The week in pictures

David Beckham this week hosted Scotch brand Haig Club’s event in Shanghai that brought together industry leaders in fashion, food and drink, music and entertainment.

He commented: “It’s amazing to see our shared vision of bringing a modern and stylish new Scotch Whisky to people all over the world. To be able to return to Shanghai since I launched Haig Club here in China a little over a year ago is incredible.”

Haig Club Shanghai is the third in a series of events that have taken place around the world.

Set across two floors just off the famous Bund area, Haig Club Shanghai guests enjoyed signature serves designed by Global Haig Club brand ambassador Ewan Gunn.

The Ritz created a stir this week with the launch of its new Livre du Vin, which features as many as 150 new references. A tasting held in the Ritz’s opulent William Kent room revealed head sommelier Giovanni Ferlito’s eclectic tastes. Among the highlights at this end of the table were a delicious 2005 Château Lagrezette Cahors Malbec and a finely tuned 2012 Château de Chamirey Mercurey…

But the biggest news was that The Ritz would be serving orange wines for the first time in its 1110-year history. Ferlito has introduced new fewer than four orange wines to the new Ritz list, including two which will be available by the glass. Guests at this week’s tasting were treated to a 2008 Jakot Radikon from Friuli and a Georgian Chinuri from Iago Bitarishvili.

This month Selfridges celebrates all things Japanese, with a dedicated ‘Taste Japan’ instalment across its Wine & Spirit Shop and Foodhall, which has been curated by Japanese footballer and sake enthusiast, Hidetoshi Nakata.

It is stocking around 25 expressions of sake, with many available to taste in the in-store Enomatic machines, as well as a range of Japanese whiskies. It also installed the UK’s smallest pop-up sake bar to highlight the traditions of warming, pouring and serving sake, and has held master classes on the history and tasting profiles of the drink.

Sakes being stocked include Toyo Bijin Junamai Daijingo Ichibanmatoi, Shichiken Junmai Daiginjo, Gokyo Junmai Daiginjo, Aizuhomare Junmai Daiginjo, Ippakusuisei Junmai Daiginjo, and Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo.

Photo © copyright Matt Writtle 2016.

The snappily dressed football star, who has played for AS Roma and Bolton Wanderers, passed on his expertise in the art of sake tasting as he hosted the world’s smallest Sake bar.

Selfridges food and restaurant director Nathan Herrmann said Japan, which was voted top in the Future brands ‘Country Brand index’, was set to be the next “cultural phenomenon” as it hosts the 2020 Olympics. “With so much happening over there over the next 10 years we thought it fitting to pay homage to them with a Selfridges twist,” he said.

Krug celebrated the London launch of its 2002 vintage in style, taking over an artist’s studio in Shoreditch and hanging it with swings and bottles.

Hosting the tasting was cellar master Eric Lebel and family member Olivier Krug, both of whom were equally enthusiastic in their praise of the fizz, the former describing it as “a purebred stallion” that needed to be reined in and the latter dubbing it “an ode to nature” due to its abundance of pure fruit.

A select group of wine writers were treated to a tasting  of the fizz, which was bright, alive, and simultaneously rich and fresh with citrus fruit, candied fruit and honey. “When making the blend, each wine seemed as if it was a blend as the vins clairs were so generous and expressive,” Lebel said.

Prior to the Krug 2002 launch we popped into The Gibson, the new Art Deco-themed bar run by Nightjar superstar Marian Beke on Old Street.

Beke twists on signature serve The Gibson at the bar with a Dry Gibson featuring Martini Riserva Ambrato and hazelnut, while the classic serve is made with Tanqueray, Noily Prat dry vermouth and a pickled olive.