Online wine tasting: Puglia and Calabria - the heel and toe of Italy's boot!

£30.00 per device with Zoom

Join us online for an afternoon of super wines from Puglia and Calabria - the heel and toe of Italy's boot! We're heading on tour to Puglia in Septmber 2027 too! You can register your interest for that tour here.

Karen, Andy and Richard are excited to welcome you online to taste some amazing wines from Puglia and Calabria in the south of Italy. As well as some super wines which are perfect for summer sips, we'll share more with you about the regions as well as some aspects of our planned tour to Puglia next year. We'll include a mix of white, rosé and red wines so there's something for everyone to enjoy!

Puglia, in the long, sunny 'heel' of Italy’s boot, is one of Italy’s largest and most productive wine regions. Historically known for producing bulk wine shipped north to add body to lighter vintages, Puglia has undergone a quality revolution over the past few decades. Today, it produces some of the most vibrant, expressive, and exceptional-value wines in Southern Italy. Surrounded by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas on three sides, Puglia benefits from a Mediterranean climate featuring intense sunshine, warm sea breezes, and cool nighttime temperatures. Famous for the Primitivo red grape, there is so much more to discover!

Calabria - the 'toe' of Italy’s boot - is one of winemaking's ancient cradles, yet today it remains one of Italy's most underrated wine regions, overshadowed by its neighbours Sicily and Puglia. Surrounded by the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas and dominated by rugged mountain ranges, Calabria's dramatic topography creates microclimates ranging from scorching Mediterranean coasts to cool alpine slopes. Over the past 20–30 years, a passionate wave of small-scale dynamic winemakers has revived indigenous grape varieties using modern organic and natural winemaking techniques.

We'll feature six or seven wines at this event to show these regions at their best. If you'd like to taste with us, the wines will be available to buy in advance from independent online retailer The Wine Society. You will need to be a meber of The Wine Society to purchase these wines (a £40 lifetime membership fee applies which inlcudes £20 off your first order) - one of the many member benefits is free delivery, even if it's just one bottle. You can join The Wine Society here.

We advise buying the wines around one to two weeks prior. Whilst next day delivery is usually available, there are occasions when the courier is busy or some wines may go out of stock if popular so please ensure you order your wines in time. You don't need to buy all of them! You can choose, perhaps depending on how many of you will be at home, which wines to buy and then taste what you've purchssed during the event and listen in to the rest. Please don't consume the wines, even in part, prior to the event and follow the preparation instructions carefully when these are sent to you..

How does it work?

The wines we plan to feature will be emailed to participants once their booking has been confirmed and you can then decide which of those you wish to buy for the event.

To take part on the day you'll need to open an account with Zoom to access the event. You can do that here! A few days before the event, we'll email an online flip book of the tasting notes together with the Zoom event access link - there will be a password and depending on your devide, you may need a Zoom app (eg iPad or laptop) - if not you can access the meeting from your web browser. Together with the tasting notes and Zoom meeting link ee'll also include how to prepare the wines and we'll list some simple food paring suggestions for each wine so you can prepare (or buy in) something to try with the wines to appreciate how food and wine paring works.

Important

It is essential your web cam is working for the event - blank screens will be removed from the event without a refund - please check your device and any software before the start time to ensure your camera and microphone are working. A chat facilty will be available for anyone who prefers to type any comments. Recording the event in any form is strictly prohibited.

We are proud to feature Riedel varietal specific crystal glassware and online is no excpetion! This online wine tasting event will be co-hosted by Riedel Business Manager Richard J Smith: learn how and why the right wine glass can transform the tasting experience and enjoyment of wine. Find our more about Riedel, the Wine Glass Company, here. Richard will use either Riedel Veloce or Performance glasses and the correct glasses to have to hand will be included when we send the online meeting link and tasting notes book.

We expect the event to last around 2 hours - this is dependent on qurstions etc - which we love, so feel free to ask any wine or tour question you have.

We can't wait to see you online!

Any questions?

If there's anything you're not sure about, you can fill in our online contact form here.