For a change, we will be trying to differentiate and guess between different sparkling wines. Some will be easier than others, but we might slip in some surprises...
And to increase the stakes for this competition, we will offer a bottle of sparkling to the winner team!
This will be a good test of our noses and taste buds. We will also briefly review the different methods and different grapes employed in sparkling production.
Julia Elizabeth King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, DBE FREng FRS FInstP CEng is a British engineer and crossbench member of the House of Lords, who was the Vice-Chancellor of Aston University from 2006 to 2016.
Julia will speak to us about the House of Lords, its role in scrutinising legislation, including Brexit, and why she believes in the value of an unelected chamber. She will also explain the process for applying to become a member of the Lords.
We will be discovering Chilean wines.
Tessa Bamford is a consultant in the Boards Practice at Spencer Stuart. She also serves as a non-executive director of two FTSE100 companies: Ferguson plc, the world’s leading distributor of heating and plumbing products to the professional market and Barratt Developments plc, one of Britain’s largest homebuilders.
Before joining Spencer Stuart, Tessa was a founding director of MerchantCantos, an online corporate communications company serving many FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and international businesses. Previously she spent 18 years as an investment banker in both the UK and US, first with BZW and then with Schroders.
We will explore Eastern European wines
Nicole runs Chêne Bleu, a multi-award-winning winery, as well as the eco-luxury retreat La Verrière in Provence, France. A former investment banker and program director in one of David Rockefeller’s geopolitical think tanks, Nicole had to connect with her inner entrepreneur when she co-founded a sustainably-minded haute-couture wine label, now distributed in 18 countries and hailed by critics. The restored ancient estate operates as a leading wine education venue and retreat for holidays and thinktanks.
Granddaughter of a Boston Suffragette and heir to a legacy of professional women, she supports the ‘Profit&Purpose’ economy, mentoring young women to achieve their goals and participate in the betterment of society. Living in London and Provence, Nicole is acting chair of the UK chapter of global women’s network Feminin Pluriel, delegate of Lead(Her)ship and the Global Female leader Summit in Berlin, judge and presenter at the Women of the Future Awards, and advisory member of the St James’ Roundtable at Chatham House.
We will discuss Provence and rose wines ahead of the holiday season
Tour of Northern Italy Wines and talk about entrepreneurship.
Possibly the only Brazilian not interested in football but in wines, Simone Sylvestre has been working in the UK for 12 years, quickly progressing through the ranks from General Assistant to Sous Chef to Catering Manager and finally, Sommelier.
Simone previously worked at Vini Italiani as Sales Executive, left in August 2014 to establish a restaurant business in Brazil and now is back as business Development Manager. Simone has a FISAR international sommelier qualication and she is also currently completing her studies for the WSET Diploma.
We have selected wines from Northern Italy, one of the most famous regions.
After graduating from an engineering school in 2006, Caroline worked for two years as a consultant in Quality and Reliability Engineering, for companies like EADS and Thales. In 2008, she resigned from her engineering role, to start her studies in Wine & Spirits management, at KEDGE Business School in Bordeaux and never looked back. During her studies, Caroline also worked for wine brokers (courtiers) to learn and understand the unique distribution system of Grands Crus of Bordeaux.
In 2012, she joined her in-laws at Château Fleur Cardinale, and graduated the following year, with a qualification in Wine Tasting at the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences of Bordeaux. Caroline will speak to us about how she made the transition from engineering to running a Bordeaux Chateau.
We will also explore the Bordeaux wine region and the differences between the different terroirs there.
Sandrine Dixson-Declѐve has 28 years of European and international policy and strategic experience with a focus on EU/international climate change. She has run EU platforms bringing together global leaders/Ministers, CEO’s, policy makers, and NGO’s to foster change, including being part of the Paris C02 agreement. She is also passionate about supporting women and will talk to us about how women can help climate change.
Wines
To complement this topic, we will explain how climate change has been affecting wine making and will showcase some biodynamic wines. We will also offer some tips on choosing wine.
Climate change & biodynamic wines on March 20th