In the beautiful town of Stamford, you'll find a gem of wine shop known as Shekelton Wines.
Located in Chapel Yard, this gorgeous wine shop stocks a variety of interesting and unique wines to buy and also try when booking a tasting session. Naturally Chris and I decided to get a group of us together to try our hand at tasting which I thought I'd share it with you!
The lovely owners of Shekelton Wines; Charlotte and John, host both online and in store events to cater for all needs with a variety of tasting packages available. From cheese and wine tasting to Italian wine tasting or English wine tasting; there's a taste for everyone. You can check out the upcoming tasting events in store or alternatively book a private wine session. Each event is guided by a tasting expert with 6 lots of 50ml servings for each person. We opted for a private classic cheese and wine tasting for a group of 10 within the shop which was a wonderful inviting space to be in. The shop is decorated in a beautiful red colour and lined with an array of wonderful wines, selected personally by Charlotte and John.
We started the evening with welcome drinks of prosecco and an introduction to the shop which we discovered was launched in lock down! At each seat was a had a tasting sheet detailing each wine and cheese we were sampling and an area to write notes and score the selections. The first wine of the evening was a champagne, paired with Charouce cheese.
Having never been to a wine tasting event before, Charlotte guided us through this first glass with how to taste the wine; covering the glass with your hand and swirling the contents to release the flavours before smelling it. It really makes a difference and from there we were able to pick out the key notes. I also then learnt that when tasting the wine it's good practice to inhale a little before taking a sip to again get the aroma of the wine, prior to swilling it around your mouth and savoring the flavour.
After enjoying a sip of wine, we were then encouraged to try the cheese (which took very little persuasion on my part!), before tasting the wine again. It was amazing how much the cheese enhanced the flavour of the wine and added a new dimension to the palate. This was especially so when sampling the Chianti Superiore with the Pecorino cheese as many of the group found it left a spicy, tingling sensation at the back of their tongue. With this classic cheese and wine tasting we were able to sample both red and white wines from around the world- from , Spain, Italy, Portugal, to South Africa, with each wine tasting different due to the climate, soil and other environmental factors involved.
The majority of the group found their favourite pairing of cheese and wine to be the Cabernet Sauvignon and Vintage Lincolnshire Poacher cheese. I too loved this combination, especially with the cheese being local but the real under dog for me had to be Aged White Port! Firstly, who knew there was such a thing as white port and secondly, Ferreria Dona Antonia White Reserve Port is just delicious! Teamed with the Colston Basset Stilton cheese it, had a wonderful mix of sweetness whilst being smooth too. Overall my favourite pairing of the evening was the Champagne Georges Lacombe, Grand Cuvee Brut NV and Charouce, so much so that I bought a bottle of the champagne to enjoy at home!
Once the tasting had finished we sat back and enjoyed a top up of our favourite glasses from the session whilst perusing the shop, with many of us picking up our favourite wines from the evening.
Shekelton Wines is a wonderful place to sample wine as well as buy it, from a couple who have a true passion for wonderful tasting wine. We all felt so welcome and relaxed in their shop and would highly recommend everyone pay a visit when you're next in the Stamford area!
Opening times:
Tuesday 11:00 - 18:00Wednesday 11:00 - 18:00
Thursday 11:00 - 18:00
Friday 11:00 - 19:00
Saturday 11:00 - 18:00
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