Oxford finds its Sauvignon style
At the invitation of the Wadham Research Associates and Wine Committee, I have been leading wine tastings at Wadham College, Oxford since 2016. During these special events, undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty from Wadham come together to explore wines specially chosen to illuminate a particular grape or style. These evenings are great fun, and everyone comes away with new (sometimes unexpected!) ideas about the types of wine they like and how to identify them.
Here are summaries of two of those events written by participants:
Sauvignon style (2019)
“Expertly led by certified sommelier Dr Lisa Drakeman, guests were given the opportunity to explore five distinctive pairs of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Together with Professor Stephen Heyworth (Bowra Fellow, Tutor in Classics and secretary of Wadham College Wine Committee), students and academics were led on a fabulous journey from continent to continent and style to style.
The wines sampled were:
Château Cissac (Haut-Médoc), 2006 & Château Fourcas Dupré (Listrac), 2005;
Torres Gran Coronas Cabernet Sauvignon (Spain), 2012 & Le Difese, Maremma, Tenuta San Guido (Italy), 2013;
Château Potensac (Médoc), 2000 & Château Chasse Spleen (Moulis), 2000;
Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa, California), 2004 & Ridge Montebello Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz, California), 2008;
Château Rauzan Segla, Margaux 2me Cru Classé, 1996 & Château Cos d'Estournel, St Estèphe 2me Cru Classé, 1996.”
"‘Finding your Sauvignon Style’, led expertly by Dr Lisa Drakeman and organised by Wadham’s Wine Committee and its Research Associates, gave a full audience of Fellows and Wadham graduates the opportunity to explore five distinctive dry styles from around the New and Old Worlds. For the finale, they sampled a delicious Sauternes, a wonderful dessert wine blend from Bordeaux.
Dr Drakeman, who among her many talents (not least having built up an enormously successful biotech company, Genmab, as its CEO) is a certified sommelier, was ably assisted by Professor Stephen Heyworth (Fellow in Classics and secretary of Wadham College Wine Committee), leading the audience on a fabulous journey from continent to continent and style to style. All present left the event with a renewed appreciation of the singular natures of the wines they had tasted – and a warm glow to match!”