Having spent 24 years working in the wine trade, Sean has an extensive knowledge of wines and champagnes. He holds the Wines and Spirits Education Diploma and is a member of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an exclusive club of Burgundy wine enthusiasts. Sean was ‘intronised’ into the club in a special ceremony at the twelfth-century Château du Clos de Vougeot in the Côte d'Or region of France alongside HRH The Princess Royal. At Flourish and Prosper, it is Sean who selects the wines, runs the wine courses and talks the most!

Flourish and Prosper sells an extensive range of more than 450 different wines. Areas of particular interest to Sean include Champagne and the wines of Spain, Portugal and New Zealand. 

When          Thursday May 23^rd        7pm

Where         The Bridge Wine Bar & Bistro, 38 Bridgegate, Howden

Who           Matthieu Barrere UK Brand Director M Chapoutier

M Chapoutier are a family owned business based in Tain in the Rhone valley. They are led by one of the most dynamic men in the wine trade today. Since taking over the company in the early 90’s Michel Chapoutier has dramatically improved the quality and reputation of the wines that Chapoutier produce. Indeed Robert Parker the feted American wine critic has awarded him 99 points for one of his wines more than 19 times.

Very early on Michel converted the family’s vineyards to Bio-Dynamic production rejecting the use of chemical fertilisers etc and instead looking to strengthen the plants through the use of natural treatments, allowing weeds to compete for surface nutrients and even working in harmony with the phases of the moon. As previously stated whatever his methods there is no doubting the quality of the end product.

Not a man to sit on his laurels he isn’t content just to make great wines in the Rhone he has expanded into the Languedoc, Portugal, Alsace and even Australia. It would be impossible in one evening for us to show all the wines Chapoutier produce but what Matthieu will attempt to do is explain the philosophy behind Chapoutiers wines and present a few of them to you.

There will be a small tutored tasting followed by a delicious four course dinner accompanied by some carefully selected wines. In keeping with Michel’s habit of challenging the norm and in answer to requests from many of our customers the dinner will be a vegetarian feast.

So even if you are a committed carnivore why not try a little variety in your life. We will be going all out to impress. Tickets cost £40 and can be booked in advance by Telephone or email to the Bridge.

This is going to be a very special evening.

The Bridge, 38 Bridgegate, Howden DN14 7AB TEL 01430 626141

www.bridgegatebistro.com

Flourish and Prosper to stage its third annual Food and Wine Extravaganza

The finest wines, champagnes, cheeses, olives, preserves, chocolate and much more will be showcased as part of Howden-based Flourish and Prosper’s third annual Food and Wine Extravaganza.

The event will take place at the town’s Shire Hall on the evening of Friday 26 October and tickets are on sale now, priced at £20 per person. There will be a free £10 discount voucher to spend in Flourish and Prosper with every ticket sold.

Tickets for the last two events have sold out quickly, and this year’s event promises to be no exception as it will be even bigger and better than before, with both floors of The Shire Hall full of stalls for people to browse at. As in previous years, there will be plenty of opportunity to taste the wines and food on offer before you buy them, and many of the stalls will be offering special discounts and deals to customers who buy or order on the night.

Sean Welsh, who, together with his wife Julie, owns and runs Flourish and Prosper, said: “This year we’ll be introducing people to some unusual wines from countries that they may not think of as wine producers, including Switzerland and Lebanon. There were about 350 people at last year’s event and we’re expecting a good crowd again this year, so make sure you book your tickets early to avoid disappointment.”

The event will be open from 6pm until 9pm. Tickets are available now from Flourish and Prosper on Bridgegate, Howden, or by telephoning 01430 430006.

Louis Boutinot - Waterkloof Estate South Africa

Thursday May 10th 2012

Wellington Hotel 7.30pm

Louis was due to come and speak about his families wines last year but pulled out at the last minute with Laryngitis he promises that this time he will be there to present his very impressive modern range of wines from an estate that follows Bio-dynamic practices. 

Louis will not only present the wines but also give some explanation of what it means to be Bio-dynamic. He is a very charming and enthusiatic speaker and I am confident it will be a great night. To book a place please contact me at the shop.

I have been asked on numerous occasions to start a regular tasting group, particularly by those people who have taken our ‘Introduction to Wine’ course. The aim of the Sipping Society would be to look at a wide range of the worlds’ wines and wine making regions in depth. Each tasting would have a different theme depending on the speaker.

I have lined up many of my Wine Trade friends to come and present on areas of their expertise. Some of the speakers already lined up: Richard Kelly MW on South Africa, Robert Steel on Italy, David Clouston winemaker for Black Cottage in New Zealand, Julia Langshaw on Burgundy with other exciting speakers to be confirmed.

But I also want to explore other areas of wine so we will also look at food and wine matching to see what works and what does not. We may take a single varietal such as Chardonnay and look at the effect of different wine making techniques on its eventual flavours. There are so many areas to explore.

The Society will meet eight times a year, the dates are below and members will also be entitled to a free ticket to our annual ‘Food & Drink Extravaganza.’ Plus members will receive a 20% discount on tickets for any other tastings we may hold, not to mention special offers and first notice of new wines listed.

The meetings all take place on Friday evenings, kicking off at 7pm with the intention that the formal part of the evening is finished by 8.30pm. Leaving plenty of time to pop out to a local restaurant or to just open another bottle and keep on chatting. They will take place in the upstairs room at The Wellington Hotel, Howden.

The cost of membership is just £100 payable annually. Places are strictly limited.

Dates for 2012

Friday March 23^rd

Friday April 20^th

Friday May 18^th

Friday June 22^nd

Friday September 21^st

Friday October 26^th – Annual Food & Drink Extravaganza

Friday November 23^rd

Friday January 25^th

Friday February 22nd

To apply for membership drop me a line to sean@flourish-and-prosper.com and I will send you an application form