School. It fulfils a personal ambition of mine to run my own wine business, and I’m thrilled to have moved with my family back to the area where I grew up, and where I have many fond childhood memories.

“Wine drinkers in Norfolk are lucky to have a number of progressive independent wine merchants with fantastic ranges as well as local vineyards producing award winning wines. Norfolk Wine School will complement and support local businesses by helping existing wine drinkers develop their wine knowledge, and will bring new consumers into wine through a series of fun, informative, relaxed introductory courses.”

The first scheduled event is an ‘Introduction to Wine’ evening tasting on Tuesday, September 6 at The Library in the heart of Norwich – a lovingly restored listed building – formerly the UK’s first public subscription library and now a thriving bar and restaurant.

Tickets are available to buy at www.norfolkwineschool.com and guests can choose to book the event as either a one-off tasting or as part of a course. Gift vouchers for birthdays, Christmas or any special occasion are also available to purchase.

All-day Saturday tastings at The Library, featuring champagne and lunch, are also set to be a particular highlight in Norfolk Wine School’s calendar. The first of these special events costing £90 per person will take place on Saturday, September 24 from 10.30am to 4pm, titled ‘An Introduction to Wine’, and guests will be greeted with a glass of champagne to kick off the day. An indulgent three-course lunch will be provided in line with The Library’s philosophy of serving fresh, simple food cooked on site using local produce and suppliers wherever possible.

The menu for the Saturday event will include such starters as Baron Bigot Suffolk Brie with walnuts and green apple bruschetta, marinated baby artichoke with Bressaola, broad beans and creamy goats cheese, or hearty lentil and carrot soup with chunky croutons.

Main dishes will feature such choices as fillet of seabass with ratatouille and new potatoes, slow cooked cheek of beef with rich red bourguignon sauce, carrots and creamy mash, roasted lemon and thyme chicken with skinny fries and coleslaw, or butternut squash and coconut pie with roasted roots. To finish, desserts will include baked vanilla cheesecake, gluten free dark chocolate roulade, and Norfolk Dapple cheese with biscuits and chutney.

Upcoming tastings will also be hosted at another of Norwich’s leading venues, St Andrew’s Brewhouse, a bustling micro-brewery and smokehouse in the heart of the city. Additionally, bespoke, tailored tastings will be offered throughout the region as corporate events and private parties at customers’ chosen locations.

For further information about upcoming dates, availability and event prices, visit www.norfolkwineschool.com ; follow @norfolk_wine on Twitter; email info@norfolkwineschool.com  or call Jeremy on 01603 944094 or 07714 404790.

Appendix: Jeremy’s Top 10 Wine Tips
Jeremy’s Top 10 wine tips
1.    Don’t be afraid of wine; all the answers to any questions you have are sitting in the glass of wine in front of you
2.    There are no wrong answers when tasting wine; whatever a wine tastes or smells like to you is the right answer
3.    Spending more on a bottle of wine makes sense. The jump in quality between a £5 and £7 bottle of wine is significant. After VAT, duty and other costs on a £5 bottle of Australian wine, the winemaker will receive just 76p to grow the grapes, make and bottle the wine. On a £7 bottle of Australian wine the winemaker will receive £2.57 so the wine is likely to be much better quality. Almost all of the additional £2 you have spent goes into the grape juice inside your £7 bottle
4.    When choosing a wine from a wine list in a restaurant, ask to try before you buy so you can be sure you will like it. If they serve it by the glass, they are likely to have a bottle of what you want to try open. It’s difficult for them to say no!
5.    When you pour a glass of wine at home give it a gentle swirl before you taste. This really opens up the wine and releases all its lovely aromas and flavours, making it easier to taste. Just don’t be too ostentatious in your swirling; it’s likely to end up all over you!
6.    Don’t pour away the dregs of an almost finished bottle of wine. Pour them into an ice cube tray, freeze and then use the wine cubes as a way of adding quick hits of extra flavour to sauces and gravies
7.    If your red wine is a little cold, the best way to warm it up is to pour it into your glass and cup your hands around the glass. The natural heat from your hands will have your wine at the perfect temperature in about a minute
8.    If your white wine is a little warm, resist the temptation to add ice. Somewhere in the world a winemaker has toiled for hours growing the grapes and crafting your perfectly balanced glass of wine. Chucking in an ice cube or two makes winemakers weep!
9.    To help you choose a wine, look beyond the front label. Turn the bottle round and look for the story on the back label – who made it, why they made it, what’s their philosophy…all these little stories will help you choose better wines
10.  A little wine knowledge goes a long way, so sign yourself up for a wine course at Norfolk Wine School