Qype - Live and tell

We’re a little foggy-headed in the Qype office this morning thanks to the selection of rather tasty New World wines we sampled at the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy event last night.

In case you missed our earlier blog post, this was the latest of our ‘Big Adventure’ outings, where we invite a few Qypers along to indulge in something a bit special (last month was chocolate tasting, and we’re seriously considering sushi making for June, but if you have any better ideas let us know here).

Yesterday evening a small group of us (Guernican, Timinator, Annie Mole, Tiki Chris and Shiny Gemma, plus myself and Andrew) went to the rather posh 19th-century venue, Il Bottaccio on Grosvenor Place to take part in a showcase of half-a-dozen wine producers.

We kicked off in Western Australia (complete with surfboards and imported sand!) at the Cape Mentelle display and got our palates in gear with their Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chiraz.

As the vino flowed and the debates about ‘pepperyness’ and ‘drinkability’ began, we traveled to California courtesy of Newton whose ‘unfiltered selection’ didn’t really do it for us (although their nut snacks went down a storm!), before soldiering bravely back to Oz and Green Point’s top notch rosé (dangerously drinkable stuff!). The watermelon foams they were supplying were a big hit too.

Next up was Argentina and Terrazas de los Andes. These guys definitely had the best ‘gimmick’ of the event: tiny plastic drawers each containing a mini-morsel of food to accompany their three wines. So we all got to tuck into some mini crème brûlée (for the Chardonnay), a minute but delicious serving of lamb (for the Malbec, which we all really liked), and a morsel of beef (for the Cab Sav).

Finally, with everyone just about able to tackle the staircase, we went downstairs to try out the selection on offer at Cheval des Andes, a South American/French joint production whose Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon blend got nods of approval all round.

And then it was down to the pub for a few well-earned beers!

Here’s a few snaps that Tiki Chris took of the event (there’s a few more on the Qype UK Flickr stream), and if you’d like to get involved in the next Qype Big adventure then keep an eye out right here on the blog and make sure you join in the conversation in this thread.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Tags: il bottaccio, lvmh, qype big adventure, wine, wine tasting

This week we have a chat with Tim Dickinson (or, the Timinator) about ‘warm fuzzies’, winning lots of wine and being a rocket scientist…

Tell us more about you.
I’m 39, married, and live in Ealing, London. I’m Canadian, from Nova Scotia originally, but moved to London for work in 2001. I naturalised as British a couple of years ago and so am now a dual citizen (being able to choose the shorter queue at airport immigration is a good thing). I’ve been working for an IT/networking company for just over 10 years now, but had some unusual jobs before that: I have been a rocket scientist, a nuclear physicist and a military scientist. None of those jobs were as cool as they sound.

What do you enjoy most about Qyping?
I’m the sort of person that researches places before I go. I know some other people do the same so I’m always recommending places to anyone who’ll listen (one man’s mouthy opinions are another man’s value-added info). I often write about establishments I visit on my personal blog, but Qype means people that need the info I might have to share are more likely to find it. That gives me warm fuzzies.

What makes you happy about the places you review?
I’m a big music fan and go to a lot of gigs. I don’t have a favourite venue because different places are appropriate for different acts. But I love almost all the places that bands can play for their own particular characteristics. Reviewing them means recalling experiences I shared with hundreds - or thousands - of people.

What annoys you the most?
If you mean what annoys me most about places that I might review, then cynical, purposefully middle-of-the-road lowest-common-denominator places bug me. It’s one thing if your establishment just turns out to be ordinary because you’re not that imaginative. It’s quite another if you intentionally try to make it as bland, uninteresting, and uniform as you can in some attempt to maximise customer appeal. Thinking about this, though, I’ve just realised that I haven’t Qyped the rubbish places I’ve been to as much as I have the great places. I suppose I should.

If you mean what annoys me most about Qyping in general, then that would be wildly unhelpful reviews that consist of fewer than a dozen words, like, “This place is great!”

What was the place you wanted to keep a secret?
If people suddenly start flocking to my local Italian - Osteria del Portico - and make it hard for me to get a table then I will become very angry. And you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry. Even if I am Canadian. (Siany is guessing that link to his review hasn’t helped. Er… sorry.)

How can people write better reviews?
Obviously, helpful information is key. Don’t agonise over whether you should give the place a 3 or a 4. Tell me what happened to you there, what the decor and vibe is like, make sure the map pointer is correct, and so on.

I’m also a stickler for spelling and proper punctuation. If a reveiw is writen lik this….LOL……then i just can’t take it serouisly, no matter how glowwing it iz!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anything else you wanna say?
I found out about Qype when they sponsored a Meetup of London Bloggers, of which I’m a member. Qype enticed us to contribute by offering a case of wine to the person who submitted the most entertaining review of the pub where that meetup was held, the Camel & Artichoke. That was my first Qype review, and I won the wine. Any service that gives my gob another forum and gives me booze is tops in my book.

Tags: bloggers, Camel and Artichoke, meeting, rocket scientist, Siany, warm fuzzies, wine