How to become a virtual gastronome
Looking to connect with purveyors of great produce without going out? Madeleine Howell can help…
Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Prepare to be led on a sensory, mindexpanding journey. For a new trend for virtual tastings allows locked-down epicureans an exciting way to connect over food and drink and learn straight from artisans and producers themselves.
How? Purveyors of food and drink send you the goods ahead of the agreed date: at which time, an expert will be on screen to guide the tasting, answer questions, share the story of whatever it is you’re sampling, and provide all the tasting notes you’ll need to become an instant connoisseur.
Some tastings are broadcast via conference-call platform Zoom, others on Instagram or Facebook Live. Tom Gosnell, founder of London’s only meadery, runs online mead tastings in both formats. Every Friday at 5pm on Instagram Live, via @gosnellsmead, he or a member of his team takes viewers through the meads in his tasting bundle, which
THE GREAT BRITISH CHARCUTERIE CO
Staying in is the new going out, declares Phil Bartley of Brighton-based The Great British Charcuterie Co, which has teamed up with cheese guru David Deaves of Curds and Whey in Hove and L’Atelier Du Vin sommelier Dimitri Mesnard to host live at-home tasting extravaganzas via Zoom. They celebrate artisan British cheese and charcuterie: the likes of Suffolk Baron Bigod, Ewe EatMe Sussex sheep’s cheese and Driftwood, a gold World Cheese Award-winning ash coated goat’s cheese from Somerset – plus Kentish truffle salami, Cornish chorizo, chutneys, sourdough baguettes and Popti Bakehouse biscuits. Choose a two, three or four half-bottle kit (£75, £120 or £150 respectively) with enough cheese and charcuterie to go around. thegreatbritishcharcuterie. co.uk can be delivered to your door on the Wednesday preceding: from a 12% barrel-aged mead to sparkling hibiscus canned mead and two different kinds of honey, he says it’s “an opportunity to try something a bit different, an ideal way to alleviate boredom for those stuck at home craving a bit of fun.”
Having tuned in myself, I can attest this is so: I enjoyed the anonymity of Tom’s Instagram Live tasting (your own face doesn’t come up on the screen, but you can still type questions). He’s also been hosting exclusive group tastings for corporate teams and groups of friends on Zoom (inquire direct). That way, you can all see each other as you make merry. Zoom is a chattier, two-way option. The trouble with it is that virtual etiquette compels you to fastidiously style your background to induce kitchen envy, and perfect your Zoom face ahead of broadcasting it to your fellow bon vivants.
Either way, despite being remote, meeting makers and food specialists this way for yourself offers a feeling of intimacy through shared experience. Producers are wondering why they never thought of hosting tastings this way before, and plan to continue them indefinitely: it means they can reach the culinarily curious – whether they be mead drinkers, curd nerds or chocophiles – nationwide. Some virtual tastings are free, some paid for, and in some instances you only pay for the items ordered for tasting: it’s a rewarding way to support craft producers steering through difficult times (happily, Gosnell reports online sales at preChristmas levels, in part thanks to the virtual tasting initiatives).
Harry and Phoebe Baines, who own Love Cheese on Gillygate in York, say their virtual cheese tastings are “selling out by themselves” – and hope other independent retailers might take inspiration from their success.
“People are looking for things to do, and the online tastings were originally intended as a way to distract our regulars from everything that’s going on and to share the joy of cheese,” Harry says. “They’ve been phenomenally popular – we had 45 couples booked on the very first one. The scale of it since has surprised us. It’s heartwarming to hear people say it’s the most sociable thing they’ve done in lockdown. We do shout-outs for people celebrating wedding anniversaries or birthdays, and people can be silly and have a laugh.”
Some tasting experiences are even being branded “festivals”: the Summerton Whisky Club’s Virtual Whisky Tasting Festival is on May 30. Virgin Experience Days are also getting in on the act, with a home gin tasting tutorial with Shakespeare Distillery (£35) and a whisky tasting with The Whisky Lounge (£33, both virginexperience days.co.uk) accompanied by prerecorded videos to stream on demand.
