How to Appreciate Wine

From a Loire winemaking family to a five-point tasting method

Paul Declerck was raised in a winemaking family in France's Loire Valley before moving into the London fine wine trade, where he now works as a client relationship manager for Cult Wines. His book *How to Appreciate Wine* sets out what he calls the French 5-Point Method, a structured approach to tasting he's used to run sessions for complete beginners and seasoned collectors alike.

At Sheldon's Wine Cellars, the long-established Shipston merchant now home to Baby Sheldon's Wine Bar, Declerck works through the method glass in hand rather than from a lecture slide: how to read a label, what to actually notice when you swirl and sniff, and how to talk about wine without falling back on guesswork. A complimentary glass is included on arrival.

Whether you already know your Burgundy from your Bordeaux or you're starting from nothing, the aim is a tasting vocabulary you can actually use, not a list of facts to memorise.

This one's for over-18s only, and interest has already been strong enough to sell out ahead of the festival.

Saturday 19 September 2026 · Sheldon's Wine Cellars, 6 New Street, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire CV36 4EN · Starts 4:00pm