{"id":4118,"date":"2026-02-24T19:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/?p=4118"},"modified":"2026-02-24T19:13:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:13:28","slug":"newsletter-march-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/newsletter-march-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter March 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Dear Members,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>At last, the signs of Spring arriving have started to appear, the yellow peril of pine pollen, the jonquils in the Jalon valley are nodding their yellow heads and the dawn chorus has started.  Our third Tasting of 2026 is not far away and there are a couple of CBWS activities to tell you about.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 19 February we had an enthusiastic and very informative presentation and an interesting tasting from the owner of Ac\u00fastic\u00a0Cellars, DO Montsant,\u00a0Albert Jane.  This prestigious bodega presented 5 wines (2 whites and 3 reds) all of which have been rated by Pe\u00f1in,Robert Parker and Tim Atkin at 90 to 93 points. The Tasting Report is available <a href=\"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/tasting-report-february-2026\/\">HERE<\/a>.  We visited this bodega on our May Wine Trip in 2022, and Albert presented his wines in November 2022 at Los Amigos where many people bought his wines.  We took over 15 orders on Thursday evening and would like\u00a0to offer this to members who could not attend.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you wish to order some of the wines that were tasted on the night, please click<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLScePOU-Oc46JXR2dvPy0eiFgIldX9gISPddqeqbbznjBCV7Sg\/viewform?usp=header\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> HERE <\/a>  Ac\u00fastic\u00a0wines are only\u00a0distributed in Catalunya and in export markets, so it is a great opportunity to taste\u00a0these premium wines.  The cut off date for orders is 11th of March.  We will be in touch with regarding payment, and where to collect your order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have had to change the closing day for tasting events. The reason for this is that restaurants are now asking for our meal orders a week in advance to help them minimise food waste and help to keep costs lower.  From the March tasting the closing date for bookings and payments will be the Wednesday in the week before the tasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>A reminder that we are organising an informal wine scoring workshop to be given by Neville Richardson. This will be in late March, the dates we are considering are the 19, 23 &amp; 24 March. There are still a few spaces available. Please email me at president@cbws.eu as soon as possible if you would like to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Our next three Tasting events are:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>On 19th March our Tasting is at Javea Golf Club, when Fergus &amp; Joan Fitzpatrick will introduce a tasting of wines made from a single grape variety \u2013 Garnacha.  A welcome Cava will be served at 19.30 with dinner at 20.00.  The cost is \u20ac50 for members and \u20ac60 for guests. The menu is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Welcome Cava &amp; Tapa<br>Entrades (para compartir).<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan Cheese<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crunchy Goat Cheese with salad and candied onions<br>Segundo \u2013 eligir<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Roasted Lamb at low temperature with saut\u00e9 potatoes<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;or<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Grilled Cod with Vegetables<br>Postre<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pineapple with Coconut Ice Cream<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Please book directly on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/home-page\/\">CBWS website<\/a>&nbsp;or via the link below.  Our maximum capacity for this event is 72.  Booking is now open and will close at midday on 11th March after which no more bookings can be made and there will be no refunds for cancellations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/events-booking\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Click-here-for-upcoming-events-and-booking-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-402\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.90342405618964;width:227px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Click-here-for-upcoming-events-and-booking-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Click-here-for-upcoming-events-and-booking-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Click-here-for-upcoming-events-and-booking-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Click-here-for-upcoming-events-and-booking-1536x806.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Click-here-for-upcoming-events-and-booking-2048x1075.