Taste the night (or day) away

What could be better than being offered a free wine sample whilst in the midst of your Saturday morning shopping?

Not only is it free wine, but can also bring added benefits such as taking the edge off the rather large night before and making navigation of those packed pavements a much more pleasurable experience.

So, where can I find this free wine?

Most off licences provide free tastings over the weekend. Oddbins have a wine club that you can join in-store with wine tastings held most Saturday mornings. These are completely free and there is no obligation to buy.

Smaller chains and independents also hold regular tastings and these are great places to try more unique wines as they tend to stock products that aren’t available in supermarkets and larger chains.

If you’re a South Londoner, Green and Blue Wines in Dulwich has a bottle open for customers to sample most Saturday mornings. They stock a great selection of organic and biodynamic wines (more to come on this subject next week). They also host ticketed tasting events for very reasonable prices, check out www.greenandbluewines.com for more details.

Philglas and Swiggot on Northcote Rd in Battersea, provides free tastings whenever suppliers or wine makers are passing through town. On the 8th of May, Charlie from Nyetimber will be in store from midday to introduce customers to his fabulous English sparkling wine. www.philglas-swiggot.com

For a wine and dine night out check out Davy’s www.davy.co.uk. I was fortunate enough to attend a tasting with Rusden Wines of Australia last month - a small, family owned and operated wine company. We were lucky enough to have a member of the Rusden family over to talk with us about his wines and impart some of that Australian charm which is always entertaining. The tasting of six wines, followed by a three course dinner which included the most succulent steak I have had in years, was around £35.

There are so many opportunities to sample wines all over the city and this is where the wine specialists shine through. Through providing not only free wine, but the opportunity to have you questions and queries answered, your interest in wine inspired and your knowledge increased. So get out there and taste the night (or day) away!