NEWTS: FAQ

What do you want to know about the North East Wine Tasting Society? Here's a selection of facts & figures....

When and where does the Society meet?
How do I join?
What should I expect from a Society meeting?
What sort of wines are tasted?
Who presents the tastings?
What are the meeting rules? The NEWTS Code:
Are there any other Society events?
When was the Society formed?

Have a different question? Send us an e-mail to info@northeastwine.org.uk and we'll try and answer it.

When and where does the Society meet?

NEWTS gather on the third Wednesday of every month except December, where we meet on the second Wednesday to avoid clashing with Christmas Festivities.

We start at 19:00 and typically finish around 21:00, depending on how many bottles are being presented and how much debating is going on!

Meetings are held at the Literary and Philosophical Society (The Lit & Phil), a stone's throw away from Newcastle's Central Railway Station. For more information about the largest independent library outside of London visit the The Lit & Phil Society website.

How do I join?

There's currently a waiting list to join as a full member - with a yearly subscription payable in January. But first things first! Come along to one of our meetings as a guest (£20 on the night) and see if you enjoy it. We're happy to have someone come along two or three times over the year (apart from the March or December meetings, which are members only).

If you don't know a Society member to invite you then click the e-mail link to info@northeastwine.org.uk for more information and to see if there's space to come along on a particular month.

What should I expect from a Society meeting?

Regular meetings involve tasting 8 wines over the course of the evening, typically fitting some theme (country or region, grape, style or producer etc.). Two bottles of each wine are used, allowing a generous "tasting measure" for everyone.

The presenter usually gives some background information on the bottle, producer or region as the pouring and tasting commences, after which debate ensues on the relative merits (or otherwise) of the wine.

Members-only meetings in March (the AGM) and December have the Committee members showing one or two of their own wines rather than an organised theme - with a traditional Christmas Port eagerly anticipated by the NEWTS.

What sort of wines are tasted?

In short...everything, although there is some hesitance in presenting Rose, Sparkling & Sweet wines and historically there's always been a distinct bias towards red wines which is slowly being overcome (a standing joke is that we should have been called the NERDS (Red Drinking Society)!

Wines presented come from a multitude of sources; mainly Local or National Independent Retailers and Online suppliers, but occasionally supermarket or Cellar Door purchases by members.

At a typical tasting the bottle costs can vary from £8 to £80, averaging about £26 in recent years.

Who presents the tastings?

A mix of individual members (8-9 a year), local wine experts or retailers (1-2 a year) and group Committee Tastings (twice a year).

Member presentations are encouraged but not compulsory, there's no pressure for NEWTS to give a tasting (but after a while you may find you can't help yourself!)

What are the meeting rules? The NEWTS Code:

(....more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules)

- Bring your own glasses! Believe it or not there is an ISO standard for Wine Tasting glasses (ISO 3591:1977 - "stemmed with elongated, tapered bowls, with capacities of 120 (for sherry), 210, 300 or 410 millilitres"). We're not so picky that we'll measure the actual dimensions of yours, but you will need to bring about 6 glasses that are up to the job - have a look at some Wine glassware background here.

- You're not in a pub - pour to taste! Don't overfill your glass as, with typically 8 wines to get through, you still want to be in a condition to enjoy and critique the last wines. More importantly, the bottle needs to pass by 12-15 people, so leave some for the rest!

- Debate is optional and informal, but if engaging then please be respectful to the presenter and fellow attendees. The Chairman will occasionally intervene to ensure people are heard and prevent differing opinions turning into a free-for-all!

- All that is generally asked is how you really feel about the wine - everyone's palate is different and a lot of tasting subjective, often there is no right answer so don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

- Be very careful describing a wine as "nice". This may incur the wrath of some elder members who will then expect you to justify such a controversial statement!

Are there any other Society events?

Usually in May and November we'll put together an evening meal for members & plus ones. These evenings are BYO, with each NEWT bringing a bottle of something to share with their table.

For the last few years these have been at the Chef's Academy at Newcastle College where great food at a reasonable price is guaranteed.

When was the Society formed?

The North East Wine Tasting Society was created in January 1983 by a mixed group of amateur enthusiasts and wine professionals. The first Chairman was Peter Collins, who ran a wine shop in Shakespeare Street at the time.

Meetings were held regularly at the Brewery Society building in Jesmond, occasionally at Tynemouth Fire Station, before settling in Jesmond above the Scout House in Eskdale Terrace. In 2001 we moved for a short time to the British Gas Blue Flames club in Benton, before finally coming to The Lit & Phil Society in October 2002 where we have remained since.