The week in pictures

In galactic relations, Beer giant AB InBev is preparing to launch another batch of barley into space today on board aerospace company Space X’s Dragon shuttle.

The owner of Budweiser has now launched four experiments into space.

Plans for its space mission first came to the fore in 2017, with plans to create an automated malting procedure in microgravity.

In Legendary Restaurant Revivals, db joined London’s foodies and lovers of Argentinian Malbec swarmed Charlotte Street to celebrate the opening of steakhouse chain Gaucho’s new site.

The new venue is actually located exactly where Gaucho’s first restaurant opened 25 years ago.

Gaucho was one of the many restaurant groups to suffer casualties last year amid a difficult period for the on-trade sector. The group’s parent company, Gioma, owned by private equity firm Equistone, called in administrators in July amid continuing financial difficulties, blamed on the poor performance of its sister chain of restaurants, Cau. All 22 Cau restaurants were immediately closed, with the loss of 540 jobs.

Lomo Bidco Limited (“Lomo Bidco”), a new company created and owned by Investec Bank plc and SC Lowy, acquired the chain last year, striking a deal based on the approval of a company voluntary agreement (CVA), allowing the business to restructure its debt, that will see all 16 Gaucho restaurants remain open, saving about 750 jobs. Martin Williams, the chief executive and founder of M Restaurants, stepped in to work with key stakeholders to “drive the next stage of Gaucho’s development”.

Marking the chain’s 25th anniversary, new CEO Williams has given the Charlotte Street venue a new look, ridding it of its cow-hide heavy interiors in favour of earthy Argentine tones. A similar design aesthetic has been replicated across all 16 Gaucho sites, which will carry over into the uniforms.

In Celebrity Christmas Parties, Hard Rock Cafe London hosted and sponsored a celebrity-studded bash for the children’s charity Fight For Life on Monday (2 December).

Celebrity star Eyal Booker (No Love Lost), and former S Club 7 member Rachel Stevens (pictured) chatted with the guests, alongside Gary Lineker and Judge Rinder.

This Christmas marks the 20th anniversary of Hard Rock Café’s partnership with the children’s charity.

In gin news, Ian Macleod Distillers has launched its first-ever TV ad campaign for its spirit brand Edinburgh Gin.

The advert, which debuted on Channel 4 this week in-between bouts of reality show First Dates, highlights Edinburgh Gin’s popular rhubrab and ginger-flavoured expression, as well as encouraging viewers to try the full range of spirits and liqueurs. There are 18 in total – including Lemon & Jasmine, Bramble & Honey and a number of London Dry gins.

Set to the classic Frankie Valli song The Night, and opening on a blossoming flower bed, the scene “transforms into an urban party surrounded by a forest of rhubarb” (as any and all good parties should be) then shifts to Edinburgh’s skyline before emerging from a Rhubarb & Ginger gin and tonic.

The advert was projected against The Dome in Edinburgh city centre at 6pm on Thursday (5 December), before appearing during the ad break of First Dates that evening.

In homegrown heroes, West London Wine School founder and db‘s Man of the Year, Jimmy Smith, was awarded the Confrere Oenophile by the Grand Council of the Brotherhood Saint Etienne; a mythical institution in the world of Alsace wine and one of the oldest in France.

Smith picked up the gong due to his tireless work this year promoting “the great wines of Alsace and embracing the ideals of quality and gastronomy of the Brotherhood”.

(Photo: West London Wine School)

Smith has held a number of tutored tastings dedicated to Alsace over the past few years, including this one at London Wine Fair which encompassed a deep dive into unusual grapes, organics, biodynamics and skin contact wines.

We’re reliably informed the night, hosted at the Brotherhood’s castle in the north eastern French commune of Kientzheim was “a wonderful traditional banquet of fun, pomp and ceremony”.

Coca-Cola’s new drink brand Coca-Cola Energy threw a one-off, free party at The Boiler House, on London’s Brick Lane on Thursday night, hosted by BBC Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo.

Guests were encouraged to “spread their positive energy”, which was then captured in the form of a projection. Said energy was then projected all over the London Eye and County Hall.

Like beer companies Molson Coors and AB InBev, the soft drinks giant has been working hard to diversify its portfolio in recent years.

In June 2018, Coca Cola launched an alcoholic drink in Japan, similar to an alco-pop. Made with a local spirit, sparkling water and fruit flavours, the low-alcohol drink comes in ABV 3%, 5% and 8% versions.

It also debuted a line of alcohol-free sparkling drinks called Bar Nøne, featuring a Sangria, Dry Aged Cider, Bellini Spritz and a Spiced Ginger Mule, in January this year. Coca Cola Energy, the company’s first energy drink, launched in the UK earlier this year, and is set to his the US in 2020.

But while London has been alight with celebrity parties, restaurant openings and Christmas pop-ups, db‘s Edith Hancock knew where the real party was, and flew to Amsterdam for the 11th edition of the World Bulk Wine Exhibition.

It’s the only trade show in the world that attracts the vast majority (80%) of the world’s bulk wine producers, who take charge of supermarket’s private labels, as well as hundreds of brands made by the likes of Kingsland Drinks and Ciatti.

Some 260 wineries from 24 different countries participated in this year’s show, and 6,000 professional visitors rocked up from 60 different nationalities.

With Climate Change affecting yields and raising grape prices in places like South Africa, Spain and Australia, this year, the hot topics this year included sourcing from eastern European countries like Moldova, as well as lowering carbon footprints and attracting new consumers by tapping into the current canned wine trend.

db also had the privilege of joining the judging panel for this year’s International Bulk Wine Competition. We joined journalists, importers and winemakers from all over the world to blind taste 43 different wines to assess their suitability for use on the global stage. We were all pleasantly surprised by the high quality of all the wines put forward, and were able to hand out Silver medals like sweets, particularly when it came to the whites.

Viña Carmen sponsored the Cigar Smoker of the Year Awards earlier this week. The event, held at Boisdale Canary Wharf on 2 December saw the great and the good of the cigar smoking world assembled to celebrate The Cigar of the Year, Cigar Retail of the Year along with the Cigar Smoker of the Year, which the latter was awarded to Dolf Lundgren.

Host for the evening Tom Parker Bowles, Terry Pennington of Carmen, presented Lundgren with the Cigar Smoker of the Year Award, alongside Roy Sommer of Davidoff Cigars, Jamie de la Barra of Carmen and Ranald McDonald of Boisdale.