The week in pictures

Wines of Germany announced two new fellows at last night’s Riesling Fellowship dinner held at Vintners’ Hall, London. Congratulations to Paul Grieco (Right) and Albert de Jong (left).

They now join a group of 11 fellows along with: Jancis Robinson OBE MW, David Motion, Iris Ellmann, Hugh Johnson OBE, Nigel Blundell, Freddy Price, Sebastian Thomas, Hew Blair and Stuart Pigott.

On 26 and 27 January Courvoisier held a series of masterclasses with global brand ambassador Rebecca Asseline. The events were held at The Studio at Café Royal in Mayfair and Oriole in Shoreditch. Bartenders tasted VS, VSOP and XO paired with specially created chocolates to bring out the flavours.

Bartenders were served two different Courvoisier cocktails: The Classic Champagne Cocktail and The Midnight in Paris.

After the masterclass bartenders were able to watch a demonstration by MIXXIT’s Amanda Humphrey and learn more about the newly launched The Toast of Paris International Cocktail Competition for bartenders.

(L to R) Lauren Dewer (3rd year student at Grove Academy), Stephanie Wade (Director of TTA), Graham Hutton (Grove Academy Headteacher), Ashley Ingram (Compass ESS), Dougie Clark (Director of Tree of Knowledge), Hamish Rice (3rd year student at Grove Academy)

On Tuesday, school pupils from Grove Academy in Dundee had the chance to experience the workings of a 5 star hotel as classrooms were transformed into kitchens, spas, bars and a gym.

The two day event, run by the Tennent’s Training Academy (TTA) and Tree of Knowledge, is designed to give young people an insight into the workings of the hospitality and tourism industry, encouraging them to consider the trade as a potential career option when they leave school.

Chris Houlton, managing director Greene King Brewing and Brands, and Sanjay Patel, ECB commercial director at The Kia Oval

The England and Wales Cricket Board this week signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Suffolk-based brewer Greene King, making its flagship IPA the official beer of England cricket.

Stella Artois has announced its second year of partnership with Water.org and its Co-Founders Matt Damon and Gary White (Centre left and Centre Right), to cement their commitment to help provide access to clean water to people in the developing world and to drive awareness of the 663 million people around the world living without water.

See the Buy A Lady A Drink campaign video from Stella Artois and Matt Damon below.

Wine Australia gave those attending its annual Australia Day Tasting in London on Tuesday a colourful welcome, with dozens of producers and winemakers flying in to showcase Australia’s increasingly diversity. While the overall picture for Australian wine is healthy, Accolade Wine’s Rob Harrison warned that in the UK the category is “not fit for the future”, with a lack of growth at more premium price points hampering its progress.

On Thursday the drinks business attended Diageo’s press briefing following the release of its first half results, and in doing so, caught a glimpse of the global drinks giant’s new London flagship in Golden Square, and its new bar and ‘event space’. The company plans to use it to deliver its  Diageo Bar Academy curriculum and host events, and “brand immersion sessions” (and no, that doesn’t mean being dunked in a vat of Guinness…)

… Although the innovative new Guinness brand extensions were on show. These were created a part of the company’s ‘The Brewers Project’ and were credited for boosting the fortunes of Guinness in the first half of the year, along with the Rugby World Cup.

We think this picture of wine writers Anne Krebiehl MW, Michael Edwards, db‘s Lucy Shaw and Tom Harrow taken at the recent launch of Krug 2002 at an artist’s studio in east London is begging for a caption – any takers?

Last night, English sparkling winery Ridgeview was voted Sussex Drink Producer of the Year at the Sussex Food and Drinks Awards in Brighton. The regional awards celebrate local farmers, food and drink producers and the outlets that use and sell superb local produce and are voted for by the public.

“We’re so proud to have received this award. It’s really important that we support our local community in the work we do and this award proves that they support us in return. The fact that this has been voted for by our customers makes it very special and inspires us to keep improving, work harder and continue to succeed,” said Ridgeview CEO Tamara Roberts.

Rain couldn’t keep the crowds away from the launch of Hill & Szrok a pub just in Old Street founded by restaurateur Luca Mathiszig-Lee, butcher Tom Richardson Hill and chef Alex Szrok – the team behind Broadway Market butcher Hill & Szrok.

The trio have transformed the 3 Crowns on East Road into Hill & Szrok Public House, which boasts a chophouse restaurant at the back.

Whole meat carcasses will be aged on site for up to 90 days and every part of the anima will be usedl on their nose-to-tail menu, with bones turned into stock trimmings going into pork pies, sausage rolls and scotch eggs and skin will used for scratchings.

db headed east this week to the Viet Grill on Kingsland Road, which was, for one night only, turned into the Black Cow Saloon, complete with hard shakes, honkey tonk and Vietnamese street food snacks. Among our favourite cocktails on offer was the Dorset Donkey, a cheeky British twist on a Moscow Mule.

During the evening we were treated to an ebullient performance by Cornwall folk band the Flats & Sharps

We also found time to pop in to the Maison Marques et Domaines tasting held in the stunning, chandelier-filled surrounds of the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall.

At the tasting we swung by the Pio Cesare stand to taste its latest vintages, poured by Cesare Benvenuto (left).

And we couldn’t resist stopping by the Louis Roederer stand to try the latest vintage of Cristal, 2007, poured by brand manager, the lovely Marinel Fitzsimons.