Our First Show at Moreton in Marsh

Our first Show at Moreton in Marsh on Saturday was truly one of the best things we have done at Bordeaux-Undiscovered. It was fantastic to meet our customers who made the journey specially to say “hello” and to see all the visitors who came in to meet us for the very first time. We would all like to say a massive, heart felt “Thank You” to all of you!

It was an early start for us at dawn – and what a dawn it was with the pink sunrise shining through low mist hovering over the

Cotswold fields. We brought as many cases of wines as we could possibly fit into the vehicles and 5 oak barrels that Jean Francois Julien had kindly given us courtesy of Chateau la Fleur Morange which we used as tasting tables.

Our stand was a large one – and given the amount of visitors we had, I am very glad it was! No sooner than we had arrayed our bottles on the tables and set up spittoons on the barrels than the first visitors arrived. And they didn’t stop.

It was a genuine pleasure to enjoy our wines with visitors who were keen to try, discuss and discover in such a generous and positive manner. It was a wine lover’s paradise as far as we were concerned as we could chat with our visitors about what we all got from the wine, what kind of palates they had and which wines suited them.

The feed back is very important to us as being an online company it was great to be able to really interact on a personal level and get down to “talking wine”.

It was also brilliant to be able to share knowledge with existing customers who had not bought particular wines from the website before and let them sample them and explore their preferences.

We learned a lot! Clear favourites amongst the red wines were Chateaux Puyanché, Peynaud, Roc de Pellebouc and Toumalin – as well as the single grape varietal wines Montagnac Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Amongst the whites Chateau Laures, Fleur de Luze and M de Malle were very popular as was the Montagnac Chardonnay.

The Cremant d’Alsace wines were an eye opener to a lot of visitors who thought that they were as good as any Champagne.

We had no time for lunch or coffee as numbers swelled and I am grateful to my family who were on hand to assist! As the Show drew to a close and people started to drift away back to their cars we began the process of packing up.

We were shattered, tired and rather dumbstruck with the warmth and enthusiasm we had been so lucky to encounter from the people that we had met during the day.

Just as we began the arduous task of clearing and packing everything away a group of Romans appeared on the horizon. Fortunately they did not have an invasion on their minds but were in search of refreshment after their successful day entertaining and educating at the Show.

They looked resplendent in their fighting gear and – yes the swords and daggers were real! Their military sandals though had taken their toll and their feet were aching!

These weary Centurions were from Roman Tours Ltd who have their base in Chester. They work with Schools, Clubs and Societies giving talks and lectures, providing Roman characters for promotions and re-enactment displays and organising tailor-

made events. They were a great bunch and I am glad to say that none of them decided to put us to the sword and – even better – they liked the wine!

Their good humour and high spirits were a great boost to our flagging energy as we packed up! To top it all as we drove away a stunning rainbow formed in the dark sky over the Bordeaux-Undiscovered stand. What a day!

To everyone we met we’d like to thank you once again for making our first Show so special.