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Slideshow
The week in pictures
This week, in “Celebrities with tenuous links to cocktails”, Snoop Dog was seen dumping gallons of Hendrick’s Gin into a vat of non-descript juice to break the world record for making the world’s largest Paradise Cocktail.
A Paradise Cocktail is, essentially, Gin & Juice. The rapper broke the world record at Napa Valley’s
For those unfamiliar with Mr Dog’s early work, he is perhaps best known for “Gin & Juice” — the second single from his debut album Doggystyle.
If you thought we had finished banging on about the London Wine Fair, I admire your optimism.
The wine world doesn’t always make the national press, much less the satires, but some anonymous exhibitors and passers-by made it into Private Eye this week thanks to David Ziggy Greene and his “Scene and Heard” section which rarely disappoints.
Many thanks to former Brintex marketing boss Will Broadfoot — who spent 20 years of his life organising the annual event — for posting this out on Twitter.
(Photo: Anthony Upton)
Although not everyone was impressed. Hatch Mansfield’s managing director, Patrick McGrath MW, is mad as hell at visitors who tout for business without booking their own stand, and he’s not going to take it anymore.
“The thing that really gets my goat is that anyone can come in to the wine fair and use it to have loads of meetings that you and I are paying for,” he said, referring to the fact that Hatch Mansfield, like db, invests in taking stand space at the exhibition.
Continuing, he recorded, “One of my customers said that he had told people that he would only have meetings with them if they had stands at the fair; it is totally wrong that members of the trade are trying to get a free lunch.
“Obviously, if you are a retailer coming into the fair to see your customers then it’s quite right that there should be no entry fee, but if you are a member of the trade who is a distributor then you should pay a premium fee; if you choose not to exhibit, then if you do come in, you need to pay the right price,” he added.
“It’s just not cricket.”
What do you think about the state of play at LFW? Let us know in the comments.
Anyone who’s anyone in the viticulture world knows that vineyard dogs are a Big Deal, so it comes as no surprise that the UK’s emerging wineries are recruiting their own.
Simon and Camilla Bladon of Jenkyn Place got there beat the storms on Tuesday to plant an additional 2,000 Pinot Noir vines at their Hampshire vineyard, to add to their older Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines – supervised closely by head rabbit catcher, Bertie, who the entire db team agrees is the “Kate Middleton of the vineyard dog world.”
Just look at that parting.
While UK winegrowers got stuck in the mud, Rioja’s Ramón Bilbao flew leading UK and European Spanish wine specialists to Russia this week in a bid to educate the Trade there about why, and how, Spanish wines are revolutionising the market worldwide.
The event was a who’s who in wine appreciation, hosted on Monday and Tuesday by technical director Rodolfo Bastida in Moscow, with the UK’s Sarah Jane Evans MW and Tim Atkin MW, plus Belgium-based Pedro Ballesteros MW, joining a roster of international experts.
“Since we started exporting to Russia in 2011, the Spanish wine market has grown to be second in volume here behind Italy with Crianza the fastest growing category – but value is on the low side for both,” said Ramón Bilbao’s Russian brand ambassador, and former Sommelier Roman Sosnovskiy.
“It’s time to delve deep into the full spectrum of wines that this inspirational vinous country has, and illustrate this with premium, innovative wines from different DOs and producers.”
Petrol heads will have heard all about the now-famous lack of action at this year’s “extremely dull” Monaco Grand Prix, but guess who couldn’t have cared less? Rosé pros Mirabeau.
The winery’s execs hit the harbour on Sunday to catch the highlights, and were lucky enough to land an invitation aboard event organiser GP Management’s yacht.
(L-R) Mirabeau founder Stephen Cronk with Peter Edwards at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend
One notable new face at the party was Peter Edwards, Möet’s former trade manager and Mirabeau’s newly appointed UK sales director.
Edwards joins the family run business from Moet Hennessy UK Ltd where he most recently managed its national on-trade client base as well as working in other sales roles during his almost 18 years with the LVMH Group.
This year, the city of Tel Aviv is getting its own cocktail week (TLVCW, for those who prefer acronyms), and to kick things off, the winners of tequila maker Patrón’s Perfectionist Cocktail Competition gathered in bars across the city to collaborate on creative serves.
Back in January, 17 national winners from the competition, including TLVCW’s founder Omer Gazit-Shalev, travelled to Hacienda Patrón in Jalisco, Mexico to compete to be crowned global champions of the competition.
Four of these finalists have now come together again in Tel Aviv as part of their journey as a Patrón Perfectionist, supporting Omer’s new Cocktail Week venture.
Matt Sykes, marketing boss at Patrón Spirits International, said it was “only a matter of months ago they were behind the La Casona bar at the Hacienda Patrón distillery, so it’s great to see the camaraderie continue worldwide.”
Alec Seysses of Domaine Dujac and Jason Haynes, Burgundy buyer for specialist importer Flint Wines
Meanwhile in London, Alec Seysses of Domaine Dujac joined Jason Haynes, Burgundy buyer for specialist importer Flint Wines, at City Social to host an exclusive trade tasting of the 2016 vintage, alongside a unique vertical tasting of the Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Malconsorts, from its inaugural vintage in 2006 all the way to 2016.
Domaine Dujac doesn’t usually showcase its primeur wines in January during the traditional en primeur campaign, so the execs considered it a “rare treat to preview the 2016 vintage in London now that they are in bottle.”
Leading Rhône wine brand Les Dauphins welcomed visitors to its French bistro style stand at the Foodies Festival in London’s Syon Park, over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Food and wine lovers were able to taste the Les Dauphins range of red, white, sparkling and rosé wines, and enter a Lucky Dip competition to win Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Villages mini bottles.
Speaking of sparkling, Piper-Heidsieck has a new cellar master, Séverine Frerson, who has been with the Champagne House for 16 years.
Born and raised in Champagne, she studied oenology at the University of Reims before joining the Comité Champagne in 1997, where she worked for two years. She then took up a position at Veuve Clicquot, where she worked alongside cellar master Jacques Péters.
At Piper-Heidsieck, she has held a range of roles including head of winemaking for Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck.
But enough about wine, the big news this week is all about north London craft brewer Beavertown, which has the UK’s beer scene shook after installing a microbrewery and taproom at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium.
Based in the south east corner of the stadium alongside The Market Place, the microbrewery will produce Beavertown flagship brew Neck Oil and other core beers as well as a collaborative Spurs beer.
Why is this important. Well, large beer producers such as Heineken have traditionally strong ties with premier league clubs, and it’s rare to see an independent brewer set up camp in a stadium.
This is on top of rumours which have been circulating that Beavertown is in talks with Heineken over a possible acquisition.
While Beavertown is the team’s official craft beer supplier, Spur’s official beer partner is, you guessed it, Heineken.
Some experts in the field like Matthew Curtis don’t believe a deal is likely, but there is still plenty of speculation. We’d love to know your thoughts in the comments.