Northern Ireland Wine and Spirit Institute (NIWSI)

Next Tasting:

Tuesday 30 September – 8:00 pm: Sustainable wine
Join us for our next tasting focused on Making Wine Sustainable with Delaney Sheridan from the Sustainable Wine Roundtable.
£20 for Members, £35 for guests
Ramada by Wyndham Hotel, Belfast, 20 Talbot Street

Coming up in 2025:

Friday 10 October – 7:00 pm: Annual Members' Dinner, Riddel Hall, Queen's University Belfast (Members only)

Tuesday 11 November – 8:00 pm: Greek Wines with Lisa McCally

Tuesday 28 November – 8:00 pm: Annual General Meeting, Knock Golf Club (Members only)

Tuesday 9 December – 8:00 pm: Sparkling Wines

Upcoming Tastings in 2026:

We have several exciting tastings coming up in 2026, including a Wines of Lanzarote tasting with Sinead Germaine Smyth.

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Join us for an evening of Sustainable Wines with Delaney Sheridan from the Sustainable Wine Roundtable. Delaney will show us wines from SWR members, including a Dolcetto d’Alba from GD Vajra, and a disease resistant variety - so modern it does not yet have a name - from a Swiss producer, Weingut Stoll, working almost exclusively with hybrids. Most of the wines have been generously donated for the tasting by members of the SWR. Each of them will illustrate a particular aspect of sustainable practices. Delaney Sheridan is the Operations Manager of the Sustainable Wine Roundtable. She is an active member of the American Association of Wine Economists and has presented her research on expert and consumer ratings to their annual conference. £20 for Members, £35 for guests (eventbrite or cash at the door)Read More

Date:09/30/2025 08:00 PM - 09/30/2025 10:00 PM
Location 20 Talbot St, Belfast BT1 2LD, UK (Map)

Price:£35

Past Events

Title	Date	Day	Location	Tickets
Walkaround Tasting - Wines of the World	16 Sep 2025	Tuesday	20 Talbot St, Belfast BT1 2LD, UK	Closed
Wines of Alsace with Master of Wine Anne McHale	19 Jun 2025	Thursday	Ramada by Wyndham, Talbot Street, Belfast	Closed
Oz Sercan Vatansever of Ox, Belfast	06 May 2025	Tuesday	Ramada by Wyndham, Talbot Street, Belfast	Closed
Iberian Wine with Jeremy Shaw	08 Apr 2025	Tuesday	Ramada by Wyndham, Talbot Street, Belfast	Closed
A journey through German wine	11 Mar 2025	Tuesday	Ramada by Wyndham, Talbot Street, Belfast	Closed
Wines from the Thracian Lowlands of Bulgaria	11 Feb 2025	Tuesday	Ramada by Wyndham, Talbot Street, Belfast	Closed
Christmas Tasting	10 Dec 2024	Tuesday	Ramada by Wyndham, Talbot Street, Belfast	Closed
Committee Favourites	12 Nov 2024	Tuesday	Ramada by Wyndham, Talbot Street, Belfast

The Northern Ireland Wine & Spirits Institute (NIWSI) is a not-for-profit group of wine enthusiasts who are serious about wine. Our monthly wine tastings are hosted by wine experts and special guests, on a range of topics. We welcome anyone who is curious about wine.

Tastings are held at the Ramada by Wyndham, Belfast City Centre. If you'd like to attend a tasting or join the Institute, contact: NIWSIsecretary@yahoo.co.uk. Our event and membership fees go directly into providing the best and most exciting wines for our members.

The Institute was founded in November 1979, at a meeting in the Wellington Park Hotel, Belfast and originally named the Northern Ireland Wine & Spirit Education Trust Association. The name was later changed to avoid confusion with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET).

Annual Membership

Membership runs from January to December £70 for the year, or £60 if paid before the year starts £35 from June WSET students currently enrolled save 50%

Tastings

Members save £15 off the price of tastings. Access member-only special events including the Annual Dinner, AGM, Enniskillen wine weekend and Wine Study Trip abroad.

Discounts

NIWSI members save 15% at Direct Wine Shipments in Belfast https://www.directwineshipments.com/

Anne McHale

President

Anne, originally from Belfast, is an award-winning Master of Wine. She took first class honours in French and Classics at Cambridge, discovered the delights of wine while studying in France, and joined the wine trade. We are honoured to have her as our President.

Richard Lee

Vice President

Richard took his level 4 WSET exam (Diploma) with the WSET in London before moving to Northern Ireland in 2014 and joining the Institute. He loves organising wine trips for members. The most recent trip was to France in summer 2025.

Alastair Bell

Vice President

Alastair's name is synonymous with the Institute, and indeed, with wine education in Northern Ireland. He is a member of the Association of Wine Educators and has been a member of the Institute since its inception in 1979. Alastair has a fine cellar. He particularly enjoys the wine of the Loire.