The week in pictures

A tight, tactical turn during the Pol Roger cup, which saw six boats compete for glory in the Solent under expert guidance from members of the Artemis Offshore Academy, which nurtures young British sailing talent and is supported by the Champagne house.

Back on shore in Cowes, Pol Roger’s Hubert de Billy congratulates the winning team, which included 12-time real tennis World Champion Rob Fahey (far right), successfully channelling his competitive focus in a fresh direction for the day.

Annabel Moeller

English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber has converted a 1968 London Routemaster into a party bus in time for the summer season. The mint green bus made its first cameo at Henley Royal Regatta last week, where punters could  “Push for Nyetimber” via a bespoke button, no doubt inspired by the “Press for Champagne” button at Mayfair diner deluxe Bob Bob Ricard.

We were lucky enough to be invited to a masterclass exploring the food and wine from Alentejo this week hosted by chef Nuno Mendes (of Chiltern Firehouse fame) at his new Portuguese casual dining venture Taberna do Mercado in Spitalfields Market.

During the masterclass, Mendes revealed that he has fond food memories of Alentejo, known as the bread basked of Portugal due to its abundance of wheat fields, as his parents grew up in the region. Among the dishes we tried during the masterclass were a trio of tinned fish taking in monkfish with herb paste, mackerel in a tomato sauce and cod cheeks with red pepper paste. After the fish came mountains of acorn fed pork including fatty folds of shoulder.

On the wine front, Portuguese wine expert Sarah Ahmed guided us through a tutored tasting of six wines from the region, including two whites and a rosé as she was keen to show that there’s more to Alentejo than gutsy reds. During the tasting Ahmed referred to the sub-region of Portalegre as the “Swartland of Portugal” due to a recent influx of exciting new producers working with old vine field blend plots. 

In addition to wine, we also tried a trio of olive oils from Alentejo, which ran the gamut from light and citrusy to grassy and peppery on the finish.

Keen to keep on top of the latest developments in English sparkling wine, we were delighted to be invited to Marcus Wareing’s causal dining venture Tredwell’s in Covent Garden for a sip of the new 2010 vintage of Jenkyn Place Blanc de Noirs, a blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Meunier made by former Nyetimber winemaker Dermot Sugrue.

The Hampshire estate is run by Simon Bladon and his daughter Camilla, who were on hand to talk us through their range. The first vines were planted in 2004 behind their family home; today the estate spans 12 acres.

The International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) picked up the Best Awards Event trophy at the Conference Awards 2015 for its Guildhall awards banquet celebrating the winners of its annual competition in November.

The Conference Awards 2015 ceremony was held at the Hurlingham Club in London on Friday, 3 July.

Sake master brewer Philip Harper with Asami Tasaka, managing director of World Sake Imports.

db got an education in sake from the world’s only non-Japanese sake master brewer this week at a sushi and sake masterclass at M Restaurant in London.

Philip Harper has been making sake in Japan for the last 22 years having moved to the country when he was 22. He is the only non-Japanese brewer in the world to have achieved the status of master brewer.

Guests were tutored in the art of sushi rolling by M’s head chef Jarad McCarrol.

A menu including South African Biltong and trout sushi served with mango, Volzhenka caviar and orange toasted panko breadcrumbs was served alongside various sake wines paired and brewed by Harper. 

db’s sushi-rolling skills were deemed by McCarrol to be worthy of the night’s top prize – a bottle of sake brewed and signed by Philip Harper himself.

This bottle of Tamagawa Kinsho Daiginjo won Harper and the Ume no Yado brewery a gold medal in the Japan National Sake Appraisal in 2009.

Cono Sur’s branded minis were among the vehicles on parade at the opening of this year’s Tour de France, which saw an eclectic convoy travel through London, Belgium and Holland. 

Oliver, Dan, Tamara Roberts, Mardi Roberts, Simon and Tom from Ridgeview about to cut the 20th anniversary cake given to them by The Bloomsbury Hotel.

English sparkling wine producer Ridgeview Wine Estate celebrated its 25th anniversary at the Bloomsbury Hotel in London last week.

The event featured a walk around tasting and afternoon tea, making for a thoroughly English afternoon.

Wine critic Oz Clarke were among the guests to attend.

Peter De Haan, Amanda Bancroft and children Jessica and Alex Web

Bancroft Wines marked 25 years of business with a celebratory event at London private member’s club Home House last week.

Guests of honour included Michael Kerrigan, one of Bancroft’s original suppliers, members of the Bancroft family and members of the trade.

Guests were served Pierre Paillard Grand Cru Bouzy Rosé Champagne and Michael Kerrigan’s Hay Shed Hill Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Charlie Turner and Kim Hartwell enjoying the croquet lawn. The couple were heading to Los Angeles.

Croquet was the order of the day for this jet-setting couple who stopped by Pimm’s Crazy Croquet lawn at Heathrow Terminal 2 for a few rounds of the sport.

Only 2% of Brits currently play croquet and Pimm’s is hoping to give the “Queen of Games’” a new lease of life by showcasing its appeal on the world-stage.

Funkin held its second annual Innovation Forum at Daphne’s in Kensington, bringing together industry leaders to discuss trends, challenges and opportunities in the cocktail scene. The event also served as a platform to showcase Funkin’s newest cocktail innovations.

Aubert de Villaine gets a standing ovation from winemakers and members of the Burgundy wine trade following its historic induction into UNESCO’s world heritage list, along with Champagne.

de Villaine headed up the Burgundy UNESCO bid.

Neil McGuigan was guest of honour at the McGuigan Big BBQ on 4 July, attended by some 200 prize winners and selection guests, along with Masterchef judge John Torode.

The rooftop BBQ was held at 37 Degrees health club overlooking Olympia and was used to launch the producer’s McGuigan Frizzante.

The sparkling Semillon was unveiled last month to take on Prosecco in the UK market.

Appropriated, the written scrawl on winegrower Axel May’s tub translates as “only vines”.

Winegrower Axel May, of Weingut Steinmühle in Rheinhessen, cools down with a glass of Riesling and his wife to celebrate 31 Days of German Riesling.

On 3 July,  Alain Thébault braved the elements with his Hydroptere, leaving from California in a bid to reach, Hawaii.

A friend and partner of Mumm, the sailor “broke the wind barrier” by crossing the Pacific Ocean with one of the fastest sailing boats on a journey from Los Angeles to Honolulu.