Oinoudidasko Wine Education is pleased to offer:
Luxury Wine Tasting Days in York
Tutored Wine Presentations for groups of all kinds
Private Wine Tastings for special occasions
Wine events for charity fundraising
Wine-related research projects
Oinoudidasko Wine Consultants is the brainchild of
Dr Gareth Morgan.
The name Oinoudidasko comes from the Greek and just means "I learn of wine". Gareth Morgan's passion is to create greater knowledge and awareness about wine: to de-mystify wines - so they no longer seem like Greek!
His approach is always interesting and lively, and allows people to make informed choices about the wines they will consume in the future. We do not sell wine - so his opinions of wines are always completely independent.
Gareth holds the Diploma (with honours) of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and he is full member of the Association of Wine Educators which sets the highest standards for those involved in wine education. He is also a Prud'homme of the Jurade de St Émilion - France's oldest wine order - and he is very active in the UK wine field.
Seminars from Oinoudidasko can range from introductory wine tastings for those who want to find their way around the huge array of wines on sale to advanced events for those with extensive wine knowledge which wish to learn more about particular regions. We always include relevant handouts.
Luxury Wine Tasting Days: Full Day Seminars by Oinoudidasko New: prices reduced for 2009/10
From time to time Oinoudidasko offers Luxury Wine Tasting Days - which provide a great way to learn about a very wide range of wines in a friendly environment all in one day. Places on one of these days for yourself and a few others makes a superb gift. We are now delighted to announce new dates for autumn 2009/spring 2010:
Terms are now just £89 for single places, or £79 per person if booking two or more places at the same time with a further 10% discount for bookings made by 31 July 2009.
On the Oinoudidasko Wines of the World day you will find out about the different grapes and styles of wines from virtually all the world's main wine regions - by tasting your way through the entire wine list of an imaginery quality restaurant. You will discover wine making approaches and learn tasting techniques - all supported by maps and other handouts and plenty of helpful background and guidance. This is a full day event: 10.30-4.30, and you will get to sample 16 wines in all. It is much more fun than signing up for weeks of wine classes, yet you really can learn a great deal in a day like this. Numbers are limited to 10-12 people to allow plenty of involvement and discussion.
The price of each Luxury Wine Tasting Day includes tea/coffee on arrival, a pub lunch, specialist but friendly explanations from Dr Gareth Morgan, extensive handouts, and samples of 16 different wines as part of the event. From 2009/10 we are using a new venue in a historic pub just 1 mile from York City Centre - and for those wishing to stay overnight it has attractively priced lodge-style accommodation attached.
To make a booking or if you would like to know more, please call 01904 788885 or e-mail info@oinoudidasko.co.uk or complete the booking form (however, we can take credit card bookings directly by phone). For more details, please click the link to download our Oinoudidasko Luxury Wine Tasting Days colour brochure (PDF - 4 pages- 481Kb) and Booking Form (PDF - 1 page - 65Kb). Gift vouchers are also available.
Tutored Wine Presentations - for External Groups
Apart from our open seminars, most of the events Gareth Morgan presents are in response to invitations from specific groups, organisations or corporate clients who provide the venue etc (but we can also organise whole events from start to finish on the lines of our open seminars above, if a group wants a one-off seminar).
Although Gareth Morgan is interested in wines from around the world, he specialises in the key wine regions of Europe - sometimes called "the Old World" and he has a particular interest in how wines change over time - some of his presentations include older vintages which are now very rare.
For seminars and wine presentations to external groups, we offer a wide range of topics with a standard fee structure with a fixed price per head. This approach means that we take the risk on how many bottles are needed - you won't be faced with a large increase in costs for another bottle of each wine just because of a couple of extra participants. Current topics include:
- but he is also happy to speak on most topics focusing on European wine regions.
The introductory tasting is usually based on six wines, but for most seminars we normally present eight wines. The cost per head for each presentation is set in bands according to the size of the group, but, by way of example, our current prices on a fully inclusive basis range from around £7 per head for an introductory Wines of Europe seminar with 40+ participants, to £25 per head for a group of 10-15 tasting Four Decades of Bordeaux. These figures are fully inclusive of the preparation and presentation time, the actual wines offered, travel expenses (in the Yorkshire region), and detailed handouts for participants to retain after the event. (Events must be covered by a licence for the sale of alcohol, but Gareth Morgan is is Personal Licence Holder, so if the venue does not have a Premises Licence he can easily arrange a Temporary Event Notice for a small charge.)
For more details or to make a booking, please contact Gareth Morgan as below. But please give as much notice as possible - his diary is often committed well ahead, and - most importantly - for the more specialist presentations it can take several months to assemble all the wines required!
Private Wine Tastings for Small Groups
If you are having a special gathering with a small group of family or friends what better way to make it really special than to include a Private Wine Tasting - presented by a completely independent expert, who is not trying to sell you anything!
