Week in pictures

From California to the Rhône via Tesco, the drinks business team has been jetting around the world to bring you this week’s round-up of the past seven days in the drinks industry.

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony Rose captures the best side of Inter Rhône’s marketing manager Olivier Legrand during the recent Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône (DVR) fair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

db‘s staff writer Rupert Millar was lucky enough to get a long weekend in the region to see what was on offer. His last stop was in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and included this reminder that the Rhône was the birthplace of the AOC system we know and, presumably, love today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a hard day’s tasting in Sonoma, it’s time for a few pints at the Russian River Brewery, including a "100% Brettanomyces" brew – not for the faint-hearted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

db‘s Gabriel Savage stops off in Cholome for a visit to the James Dean memorial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Car crashes aren’t the only thing you need to worry about in Cholome – as the owner of this slipper hopefully didn’t discover. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oz Clarke makes do with a "Dave’s Dog" for breakfast in Paso Robles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of several rebellious labels – and excellent wines – from Christian Tietje of Four Vines Winery in Paso Robles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some diversion while you wait for your breakfast burrito at Farmstand 46.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another great wine from Four Vines; another label that may need a responsible drinking tweak before it can hit the UK shelves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Château de Grignan, with its Renaissance palace was one of the week’s more spectacular tasting settings at the DVR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

db also took the time to enjoy the splendid weather and photograph the château before being whisked, much against its will, back to Marseille for its flight home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Culinary alchemists Bompas & Parr celebrated pancake day in their typically quirky style by electrocuting a gherkin in the middle of the Harvey Nichols food court as part of their pancake magic event. *No gherkins were harmed in the performing of the trick*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a recent trip to Soho institution the Gay Hussar, db enjoyed this playful red blend from up-and-coming Hungarian producer St Andrea – definitely one to watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hotel Cloître St Louis in Avignon, home to many of the trade figures during the DVR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it was equally as interesting at night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Livingstone-Learmouth tasting the wines of Bousquet des Papes with Madame Boiron at Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

db was treated to a superb tasting of various Laphroaig expressions, including the new Triple Wood, at Purl in London under the expert guidance of the Islay single malt’s distillery manager John Campbell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

db couldn’t resist taking a stroll along the Pont d’Avignon one evening to capture Avignon’s Palais des Papes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A view over the Provençal countryside as seen from Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Champagne Ruinart chef de cave Frédéric Panaïotis runs guests through the new Ruinart Interpretation sensory aroma pack over lunch at Brown’s hotel in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ruinart Interpretation Giftbox will cost £85 when it goes on sale next month in Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uber-exclusive Champagne Salon launched its 1999 vintage in London last week, with…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fish ‘n’ chips! Corney & Barrow decided to launch Salon ’99 in trendy Notting Hill fish restaurant Geales, and the Champagne and fish ‘n’ chips combo was warmly received. President Didier Depond introduced the Champagne, comparing the ’99 vintage to Brad Pitt for its elegance and beauty. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the brands displayed by central European specialists Stock Spirits at the company’s press briefing in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the weekend, db was lucky enough to be cooked lunch by Tom Parker Bowles at Soho members’ club Blacks. TPB chose a Mexican theme, welcoming guests, including Wahaca founder Thomasina Miers, with Margaritas and finishing with Tequila and hibiscus sorbet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of Tequila, we also found time to be part of the tasting panel picking out the Tequilas for Wahaca Soho’s new Tequila bar. Of the 11 Tequilas tasted, some housed in curious perfume-like bottles (see above), there was one clear winner: Los Abuelos, meaning ‘the grandfathers’, which arrived in our glasses by way of Thomasina’s suitcase. Wahaca hope to bring the Tequila to the UK soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A rather bashful Tom Parker Bowles emerges from the Blacks members’ club kitchens, where he’d just whipped up a Mexican feast for his guests. He quickly escaped back downstairs again, for another Tequila or two.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all the wine tasting during the DVR, db finally gets what it really wanted all along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A vineyard with a plethora of varieties, for the use of the research institute at Souze la Rousse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To celebrate the 100th International Women’s Day last week – a national holiday in Russia, Russian Standard Vodka sent db‘s Lucy Shaw a bottle of their Russian Standard Gold, which promises notes of honey, vanilla and almond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, a db reader felt compelled to send us this picture of a quite incredible bargain at their local Tesco store – this bottle of Chablis reduced from £14.24 to £14.23!! Don’t all rush at once…

db, 14.03.2011