Hayes Green WI ladies get merry at their latest meeting
This month Peter Bridgwater from 1485 Wines came to deliver an excellent wine tasting evening for the ladies of Hayes Green Women’s Institute. The snow storm we had in January sadly meant the January meeting of Hayes Green WI had to be cancelled, therefore this meeting was the first of 2026 in Heath Hayes. However a good proportion of the Hayes Green WI membership had met up on January 29 for a delicious meal at the Olive Grove restaurant at the Cross Keys pub in Hednesford.
Peter presented a curated artisanal wine experience for the members of Hayes Green WI.
Five Ways Inn, where the Hayes Green WI meet, kindly provided the wine glasses, Peter provided the lovely wine, and the WI ladies provided friendship and great company so that everyone enjoyed a fantastic evening.
Peter brought three very different Italian wines for us to enjoy tasting. The first “Fantasia” was a white wine produced in Sicily from Zibibbo grapes. Then we tried “Siri” rose wine made from Nebbiolo grapes in Monforte d’Alba, Italy. Lastly we tasted Robbione a red wine, which is made mainly from the Vernaccia Nera grape variety in central Italy.
Peter explained that his wine importing company is called 1485 wines because he is based near the site of the famous battle of Bosworth, near Nuneaton, where in the year 1485 King Richard III was killed in the battle. Peter imports wine, olive oil and wine glasses from Italy. He only buys from small sustainable businesses in Italy. All the wines and olive oils he sells are produced by family run businesses who all only use grape varieties that are native to Italy, and all the companies he imports from grow the grapes they use in their wines on their own vineyards, and olives on their own olive trees and also produce their own wines and olive oils.
All his producers hand harvest their grapes for the wines and olives for the olive oils so there is an element of only selecting the best fruit to use for the wine and olive oil. Hand picking rather than using machinery to harvest also means less chance of skin damage to the grapes or olives and so produces a better tasting wine or oil.
Three of the WI members brought a favourite unusual wine glass from home to show to the group.
Hayes Green WI next meet at Five Ways Inn, 1 Hednesford Road, Heath Hayes, Cannock WS12 3HU at 7.30pm on Tuesday, March 3, for a talk about decluttering.
Prospective new members are welcome to come along and join us.
