The London Wine Fair in pictures

The great and good of the drinks industry gathered to see this year’s 2014 Drinks Business Award winners announced on Tuesday. The awards, now in their 11th year, are a chance for outstanding companies and individuals to win high profile recognition in front of some of the industry’s most influential representatives. Click here to find out who picked up a gong. 

For the first time, visitors to the London Wine Fair were able to sample medal-winning wines from our most recent drinks business Global Masters tastings at a dedicated stand featuring top Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. The series sees wines judged by grape variety rather than country by a panel made up exclusively of Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and senior buyers.

Among the more creative stands was this ovine effort from Kingsland Wines to celebrate the launch of its Shorn Pinot Noir from Marlborough. The range was also short listed for Best Design & Packaging in this year’s db Awards.

This colourful effort by South African wine exporters Origin Wine also impressed with its leaf canopies and white picket fence.

There were some unusually hirsute ladies in evidence on the Gonzalez Byass stand, where Rioja brand Beronia was handing out moustaches.

IWSC Communicator of the Year Jane Parkinson took to the stage for a Sherry masterclass. The competition also used LWF to announce its 2014 Northern Hemisphere medal winners.

Justin Taylor, director of Wakefield Wines, shows off this 6-litre imperial of The Visionary 2009, the maiden vintage of this top selection from barrels used in the Clare Valley producer’s St Andrews signature expression.

db was lucky enough to start the second day of LWF with a fortifying glass of 1863 single harvest tawny Port from Taylor’s, which the house launched at the fair during an aged tawny Port masterclass hosted by Taylor’s managing director Adrian Bridge. 

Virginia’s Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore welcomed guests to a dinner at The Bentley hotel in London to show off top examples from the state’s expanding wine industry. Alongside Virginia’s flagship Viognier and Bordeaux blends, the dinner featured more unusual options such as an apple wine from North Gate Vineyards.

Presenter Joe Wadsack looked quite at home behind the bar on Bibendum’s stand, where he was joined by Puklavec & Friends’ winemaker Mitja Herga for an exploration of Slovenian Furmint. The variety showed off its pedigree through a selection of older vintages, including 1971, trockenbeerenauslesen from 1976 and 1983, and a 1993 late harvest.

Adding a splash of festival glamour to this year’s fair was the Veuve Clicquot airstream, coming to a number of UK events this summer.

Australian Vintage hosted a rooftop party on the first day of the fair, where  CEO Neil McGuigan officially introduced his long-planned AU$100 wine The Philosophy, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blend using fruit from the Clare and Eden Valleys.

And who better to man the bbq than Masterchef star and fellow Aussie John Torode?

The JP Ramos team also had this rather quirky offering, Smart Dog Syrah. Produced in the Alentejo this RRP £7.99 offering is aimed at the UK independent sector – and shows that Portugal is shedding its reputation for rather conservative, old fashioned packaging.

Over on the Oakley Wine Agencies stand, Luis de Castro and Roque Cunha Ferreira from JP Ramos showed off a Fernao Pires and Aragonez, which form the initial basis for the new Tagus Creek “Serie Nativa” range extension.

The Stevens Garnier stand was showing off this new trio from Mateus as the famous Portuguese brand adds its weight to the ever-expanding low alcohol category.