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Click-here-for-upcoming-events-and-booking-1140x599.png 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, our next tasting is on 16 April at Denia Yacht Club, Tony &amp; Gro Salter will host what promises to be a lively and entertaining evening titled \u201cMy Favourite Wine\u201d, where five newer members will present their chosen wines.  Each table will vote for their Best Presenter and Best Wine of the Evening, with surprises in store for the winners.  It sounds like a fun evening!<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 21st May at Maxim\u2019s in Moraira Sara &amp; Neville Richardson will be presenting \u2018What\u2019s in a Label: how much does the packaging influence you?\u2019 Do you prefer a trendy label or an old-fashioned label?  Find out on the night what attracts casual wine buyers the most.  On 5th to 8th May 35 members will be going on our annual wine away trip, this time to the DO of Madrid.  This trip is now fully subscribed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoy your month.<br>Regards<br>Helen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear Members, At last, the signs of Spring arriving have started to appear, the yellow peril of pine pollen, the jonquils in the Jalon valley are nodding their yellow heads and the dawn chorus has started. Our third Tasting of 2026 is not far away and there are a couple of CBWS activities to tell you about. On 19 February we had an enthusiastic and very informative presentation and an interesting tasting from the owner of Ac\u00fastic\u00a0Cellars, DO Montsant,\u00a0Albert Jane. This prestigious bodega presented 5 wines (2 whites and 3 reds) all of which have been rated by Pe\u00f1in,Robert Parker and Tim Atkin at 90 to 93 points. The Tasting Report is available HERE. We visited this bodega on our May Wine Trip in 2022, and Albert presented his wines in November 2022 at Los Amigos where many people bought his wines. We took over 15 orders on Thursday evening and would like\u00a0to offer this to members who could not attend. If you wish to order some of the wines that were tasted on the night, please click HERE Ac\u00fastic\u00a0wines are only\u00a0distributed in Catalunya and in export markets, so it is a great opportunity to taste\u00a0these premium wines. The cut off date for orders is 11th of March. We will be in touch with regarding payment, and where to collect your order. We have had to change the closing day for tasting events. The reason for this is that restaurants are now asking for our meal orders a week in advance to help them minimise food waste and help to keep costs lower. From the March tasting the closing date for bookings and payments will be the Wednesday in the week before the tasting. A reminder that we are organising an informal wine scoring workshop to be given by Neville Richardson. This will be in late March, the dates we are considering are the 19, 23 &amp; 24 March. There are still a few spaces available. Please email me at president@cbws.eu as soon as possible if you would like to attend. Our next three Tasting events are: On 19th March our Tasting is at Javea Golf Club, when Fergus &amp; Joan Fitzpatrick will introduce a tasting of wines made from a single grape variety \u2013 Garnacha. A welcome Cava will be served at 19.30 with dinner at 20.00. The cost is \u20ac50 for members and \u20ac60 for guests. The menu is as follows: Welcome Cava &amp; TapaEntrades (para compartir).&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan Cheese&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crunchy Goat Cheese with salad and candied onionsSegundo \u2013 eligir&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Roasted Lamb at low temperature with saut\u00e9 potatoes&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;or&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Grilled Cod with VegetablesPostre&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pineapple with Coconut Ice Cream Please book directly on the&nbsp;CBWS website&nbsp;or via the link below. Our maximum capacity for this event is 72. Booking is now open and will close at midday on 11th March after which no more bookings can be made and there will be no refunds for cancellations. Looking ahead, our next tasting is on 16 April at Denia Yacht Club, Tony &amp; Gro Salter will host what promises to be a lively and entertaining evening titled \u201cMy Favourite Wine\u201d, where five newer members will present their chosen wines. Each table will vote for their Best Presenter and Best Wine of the Evening, with surprises in store for the winners. It sounds like a fun evening! On 21st May at Maxim\u2019s in Moraira Sara &amp; Neville Richardson will be presenting \u2018What\u2019s in a Label: how much does the packaging influence you?\u2019 Do you prefer a trendy label or an old-fashioned label? Find out on the night what attracts casual wine buyers the most. On 5th to 8th May 35 members will be going on our annual wine away trip, this time to the DO of Madrid. This trip is now fully subscribed. Enjoy your month.RegardsHelen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newsletters-2026","category-posts"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4118"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4129,"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4118\/revisions\/4129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}