17/07/2026
Our very talented member Fi Illingworth has written this piece reflecting on our Taste of Italy evening with John Butterwick.
As a new member, I’ve only attended 4 WI meetings, to which I’ve been accompanied by my husband not once but twice! In April, I accompanied him as he was the speaker, and this month, he accompanied me to an open meeting. I could never have anticipated this turn of events, but then alcohol was involved, so what more is there to say? The meeting was extremely well attended, with approximately 40 participants. All managed to find a seat amongst friends.
Our speaker, John Butterwick, boasts over 30 years’ experience of wine. Despite his extensive knowledge, he wasn’t remotely intimidating; his gentle unassuming manner immediately put us at ease. As more wine was consumed, tongues loosened and the buzz around the room grew louder. John gave us space to appreciate the wine and talk amongst ourselves, which is I think, the sign of a good speaker.
The theme of the evening was the Wines of Italy. Very helpfully, he provided a map outlining the different regions of Italy, of which there are 20. John explained that, unlike France or Spain, wine is produced in every one of the 95 Italian provinces, which is remarkable. The wine is graded into 4 categories, much like France.
John was filled with fascinating information, and I learnt a huge amount, Did you know, for example, that it was the Greeks that first brought wine to Italy? To grow a vine that will produce good grapes, you don’t need good soil, but you do need a lot of patience. You want your vines to work hard and dig deep for nutrients, and you’ll wait 4 years for your first crop. A windy location is good because it helps to control fungal infection.
For the uneducated, like me, John explained the difference between how champagne and prosecco is made. It’s all about where the second fermentation takes place. Why are some rosé wines darker than others? It’s all to do with how long you leave the wine skins in the tank.
As we all sat there in a delightful array of summer dresses, open shirts and shorts, we couldn’t deny the current heatwave. John mentioned the impact of climate change on wine growing around the world. Grapes need masses of water for a start. We are now growing vines in England that, 30 years ago, wouldn’t have ripened here. Yorkshire alone now boasts 21 commercial vineyards.
During the course of the evening, we were invited to try 4 different wines. We’d been shown the level of a measure, but some pourers were much more enthusiastic than others - enough said! Despite all the information provided, you can’t account for taste and we are all different. The wines met with varied responses, some more positive than others. On my table, it was the final wine that was the big hit and perhaps John had purposefully saved the best ’til last. That depends on taste of course. He explained that his aim was to introduce us to lesser known varieties and here’s what we tasted (the most expensive being £10.50):
Finest Pecorino from Abruzzo (12%) (Tesco)
La Preare Chiaretto Bardolino from Veneto (12.5%) (Tesco)
Marzemino from Veneto (11.5%) (M&S)
Terre di Faiano Primitivo from Puglia (14%) (Waitrose)
The evening was hugely successful and thanks must go primarily to Carol Pennington who organised it single-handedly. Strange but true, whilst most people mingled after the talk, not much tea or coffee was drunk. You could say it was down to the alcohol but I honestly don’t think it was just that. I don’t drink myself and many of my friends questioned why I would attend a wine tasting evening at all. It was, for me, about community. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet others from the village and beyond (for we had guests from Easingwold WI among us). We all learnt something, enjoyed wine (or non-alcohol alternatives) and one another’s company. Everyone wanted to know when we could do it again and I hope we can!
