Enjoying Cheese and Wine Tasting at Peverel court care

We love sensory experiences for our residents and we’ve taken this to a new level thanks to our partnership with wine professional Kelly Sullivan. Read on to find out more about our inaugural event with Kelly where some of our residents living with dementia enjoyed delicious wines and cheeses from around the world.

A few weeks ago our residents at Bartlett’s participated in our first Cheese and Wine Tasting event as part of our new partnership with wine professional Kelly Sullivan.

We’ve partnered with Kelly to build on the work we do around promoting sensory stimulation across Peverel Court Care Homes. We aim to provide sensory stimulation regularly and in a variety of ways, including using everyday sounds, foods, objects and other items to awaken the senses and elicit a positive response or feeling. This contributes to improved quality of life, one of our core commitments to everyone who lives with us.

Sensory support for our residents living with dementia

Sensory support is especially beneficial for people who are living with dementia because it can help the person to live in the moment and interact with their current surroundings. Studies have shown that when done on a regular basis, sensory stimulation can be helpful in supporting memory loss. It can also improve daily functioning and other cognitive symptoms when all five senses are engaged and different ways to communicate can be explored.

Our first Cheese and Wine Tasting

Some of our lovely residents at Bartlett’s – Denis, Paul, Rosemary, John, Barbara, June and Doug – joined Kelly in the upstairs lounge where Kelly provided all of the cheeses and wines to try, sharing insights and knowledge of where they were sourced from as part of an eclectic round-the-world sensory experience. 

John chose to sit close to the window, overlooking views of the Chilterns, as he drank the wine and ate the cheeses independently, while Denis was pleased to learn about the various wines and the different countries they originated from, asking Kelly if she had visited any vineyards in New Zealand before. 

Paul reminisced while drinking wine with his friends. He was very engaged in the activity, keen to share his own knowledge and learn more from Kelly by asking various questions regarding locations and temperatures. Paul told us he enjoys wine and would like to do this activity again.

Why we will be doing more events with Kelly

We found that all of our ladies and gentlemen who shared the Cheese and Wine event with Kelly were very happy and keen to participate. This was a fabulous experience because our residents could be independent in a relaxed, adult-focused activity that some had enjoyed in their earlier life, exercise choice about what they wanted to taste, and experience both sensory enjoyment and supportive conversation.

Paul said: 

“I have visited many vineyards with friends, so it was nice to share stories with Kelly. It was a lovely experience – we all had a good time and the wines were very nice.” 

John said: 

“It was very nice to sit around with everyone enjoying fine wines – I really enjoyed myself. They went down very easily!” [laughing]

About Kelly

Kelly is a trained wine professional who has worked as a wine writer for various leading publications including Good Housekeeping, Decanter and Stylist. Kelly’s years of experience and deep passion for wine helped her to guide our residents through the tasting experience, supporting everyone to appreciate the intricate flavours and stories behind each bottle.

We caught up with Kelly to ask her some questions about her passion for wine and her work:

Kelly, what ignited your passion for wine and led you to becoming a wine professional?

Kelly: “Everyone has that one great bottle of wine that piques their interest and sparks a passion for wine. I was working in publishing at the time and doing weekly blind tastings for a magazine. I decided to take my professional wine exams to sharpen my knowledge and as a result it led me down a path of sharing my passion with other wine lovers and making wine more accessible for everyone.”

How did you choose the wines to share at our wine event?

Kelly: “To kickstart our series of wine tastings, I went with a ‘classic styles’ theme. This way we know there are styles in there that everyone will like or at the very least will have tried as it opens up conversation and makes it less daunting.

My selection of wines was based on reliable and popular producers, so I could guarantee quality. I chose approachable wines I felt the residents would enjoy.”

How did you choose the cheeses to pair with the wines? 

Kelly: “I chose the cheese based on what would best complement the wines and enhance their flavours. I wanted to find as many local, British cheeses as I could and to share the stories behind them.”

What are the benefits for people living in care homes from having Cheese and Wine Tasting events?

Kelly: “Cheese and wine tastings are a great thing to do in groups. It brings people together, opens discussions and gets you thinking, especially when you’re trying to pinpoint different tasting notes.”

What do you like most about engaging with our residents during these events?

Kelly: “The residents always have great stories to share about wines they have tried and the styles they love. It’s really interesting hearing their life stories and getting to know them better.”

What advice would you give care homes who want to engage their residents in sensory experiences like Cheese and Wine Tasting?

Kelly: “I would really encourage it. It’s a nice thing to do with an afternoon and it really engages the senses. I would advise care homes to make it accessible to residents by ensuring residents have the best set up and help they need.”

Many thanks to Kelly for a really positive experience for our residents at Bartlett’s. We look forward to hosting more Cheese and Wine Tasting events with Kelly soon.

About Peverel Court Care

Peverel Court Care is a group of one residential and two nursing homes, located in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Bartlett’s Residential Care Home and Stone House Nursing Home in Aylesbury, and Merryfield House Nursing Home in Witney. We are a long-standing family business. Providing exceptional, personalised care, delivered by talented and compassionate people, in exclusive and idyllic settings.

With happiness at the heart of our homes, we recognise and respect the contribution made by our residents to society during their lifetimes. Valued by residents and their families; our reputation, investment in each property, and approach to appointing and developing our staff makes each home unique and the benchmark in premium care.