Thanks to everyone who came along to our Book Bar launch on December 12th, we sold out of tickets beforehand – which with everyone squeezed in – heightened our convivial atmosphere.

As somellier Savvy Tim B was unable to make it, due to a family funeral, the noble and nifty Luke Baines, aka https://www.instagram.com/thegreenmannarberth/ stepped in to help out. This was most fortunate as whilst I had imagined all present would take a leisurely tipple as you savoured different crisp flavours, this turned out to not be the case. Those of you there will know you decked one lot of wine and crisps, then were immediately ready for the next ones. This was wine and crisp tasting on speed dial.

Fortunately Luke is tip-top at pouring out drinks super-fast and he kept you satisfied.

Luke’s partner, poet and translator Emma Baines read out some fascinating crisp facts, culled from https://museumofcrisps.com/

Who knew for instance that there are over 1300 flavours of crisps currently in the world? Anyone fancy squirrel or hedgehog flavour?

Anyway the tasting got underway and these were our combinations, as recommeded in The Crisp Sommelier by Neil Ridley:

pinot grigio wine with vegetable crisps

sauvingnon blanc with roast chicken

rose with prawn cocktail crisps

cabernet sauvignon with cheese and onion crisps

primitivo with barbeque steak crisps

Then you voted on our favourite combination and the winner was clearly cabernet sauvignon with cheese and onion crisps. Joint second was rose and prawn cocktail, with primitivo and barbeque steak flavour. Least popular was savvy b with roast chicken with pinot grigio and veg crisps slightly ahead of that.

Thanks so much to all of you who turned up, Luke and Emma for their support and the lovely volunteers who kept the crisps and wine coming.

Our next Book Bar – which will be all types of love themed – will be on February 7th and watch this space for details. Cheers and here’s to a good 2025 for you!