WINE FESTIVAL WINCHESTER 2019

‘Best ever wine festival’ Erica

‘Congratulations on another excellent wine festival: it’s the fifth year we have attended, travelling down from Northampton, and this was the best one yet – a good selection of wine and passionate exhibitors’ Nick

‘Already looking forward to next year’s festival’ Paul and Linda

‘We had a ball. Always a great show, with genuinely interested visitors, a great variety of exhibitors and, most importantly, lots of fun. Count us in for next year!’ Ewan (exhibitor)

‘I attend a number of wine festivals and yours is one of, if not the best I’ve ever attended…the atmosphere was really friendly and the selection of exhibitors was first class. We look forward to attending next year’ Mark

‘Thank you so much for all the incredible work at the festival! It was a great weekend and we really enjoyed ourselves. The passion and commitment from the entire team was just perfect.’ Jim (exhibitor)

‘Such a great event, so many wine lovers enjoying a brilliant selection of wines and having such a wonderful time.’ Robin

‘Having done many events over the years, we were just amazed at how successful the sessions were, crammed with quality customers ready to taste and buy. We can proudly say it has been the most successful event we have participated in’ James (exhibitor)

‘Absolutely loved the festival. I expected to enjoy it but it was really special. You should be very proud of what you’ve achieved.’ Anne Marie

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WINE FESTIVAL WINCHESTER 2018

‘Unmissable’ (Justin)

‘The best show in the business!’ (Ewan)

‘Tremendous’ (Mike)

‘A beautiful festival in a beautiful city’ (Matt)

‘Such a buzzing event, and the visitors really make it – a lovely fun-loving bunch.’ (Mimi)

‘Simply stunning’ (Alan)

‘Another feather in the cap for those involved and for this vibrant, historic city’ (HeartSocialUK)

‘Another great year – see you next year!’ (2018 exhibitor)

‘Another wonderful day – we’ll be back next year with a minibus’ (Mark)

‘We do all five major wine consumer events and yours is simply the best … with the most knowledgeable, engaged and inquisitive tasters, and everyone seems to be having the most fun without ever ‘over-doing it’. (2018 exhibitor)

‘Amazing event – well done guys’ (Alex)

‘Thank you for hosting such an amazing wine festival, we all had a fantastic time … We are looking forward to next year.’ (2018 exhibitor)

WINE FESTIVAL WINCHESTER 2017

‘The finest consumer wine festival in the country’ (Nik)

‘Thoroughly enjoyed it – never seen so many different wines in one place! It was extremely well done. All in all, an excellent event!’ (Mark)

‘A special thank you: we had a wonderful day and thoroughly enjoyed the masterclass. We left laden with bottles. Thank you again for making it a brilliant day.’ (Peter)

‘Just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the festival. We brought my nephew and girlfriend who were a bit nervous about engaging in ‘posh’ wine tasting. But they were amazed at how interesting, engaging and what fun it turned out to be. We could see that the festival was another resounding success. Congratulations on creating a truly successful and enjoyable event.’ (Nadine)

The way your festival marries a fun party atmosphere with serious people keen to learn and buy is truly special. It’s almost like one big family.’ (Ewan)

‘Such a good vibe, quite different to other things I’ve been to. I’ve heard so much positive feedback…’ (Rebecca)

‘Another fantastic show. Hands down the most proficient and it ran like a dream.’ (exhibitor)

‘Fabulous as always!’ (Georgie)

‘Many congratulations on such a successful festival. The audience was great, with considerable knowledge and interest. I will always support the festival as it grows in size and stature.’ (exhibitor)

‘Really fun and interesting evening. I very much enjoyed it and can see why it’s such a success.’ (Joanna)

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WINE FESTIVAL WINCHESTER 2016

‘Wine Festival Winchester goes from strength to strength. In just three years it has become a ‘must-attend’ event for The Wine Society, and the 2016 edition was the best one by far – great visitors, great atmosphere in a great venue and great interest in what we do and the wines and services we have to offer – what’s not to like?’ (Ewan Murray, The Wine Society)

‘Fantastic festival – brilliant. Electric atmosphere’ (Laura)

‘The best consumer event I’ve ever attended – and it keeps getting better.’ (Nik Darlington, Red Squirrel)

‘I just wanted to say a huge thank you for such a fun evening at the Wine Festival last night.  We were all thoroughly enthused. We particularly enjoyed Peter’s cheese and wine talk, it was informative and hilarious at the same time. Many congratulations on a superb event and I’m looking forward to enjoying our purchases over Christmas!’ (Nadine)

‘Great show: the best consumer tasting I have attended, fantastic turn out.’ (Exhibitor)

‘The event was fantastic. Had a great time talking to all the producers and a good chat with both Susie and Peter. Susie’s English sparkling masterclass was super too, the pairings really brought out the best in the wines. Well done to all involved!’ (John)

‘It was my first time at your show and I have to say how well organised it was. Congratulations. You’ve clearly left nothing to chance. The space was great and all your little touches gave the event a distinct feeling of careful consideration. All the branding was very smart too. I thought the app very clever. If only you’d do one in another city…’ (Exhibitor)

