Three days of top class racing, luxury dining and Champagne: it must be Newmarket. This year’s racing culminated in the July Cup on the Saturday – won by Harry Angel who was given a great ride by Adam Kirby, beating the favourite, Caravaggio.

The Wine Tipster spent the festival presenting on Newmarket Course TV and ITV, as well as showcasing some wonderful wines in the Summer House Restaurant and at the daily Moët and Chandon Champagne paired lunches alongside a fabulous menu.

The 2017 Festival marked the launch of this Champagne and Dining experience by The Jockey Club, which was a huge success. It was a great example of how well Champagne can be paired, with dishes such as the Fish Duo of Trout Mousse and Lemon Cured Salmon.

It was great to see so many familiar faces in the Summer House this year, as well as amazing support for English Wines, especially Bolney Estate Foxhole Vineyard Pinot Gris, Nyetimber Classic Cuvée MV and Chapel Down English Rosé.

The Wine Tipster also did well on the tipping front this year, with Tangled at 8:1 on the Friday, and Medahim at 12:1 on the Saturday, both trained by Richard Hannon.

Overall, the 2017 Moët and Chandon July festival was a massive success, with attendances up on last year. The Wine Tipster will be returning next year – don’t miss him!

The Wine Tipster is aiming to finish 2016 on a high and will be busy over the festive season at Kempton, Warwick and Cheltenham. The Winter Festival at Kempton takes place on Boxing Day and December 27th featuring high class Grade 1 racing, entertainment for all and lots of festive cheer.

The Boxing Day meeting features three Grade 1 races including the Festival’s flagship race, the 32Red King George VI Chase which has been won by greats such as Desert Orchid, Best Mate, Kauto Star and, most recently, Cue Card, who must have a great chance of following up last year’s success. As ever, you can follow his tips in Racing Plus, with Boxing Day’s selections in the Christmas Eve issue. More information about The Winter Festival can be found here.

Start your New Year celebrations early at the very popular Warwick racecourse on New Year’s Eve and catch up with The Wine Tipster for some food, wine and racing chat. On New Year’s Day, join the first day of ITV’s racing coverage at Cheltenham. This signifies the beginning of an exciting new period and I wish all the best to the presenters and all the team.

Across all the Jockey Club courses you can sample a great selection of excellent wines including English wines from the Best of British Selection. Highlights include Nyetimber Classic Cuvée from Sussex and Chapel Down English Rosé from Kent. Other favourites include Château Leoubé Rosé, Catena Appellation Vista Flores Malbec, Brunello di Montalcino, Castello Banfi, Masut Estate Pinot Noir from California as well as some great Champagnes especially the Moët & Chandon vintage for a celebration.

Wherever you are over the festive season, go and enjoy some fantastic racing!

Merry Christmas.

This weekend sees the start of the 2016/17 jump season at Cheltenham after the summer break where we can look forward to16 exciting days of top class Jump racing over the season. Leading horses, jockeys and trainers return to the spiritual Home of Jump racing for The Showcase meeting with 7 races on each day.

In addition to the excitement of the racing, you can enjoy a wide variety of experiences at the racecourse. The Wine Tipster has worked with Bibendum Wines and The Jockey Club Catering team, led by General Manager Phil Roberts, to compile a wine list to suit all palates and to match with the various dishes served around the racecourse.
There has never been a better time to try British wines so to celebrate this, look out for ‘Best of British’ still and sparkling wines on the list. Come racing and enjoy the following wines;

Nyetimber Classic Cuvée NV, Sussex, England
Nyetimber is a pioneer of English sparkling wine with its earliest mentions being recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. They now own 170 hectares of vineyards in Hampshire and Sussex which are devoted to the classic trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The Classic Cuvée shows all the elegance and refinement you would expect, with delicate citrus, fresh mineral, and lifted white blossom notes.

Bolney Estate Foxhole Vineyard Pinot Gris, Sussex, England
The Bolney Estate was established in 1972 with 3 acres of vines. Nowadays, the estate spans 39 acres and is one of the few wineries in England specialising in red wine. The founders were inspired by the potential to create delicate red wines similar to those from New Zealand. Their work has helped to cement England’s position as a country capable of producing quality wines consistently. Current winemaker, Samantha Linter took over in the 90s and since then the estate has gone from strength to strength. This is a refreshingly zesty white wine with fragrant aromas of elderflower, jasmine and pear.

Chapel Down English Rosé, England, Kent
Chapel Down produces a world-class range of sparkling and still wines, together with the award-winning range of Curious beers & cider. It is this iconic chalk soil, the same as that of Champagne – just 90 miles to the south, coupled with our cool climate that enables them to produce truly world-class sparkling wines, as well as aromatic white wines and elegant light red wines from grapes such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Bacchus.
This wine has lovely aromas of a British summer pudding, ripe juicy summer fruits. Crisp and fresh, with flavours of rhubarb compote and rosehip. An easy drinking wine to share with your friends and family.

See you there!

Unveiling its new wine list, which will be available across 15 racecourses, Jockey Club Catering will feature wines from some of the world’s finest vineyards including, for the first time, three wines from England as part of Jockey Club’s ‘Best of British’ range. The wines are the award winning Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2010, Bolney Estate Foxhole Vineyard Pinot Gris 2014 and Chapel Down English Rosé 2014.
Neil Phillips, The Wine Tipster and wine consultant for Jockey Club Catering, comments: “These are, quite rightly, exciting times for British wine with excellent quality leading to an increase in interest and demand. All three wines chosen have their own unique style, which we have complemented with excellent food pairings so race goers can enjoy them to their fullest.”
Nick Campbell, managing director of Jockey Club Catering, adds: “It is an absolute pleasure to announce that race goers will have the opportunity to experience our ‘Best of British’ range for the first time and we are confident that the wines will prove to be a huge success.”

Jockey Club