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We want you to get the most out of your Virtual Vintage Festival Experience so we’ve put together all the tools, tips and advice we think you’ll need to make sure you do.

Ahead of the Festival

1

Make sure you’ve registered on our events platform and set up your profile.

How to register
2

Once you’ve registered you’ll have access to the platform where you can browse our full list of events and add the ones you wish you attend in your watchlist.

Before the event

We recommend you set up your device with the platform loaded and have your wine, food and tasting notes (if required) on hand.

If you’ve purchased our ticket only, take a look at the What’s On guide for the wine selections included with each event on the platform and simply select a bottle in a similar style from your own wine rack.

Check the event information on the platform or our ‘What’s On’ guide for the wines featured in each session so you can have these ready to go.

You might also wish to have a pen and some paper to take notes.

Decanting wines

  • Decanting is just a way of getting more flavour and aromas out of your wine, allowing some air to get to the liquid in the process of pouring from one container (the wine bottle) to another (your decanter). It’s also good for removing sediment from unfiltered wines, aged wines or vintage Port.

  • Not to worry, you don’t need a crystal decanter, as lovely as they may be. A cheaper version or even a jug will do.

  • If the wine you’re pouring is likely to have a deposit (eg if the wine is over ten years old, a vintage Port or an unfiltered/natural wine), stand the bottle upright for at least an hour, preferably overnight, before pouring the wine slowly off the sediment. Do this until you see the sediment (or ‘dregs’) appear at the bottle shoulder.

  • Young robust wines like the chance to breathe in a decanter so don’t be afraid to do this several hours before drinking.

  • There’s a bit of a debate around decanting old wines. Some say they’ll lose their perfume by decanting, while others argue old wines need ‘waking up’ – you certainly don’t want to leave old wines in a decanter for too long.

Serving suggestions

To get the most out of your wines we would recommend the following serving temperatures:

  • 10°C for lighter white wines

    (Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Grüner Veltliner, etc.)

  • 11-15°C for fuller-bodied whites

    (Oaked Chardonnay, Viognier, Gewurtztraminer, etc.)

  • 16°C or below for medium-bodied reds

    (Grenache, Valpolicella, Pinot Noir)

  • 16-19°C for full-bodied reds

    (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)

Spittoons

You may want to have a glass or jug on hand to use as a spittoon.

Water

Ensure you have plenty of water to hand to keep hydrated whilst tasting and to rinse your palate.

Food/snacks

Food and wine complement each other so well it makes sense to have some snacks and nibbles on hand to elevate your tasting. Please see some general suggestions below:

General food pairing:

Light and fresh foods, sea food, fresh, young cheeses. Food with high acidity, herb, mineral and fresh green flavours work well, young cheeses have high acidity and light flavours and are a great match.

Simple options:

Chargrilled peppers, mozzarella and sun blush tomatoes, goats’ cheese, grilled squid rings, grilled marinated anchovies or white bait, grilled artichokes, grilled peppers, green olives, garlic and her prawns, Spanish tortilla .

General food pairing:

Full-bodied white wines tend to come from warmer climates and spend time in oak, which give them weight and richness. These wines can sometimes be tricky to pair with food, but when they work, they're terrific. Match them with substantial dishes, like roast poultry and meaty fish, and starchier things like pasta.

Simple options:

Creamy cow and sheep milk cheeses, brie and ricotta sweet potato fries, toasted nuts.

General food pairing:

Roast chicken and pork dishes, creamy pasta, mushroom stroganoff.

Simple options for the event:

Chargrilled marinated artichokes, artichoke dip, guacamole, humous, baba ghanoush, cheddar cheese, gouda cheese.

General food pairing:

Here we can pair foods with more weight as the wine has more weight and body than our other wines. For this reason we can pair them with foods with a lot of umami flavours as the wine’s fruit offers a nice counterbalance. Aged cheese and cured meat, lamb, beef, portobello mushroom burger are all good options.

Simple options for the event:

Kalamata olives, black olive tapenade, aged cured meats such as bresaola, biltong or salami, pizza, patatas bravas, mushroom pâté, duck pâté, grilled mushrooms in olive oil, lamb kofte, blue cheese.

If in doubt it is always good to have bread and crackers on hand

Glassware

If you’ve purchased one of our Interactive Tasting Cases you can use the glassware included as part of your case.

If you’re tasting more than one wine we would recommended having a separate glass for each wine you’ll be tasting where possible alternatively, simply rinse your glass between tasting.

Tasting Notes

Tasting notes for our wines can be found on our website. Follow our simple guide here to download them.

Virtual tasting notes
(for VF collection)

If you have purchase one of our Vintage Festival Collections you can view Virtual Tasting Notes for each wine here.

Additional Materials

Some of our events have specific instructions or recommended items to enable you to interact. Check the additional materials for each event you’ve signed up for on the platform for any items you might require.

Thursday 15th April

Friday 16th April

Saturday 17th April

  • Tom Kerridge: Cooking with Wine Recipe Card

  • A Sensory Experience with the Ministry of Taste

    We’d like to make this event as interactive as possible. For the last part of the event we’d like you to grab a bit of sandpaper and piece of velvet if possible, if you are unable to get hold of some these household objects will suffice, see the list below:

    • Sandpaper or souring pad (brillo pad, ideally a new one), course nail file, pumice stone, the courser the better

    • Velvet or a soft jumper or scarf (merino wool or cashmere), soft cotton pyjamas, fur lining of a jacket, soft furnishings, the softer and smoother the better

DURING THE FESTIVAL

Technical support FAQS

Please ensure you are using the email address you used when you purchased your ticket/case. If you are still having problems please contact info@vintagewinefestival.co.uk with your customer and order number.

For the best viewing experience please use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

You can access all event content from the platform homepage. Each box on the homepage is a piece of content or a session you can join.

You can submit questions and leave comments for speakers by opening the interactive bar on the right-hand side of any video player.  Other participants can “like” submitted questions by clicking the “thumbs-up” icon. Top “liked” questions will be prioritized by the Q&A moderator.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please email help@canapii.com

Please contact info@vintagewinefestival.co.uk if you would like any further information about any of our events.

Platform Navigation

Homepage
Here you can view all the event sessions and start to customise your watchlist

My Watchlist
View the sessions you have booked onto. Don’t forget to check these in case there is any downloadable content for the session

Live session Banner
This displays the current live session

Playlists
At a glance view of all our sessions coming up and on demand

Viewing your sessions
Click on the thumbnail of the session you want to watch and it will open in your browser.

How to interact/join the community

There are a number of ways you can interact with our online platform and personalise your content, use the navigation bar at the top of your screen to browse through the sections

Speakers
Get to know about our event hosts and VIPs

Vote
Vote for your favourite wine of the show here

Community Wall
Get involved, post your pics and videos of your festival setup and see how others are celebrating with us

Festival Chat
chat with your fellow festival goers, but remember, be nice. We’re all here to enjoy the wine and the stories behind the wine.

Reaction buttons are down at the bottom right of the screen so you can show your likes or loves for the hosts and content. Leave your questions and comments in the comments section and keep an eye out for replies from our fantastic wine advisors and special guests. Join in with the interactive polls and quizzes included in some of the sessions and don’t forget to let us know how you get on.

On demand

Don’t forget you will have access to our event for 2 weeks after the live dates.

Visit the platform to watch your favourite videos again, or catch up with the ones you missed