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News
Week in pictures: 13-19 January
This week in pictures features db’s Louis Thomas tasting Chianti Classico, a showcase of Greek wine in London, and a US collector purchasing what could be the most expensive whisky ever sold.
Chianti Classico
Senior staff writer Louis Thomas attended a vertical tasting of six decades of Chianti Classico at 67 Pall Mall.
Hosted by Ruffino CEO Sandro Sartor and Gabriele Gorelli MW the tasting delved both into the ageing potential of Ruffino’s Riserva Ducale Oro, with the first wine tasted hailing from the producer’s centenary vintage of 1977, to the soon-to-be-released 2020, and how Ruffino’s approach to winemaking has evolved over the years.
Maltby&Greek
Greek wine supplier Maltby&Greek has this week introduced eight new producers and 27 new labels at the business’s 2024 Portfolio Tasting at Vagabond wine bar in Monument, London. 23 wineries were in attendance to present 120 wines from 28 producers to more than 250 members of the wine trade and wine media industries.
Building on the success of Maltby&Greek’s inaugural 2023 tasting, this week’s event is understood to be one of the most complete Greek wine portfolio tasting ever in the UK.
Yannos Hadjiioannou, co-founder of Maltby&Greek, said: “The impressive turnout shows the continued interest in Greek wines to sommeliers, retailers and the press.
“Greece has a remarkable wealth of indigenous grape varieties, found nowhere else, and a huge range of different terroirs, from volcanic islands to steep mountain slopes. Together these offer a fantastic range of flavours and styles for people to explore.”
The Emerald Isle Whiskey
A bottle of The Emerald Isle whiskey from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co has sold for $2.8m (£2.2m), making a claim to be the most expensive single malt ever sold.
The triple-distilled whiskey sold to American collector Mike Daley surpassed the $2.7m (£2.1m) last November for a bottle of The Macallan 1926.
Daley claimed following the purchase that “Irish is the future of whiskey” and he was “excited to be part of it, as a collector, but most importantly as a drinker”. It comes as some data suggests that super premium within the Irish whiskey category has increased substantially in value across the past 20 years.