On, Friday 10^th March, Chadlington Village Memorial Hall welcomed back The Wine Tipster for an evening of tips, tasting and tipsiness, all in the name of charity.

After the success of his last Whose Wine is it Anyway event in Chadlington 4 years ago, The Wine Tipster returned to raise funds for the Village Hall Project and entertain in an evening of information and merriment. There was breath-taking yet comic Opera performed by Claire Bradshaw (mezzo-soprano) and Richard Coxon (tenor), advice on how to bet on horses at Cheltenham and to taste and choose the best wines, as well as a much better than average raffle, with prizes including hampers from Chadlington Quality Foods and a Moët Magnum.

As the host of the evening, The Wine Tipster led his audience through a taste exploration of 8 different wines, including Proseccos, rosés, whites and reds, much to everyone’s enjoyment. The insider knowledge shared on which wines to look out for and cheapest places to buy them was invaluable, and well received.

Throughout the evening, the audience were treated to delicious mini pizzas from Café de la Post, and chocolate tarts from Chadlington Quality Foods that went down well with the wines and San Pellegrino on offer. With the pouring of the Beronia Rioja Crianza from magnum came the donning of berets and fake moustaches by The Wine Tipster and his team, much to everyone’s amusement!

A 70^th birthday was also celebrated on the evening, with a serenade from Claire and Richard and a delicious cake made by Susan Myatt which was shared around – what better way to celebrate a birthday than with The Wine Tipster in a beret and fake moustache.

As the evening progressed, so did the amount of alcohol consumed, which possibly contributed to the impressive total funds raised for the Village Hall Project: around £850. This wouldn’t have been possible without the sponsors of the evening, who kindly supplied the Hall with wine. Thanks go to Zonin for Prosecco Cuvée 1821 Brut and Prosecco Zonin Grey Edition Glera & Pinot Grigio Brut, Kleine Zalze from South Africa for Zalze Chenin Blanc , Esk Valley with their Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Rosé, Beronia (for the wine, berets and Rioja Crianza magnums), Château Léoube Rouge de Léoube from the Côtes de Provence  and Tim Adams for Clare Valley, Australia with The Fergus as well as San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna for keeping everyone hydrated throughout the night. Ticket sales and food from Chadlington Quality Foods and Café de la Post also made the night possible.

Once again, The Wine Tipster did not disappoint, and everyone who attended said what a wonderfully fun event it was, as well as a success in regards to the fundraising for such a worthy cause. Since the 10^th, the Paulings who attended the evening had a success to celebrate at Cheltenham with Willoughby Court (14-1), who was trained by their son Ben Pauling winning on the Wednesday. There were other success stories thanks to The Wine Tipster’s advice and knowledge including Buveur D’Air, who would win the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday. Successes all round!

Big thanks to Adam Engberg and James Keelly, who whilst having a couple of pints of ale responsibly in their local The Tite Inn, created the concept of The Great Brook Run. Today, was the sixth edition of The Great Brook Run, with a record breaking 148 runners deciding to burn off some of those calories piled on over the Christmas period. Although The Great Brook Run isn’t a marathon, it is a challenging one mile race starting at The Tite Inn in Chadlington, with the first half mile run across very muddy fields before entering the mighty brook to encounter rushing water, obstacles and a tunnel which requires you to get on your hands and knees. Once out of the tunnel you muster the energy to sprint up the hill to the finish and collect your medal for completing. There is really nothing quite like it as you stand around afterwards dripping wet and getting colder by the minute. There was also nothing like the speed of the winner Ben Chapman, who won the race for the fifth time and the first lady finisher Amy Turner who was ninth.

On a serious note, all profits are being donated to the Chadlington Memorial Hall, with a big thank you to all organisers, runners, helpers, supporters and the sponsors House & Carriage, Cotswold Cycles, Slatter’s Family Butchers, Chadlington Quality Foods, The Cotswold Brewery Co, The Tite Inn, Fete Game Hire, RunningImp and of course The Wine Tipster!

Thanks also to BBC Radio Oxford for their support and interest.

See you all in 2014.

Head to the Chadlington Beer Festival today, near Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, which is open from Noon – 11pm.

The Chadlington Beer Festival is celebrating their 10th year as a quality, village beer festival, with over 20 quality ales on offer including Binghams’ Hot Dog Chilli Stout, St Austell’s Proper Job and Orkney’s Skull Splitter!

The Wine Tipster has also put together a selection of summertime quaffing wines from Italy, France and Spain and will be on hand to offer you any tips or guidance you need.

This will be a fun filled day, enjoyed by family and all, with food, music and games. See you there!

Thank you to all the lovely people from Chadlington, Charlbury, Finstock and Billericay who came to The Wine Tipster’s Charity Gig for Friends of Chadlington School and Greatwood Caring for Retired Racehorses. The punters at the packed Chadlington Village Hall consumed Gordal olives, Marcona salted almonds from Brindisa and fabulous mini-pizzas from Cafe de la Post in-between tasting eight wines on sparkling form.

First up was the elegant Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut NV, Champagne, France on offer in Waitrose at £29.99 until April 2nd, followed by Esk Valley’s Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Marlborough, £9.99, Cafe de la Post, The Oxford Wine Company, which really does express the quality of

this New Zealand vintage. We moved on to the well-priced, elegant Planalto Douro Reserva 2011, Portugal (pictured right), £7.99, Majestic, with citrus and peachy flavours, whilst the Mâcon Charnay, Réserve Personelle 2011, Burgundy, France, £9.99, Cafe de la Post, The Oxford Wine Company, with soft, buttery and vanilla flavours is quality, good value Burgundy under a tenner.

Then Zalze Cabernet /Shiraz Rosé 2012, Coastal Region, South Africa, £7.99, Waitrose, full flavoured with attractive red fruits and spice raised the flag for the pink corner, with the wine options round revealing the soft, elegant, rounded and abv friendly 12% Aurora Reserve Pinot Noir 2012, Serra Gaûcha, Brazil, £9.50, Stevens Garnier. Interestingly, many people guessed Pinot Noir and chose Chile instead of New Zealand.

The final part of our journey ended in Europe with the smooth, Beronia Rioja Reserva 2008, Rioja, Spain, £11.99, The Oxford Wine Company, Cafe de la Post and the stunning Ramos Pinto Collectors Port, Douro, Portugal, £13.99 The Oxford Wine Company, Cafe de la Post.

A big thank you to all the wine producers, S.Pellegrino, Cafe de la Post, The Oxford Wine Company and Alex James, Craig Ogden, Ed Fenton, Nicola Leyland, Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival, Chadlington Quality Foods and The Tite Inn for the raffle prizes.

Finally, a big thank you to Robina, Lois, Jo and Steve for organisation and pouring.

Join The Wine Tipster on 22nd March at the Chadlington Memorial Hall for his Wine Talk and Tasting in aid of Friends of Chadlington School and Greatwood Caring for Retired Racehorses. Apart

from eight great wines from around the world, there will be some excellent raffle prizes, with nibbles from Slatters, Brindisa and mini-pizzas from Cafe de la Post. Doors open 7.30pm-7.45pm start. Tickets are £10 from Chadlington Quality Foods: Tel: 01608 – 676675 & Evenlode Books Tel: 01608 – 819117. See you there!