Any of the topics above for external tastings can also be offered for private groups or 4-10 (if more than 10 that's fine - we would treat it an an external tasting as above). Normally Gareth Morgan will present eight wines, with plenty of background information, maps etc - but giving you and your friends ample time to share your own comments, make tasting notes if you wish, and ask questions. We recommend allowing 90 minutes to 2 hours to give people ample time to discuss the wines, though shorter tastings are possible. Any time of day is possible, but often private wine tastings work well as pre-dinner events - and, of course we will leave you with the rest of each bottle to finish if you wish!
Our private wine tastings usually take place in your home, but we can also do events in workplaces or elsewhere. We make a fixed fee, regardless of the number of participants, which will generally be £180-£350 in total, depending on the topic - this includes the wines themselves, the presenter, notes on the wines, loan of proper ISO tasting glasses, napkins, dry biscuits and spittoons (just in case you don't want to drink every drop) - to make it a very smart event. The price includes travel up to 10 miles from York (longer distances possible by arrangement) and arranging a Temporary Event Notice - so that we can legally supply you with the wines!
For more details or to make a booking, please contact Gareth Morgan on 01904 788885 or e-mail info@oinoudidasko.co.uk.
As well as his wine experience, Gareth Morgan works very widely with charities of all kinds on fundraising and finance issues. A specialist tasting with a wine expert can make a really exciting charity fundraising event. In fact, if you choose a topic which focuses on special wines which most people would normally only drink on very special occasions, it can be a great way to attract serious donors.
We are pleased to help with such events not just by providing the specialist to present the wines, but also in terms of advising on other aspects such as choice of wines, timings, serving arrangements, literature for participants, whether to raise money mainly through ticket sales or through donations under gift aid, licensing for sale of alcohol, and similar issues. In many cases, Dr Morgan is able to offer reduced fees for charity events.
Dr Gareth Morgan has experience of organising large scale wine-related research projects - for example in seeking systematic opinions from consumers on wines, possibly over an extended period of time. He has published papers in this field and can arrange access to university facilities where appropriate. For wine producers or retailers wishing to organise studies of this kind, we can offer a highly effective service. He can also offer advice for consumers - for example on an unusual wine you have received, where you want someone to research where it is from, what grapes are likely to have been used, and when it may be ready to drink.
Gareth Morgan's Wine Background and Experience
Dr Gareth Morgan has had a serious interest in wine for nearly two decades. He has read extremely widely in the field and given talks and presentations about wine to groups ranging from informal social wine-tasting to classes for students preparing for wine examinations. His doctorate is in the field of organisational communication but wine has been one of his specialisations since the early 1990s, and he has been providing wine education through Oinoudidasko since 2001.
In terms of wine-specific qualifications, he holds the Diploma with Honours of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). The WSET is the body that provides professional qualifications in the wine trade. The Diploma is the highest of the qualifications offered by WSET: it requires two years' study, with six hours of examinations at the end of each year, including both theory and tasting papers. Even to enter for the Diploma, candidates must hold the Advanced Certificate (which calls for detailed technical knowledge of wines from all the world's wine-producers) and only around a quarter of those who start the Diploma get through both years at the first attempt. In terms of those who complete the Diploma, only around one in ten are awarded the Diploma with Honours. Only senior people in the wine trade are typically qualified at this level.
He is a full member of the
Association of Wine
Educators
- the professional body for specialists in wine education. Assessment
for AWE membership is extremely rigorous: it is only open to those who hold the
WSET Diploma but, in addition to this, full members of AWE must also be able to
demonstrate extensive skill in speaking about wines, responding to questions,
and providing lively and informative events and must be completely independent
of any wine-selling. He is one of only four AWE members based in Yorkshire
and the North East.
He also works part time as Wine Specialist with Ryedale Vineyards, a top quality new vineyard in Yorkshire. He has a particular interested in wine production in England and is an active member of the UK Vineyards Association. Furthermore, in 2002 he was made a Prud'homme of the Jurade de St'Émilion - France's oldest wine order - in recognition of his commitment to wine education, and to the wines of Bordeaux in particular.
Outside of his work in Oinoudidasko, Gareth also holds an academic post where he works with a wide range of students ranging from undergraduates to experienced professionals to research students working for doctorates. He has led wine-related research events and presented conference papers in the field. He is also extensively involved in work with charities - he has a particular interest in wine-related events for charity fundraising and the relationships between wine and the Christian faith..
Contact Details:
 |
Dr Gareth G Morgan
DiplWSET Oinoudidasko Wine Consultants 36 Acomb Wood Drive, York YO24 2XN Tel: 01904 788885 E-mail: info@oinoudidasko.co.uk Web: www.oinoudidasko.co.uk |
Last updated 06-Feb-2009