#WeekInPictures: Champagne in London and Malbec in focus

From prestige cuvées poured in Kensington Palace to a new Provence rosé launched in Covent Garden, the week moved between heritage, design and a touch of music.

Laurent Perrier hosts Grand Siècle dinner at Kensington Palace

Laurent-Perrier was poured at a gala dinner hosted by Alexandra and Stéphanie de Nonancourt at Kensington Palace’s Orangery.

The evening marked the release of Grand Siècle Iteration No. 27, alongside Iteration No. 22 in magnum and Alexandra Rosé 2004. A carefully composed menu ran from Orkney scallops with Champagne butter to Cornish hen and a closing study of Parmesan at three ages.

Veuve Clicquot brings ‘Chasing the Sun’ to Milan

Veuve Clicquot presented Chasing the Sun at the Mediateca Santa Teresa in Milan, a collaboration with Yinka Ilori.

Built around the Maison’s long association with sunlight and its signature yellow, the installation drew on colour, pattern and shared experience. The adjoining Clicquot Café extended the idea into food, with a menu by Andrea Mattasoglio translating the visual language into dishes shaped by warmth, season and light.

Jeroboams gathers producers at Somerset House

Jeroboams held its annual portfolio tasting at Somerset House, bringing together more than 80 producers.

Guests moved through the Portico Rooms, meeting winemakers and exploring new additions to the range, including estates brought in following the acquisition of Hayward Bros in 2025.

Malbec World Day marked at the Ambassador’s Residence

Malbec, properly introduced within the Ambassador’s Residence, marking Malbec World Day, established 17 April 2011, though its story dates back to 1853 when it arrived in Argentina at a president’s request, a French variety which escaped phylloxera’s later hold.

Here it found scale and altitude: a country stretching 2,299 miles, with vines rising to 3,329 metres, shaped by an Andean rain shadow and fed by meltwater, with irrigation tracing back to the Incas.

Today, close to 200,000 hectares sit under vine, with Malbec at nearly 47,000. Led by Valeria Gamper DipWSET, the masterclass allowed the wines to speak. The first glass, 2023 El Bayeh, Tropico Sur Malbec, just 1,500 bottles, perhaps the best shown, with vines at Jujuy’s altitude taking five to seven years to first harvest rather than three.

Roger Taylor launches Cuvée Rock n’ Roll rosé

Roger Taylor unveiled his Provence rosé, Cuvée Rock n’ Roll, at the Covent Garden Hotel.

Joined by partners including Rupert Clevely and winemaker Valérie Courrèges of Les Caves du Commandeur, the launch brought together music and wine in relaxed fashion. British actor Paul Whitehouse (right) led a conversation with Taylor on stage, adding humour to the evening.

The 2025 rosé, based on Grenache and Cinsault, is intended as an accessible Provence style, with plans to expand distribution beyond the UK.

Related news

#WeekInPictures: Royals, photographers and sparkling wine anniversaries

#WeekInPictures: Kylie Minogue hits 27 million bottles as Poco Vino rolls into Hong Kong

#WeekInPictures: db Awards winners announced as royalty visits Titanic Distillers in Belfast