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The week in pictures

It’s been a big week for virtual tastings.

Having vowed to stay open by quoting Winston Churchill last month, the now shuttered private oenophile members’ club 67 Pall Mall, is opening up its virtual doors to the general public with free online wine tasting sessions, and kicked them off last night (2 April) with a Chilean masterclass hosted by Tim Atkin MW.

Three times a week, the clubs sommeliers and guest winemakers will host online masterclasses, tastings and discussions which will be available to all. Each session will have a different theme and those joining in are encouraged to open a bottle that aligns with the given subject.

Tune in next Thursday, when Jasper Morris MW will wax lyrical on red Burgundy.

Meanwhile, English Sparkling Wine producer Nyetimber has also announced the launch of a new series of online virtual masterclasses.

Tonight at 7pm, brand ambassador Julian Kirk will deliver a seminar which presents the entire production process behind Nyetimber’s fizz, from vine to bottle.

Lasting around 30 minutes, each session will incorporate live Q&As at the end.

In whisky business, author and World Whisky Awards judge Felipe Schrieberg has teamed up with whisky subscription club The Dram Team to deliver Scotch tasting kits and host a series of interactive online events over the next few months.

The whisky writer is hosting seven tastings per week: Tuesdays through Sundays with two sessions on Saturdays.

Boë Gin are partnering with out-of-work bartenders around the UK to host a series of live ‘Cocktail Clubs’ on Saturday nights – where they’ll show consumers how to make professional cocktails using household items.

The first one kicks off tomorrow, and is being launched with a personalised club Spotify playlist and VIP prizes and discounts to viewers.

Bartender Neil Patterson – who has created cocktails for the likes of Joey Essex and Amy MacDonald – will be opening the doors to the virtual club on Facebook Live to anyone over the age of 18, answering viewers’ questions and giving a live tutorial on DIY serves.

The virtual club doors open from 7pm for anyone over the age of 18, and can be accessed through the Boë Gin Facebook page.

In beer news, Brewdog welcomed 1000 people to its virtual pub quiz last Friday (27 March) after opening an “Online Bar” hosting seminars and live music.

The brewer is hosting a pub quiz every Friday at 6pm, and is also setting up seminars, online tastings and masterclasses to keep fans connected.

Tonight, co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie will make an appearance at the bar, while US artist Alejandro Rose-Garcia will give a special live performance to all those who register online.

In “global warming is still a thing”, Adrian Bridge, CEO of the Fladgate Partnership, sent db some surprising photos of Portugal’s Douro wine region completely covered in snow.

Using an image of the entrance to one of the group’s wineries at São João da Pesqueira in the Douro, which was taken yesterday, he told db that the last day of March brought the Douro snow down to 700 meters above sea level – something that is almost unheard of at this time of year.

He said: “It is not uncommon to have Easter in the Douro with Spring sunshine and wild flowers. It is not normally a skiing destination.”

Bridge told db it’s a sobering reminder that climate change is still a problem, even if we’re more concerned with a global pandemic right now.

In virtual discos, Tequila-laced lager brand Desperados has partnered with immersive events group elrow to give consumers a series of live streamed DJ sessions. Through the creatively-named “elrow Home Sessions powered by Desperados”, partygoers worldwide will be able to share a boogie together from the comfort of their sofa.

The sessions will be held live on elrow’s Facebook every Sunday at 4 p.m. CET, starting from Sunday 5 April until 26 April 2020. Partygoers will be able to re-live the sessions following the live stream on elrow’s and Desperados’ social channels.

In dogged perseverance (sorry), a winery in Maryland, USA, has taken a creative approach to social distancing, enlisting the help of an 11-year-old boxer called Soda to deliver bottles to customers.

Stone House Urban Winery, which was only launched a year ago in Hagerstown, Maryland, has closed its tasting room, but is offering curb-side orders from Wednesday through to Sunday, from 2pm to 6pm.

The winery said that business had “remained steady” since Soda’s enrolment, and that partly thanks to his popularity, first-time sales had actually increased.

Soda is equipped with a saddle bag with space for two bottles and walks out to customers waiting in the car park to deliver the wine.

In giving back, three Michelin-starred New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park has been turned into a commissary kitchen to help feed frontline workers during the Covid-19 crisis.

Head chef Daniel Humm has teamed up with Rethink Food NYC to turn Eleven Madison Park into a commissary kitchen with the goal of producing thousands of meals each day to feed frontline workers and those “deeply affected” by the coronavirus crisis. The project is being funded by American Express

Also in giving back, Romanian winery Cramele Recas has donated six ventilators and vital medical equipment to hospitals in Timisoara, Romania to help frontline healthcare workers in the fight against Covid-19.

Carmele Recas has already donated three ventilators last week, but has now delivered another three to Timisoara hospitals.

Commercial Director Philip Cox said: “We have been proud to make Timisoara our home for the last 22 years. During this uncertain and scary time for everyone around the world, we want to do as much as we can to help and believe that any contribution can make a major difference.”

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