A ‘fun journey’ through the world of wine

WHICH wine is best with fish and chips? Is Port just for Christmas? Which is the best wine region to visit? Wine expert Neil Philips, AKA The Wine Tipster, has the answers to these questions and much more in his new show, Whose Wine is it Anyway?, at the Thame Players Theatre on March 21.

Neil Philips, ‘The Wine Tipster’

Will Worley, Thame.Net’s Intern, interviewed Neil to find out more about the man himself and the forthcoming show:

Do you enjoy wine, but not the stuffiness that sometimes surrounds it? Or do you consider yourself to be a seasoned wine buff? Whether you are completely new to wine or a dinner party expert, there is a show coming to town which may pique your interest.

Neil Phillips, also known as The Wine Tipster, is calling all wine enthusiasts to travel with him on a journey of experimentation and discovery. Whose Wine is it Anyway?, Neil’s live show and tasting, returns to the Players Theatre, Thame, on March 21, after a hugely successful performance during the Thame Food Festival last September.

Aided by 25 years’ experience in the drinks industry, Neil aims to ‘make wine make sense’. He is passionate about the subject and welcomes people with all levels of wine knowledge. In his own, entertaining way, Neil wants to alter the perception of wine as a narrow, specialised interest and instead open up the wine experience to all.  His evening will be free of any pretensions, and instead focus on what wine is really about: fun! “I’ve been to wine talks myself where I’ve thought: ‘this is a bit long winded for a Friday night’,” said Neil. “The whole thing about this show is it’s saying to people: ‘Look, we can have more fun with wine, and just by doing a few things, we can get a whole lot more out of our wine experience’.”

Neil wants to give: “…good, straight forward tips so people are going to get more enjoyment and more pleasure from wine…simple things that people can do at home.”

Over the course of the evening, the audience will taste eight carefully selected wines. These will include a sparkling wine to start (“..to really get people salivating,” explained Neil) and a Port to finish with (to be served with handmade, Rumseys’ chocolates!).  In between will be a number of wines from exciting producers from around the world, ordered to complement each other.  Neil has visited many of the regions of the wines featured, and is looking forward to sharing his insider information with the audience, along with photos and anecdotes. In particular, he is excited to alert people to which vintages are going to be great this season. “We’re in an interesting time,” claimed Neil. “There is a lot of interest in the New World’, New Zealand and Australia, but there is still a lot of good stuff going on in the old World, like France and Spain.” Neil sees his job as helping the audience navigate its way through the best of both worlds.

The tasting will be interactive. Neil will guide tastings as the audience take their own notes, which will be compared. There will also be blind tastings for a few lucky (or not!) members of the audience.

Neil is particularly looking forward to the food matching. With food generously provided by Waitrose, Thame, and chocolates by Rumsey’s, Neil wants the audience to be encouraged to think about how food and wine complement each other. He hopes they will be inspired to experiment and try out their own pairings. Again, it is aimed at simple adjustments people can undertake in order to maximise their enjoyment of wine, and the food it is eaten with.  In doing this, Neil aims to broaden the audience’s horizons. “It’s about making people think about the flexibility, about how they can enjoy their wines on lots of different occasions,” he explained.

During the course of our discussion, a reoccurring theme emerged from Neil: that of discovery. By taking a guided journey, and through interaction and experimentation, the audience can begin to unearth the many aspects of wine. “What can the audience discover? With wine, there is so much to discover,” enthused Neil.  Through the diversity of wines to be sampled at Whose Wine is it Anyway? he will demonstrate, in a no-nonsense way, the vast potential for an enjoyable wine journey that the audience can continue themselves long after the event on March 21.

Neil’s top three wine tips (that you can start today) are:

Make sure your white wine isn’t too cold. Many people make the mistake of over-chilling it.
Be sure to decant younger reds. If you don’t have a decanter, a glass jug will do. This will let the wine breathe and will help to soften the tannins.
Begin your own experimentation with food and wine pairings. Perhaps you could plan your Friday night meal around the wine it will be drunk with.

You can find out more about Neil Philips by visiting his website: http://www.thewinetipster.co.uk/Join