‘Thank you so much for all you did for my father yesterday to help celebrate his 70th birthday, he hasn’t stopped smiling!! We all had a wonderful time and have pencilled in the dates for next year.’ (Nichola)

‘Wow! What a weekend….. Amazing Wine Festival. Huge thanks for such a brilliant event, so well organised and managed, even a power cut couldn’t harm it. We’re buzzing with such positive feedback – wine lovers are great people!’ (Exhibitor)

‘Congratulations on a brilliant 3rd edition of the Winchester Wine Festival. A huge success all round!’ (Rebecca)

‘This was the best one by far. The vibe in the room for all three sessions was excellent.’ (Exhibitor)

‘Thank you for yet another excellent Wine Festival – it gets better and better!!’ (Penelope)

‘Congratulations on another very successful event! We particularly enjoyed Susie’s masterly presentation of the local fizz. The 2016 edition looked like a sell-out – we are reckoning on booking earlier for 2017!’ (Paul)

‘The atmosphere this year was really buzzing, with plenty of interest in what we’re doing: great’ (English winemaker)

‘The place is buzzing and it feels so festive. There are so many amazing wines to taste. I’ve just stocked up on English sparkling wine for Christmas and New Year. It’s lovely to be able to talk to the winemakers themselves about their wines.’ (Ben)

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WINE FESTIVAL WINCHESTER 2015

‘You have created something very special – one of the best events we have attended – it will go from strength to strength. We want to be part of that, please!’ (Exhibitor)

‘The festival was fabulous. I am absolutely coming next year. Everyone I know who went is raving about it too.’ (Laura)

‘Magical – an iconic event.’ (Exhibitor)

‘Tremendously good event and will certainly be a regular on my calendar’ (Mike)

‘Thank you for a fantastic weekend! Rave reviews from everyone our side – about the organisation, venue and what fun they had. We will definitely be back next year!’ (Exhibitor)

‘Great day, lots of delicious wine!’ (Lizzy)

‘Excellent event, we were proud to support’ (Sponsor Strutt & Parker)

‘Thank you for a brilliant event. My very discerning son-in-law commented that coming for a second year running was even better than he could have imagined (helped by going to both masterclasses). We appreciate how lucky we are to live in Hampshire.’ (Richard)

‘What a tremendous and fun event! Great wines and a nice, jovial, buzzy atmosphere. You’ve done a great job with this event.’ (press)

‘Brilliant! Roll on 2016!’ (Georgie)

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WINE FESTIVAL WINCHESTER 2014

‘Definitely one of, if not the best consumer tasting I have attended’ (Exhibitor)

‘What a great afternoon. That was some impressive organising! We weren’t quite sure what to expect and maybe slightly concerned we’d be out of our depth but we certainly didn’t feel it. It was a lot of fun. You got together a great set of exhibitors who couldn’t have been more friendly.’ (Alex)

‘Congratulations on the resounding success of the festival. We were pleased to hear this was just the first of what should now be an annual attraction and we expect it to become just as much of a draw to the city as the Christmas market.’ (Paul)

‘You scored a direct hit! It was great. I felt very proud to be in at the first wine festival in my lovely home city. Very crisply run, cohesive, professional but friendly, just the right surroundings. It generated an awful lot of goodwill and interest.’ (Exhibitor)

‘Didn’t want to leave! Well done on such a superb event. I loved the attention to detail with the Follow Your Taste badges and the way the rooms were laid out. What lovely people too. Hampshire has so much to offer! It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.’ (Alan)

‘Such a wonderful festival. Really enjoyed it and now looking forward to sampling my purchases!’ (Ian)

‘Congratulations on a brilliant first Wine Festival Winchester; may there be many more!’ (Exhibitor)

‘We loved the atmosphere you created and thought there was a very impressive turn-out of people really enjoying themselves and there was a terrific selection of wines to taste and to learn about. Congratulations on your amazing achievement.’ (Rebecca)

‘A real treat. There was a notable buzz and everyone was so enthused. Not being particularly knowledgeable about wine, we thoroughly enjoyed tasting different bottles and the highlight was a masterclass with Peter, who was so knowledgeable and interesting.’ (Jo)

‘Above and beyond all my expectations. It was apparent that every single person at the event, whether it was a visitor, exhibitor or staff, was enjoying themselves to the full. I am most certainly returning next year and I hope I will be lucky enough to attend more than one master class. Without hesitation I would give this event 5 out of 5. The only thing I can find fault with is I now have to wait a whole year before I am able to experience this event again.’ (Nicola)

‘Please hold it again next year!’ (Mike)

‘Thoroughly enjoyed the festival. Congrats to the team for making the event a huge success!’ (Exhibitor)

‘It really was a wonderful event and talking to all the guests, they felt the same. It was the perfect venue at the perfect time and you did a truly amazing job putting it together. Thank you for enabling me to be a part of it.’ (Exhibitor)

Photos by Catherine Skinner Photography

You can also read some press coverage in the following media:

• Harpers
• Hampshire Chronicle
•  5/5 review in What’s Good To Do
• The Guardian also ran a nice piece before the festival