I’m not one for over-doing superlatives but I went to one of the best events I can remember for some time this weekend. For various reasons I was unable to attend either of the first two Wine Car Boot events; but one thing is sure, I will not be missing any more!

Seventeen London wine merchants came together behind Kings Cross station on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, each of them choosing six wines to sample to the expectant masses. Some of the merchants I know well, others I had never heard of but will be sure to look up again, but the one thing they all had in common was great wine, huge enthusiasm and the spirit of fun that is often missing in the wine trade.

 

Wine Car Boot is a festival that celebrates wine that makes wine fun, and brings together wine lovers, wine geeks and winos! When I spoke to organiser Ruth Spivey (@legslonglength), she said that they had pre-sold around 500 tickets for the event and there were plenty of walk-ups on the day. In fact the crowd seemed to come from all over the place… I met up with the #WineSwap guys who came down from the Midlands for the day! The whole event was buzzing; happy faces lapped up old favourites and new finds, the street-food vendors provided food for any persuasion and the saxophonists got the feet tapping… and led to a few disco moves later in the day!

For £10 you got entry into the event, a Govino outdoor tasting glass, a 6-bottle wine carrier and, most importantly, your first 5 tasting vouchers. Every wine advertised was available as a very generous pour (mostly – but I had such a good time I’m not naming & shaming!) in exchange for a voucher or could be bought by the glass or the bottle. Run out of vouchers? No problem, plenty available for a very generous £1 a go… now you can see why everyone was had such a good time!

I can’t wait for the next one… If I have plans I’ll be changing them, as I’d hate to miss another one!

Of the 20 or so wines I sampled (it got a bit fuzzy at the end!), these are 11 wines that stood out with a 7-word wine review for each (all prices are per bottle and each is a link to the wine on the merchant’s website):

Donienne Sparkling Txacoli Brut Nature (The Sampler £20.25)

Super dry… just wait for the fruit!

Campo Largo Rosé Pinot Noir NV, Bairrada, Portugal (Vin Vixen £20.00)

Serious and delicate Pinot fizz from Portugal

LA Cetto Sparkling Chardonnay NV, Baja California, Mexico (Albion Wine Shippers £8.50)

Taste of the sea in a glass!

Torzi Matthews Frost Dodger Riesling 2013, Eden Valley, Australia (Berry Brothers & Rudd £19.95)

Dry, citrus & mineral – textbook Aussie Riesling

Muros Antigos Alvarinho 2013, Vinho Verde, Portugal (Bottle Apostle £15.30)

Complex with pear and citrus; refreshingly long

Kooyong Beurrot Pinot Gris 2012, Mornington Peninsula (Bottle Apostle £22.05)

The smell of Frazzles, tastes so fresh

Erwin Poller “Vom Loess” 2013, Austria (Newcomer Wines £14.90)

The label is made from vineyard soil!

Lioco Chardonnay 2012, Sonoma County, California (Roberson £17.95)

Delightful combination of fruit and savoury elegance

Tetramythol Retsina 2013, Peloponnesus, Greece (Vinoteca £11.00)

Retsina that is actually very drinkable… honest!

Valenciso Rioja Reserva 2007, Rioja, Spain (Highbury Vintners £20.00)

Ageing beautifully, balance of fruit and oak

Domaine Jean Royer Le Petit Roy 12eme Annee, Rhone, France (Lea & Sandeman £13.75)

Smooth and sexy value from the Rhone