Here’s our guide to some of the best virtual tastings to amuse in unprecedented times…
MANCHESTER GIN
The gin distillery has launched a stay-home gin tasting experience for two (£40) guided by founders and master distillers Seb and Jen, who will help you recognise the botanicals in the gin. It includes four 50ml gins (Signature, Wild Spirit, Raspberry Infused and Blackberry Infused) and four paired tonics; they also advise on which garnishes to stock up on in advance. To be on the safe side, allow 10 days for delivery: but if you miss the live tasting on Facebook, they can record it and email it to you, so you can revisit it at a later day. manchestergin.co.uk
TEAPIGS
Tea specialist Teapigs usually runs monthly tea schools and tastings at its Brentford HQ, guiding tea drinkers through how best to enjoy their whole leaf tea infusions with quality herbs, spices and fruits. Since lockdown, tea expert Andy Byron has hosted live tea schools on Instagram (@teapigs): including an in-depth look at matcha tea, the history of tea and recipes for chai lattes, iced tea and tea with a boozy twist. Now, he’s launching tastings on Zoom: when you purchase a ticket via Eventbrite, Teapigs will send you samples of a variety of teas to try along with Byron, who will chat you through each one and teach you how to slurp like a pro. The first takes place on May 28 (£15). teapigs.co.uk
MADAM GENEVA AND GENT
If you miss meeting friends for a G&T at the end of the day and fancy sampling an array of different gins from different distilleries including The City of London Distillery, Portobello Road gin and Edinburgh Gin (with Fentiman’s tonic, naturally), then Madam Geneva and Gent’s 90-minute online gin tasting events are for you. You’ll learn about the history of the spirit and its recent meteoric rise in popularity via Zoom (£45pp – sales for each event date close six working days in advance to allow time for delivery). You’ll also learn how to mix your own gin martini with the Bramley & Gage dry vermouth included. madamgenevaandgent.co.uk
MILROY’S OF SOHO
London whisky specialist Milroy’s new “Tastings at Home” packages are accompanied by a virtual tasting session lasting approximately an hour, during which you’ll be guided through five interesting whiskies, and can ask your most burning questions. Devoted
THAT BOUTIQUE-Y WHISKY COMPANY
Dave Worthington has been taking online participants through the wonderful world of whisky, including Scotch and World Whisky, with the help of a set of drams ordered in advance in collaboration with Hard to Find Whisky. His next event is Premium Scotch Whisky, May 13 at 7.30pm on Zoom: the tasting pack contains a selection of four single malt Scotch whiskies from Speyside and the Scottish Highlands (£43.95, htfw.com). thatboutiqueywhisky company.com
enthusiasts and whisky newbies are encouraged to try the whisky flights, which can be purchased on the Milroy’s website for contactless delivery within two working days. The team will follow up either by email or over the phone to book your preferred time slot for your tasting. The three packages are Scotland, Around the World, and American & Grain. All three are available in either Introduction (£35 per person, usual retail price £50) and Premium
(£60 per person, usual retail price £100). shop.milroys.co.uk
FIRETREE
During volcanic chocolate specialist Firetree’s live tasting and discovery sessions via Zoom, chocolate maker Martyn O’Dare imparts his knowledge of sourcing rare cocoa beans from remote single estate locations and farmers on islands including New Guinea and the Philippines. Savour the bars delivered to you: breathe in the aroma, allow the chocolate to melt on the tongue, and discover the subtle flavour notes that develop, which may be as varied as truffles and mushrooms, walnut and cherry, caramel and citrus. The meet-the-maker virtual tasting event I joined featured three 65g Firetree bars, which can be shared with up to five people – if they are lucky. Their next virtual tasting is May 20 at 8pm (£24 for four bars). firetreechocolate.com
MELT CHOCOLATES
Notting Hill chocolatier Melt’s virtual chocolate tastings include singleorigin chocolates from estates in Madagascar and Peru, and its “wild bar” from the Bolivian Amazon rainforest. Melt will teach you how to taste chocolate, with techniques to enhance its flavour and savour its complexity, telling the story of the chocolate along the way. The tasting costs £45 and lasts for 45 minutes, and the price includes a library of fine chocolate delivered to your door ahead of the online event (allow five or six days). It has also launched a virtual chocolate and cocktail pairing experience for date nights in quarantine, exploring the
LOVE CHEESE YORK
York’s specialist cheese shop runs virtual tastings and five-course wine, beer and cheese pairings with a cheese-related quiz and prize at the end. Popular combinations include an English IPA from local brewer Isaac Poad and a young comté cheese (throw some Rosebud Preserves pickles and chutneys into your basket for good measure), and a cloth-bound Richard III Wensleydale cheese with a Bacchus Sussex wine. Co-owner Harry Baines guides those partaking live on Facebook at 8pm on a Saturday night. They offer free UK mainland delivery on orders over £40. lovecheese.co.uk
COCOA RUNNERS
Craft chocolate subscription service Cocoa Runners now offers video tastings, held over Zoom. Master the art of tasting and unwrap the story of each bar over the course of an hour and a half. When you order a tasting kit, Cocoa Runners will send eight craft chocolates with the option of a couple’s kit (£14.95) or a family kit (£29.95). Cocoa Runners has teamed up with 67 Pall Mall (the private member’s club for wine lovers) to run virtual chocolate and wine pairings, too, and are running a “Choc O’Clock” every Thursday on Instagram (@cocoarunners) at 4pm and Facebook Live at 4.30pm. During these 10 to 15 minute sessions, you’ll be led through a tasting of one bar featured in their monthly subscription box (this can also be purchased separately, £5 per bar – order before a Tuesday at midday to make sure you receive it on time). cocoarunners.com origins of chocolate in Mayan and Aztec civilisations while providing instructions to create Mexican cocktails. meltchocolates.com
THE FINE CIDER COMPANY
The Fine Cider Company supports small British perry and cider makers and usually sells wholesale to the UK’s top restaurants. Now, it has switched to selling direct to consumers: founder Felix Nash has been coordinating tastings on Instagram Live featuring top chefs, pommeliers and cider makers, accompanied by special edition tasting cases. Learn how cider is made, and try the likes of Find & Foster’s Pendragon (fermented with wild yeasts, with notes of apricot and peach blossom) and keeved (naturally sweetened) Pilton Cider from Somerset for yourself. thefinecider.company
DRAGONFLY TEA
‘It distracts our regulars from everything that’s going on and helps to share the joy of cheese’
Georgia Ginsberg is the director of Dragonfly Tea – the fifth generation to inherit her family’s passion for tea. On May 14 at 1pm, she’ll be hosting a virtual tea tasting workshop on Zoom, focusing on black, green and rooibos tea – explaining how to first make a proper cuppa and discussing the flavour notes and health benefits. dragonflytea.com
BEERBODS
Conceived eight years ago, this beer club couldn’t be more fitting for these times. For £36 (or an incredible-value £18 for new subscribers), customers are sent 12 beers and can join live tastings, streamed on its YouTube channel as well as on Instagram and Facebook every Thursday at 9pm, to enjoy each new beer and discover the story behind it. Recent brews have included Good Chemistry Brewing’s Extra Special Bitter, Moonstrips smoked wheat beer by Edinburgh Beer Factory and Rudgate Brewery’s Jorvik blonde ale. A reassuring weekly fixture to look forward to, in lieu of the pub. beerbods.co.uk