HASS(HQ)RA WINE CLUB

Venue: Central London Offices
Meetings: Normally third Thursday of month at 6pm
Contact: Graham Kent, Chair (graham.kent@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)
or Teresa Cox, Secretary (teresa.cox@dwp.gsi.gov.uk)
Membership: Limited to members of the Department of Health and Social Security
Recreational Association. Accredited guests are welcome.
Membership Fee: £3 a year
Cost of Events: £10 upwards (guests pay a premium)
Typical Attendance: 30

The club is part of the Department of Health and Social Security Recreational Association, and subject to their rules. Meetings are held at a number of departmental buildings – Aviation House at Holborn, the Adephi at Charing Cross, Wellington House at Waterloo, and Market Towers at Vauxhall. Several weeks’ notice of each meeting are given by e-mail, including details of the wines and the venue. Advance bookings are required, as places are often sold out, especially for single flight tastings which form the majority of events. Security must be given names of attendees, and payment is required in advance.

Presenters, many of them regular visitors, generally show nine or ten wines, and cheese and biscuits are provided. Comments and questions are welcome, and wines marked on a 7 point scale.

There are thirteen meetings in the 2009 programme, since the traditional Port tasting in December has been moved into January 2010 to make way for a special tasting by Paul Mapplebeck We have an annual bring-a-bottle tasting in August, with the contributions being shown blind and wild guesses as to what they are. The annual Wine and Dine evening was revived in 2008 with a very successful event at the Civil Service Club: further special events may be added.

Paul Mapplebeck presents Greek Wines

2010 PROGRAMME

DATE	TOPIC	SPEAKER	LOCATION
Thu 21 Jan	Port & Madeira	Paul Mapplebeck	Market Towers
Thu 18 Feb	Zinfandel & Primativo	Ian McLaren	Aviation House
Thu 18 Mar	Top Aussie Cabernets	Paul Mapplebeck	Caxton House
Thu 22 Apr	Bordeaux 2000 Vintage	Greg Markey	Market Towers
Thu 20 May	California	Chris Smith	Market Towers
Thu 17 Jun	Western Australia	Paul Mapplebeck	Wellington House
Thu 15 Jul	Zeyssolff Wine s from Alsace	Olivier Zeyssolff
Thu 19 Aug	BYOB		Wellington House
Thu 16 Sep	Champagne	Paul Rhodes	Caxton House
Thu 14 Oct	St Emilion	Paul Mapplebeck	Aviation House
Thu 19 Nov	Wine & Dine
Thu 9 Dec	Port (largely Grahams)	Paul Mapplebeck