The week in pictures

Wino the Rhino was back for the second year for the PIWOSA Flying Rhino Tasting high above the bustling streets of London at the Kensington Roof Gardens on Wednesday, 21 May. Guests were able to taste the wines of 15 winemakers from South Africa, which they agreed were “fantastic”, before finishing the evening with a traditional Braai.  In a couple of weeks time the Roof Gardens will play host to The Benevolent’s party to round off the London Wine Fair.

Champagne Laurent-Perrier, official Champagne of the 2014 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, was awarded “best in show” for its Laurent-Perrier garden designed by Luciano Giubbilei this week, who took up the task for the third time this year. Luciano said of his win: “I’m delighted to have won ‘Best in Show’ for the Laurent-Perrier Garden this year. The design manifests my on-going passion for texture, form and light whilst reflecting the elegance, creativity and pioneering spirit of the 200-year old family-run Champagne House.”

Celebrity guests to attend this year’s flower show included none other than Stephen Fry, who stopped by the New Zealand winemaker Cloudy Bay’s garden, which offered an oasis of calm – and a seat – among the green fingered crowds at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. db also stopped by to check out its shrubbery tasting through the range that inspired Cloudy Bay’s own garden – which will now transport itself to Harvey Nichols in time for London Wine Week – db had a chance to admire the other fabulous displays at the show.

Hardys is celebrating International Chardonnay Day with the launch of 1853 Club, a weekend-long pop-up wine bar in Central London. db went along to the launch last night and tucked into this tasting led by “WineBird” Helena Nicklin, who showed off the breadth of the Chardonnay spectrum with the help of some tasty cheeses made by Alex James, better know as a member of Britpop band Blur.

Baking behemoth, Mary Berry, was spotted soaking up the sun at the Cloudy Bay camp with the garden’s designers Andrew Wilson and Gavin MMcWilliam of Wilson McWilliam Studio.

Pier Giuseppe Torresani, export manager for Valpolicella producer Masi, dropped by the db offices to introduce the rare Oseleta variety, which is adding greater backbone to the company’s wines, as well as explaining why he believes Masi’s double fermentation approach is an improvement on the region’s traditional ripasso technique.

Hardys is celebrating International Chardonnay Day with the launch of 1853 Club, a weekend-long pop-up wine bar in Central London. db went along to the launch last night and tucked into this tasting led by “WineBird” Helena Nicklin, who showed off the breadth of the Chardonnay spectrum with the help of some tasty cheeses made by Alex James, better know as a member of Britpop band Blur.

Eduardo Chadwick, CEO of Vina Errazuriz, hosted a glamourous dinner at London’s Ledbury last night, recently voted the number 10 restaurant in the world, to celebrate the growing success of Chilean wines and thank those within the industry for their support.

Among those attending were db’s Patrick Schmitt, MW Peter Richards and wine writer Steven Spurrier.

Langley’s No 8. gin hosted a cocktail competition at the Lost & Found bar in Birmingham in which entrants were asked to produced a “Brimingham inspired cocktail” using Langley’s No.8 gin. Robert Wood, from The Edgebaston, emerged victorious with his cocktail “Local Legend” featuring an unusual combination of Alfie Bird’s Custard and Birmingham honey.

A team of intrepid cyclists raised £3,400 for the drinks trade charity The Benevolent by taking part in a gruelling 100-mile off-road cycle across the UK’s south coast.Setting off on Friday morning, The team battled some of the region’s most testing hills before finishing at Beachy Head on Saturday evening. Participants included Will Oatley, MD of Louis Latour Agencies, Ben Watkins of the Guildford Wine Company, Matt Shelley of Fells and Four and Matt Tipping from Berry Bros & Rudd.

Teen heartthrob Robert Pattinson was on fine form at the 67th Cannes Film Festival this week at the official premier of his new film The Rover, of which Chivas Regal 24 whisky is the official partner. Guests enjoyed specially crafted Chivas cocktails inspired by the glamour of Cannes and the French Riveria before departing to The Palais De Festival for the official screening of The Rover – a drama directed by David Michôd set in the Australian outback.

Kate Gerwin crowned the first female Bols Bartending World Champion 2014 on Tuesday following a nail-biting grand final in Amsterdam. Gerwin, of the USA, won over the judges with her “Brown chicken, brown cacao” cocktail, made with Bols Cacao Brown, Bols natural yoghurt, spiced almond milk and walnut bitters. Her inspiration for the drink came from a classic cocktail which began life in her home town of Bismarck in North Dakota with the oil boom. Kate’s prize package includes a 10-day global bar tour and a guest bartending shift in top bars in four cocktail capitals of the world.

Damien Sartorius, the rising generation of Bordeaux’s Château Léoville Barton and Langoa Barton, took time out from his current day job with Berry Bros & Rudd to show off his family’s wines at the first major tasting held by recently formed fine wine merchant Laytmer Vintners. 

(L-R) Jean-Marc Lacave, President of Veuve Clicquot, Harriet Green, 2014 Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award Winner, Jenny Dawson, 2014 Veuve Clicquot New Generation Award Winner, Jo Thornton, Managing Director, Moet Hennessy UK. (Photo Credit: Dave Bennett_