The week in pictures

Bob Geldof, Jeanne Marine and Jeff Beck attend an after party for ‘The Rolling Stones: Exhibitionism’  at the Saatchi Gallery (Credit: Dave J Hogan)

Nyetimber sparkling wine was the official drinks sponsor at this week’s party to launch The Rolling Stones’ exhibition: EXHIBITIONISM.

Nyetimber was served to guests at the star-studded event, including Fearne Cotton, Nick Grimshaw, Natalie Dormer and James Bay.

For the annual Sud de France Top 100 competition, 684 wines from 214 producers were rigorously blind tasted by the judges. Tim Atkin MW, judging chairman, and the panel of 18 of the UK’s leading writers, authors, agents, trade buyers and sommeliers met in London on 31 March to taste, judge and shortlist outstanding wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon.

Now in its fourth year, the Sud de France Top 100 has become established as one of the year’s landmark wine competitions. Results and trophies will be announced at the London Wine Fair 3 May.

The launch of Louis Jadot’s Résonance Pinot Noir 2013 from Oregon took place this week.

It is the first vintage from the producer’s new project in Oregon, and the first investment of its kind outside of its home region since it began in 1859.

Thibault Gagey, son of Louis Jadot’s president Pierre Henry Gagey, and head of operations at Resonance was in the UK to launch the wine at 67 Pall Mall, London.

Havana Club rum hosted a heat for their Global bartending competition, The Cocktail Grand Prix, in Canada this week.

Shane Mulvaney, pictured, was crowned Canadian Champion and will now be jetting off to Havana to compete for the Global title at the end of May.

Helena Conibear (seated), Steven Spurrier, owner of Bride Valley Vineyards, Daniel Ham, winemaker at Langham Wine Estate, Justin Langham, owner of Langham wine Estate, and Rebecca Hansford of Furleigh Estate

A showcase of Dorset food and sparkling wines was held in support of the Alcohol Education Trust, which educates young people about safe drinking.

Sir Philip and Lady Catherine Williams hosted 80 guests at the Made in Dorset event on 19 March at Bridehead in Littlebredy to celebrate the English county’s wines and raise money for the AET, which itself is based in Dorset.

The evening, which included an exhibition of work of Dorset artists, was supported by three Dorset sparkling wine producers, Rebecca Hansford of Furleigh Estate, Steven Spurrier of Bride Valley vineyards and Justin Langham of Langham Wine Estate.

US bartender and co-creator of Banks Fine Rums, Jim Meehan, hosted an evening at The Punch Rooms at The London Edition on Wednesday evening to celebrate the resurgent trend for Punch and the European roll-out of the Banks Rum Collection this year.

Captured this week was first-prize winner of a Carlsberg essay competition Kiril Petrov (20), from Sofia in Bulgaria, with Chris Warmoth (left), Carlsberg’s senior vice president for Asia and Africa. Petrov, a student at the University of Lincoln, considered the evolution of the craft beer market in the US. His essay earned him a first class mark for his degree course, and the top prize of £300 from Carlsberg.

On Thursday db was treated to some age-dated sherries at Edel Assanti in Fiztrovia, courtesy of Eduardo Davis of Bodegas Tradición. Tradición is the newest winery in Jerez but is the successor of the oldest winery in the region.

As Davis explained, Tradición is a revival of Bodega CZ, JM Rivero, the oldest known sherry houses, dating back to 1650. JM Rivero’s illustrious history included supplying the royal houses of Spain and Portugal. After various fluctuations of fortune, the bodega was sold in 1991.

In 1998, starting from scratch, Joaquín Rivero set about reviving his family’s illustrious tradition, using best soleras available and sourcing old American oak casks in which to keep the wines.

Wines tasted on the night were the Fino Tradición, Amontillado Tradición VORS 30yrs, Oloroso Tradición VORS 30yrs, Cream Tradición VOS 20yrs and Pedro Ximénez Tradición VOS 20yrs. The wines were paired with delicious tapas dishes from Kitchen Secrets and the event was organised by Honest Grapes.

The colourful large-scale painting behind Davis in this picture is, incidentally, the work of Dale Lewis. His painting on the opposite was, though very striking, was slightly too obscene to show in Week in Pics.

As an illustration of the rich heritage of Bodegas Tradición, Eduardo Davis revealed a number of archive documents recovered when the bodega briefly fell out of the Rivero family’s hands.

This fragment, for example, sent to the Rivero family in 1905, relates to items removed from Lord Nelson’s ship, Victory, when was docked off the Spanish coast during the Battle of Trafalgar 100 years before.   

Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW led the masterclass on “Accessible Bourgogne”, which was held in Oxford, within the Examination Schools

Village-level Bourgogne can be accessibly priced but you have to go “off the beaten track”, a masterclass in Oxford last month helped to prove.

Called “Discovering Accessible Bourgogne Wines”, the event was led by wine educator Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW, and featured a range of labels from less famous appellations within the region, including villages along the prized Côte d’Or, which she selected to show that Bourgogne can be accessible.

Read more about it here.

Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore has added a rosé expression to her Barrymore wine range, which launched in 2012 with an Italian Pinot Grigio.

The Charlie’s Angels star launched Barrymore Rosé at the Pebble Beach Food & wine Festival in Carmel, California, last weekend.

According to the actress, the pink, made from Pinot Noir, is “creamy” with notes of “peach, apricot and grapefruit” and “enough citrus to keep it crisp”. She recommends pairing it with sushi.