Week in pictures

Ron Weasley, Richard Branson, Matt Dawson and the Queen Mother’s menu all feature in our latest pictorial round up of seven days in the drinks trade.

 

 

 

 

 

Washington producer Charles Smith (l), writer Fiona Sims (centre) and db‘s Jane Parkinson (r) sample a bit of Syrah, steak and err, bonemarrow, at Hawksmoor in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogger The Wine Sleuth (l) & Charles Smith suddenly realise that they’re hair twins at Hawksmoor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will Becket (l), owner of Hawksmoor with Bibendum’s Justin Frisby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

db‘s Jane Parkinson (l) with Ginevra Casa, of importer Charles & Charles, and wife of Charles Smith too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

db‘s Alan Lodge was quickly reminded of his fear of heights as he approached the Grant’s "Whisky in the Sky" event on the South Bank of the River Thames, London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rising fear was not exactly abetted when he discovered his seat number.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suspended 131 feet above the ground, Alan held on tight and relied on the whisky to get him through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

db’s man of action Rupert Millar, on the other hand, was far more comfortable with the situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grant’s team of master blenders ran guests through a tasting of the brand’s Family Reserve, Sherry Cask and Ale Cask versions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sir Richard Branson chills out at the Virgin Media Louder Lounge at this year’s V Festival. At the weekend the Green Carnation bar served over 700 bottles of Champagne and in excess of 4,000 Green Carnation cocktails.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actor Rupert Grint also enjoys the hospitality at the Virgin Media Louder Lounge, as well as the attentions of a hanger-on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cono Sur’s CEO Adolfo Hurtado tries out one of the pedicabs his company had on offer at this week’s Wines of Chile tasting in London. The initiative was designed to offset carbon emissions of the Chileans travelling to London for the tasting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This time Adolfo lets someone else do the hard work as he enjoys a ride with wine writer Susy Atkins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rugby star Matt Dawson (l) and chef Mitch Tonks (r) take part in the challenge set by Californian brand Redwood Creek which involved cooking, running, an obstacle course and a session in a kayak in Bedgebury, Kent, England.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt and Mitch in the creek as part of the Redwood Creek Challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Francisco Baettig, head winemaker at Errazuriz, hosts a dinner at 28-50 restaurant in London to pair his own wines alongside some of the world’s other great wines which have inspired him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bottle of the 1989 Forster Ungeheuer Beerenauslese Riesling as served at Queen Elizabeth’s centennial birthday party at Buckingham Palace on 27 June 2000. The wine from famed Pfalz producer Reichsrat von Buhl was shown to UK trade yesterday by World Wine Agencies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conducting the tasting was von Buhl’s sales director Christoph Graf who brought a menu from the Queen Mum’s birthday dinner to prove the wine’s place at the party. She also sipped Laurent-Perrier Brut NV; Leovillé Barton ’88, Dow’s ’80 and Dalwhinnie Malt. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing for the speeches, Michael Cox of Wines of Chile and db‘s Jane Parkinson at the IWC awards ceremony at the Hilton on Park Lane in London earlier this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jose Luis Valenzuela of Wines of Chile rebels against the traditional black tie attire at this year’s IWC awards dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nobody could complain of being thirsty at the IWC dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lionel Nierop (l), founder and managing director of online fine wine auctioneer Bid for Wine, chats with db‘s Gabriel Savage (centre) and Emily Ashbolt (r) at a party to mark the first anniversary of the UK launch of Marlborough wine brand Little Beauty at The National Theatre on London’s South Bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Singer/songwriter Jayson Norris entertained party-goers with his easy-going grooves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The party was well attended by a mix of on- and off-trade wine folk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The clocks from the original London Stock Exchange, inside London restaurant 1 Lombard Street, which will auction them off on 29 September in aid of Cancer Research UK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally… fears of a washout at the Little Beauty party following a torrential downpour were eased by the appearance of a gorgeous rainbow over the City of London.

db, 10.09.2010