Events

Tastings

We hold tastings throughout the year, both informal ones in our shop, and slightly more organised ones in some of the restaurants, cafes and bars we supply.

2nd Annual Orkney Fine Wine Festival, 2 - 7 June 2008

Following the sell-out success of its inaugural Fine Wine Festival in 2007, The Longship is pleased to announce the detailed programme for 2008. Bigger, better and with even more great wine to taste and more varied events to enjoy!

Booking is essential for all evening events and we expect demand to be high.

To book for any event, phone Duncan McLean on 01856 888792 or email duncan.mclean@olagorie.com. For the Thursday and Friday tastings at Wool & Wine -- just drop in anytime.

With free tastings in The Longship's Wool & Wine shop every afternoon, and 10% off all wine bought or ordered all week, the festival will be fun, informal and informative!

Daily schedule

MONDAY 2nd JUNE: 7 for 7.30pm

World Class Italian: Isole e Olena, with Paulo De Marchi
Lynnfield Hotel, Kirkwall. £40.00

We are very fortunate to have one of Italy's most famous and respected winemakers, Paulo De Marchi, joining us for this fine wine and dine experience. It'll be even more special than the normal Lynnfield Lux evenings, which were such a hit last winter. Paulo will talk us through his stunning range of Tuscan and Piemontese wines, from the rightly famous Cepparello (recently named by Decanter as one of the top ten Italian wines of all time) to lesser known releases including the rare and enigmatic white, Erbaluce di Caluso. The wines will be matched with a specially tailored Lux dinner by the Lynnfield: a truly world class way to launch this year's festival.

TUESDAY 3rd JUNE 7.30pm

Great Wines of McLaren Vale: Mitolo, with Brett Crittenden
The Creel Restaurant, St Margaret's Hope. £40.00

Chef Alan Craigie and wine merchant Duncan McLean toured the vineyards of Australia late in 2007, and had one of their most impressive tastings at Mitolo in McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide. Now Australia comes to Orkney, with a superb evening event featuring stunning Sangiovese Rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and more. All matched with a specially selected menu by Alan Craigie. To give you a flavour, here are a few excerpts from Duncan's notes taken at Mitolo in November: "Full, sweet, fruity" "amazing -- one of the very best we've had" "sublime" "perfection!" (An optional minibus will be laid on from Kirkwall to the Creel and back again. See below for details: booking essential.)

WEDNESDAY 4th JUNE 7.00pm

Great Southern Wine in the West: Plantagenet, with Matt Herde
The Hamnavoe, Graham Place, Stromness. £40.00

A return visit from one of our favourite wineries, Plantagenet, from the Great Southern district of Western Australia. Made in the remote and isolated farming community of Mount Barker, Plantagenet's wines seem to go down very well in Orkney, both their own premium label, and also the very popular Hellfire Bay and Omrah ranges. They represent all that is best in Australian wine: yes, loads of bold fruit flavours, but also elegance and complexity -- all at great prices. With Matt to talk us through them, we will be enjoying traditional bold Shiraz and Chardonnay as well as delicate Pinot Noir, Riesling and a delicious sweet Chenin Blanc. With a delicious complementary menu specially devised by The Hamnavoe.

THURSDAY 5th JUNE 11am - 7pm

New Zealand Tasting, with Duncan McLean, "UK Restaurant Wine Supplier of the Year"
Wool & Wine, Broad Street, Kirkwall. Free.

Late, after-work, opening at Wool & Wine, with a free tasting of fantastic wines from one of Marlborough's leading producers, Lawson's Dry Hills. Their Sauvignon Blanc is famous, but we also have outstanding Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir Rosé. Special festival case deal: three of each of the latter for 20% off normal price for orders placed today.

FRIDAY 6th JUNE 11am - 7pm

Biodynamic Tasting, with Duncan McLean, "UK Restaurant Wine Supplier of the Year"
Wool & Wine, Broad Street, Kirkwall. Free.

Late, after-work, opening at Wool & Wine, with a free tasting of Biodynamic French wines. At the cutting edge of modern wine production, these winemakers believe in minimum intervention, letting the climate and soil "express themselves" to the full. The result is wines of great individuality, from Minervois to Burgundy to Alsace. Special offer for orders placed this evening: buy any 12 biodynamic bottles and get 20% off.

SATURDAY 7th JUNE 8.00pm

Sipping with Sepp: the Wines of Sepp Moser, introduced by Otto Visser
The Commodore, Holm. £20.00.

An informal evening of food and superb Austrian wines. Never tried racy Gruner Veltliner or lip-smacking Zweigelt? Now's your chance! With tapas-style tasting dishes to complement three whites, two reds and one sweetie, and Otto all the way from Rohrendorf to guide us. Followed by live music and, if the spirit moves you, dancing to the Lone Star Swing Band! So you can Swing with Sepp as well as Sipping with Sep!! (An optional minibus will be laid on from Kirkwall to the Commodore and back again. See below for details: booking essential.)

Contact and Booking Details

For more information, or to book for any event, phone Duncan McLean on 01856 888792 or email duncan.mclean@olagorie.com.

Mini-bus Transport for Tuesday and Saturday

Following several requests, we have arranged for a mini-bus to transport guests from Kirkwall to Holm and the Hope (and back again!) for the Tuesday and Saturday events. Booking is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL as places are limited. Phone Duncan to book or with queries about drop off points.

Details are as follows:

Tuesday 3rd

Minibus leaves Broad Street, outside The Longship, at 7.00pm sharp, to arrive at The Creel for 7.30. Return journey will be at a time to suit all, but is expected to leave the Creel at approximately 10.30pm. £6.00 per person for return ticket.

Saturday 7th

Minibus leaves Broad Street, outside The Longship, at 7.40pm sharp, to arrive at The Commodore for 8.00. Return journey will leave the Commodore at midnight. £6.00 per person for return ticket.

Due to the impending deadline for next year's Visit Orkney brochure, we are in the wonderful position of being able to tell you the dates of the 2009 3rd Annual Fine Wine Festival before the 2008 one has even started! So clear you diary from Monday 1st to Saturday 6th June 2009! What's going to happen? We have no idea! Tell us what you'd like to see or taste and we'll do our best to arrange it!