Residents at Banbury area care home treated to wine tasting

Staff and residents at Barchester’s Chacombe park care home in Chacombe were treated to a wine tasting masterclass hosted by Nick Parker and Lee Isaacs from Unity Wines.

Nick and Lee took Barchester residents on a tour of the world of wine starting with a light, fresh Italian sparking dry white wine, Asti Secco. With lemon, pear, apple and white peach, this is a great alternative to Prosecco. Next was a South African white, Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc – such a versatile wine, this example had green and red apples, peachy fruit, and a hint of something slightly tropical with a wonderful hit of apricots, nuts and melon.

Then the residents were off to France to try La Vielle Ferme Rosé, a light, rosé with notes of white flowers, strawberries and cranberries. To finish, it was the turn of Spain where residents sampled Ramon Bilbao Rioja with its ripe, vibrant blackberries and plums, and filled with flavours of brambles, cinnamon and nutmeg and a lingering toastiness.

Nick said: “It was a privilege and a pleasure to share some of our best-loved wines with the Barchester residents, it was a whistle-stop tour but hopefully we gave everyone a good flavour of some of the different styles on offer from a lovely dry Asti right through to fruity Rioja.

Lucy Tomlinson, resident experience manager for Barchester Healthcare, said: “We love working with our wonderful partners like Unity Wines to bring a wide range of fantastic experiences into our homes for all to enjoy. This tasting was really interesting, (not to mention delicious!) because it showcased so many different styles of wines from countries around the world.

“Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active and socially connected, providing a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities."

General Manager Jude Shibu said: “Our residents love a glass of wine with their lunch or dinner and they love to try new styles so the tasting went down an absolute treat. It was very interesting to learn which wines pair well with different foods, our residents are looking forward to trying out Nick and Lee’s recommendations.”