THE North West Wine Fest Roadshow rolls into town, promising good grapes and a fine wine experience later this month - and in May.

There will be a different collection of merchants and wines shown at each venue, and with each location working with local food partners too. 

Organisers of the Big Indie Wine Fest (part of Manchester Food and Drink Festival and now in its fifth year) and North West Spring Wine Fest (now in its third year) are staging an independent, multi-venue wine tasting series with festivals planned for venues across the North West.

They're promising, 'a travelling celebration of exciting, exclusive and boutique wines brought to the region by independent merchants, at a series of tastings across Greater Manchester and Cheshire'.

Crikey.

Certainly it seems dozens of independent wine retailers will be delivering a veriitable cornucopia of oenophiliac at each event. 

The first two venues are:

  • Festival Hall, Alderley Edge, 19-20 April
  • St Peters Church Ancoats, 24-25 May (the location of Manchester International Festival's Macbeth production starring Kenneth Branagh later in the year)

Whilst the format of the event will be the same throughout this urban and suburban wine safari, there will be a different collection of merchants and wines shown at each venue, and with each location working with local food partners too. 

Entrance fee for each show covers customer tastings for the whole session, allowing guests the chance to try and buy the most exclusive and interesting wines from the very best independent retailers in the region.

Alongside the tastings and masterclasses, each venue will also incorporate a matching food offering with local partners.

The roadshow kicks off in Alderley Edge, where merchants showcasing their wine will include:

Tour De Belfort, Hale, Cheshire

Corks Out, Alderley Edge, Chester, Stockton Heath, Heswall & Timperley, Cheshire

Origin Wines and Spirits, Wigan

Cape Klein, Stockport

Charlie the Wine, Wilmslow, Cheshire. 

Hangingditch, City Centre, Manchester.

Reserve Wines, Didsbury.

Pacta Connect, Independent Croatian Specialists based in Brighton.

Plus food will be on the menu from Cheshire-based Levanter Fine Foods (specialists in fantastic quality Pata Negra (black hoofed) wild boar Jamon Iberico de Bellota).

The Alderley Edge Spring Wine Fest is happening over 3 sessions: 6-9pm, Friday 19, 1-4pm, Saturday 20, 5-8pm, Saturday 20.

Find out more about Wine Fest 2013

St Peter's, AncoatsSt Peter's, Ancoats

Corks OutCorks Out