This took place at Somerset House and was a good-sized tasting - not an overwhelming number of wines but enough to be interesting. The highlights for me were:
Ayala Blanc de Blancs 2000 - Ayala has been around since the 19th century but was recently bought by Bollinger (who, incidentally, owns 80% or so of Metzendorff). It is a good - and cheaper - alternative to the big Champagne brands and this vintage Blanc de Blancs was my pick of the range, with just the right amount of autolytic creamy yeastiness. I find that Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) Champagnes tend to be bigger and more 'foody' than those blended with Pinots Noir and Meunier.
Roda Cirsion 2006 - this wine is towards the top of the range of this Rioja producer. Great red fruitiness, although more rounded and elegant than the Roda 2004 and Roda I 2004 which were also on show.
Turkey Flat Grenache 2005 and Mouvedre 2006 - these are both at the cheaper end of this Barossa producer's range and represent great value for money - if, that is, you like big, fruit-driven wines. The Grenache especially was a fruit explosion, with raisins and dark cherries. They also make a luxurious, viscous PX.
Henriques & Henriques - I think the whole range from this Madeira producer is lovely but again would single out the lower-end wines as they provide such good value for money. The 3 Year Old Full Rich and the 5 Year Old Finest Medium Rich were both serious bottles of Madeira for astonishingly low prices (due in part to lack of demand in the modern world, as is also the case for much Sherry and Port).
Taylor's - speaking of Port, I must mention Taylor's (the minority owner of Metzendorff by the way). The 20 Year Old Tawny was my favourite, although the 10 Year is also very good and is nearly half the price.
