This is an update on the measures we are taking to protect our community during the Corona Virus outbreak. We appreciate that this is a concerning time for all.
We seek to remain considerately positive and minimise firstly risks to health, and secondly, impacts to the business we all love.
We have made a number of adaptations to how we host trade tastings and masterclasses, in line with UK governmental and NHS advice on hygienic practices. We will keep all our activities under review according to the latest advice from the UK Government.
Registration for tastings and events – please check your risk level
We draw your attention to the latest advice from Public Health England on the community containment of the Corona Virus, and a list of the regions from which incoming travel and self-isolation are currently in place, both for those with and without symptoms. We very much hope that you are not affected. But if you do meet any of the conditions specified in the latest advice, please do not attend a tasting. We will be very sorry to miss you, but would be delighted to keep you informed of future opportunities to taste Georgian wines, as well as send you information on wines and stockists.
You can view the latest advice page here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
Masterclasses
- Masterclass numbers will limited to a maximum of 30 people (we apologise if this means you cannot get a place).
- Masterclass places will be arranged either on single tables, or as double spaces, so that people sitting at masterclasses have plenty of space around them.
- All wines will be poured using drop stops, with pourers taking care not to touching the bottle rim to the glass rim.
- We will pre-pour as much as possible, so that proximity is reduced, while not leaving the wine exposed for long in the glass.
- Each guest will have a small individual spittoon, with larger spittoons available to pour into (not spit into!)
Walk-around tastings
- Maximum registrations will be limited to a maximum of 100 people (typically, we have a 30% no-show rate, and the figure of 100 maximum takes this into account).
- Again, we apologise if this means that you are unable to secure a place.
- Guest reception:
- On arrival, guests will be informed of the hand-washing facilities.
- Let’s greet each other “Vulcan style”, or “hand on heart”, not “hand in hand”!
- We will invite guests to take a tasting booklet, pen, glass etc.
- We will initial your tasting glass to avoid any glass confusion.
- We will provide each guest with their own, initialled, disposable spittoon.
- We kindly ask all guests to take the following approach when pouring samples:
- Pick up towards base of the bottle.
- Don’t allow the neck of the bottle to graze the top of your glass.
- To please move away from the pouring table to the spittoons promptly, so that tables don’t become congested.
- We will use insert slow pours to minimise dribbles (our team will wear gloves for this kind of thing).
- Our team members will wipe down the base of sample bottles with fragrance wipes during the tasting.
- Washrooms and sinks will be regularly inspected for cleanliness, and plenty of soap.
- Clear instructions for hygienic disposal of discarded personal spittoons will be given.
- We will provide clearly signed ‘clean glasses’ and ‘dirty glasses’ tables, away from each other.
- We will promptly clear away dirty glasses to avoid any contamination.
- Food served will be as individual portions (no buffet or communal platters).
- We will provide plenty of floor standing spittoons to empty the small ones into.
- Our team will wash hands with soap and water every 30 minutes. Please feel free to follow their lead!
We all follow many of these practices already, of course! It’s mostly all about the hand-washing. And the spittoons.
Our next tasting is the Georgian Trade Tasting on the 25th March: Wines of Georgia UK – Trade and Press Tasting 2020. A few places still remain.
If you have booked a place on a tasting and are no longer able to attend, if at all possible please let us know, or cancel via EventBrite.
With very best wishes,
Sarah Abbott MW and team.
