The week in pictures

Peter Mielzynski, president of Innis & Gunn’s Canadian distributor PMA Canada, celebrates outside Buckingham Palace after attending a reception where the Scottish brewer was presented with its second Queen’s Award in international trade. Innis & Gunn is currently the best-selling British bottled beer in Canada.

Ian Clark, Villa Maria’s export and PR manager, wades ashore on a sales/wine education visit to the prestigious Vomo Island Resort, strategically centred between the Mamanucas, the Yasawas and mainland Fiji.

db visited Portugal’s Alentejo region to catch the annual cork harvest, which sees skilled teams strip the bark in large sections. Each tree can only be harvested every nine years and must be at least 25 years old before its first harvest – although even then the quality required for wine cork stoppers is not achieved until the third harvest.

In addition to the cork industry’s ever-improving technical quality control solutions, this team of women represents one of many human back-up systems in place at Amorim.

While in Portugal, db took the opportunity to check out the renovated Graham’s Port lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, which also houses new restaurant Vinum.

As well as a delicious dinner, Vinum offers impressive views up the River Douro of both Porto (left) and Vila Nova de Gaia (right), which are connected by Gustav Eiffel’s distinctive bridge.

Guests gather in the courtyard at the Apothecaries’ Hall in London ahead of the tasting of the 2013 spirits medal winners for the IWSC. Guests were treated to a choice of gins from the Gin Guild.

Inside the Apothecaries’ Hall the IWSC tasting saw over 180 medal-winning spirits available for guests to sample.

David Grant, representing William Grant & Sons, is presented with a medal after winning a number of awards in this year’s IWSC.

Harveys celebrated the launch of its limited edition Coronation bottle at the Queen’s Coronation Festival recently where 13,000 samples of Harveys Bristol Cream over ice with a slice of orange were served to visitors.

David Motion from The Winery presenting to guests at the Riesling dinner at Hardy’s Brasserie in London, which was part of the 31 Days of German Riesling campaign.

A glass of the Maximer Cabinet Riesling Sekt Brut 2011 from Studert-Prüm, which was served as an aperitif for the Riesling dinner at Hardy’s.

Susana Lourenco’s winning photograph in the Nino Franco photo contest, sponsored by Plate to Page Ireland. Lourenco said: “This is how I envision Nino Franco Rustico: a mineral and sunny treasured Prosecco wine, enlivened by the ancestral fruity flavours of the Glera grapes and hidden from the lust of others.”

Streuth! Chris Hatcher, chief winemaker of Wolf Blass in Australia’s Barossa Valley, kisses the IWC trophy for Red Winemaker of the Year, which he was awarded at the black tie bash last week, during a tasting of his top wines in London.