Laithwaites Wine Festival

Some people love nothing more than an afternoon's shopping. Some people can't think of anything worse. But we'll bet we can't find many people who don't like the idea of a few hours spent tasting your way around a room full of some of the best wines on the market, tasting, sampling and picking up a few bargains to take home.

That's exactly what you'll find at Laithwaites Wine Festival, a two-day event at Kensington Olympia, where the name of the game is to let your palate – or the arguably better placed wine expert Oz Clarke OBE – around some of the historic British wine merchant's new selections.

For an idea of the scope of what's on offer, a quick look at the numbers is all you need: across the two days, 350 wines from around the world will be showcased, with more than 100 producers from 17 different countries present to guide you through them. There'll be grande marque champagnes, new-school English sparkling, Old World producers from big-hitting appellations and bottlings from new-school producers you might never have heard of.

If your curiosity isn't already piqued, add in talks and tastings from industry luminaries and producers, plus loads of great food, from cheese and charcuterie to seafood platters at the event's champagne bar and plenty more, and it looks like a day out everyone can get on board with.

Wine educator Oz Clarke OBE

Wine fans at the festival

Check out in-depth deep dives into wines from Stellenbosch and Rioja, and sherries from Jerez; tours of the event with wine educator Will Lyons; deep dive lesser-known grapes and regions in the ‘Planet of the Grapes’; or upgrade your ticket for access to the Fine Wine Room, where some top-level producers from around the world will be pouring. 

Your ticket – priced from £37.50 upwards – gets you entry to the festival and a tasting glass, which you'll take with you around the stalls and stands, trying anything that jumps out. So, whether you're a seasoned Laithwaites customer looking for a preview of the most exciting wines to hit the shelves this year, a keen amateur looking to expand your knowledge, or just the type of person who can't resist a few glasses of something exciting over the bank-holiday weekend, it's one not to be missed.

The timings

• Friday 12 May: 6-9pm
• Saturday 13 May: 11am-3pm
• Saturday 13 May: 5-9pm