One of our favourite parts of the first year building The Society of the Silver Sword has been being invited to wine festivals hosted by groups of wineries. The season started with the Wine Garden of England’s summer celebration, and we were delighted to continue our travels around the south with an invitation to teach sabrage at Vineyards of Hampshire’s Fizz Fest at Hambledon.
Chris had been on a “fact-finding mission” to VoH’s other annual event, Festive Fizz, late last year, and returned laden with wine and enthusing about the possibility of coming to their summer event. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we knew several things that made it impossible to resist:
- Representatives from eight Hampshire wineries would be present: Chalk, Danebury, Exton Park, The Grange, Hambledon, Hattingley Valley, Louis Pommery England, and Raimes
- wine writer and broadcaster Andy Clarke would be opening the festival and running a masterclass
- we would have a dedicated space to teach sabrage, right by the main bar
With such an illustrious group and such optimal placement, how could we possibly have turned down the chance to attend, try some fabulous wines, and create some magic on a sunny afternoon?!
We arrived bright and early, set up the Silver Sword stand, and met the lovely people manning other stands near ours, all of whom were quite reasonably curious about what we were up to. Before proceedings officially began, the winemakers from all the VoH wineries gathered to perform a joint act of sabrage. Luckily, we had brought enough swords and happily watched them all deftly open bottles of their own wines!
Once we were open for business, a few intrepid folks came to visit us early in the day, keen to try their hand at sabrage for their first bottle. Others were more cautious, wanting to watch a few times before committing to their own sword-wielding debuts. We were also delighted to be able to teach a triumvirate of luminaries on the main stage: the aforementioned Andy Clarke, Vineyards of Hampshire Chairman David Phillips, and Hambledon Managing Director James Osborn.
Over the course of the afternoon, we enjoyed meeting and teaching sabrage to over 60 people, all of whom brought enthusiasm and flair to the proceedings, and many of whom went on to become Silver Sword members. A constant backdrop of corks popping and spectators cheering created a festive atmosphere in the bar tent, perfect for the occasion—celebrating excellent English sparkling wine at the start of the summer!
Videos/official photos: Oli Milburn