Jonathan Ray Jonathan Ray

Wine Club: Private Cellar’s masterclass in alternatives to the classics 

issue 26 November 2022

So that’s another term done at the Spectator Wine School. And what a term! We had such a fine teacher – take a bow Mrs Taylor, Head of Vinous Studies, on loan from Private Cellar – and such bright pupils that everyone passed.

Not only did our conscientious students pull their weight in class, eschewing the spittoons (I’m sending the damn things back, they were a foolish purchase), many continued their oenological discussions in The Two Chairmen after school. Their diligence and dedication quite brought a tear to my eye.

Our most popular class was that of Alternatives to the Classics, which featured such tasty wines that Laura Taylor and I decided to offer some here to the wider readership.

The 2020 Domaine Dyckerhoff Reuilly Tradition (1) was a massive hit. Pure Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley, it’s a brilliant, well-priced alternative to better-known Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé.

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