He is always in high demand for tutored tastings for wine societies and corporate clients who are often amazed at the amount of information presented so passionately in such an entertaining manner. However, Keith is also well qualified in matters of education, including a masters that involved research into aspects of quality and learning environments in adult education and training. He is particularly knowledgeable about the wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Germany and South Africa. He leads tour groups of trade and consumers to these vineyard regions, again with the accent on education, enjoyment and cultural experience. He is author of GRAPEWINE - the first structured distance learning wine course. Although designed primarily around the needs of the wine lover in the United Kingdom, the GRAPEWINE COURSE now has trade and consumer participants in many countries, including Cyprus, India and Kazakhstan!

Notes from the Evening Presentation and Wine Quality Book

Wine Tasting. Wine tasting & laboratory analysis.  What makes a good wine taster? Where and when to taste –suitable conditions. Appropriate equipment. Tasting order. Temperature of wines for tasting. Tasting for specific purposes. Structured tasting technique. The importance of keeping notes.
Appearance. Clarity. Intensity. Colour. Other observations.
Nose. Condition.  Intensity. Development. Aroma characteristics.
Palate. Sweetness/bitterness/acidity/saltiness/umami. Dryness/sweetness. Acidity. Tannin. Alcohol. Body. Flavour intensity. Flavour characteristics. Other observations. Length.
Tasting Conclusions. Quality. Reasons for quality. Readiness for drinking/potential for ageing. Price/value.  Identification/true to type? Grading wine – the award of points. Blind tasting. Why taste blind? Blind or sighted? Tasting for quality. Practicalities. Examination tastings.
Wine Faults and Flaws. Chloroanisoles and bromoanisoles. Fermentation in the bottle & bacterial spoilage. Protein haze. Oxidation. Excessive volatile acidity. Excessive sulphur dioxide. Reductivity.  Brettanomyces. Dekkera. Geraniol. Geosmin. Ethyl acetate. Excessive acetaldehyde. Candida acetaldehyde.  Smoke taint.
Quality – Assurances and guarantees?  Compliance with ‘Quality Wine’ legislation as an assurance of quality? The European Union and Third Countries. Table Wine and QWPSR. The concept of Appellation Contrôlée. Tasting competitions as an assessment of quality? Classifications as an official assessment of quality?  ISO 9001 Certification as an assurance of quality? Established brands as a guarantee of quality? Price as an indication of quality?
Quality – The Natural Factors and a Sense of Place. Typcity and regionality. The impact of climate upon quality wine production. The role of soils. Terroir. The vintage factor.
Constraints upon Quality Wine Production. Financial. Skills and diligence. Legal. Environmental.
Production of Quality Wines. Yield. Density of Planting. Age of vines. Winter pruning. Stressing the vines. Green harvesting. Harvesting. Mechanical harvesting. Hand picking. Delivery and processing of fruit. Selection and sorting. Use of pumps/gravity. Control of fermentations. Use of gasses. Barrels. Selection from vats or barrels. Storage.
Selection by Buyers. Supermarket dominance. Price point/margin. Selecting for market and customer base. Styles and individuality. Continuity. The place of individual wines in the range. Exclusivity. Specification. Technical analysis.

Wines Tasted
2008 OYSTER BAY SAUVIGNON BLANC. MARLBOROUGH, NEW ZEALAND Widely Available — List Price £8.99 (Often Discounted)

2004 CABLE BAY CHARDONNAY. WAIHEKE ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Cockburns of Leith 0131 6618400 £15.45

2007 FINCA FLICHMAN GESTOS MALBEC + MALBEC , MENDOZA
Majestic £7.99

2006 VIRALBA RESERVA MALBEC. LUJAN DE CUYO, MENDOZA
Majestic £9.99

2006 DOMINO DEL PLATA BEN MARCO MALBEC, MENDOZA
Majestic £11.99

2006 ZUCCARDI Q MALBEC. MENDOZA
Cheers Wine Merchants 01792 403895 £12.99