The week in pictures

The judges at the 2013 Rioja Masters competition, which took place at Home House this week. From left to right the judges are Patrick Schmitt, editor-in-chief of the drinks business; Isobel Kottman from Gonzalez Byass; Jean Wareing MW from Boutinot; Dror Nativ from Marks and Spencer; Rupert Millar from the drinks business; Gemma Adams from Grossi Wines; Rebecca Palmer from Corney & Barrow; Jacques Savary de Beauregard from Home House; Pierre Mansour from The Wine Society and Robin Langton from Laithwaites Wine.

The judges hard at work at Home House during the Rioja Masters.

Austrian Grüner Veltliner guru Lenz Moser was in town this week for a “tasting on thin ice” that pitted his wines against some of the best whites in the world, including the 100 Parker pointer Château Pape Clement 2009, Domaines Ott Clos Mireille 2009, Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé and E Guigal La Doriane 2008. Lenz donned his finest regal purple scarf for the occasion, held at Zaha Hadid’s shiny new The Magazine restaurant at the Serpentine Galley, accessorising with a purple watch – natch.

Sam Temme, international sales manager of McLaren Vale producer Wirra Wirra, visited db Towers this week with the ever dapper Emanuele Barrasso of R&R Teamwork to taste through the latest vintages of some of the wines in the Wirra Wirra stable, including flagship red blend Church Block, The 12th Man Chardonnay, The Lost Watch Riesling and Mrs Wigley Moscato, which, Temme tells us, mixes incredibly well with gin into a “Ginscato”.

db headed to new Port and Sherry bar and bistro, The Sign of The Don, in the heart of the City of London this week, where the famous Sandeman logo of a black-caped crusader lurks in a sign bequeathed to owners Robert and Robyn Wilson by the company’s chairman, George Sandeman. It originally hung above sister restaurant The Don a few doors down on St Swithins Lane, but now takes pride of place above the Wilson’s new addition.

During our tour of The Sign of the Don, co-owner Robert Wilson showed us around a medieval cellar that used to connect with a Roman vault that stretched all the way to the River Thames and was used by the worshipful company of drapers (who used to own the site) to transport wool from the river to Drapers Hall.

Among the more playful dishes at The Sign of the Don is the can-can, a dessert featuring vanilla mouse, figs doused in Port and a tuile biscuit shaped like a ladies’ legs – oh la la!

Continuing with the Sherry theme, db then headed off to new Sherry shack Drakes Tabanco in Fitzrovia where we were charmed by this old photograph from Javier Hidalgo of Bodegas Hidalgo’s postman, who was known to break his letter delivering duties each day with a glass of chilled Hidalgo manzanilla.

Architect of the moment, Zaha Hadid’s eye-catching design for The Magazine restaurant, which opened this week at the Saatchi Sackler gallery, surges up from the ground like a stingray.

Never one to turn down an offer to try out a new opening, db’s resident foodie, Lucy Shaw, hot footed it to the latest site in Burger and Lobster’s ever expanding empire, on the fifth floor of luxury department store Harvey Nichols. Bib on and claw crackers in hand, she indulged in a grilled whole lobster with molten butter sauce, French fries, a side salad and delicious Bourbon-based cocktails.

This week also saw the launch of Scotch whisky brand Amber Glen, which took place at Pall Mall Fine Wines in London’s Royal Opera Arcade.

Those at the Amber Glen launch were treated to a bag-piper to help get into an appropriately Scottish mood for enjoying the new whisky.

Rustico Prosecco returns to Mayfair, London for the presentation of the new Pal Zileri Spring & SummerS14 Collections. The press preview was held at the beautiful Berkeley Square Showroom of Jack Barclay Ltd. The world’s oldest & largest Bentley & Bugatti dealer.

The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition (HKIWSC) this week announced that the first Young Communicator of the Year Award has been awarded to Jordan Choy. Jordan is the chairman of the Hong Kong Wine Institute, vice chairman of the Greater China Wine Critics Association, a professional wine educator, wine columnist and wine consultant based in Hong Kong and China.

The finalists and judges of the Beefeater 24 global bartender competition, which was held at Grosvenor Place on Thursday, where guests were treated to a wide range of cocktails from bartenders around the world. Finland’s Jani-Pekka Hiltunen (far left) won the People’s Choice award on the night.

Jason Williams from Australia is hoisted aloft after being named the winner of the Beefeater 24 global bartender competition.

Julian Orti, export director at Argentine estate Pascual Toso, with Paul Hobbs, who has been the producer’s consultant for the last 12 years, presented its wines at Gaucho restaurant in London this week. Having played an important role in the emergence and quality reputation of Argentine wines across export markets, Hobbs admitted that he would never have predicted such stellar success for Malbec when he first visited the country 25 years ago.

Domaine Marquis d’Angerville’s regisseur Francois Duvivier and Guillaume d’Angerville showed what happens when you take Burgundian expertise to the Jura as they unveiled their first vintage of Domaine du Pelican. Having bought the five hectare property last July, the pair hope that their efforts will help to raise the quality and profile of wines from this remote region of eastern France.