Twelve nations go head-to-head as the football gets underway in Brazil

London’s only Wine World Cup kicks off this week with hosts Brazil taking on Croatia in Chiswick.

To book your tickets click here.

Coinciding with the start of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the Wine World Cup sees participating winemaking nations pitted against each other throughout the football tournament’s group stage.

Twelve countries’ wines will be taking part, with the line-ups selected by some of the UK’s leading specialist importers, including Wine World Cup organiser and Chiswick based importer Red Squirrel Wine.

The first fixture, on Thursday 12th June, has Croatian specialists Pacta Connect squaring off with Oakley Wine Agencies, a specialist importer of wines from Brazil, as well as Portugal and Spain. The Brazilians might have the whip hand on the football pitch, but they’ll be the underdogs in the glass against one of the world’s oldest wine regions.

Each wine ‘match’ will open with a glass of light, sparkling Brazilian Moscatel from family-owned winery Basso in Serra Gaucha. Then the teams go head to head in a penalty shoot out, with the audience tasting sparkling, white, red and sweet / fortified wines blind before being voted on. If the shoot out stands at 2-2 by the end, the audience shall vote on their favourite wine of the night as a tiebreaker.

Rob Woodhead, tournament director of the Wine World Cup, said: “The world of wine is getting bigger and smaller at the same time. More countries are producing quality wines, and more of those wines are finding their way to these shores thanks to a number of intrepid importers.

“The Wine World Cup is a way of celebrating that diversity, as well as using a football tournament as a great excuse to drink a heap of good wine.”

The Wine World Cup runs till 26th June, taking in contests between wines from Australia, Brazil, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay and the USA.

All matches will take place in Club Workspace at the Barley Mow Centre, near Turnham Green in Chiswick; apart from Australia versus Spain on 23rd June, which will take place at El Cantara on Frith Street. Tickets are priced at £30 each, for which attendees get a welcome glass of sparkling Brazilian Moscatel, four wines from each side, and a range of delicious small bites of each national cuisine, prepared by caterers the Dinner Ladies.

The Wine World Cup is being organised by Red Squirrel Wine, Britain’s rare grape specialists. Based in Chiswick since November 2013, Red Squirrel Wine is an online retailer and specialist importer from wineries in Italy, France, Spain and South Australia.

Full list of fixtures, venues and times:

•           12th June – Brazil v Croatia – 6.30pm (Barley Mow Centre)

•           16th June – Germany v Portugal – 6.30pm (Barley Mow Centre)

•           19th June – Uruguay v England – 6.30pm (Barley Mow Centre)*

•           23rd June – Australia v Spain – 6.30pm (El Cantara, Frith St)

•           24th June – Francs v Switzerland – 6.30pm (Barley Mow Centre)**

•           26th June – USA v Germany – 6.30pm (Barley Mow Centre)

To book your tickets click here.

*The England-Uruguay football match will be shown following the wine tasting

**France and Switzerland play each other at football on 20th June

Visit the Wine World Cup online www.wineworldcup.co.uk

Follow the Wine World Cup on Twitter @WineWorldCup

Connect with the Wine World Cup on Facebook www.facebook.com/WineWorldCup

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June 12, 2014