Superfast wine tasting

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A pub in St Agnes and a winery almost 16,000 miles away are being brought together for a special foodie event with the help of superfast broadband.

(L-R): Dr Hazel Lacohee (BTID Superfast Cornwall Research), Catherine Murden (Wine development manager, St Austell Brewery), Guy Daniels (Superfast Cornwall) and Louise Treseder

The Driftwood Spars in St Agnes is hosting a winemaker’s dinner on May 10, the twist being that the winemaker himself will be chatting with his guests from his kitchen in New Zealand.

Gordon Russell, senior winemaker at Esk Valley winery, will be linked up to the Driftwood and projected onto a large screen via its superfast broadband connection and equipment supplied by University College Falmouth.

Guests at the dinner will be able to enjoy a six-course meal matched with Esk Valley wines, supplied by St Austell Brewery. Russell will talk through each wine and how it matches with the food.

Louise Treseder, landlady at the Driftwood Spars, said: “Gordon has been to visit us several times before and apart from making fantastic wines, he is really charismatic and entertaining.

“Esk Valley wine is really popular here, and while we’ve hosted winemaker’s dinners before, we’ve never attempted it using the latest technology we have at our fingertips.”

Nigel Ashcroft, programme director for Superfast Cornwall, said: “This exciting and innovative dinner is a wonderful example of the power of superfast broadband. It shows how this high speed technology is helping to make the world a very much smaller place and opening up wonderful new opportunities for Cornish businesses.”

The Winemaker’s Dinner is taking place on Thursday, May 10 at the Driftwood Spars in partnership with St Austell Brewery, Superfast Cornwall, BT and University College Falmouth.

Tickets are priced at £50 including wine, canapés, starter, fish and main course plus dessert and cheese. Booking is essential, call 01872 552428.