Annual Newman Street Reunion.

As many of you will know, Rod Instrall stood down as the organiser of this event after nearly 50 years of dedicated service. The reins have been taken over by Mike Saunders who is announcing the 2019 event.

The usual place - the One Tun Goodge Street in the usual corner
The usual day - the first Friday in December - the 6th
The usual time - from midday day to 5.30…ish
The usual format - come, drink, leave when you have to, otherwise a curry with whoever remains at 5.30…ish

And hope to meet the usual participants:-

• Anyone who worked at Newman Street
• Anyone who was based there
• Anyone who visited there
• Anyone who had heard of it

Our corner has been reserved at the One Tun, so it will be helpful to know:

• Whether you hope to appear
• Whether you plan to ‘group eat’ at 5.30…ish

Please respond direct to Mike Saunders (mikesaunders@wrinkliesdirect.co.uk)

Event Report: E1912RIO Rioja wine region of Spain, Sunday 1 - Tuesday 10 September

Our tour of the Rioja wine region started with a coach trip from Warwick to Plymouth, picking up other members of the tour group on the way. In Plymouth we boarded the Pont-Aven for our crossing to Santander in northern Spain. Dinner in La Flora restaurant on board did not, unfortunately, live up to previous experiences as we were seated outside the main restaurant and service was extremely slow.

The following afternoon we arrived in Santander and made our way to the Hotel Marques de Vallejo in Logroño, the capital of the province of La Rioja. After checking in to the hotel we went out for a typical Riojan meal in a local restaurant.

In the following 5 days we visited 9 bodegas, ranging from the very old to the ultra modern. Each provided a different take on the wine making process and a tasting of a selection of their wines. Several of the bodegas also provided lunch. All visits were thoroughly enjoyed.

On the last day before leaving Logroño, some of our group went on the optional coach trip to the town of Burgos while others took advantage of the opportunity to explore Logroño in more depth.

The return journey went smoothly, except for a slight delay due to “military operations” in the English Channel! Happily the meal in La Flora restaurant was up to normal standards. The coach returned us safely, even if a little travel weary, to Warwick at about 10:30pm.

All in all it was an excellent trip.

Michael Fabianski

Click on the images below to see higher resolution versions.

Many more photos may be seen on Dropbox.