Our February meeting was hosted by Jenny, Debbie and Bonnie. As usual, there were eight wines to taste: four whites and four reds. But this month, there was a difference. For a start, the wines were tasted blind – labels hidden by strategically fitted socks!

The evening was loosely based around the film Bottle Shock, a 2008 American comedy-drama depicting the 1976 wine competition known as the ‘Judgment of Paris’, when California wines defeated French wines in a blind taste test.

We were invited to taste two wines in each round, one Californian and one French, carefully chosen to replicate the wines tasted in the 1976 competition. We had to decide which we thought was which – and, more importantly, which we preferred.

It was a fun evening, and lots of information was provided about the wines, but our tasting didn’t replicate the clear result of the original competition. Each round produced a different winner and in the end the Californian and French wines came out neck and neck.

Fairfield Wine Group meets on the last Friday of each month in Fairfield Community Hall. The cost for the evening is £15 per person to cover hall hire and the wines. Everyone is welcome, but no drop-ins please – since wines need to be bought in advance you must commit to coming by the Tuesday beforehand at the latest. Email Kate for more information: kateevans536@hotmail.com