The Chemistry of Wine

Wine Fraud and Forensics

We are excited to be welcoming Dr John Manley for an evening of wine tasting and to learn the chemistry of wine.

Wine is a deeply fascinating liquid. Its aromas and tastes span the whole spectrum from lychee to lavender, green pepper, leather, blackberry, grapefruit, lime, saffron, butter, almonds and many more.

However, wine is something that is made simply from grapes fermented with yeasts and aged from one year to decades in wood, steel, glass, ceramic or concrete. These aromas, tastes and all the other mysteries and curiosities of wines can be explained intriguingly and elegantly by looking at the chemistry that underlies them. There is a nice symmetry here: explaining the aromas, tastes, colour, history and character of wines through chemistry also gives insights and understanding of that chemistry.

The Chemistry of Wine is a series of talks on different aspects of wine accompanied by wine tastings that illustrate the topics discussed. In this talk we will be exploring Wine Fraud and Forensics - an illustrated talk on wine frauds and how these frauds can be detected.

About

We are a registered STEM charity with a mission to demystify scientific careers, diversify the faces of science and empower confident, skilled problem solvers to be our future scientists and entrepreneurs. Based in The Learning Lab at Science Creates Old Market, we offer behind-the-scenes tours of deep tech science laboratories, curriculum linked workshops and conversations with researchers and engineers, to spark young people’s interest in science and innovation.

About

The speaker is Dr John Manley, a Bristol alumnus in Chemistry (BSc and PhD). John worked at HP Labs for almost 28 years, rising to become Laboratory Director for Cloud Computing. He was High Sheriff of the County and City of Bristol during 2020-21, and is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of the West of England. John has been developing a series of talks on wine, which combine his passions for wine and wine-making with discussion of the still far from completely understood relationship between wine and chemistry. After hosting our first, sold-out Chemistry of Wine event last year, John has returned to continue the series with a second talk and tasting.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Science Creates - Old Market, Midland Road, Bristol, United Kingdom