Chocolate and Wine Pairing with Peter McCombie MW – London Craft Chocolate Fair 2026

About the event

Peter McCombie is a lot of things: a long time friend, a Kiwi, co-designer of the Flavour Wave, and, of course, a Master of Wine. We’re so excited to have one of the best ‘wine guys’ in the business back for this special event. We will be having a range of wines from the best wine regions around the world, all expertly paired with the worlds best craft chocolate.

The event will be led by Peter McCombie MW and Spencer Hyman!

This tasting is part of the London Craft Chocolate Fair 2026. See the full line-up of talks and tastings here. Your ticket will also grant you free access to the Chocolate Makers Market.

Important info:

• Tickets are non-refundable. If you purchase tickets but cannot make the event, please contact us and we’ll see what we can do.
• Please arrive five minutes before the event is due to start.
• The tasting will run for approximately 90 minutes.
• Attendees must be 18+ as alcohol will be served at some events. If you or your guest are under 18, please write to us beforehand to confirm if we can accommodate them at the tasting.
• If you have any dietary requirements or allergies, please let us know. We will do our best to provide alternatives where possible. Please note, we may not be able to cater for severe allergies, as many events will be taking place throughout the day in the space and we cannot guarantee there will be no cross-contamination. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us and we will do our very best to accommodate you.
• The tasting will take place downstairs in the main tasting room, as part of the Cocoa Runners Craft Chocolate Fair. To enter the tasting, please join the second queue outside the building on the right hand side, without entering the fair, and leave time after the event to explore the craft chocolate market upstairs and meet makers from across the UK and beyond.
• Your ticket will include entry to the Chocolate Makers Market (worth £5). When you book onto this tasting, we’ll send you a QR code for entry.
• You can find more information about the event and venue here.
• For any questions, please email [email protected]

About the London Craft Chocolate Fair 2026

For the fourth year running, Cocoa Runners are hosting their popular Craft Chocolate Fair on the 17th & 18th October 2026. The craft chocolate experts will host an indoor market with bean-to-bar chocolate makers from the UK and beyond, with a series of talks, tastings and pairings with experts from tea, coffee, olive oil, wine, beer and more.

The event will take place at the Fidelio Cafe and Concert Venue in Farringdon, London, running from 10-6 on Saturday 17th and 10-5 Sunday 18th. Free entry to the fair will be included in every tasting ticket. For those not attending a tasting, entry will cost £5.

About your hosts

Peter McCombie

Peter McCombie is a New Zealand-born, English resident Master of Wine, based in London.

After ten years of handling prestige On Trade accounts for three of London’s leading merchants, Peter now operates an independent wine consultancy service, principally for hotels and restaurants, as well as writing and speaking about wine.

Peter McCombie was awarded the Master of Wine qualification in 1994, while working for Italian specialist merchant Winecellars. The qualification, which is for wine professionals only, covers all aspects of wine from viticulture and winemaking through to marketing and tasting. He has subsequently taught MW students and is a Wine & Spirit Education Trust Accredited Tutor.

He is wine consultant to a number of restaurants and hotels. Previous clients have included the Cinnamon Club, Groupe Chez Gerard, Searcy’s, Sonny’s Restaurants and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen. Current clients include The Dorchester, Villandry, Gruppo, Moro and The Zetter.

Peter is in demand as a speaker at corporate and public events and writes for Square Meal, Restaurant, Dorchester Magazine, Decanter and Sainsbury’s Magazine. He tastes for WINE and Decanter magazines and judges at the world’s largest wine competition the International Wine Challenge.

Spencer Hyman

Few people know more about chocolate than Spencer. His love for craft chocolate began in the 90s when travelling to the US. His career has spanned everything from making cabbage-patch dolls in Asia to launching the first major online music discovery service, Last.fm. But in 2013, he decided it was time for the world to discover the world of craft chocolate.

Today, he is a champion for craft chocolate makers all over the world. Spencer hosts chocolate tastings and education courses around the world, judges for international chocolate awards, and he often appears on TV, media and at conferences, including Sunday Brunch, World Cocoa Conference, Great Taste Awards, Society of Flavourists, International Wine Challenge, Barista Connect, Academy of Chocolate and more.