The week in pictures

The Harrow raised nearly £40,000 for NSPCC Wales and £1,300 for The Benevolent Charity this week. Further events during the past week saw The Harrow also raise other funds including over £1,300 for The Benevolent: The Drinks Industry Charity. Roger & Sue support a cross section of Charities, which have included Ty Hafan Hospice in Wales with Chefs Night Out (regularly raising over £100,000 at the Gala Dinner)  and Welsh Guards injured in Afghanistan through Ryan Jones’s Testimonial Year.

The Tri Nations Wine Challenges, which involve 2 of 3 countries battling it out over a 6 course dinner with 2 wines served blind with each course. South Africa currently lead the group with 2 wins and 2 draws.

Sunday was Sparkling Sunday with over 70 Sparkling Wines being showcased to the local community and invited press and trade, with the final event being the 10th Anniversary of The Mamba Awards highlighting premium Australian Wines with Steven Spurrier as Senior Judge along with Richard Siddle. 

Commedian Alexander Armstrong (centre), Gregory Watson and Clare Moscrop take part in the Pimm’s Cider Extreme Croquet Cup at The Shard in London, to celebrate the 165th anniversary of the game, which coincides with 165 years of Pimm’s production. Pimm’s are aiming to give the sport a shot in the arm and bring it back as one of the UK’s long lost summer pass times by hosting a series of events at the Shard and on the cliffs of Dover, amongst others.

Aussie-born, UK-based TV chef John Torode officially launched a new rosé yesterday evening at the Belsize Park branch of Wine Rack, where he barbecued steak outside the off-licence to complement the rosé.

Among the guests at the launch event were Joe Fattorini from ITV’s The Wine Show. The new pink wine comes from a collaboration between McGuigan Wines and John Torode, and you can read more about the rosé, which hails from Australia’s Adelaide Hills, here. 

Taking third place in the Graphic Bar Gin Off this week was this cocktail from Tarquin’s gin, which comprised of fudgy Cornish Gin, with home-made Chai Masala Vermouth, maraschino liqueur and an orange tincture. This was served inside a real ice cream cone – lined with Gorse infused chocolate, topped with whipped Cornish Clotted Cream ice cream and decorated with homemade juniper-infused 100s & 1000s. 

Mr Fogg’s Residence in Mayfair welcomed bartenders Marco Russo and Fabio Cavagna, founders of Milan’s most clandestine and exclusive bar, 1930 Milan, to its establishment last night for a one-off cocktail masterclass.

The duo mixed up some of their most famous libations including The Purgatorio, a heady blend of gin, cahaca, sherbet, dragon fruit syrup and rose water, as well as the Cartone, a fiery tipple made with French vermouth, red pepper, bourbon, saffron syrup, absinthe and BBQ bitters served with chocolate coins.

Sussex vineyard officially opened its new visitor centre and restaurant last Friday.  TV presenter and wine expert, Olly Smith and Sam Linter, md and chief wine maker for Bolney Wine Estate, opened the new centre in front a selection of guests.

The visitor centre, which was completed in May, has been build into part of the vineyard’s warehouse and comprises a new shop offering the full section of vintages and local produce and a café which opens out onto a 100 sq ft viewing balcony overlooking the chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines.

db also dropped in the Urban Food Fest this week for a taste of Uruguay courtesy of Bodega Garzón. The winery, based a few miles from the Atlantic in the rolling hills of the Maldonado region of the South American nation is partnering with the Urban Food Fest throughout the summer.

As well as pouring plentiful supplies of Tannat (a perfect pairing for a traditional Uruguayan chivito steak sandwich from the Garzón kitchen-mobile), Albariño (paired with juicy gambas) and Viognier, Garzón has laid out a summer deck from which guests can sit back and soak up the sun.

As well as the refreshing wines, the Bodega Garzón fans were also very much appreciated during what was a rare appearance of the lesser-spotted British summer.

The Ivy Kensington Brasserie is celebrating in the Proms in style with a Beefeater gin cocktail men and a pre-Prom set menu, while the restaurant’s façade has been festooned with flowers and bunting for the occasion. 

Among the bespoke drinks on offer is the Conductor’s Choice G&T, a refreshing combo of Beefeater gin, cucumber, lemon and Fever-Tree tonic.

Sir James Hardy and his nephew Bill Hardy gathered at Berry Bros & Rudd London for a vertical tasting of Eileen Hardy Chardonnay, named in honour of James’ mother.

The tasting spanned three decades, with tasters treated to Eileen Hardy Chardonnay from 1986 to the current 2014 vintage. During the tasting Bill Hardy remarked on the remarkable brightness and vivacity of the wines from the ’80s, which he wasn’t expecting to find.

db hoofed it down to the Big Easy in Canary Wharf to try some of the cocktails from one of New York’s hottest bars, The Dead Rabbit, which popped up at the Big Easy for a month. We were looked after by super shaker Madeleine Rapp, who mixed us some of the bar’s signature serves.

Among them was the bright orange Irish Cohort, that blended Jameson Irish whiskey with Suze, orange sherbet, carrot, lemon and a thyme tincture

db braved the sweltering heat on Tuesday to learn how to play real tennis with the Pol Roger team in the historic surroundings of Hampton Court.

Called “the sport of kings”, real tennis came into being in the 15th century, predating lawn tennis, and rose to popularity during the reign of Henry VIII, who played the game with gusto as a young man at Hampton Court.

The Venetian Ambassador at court, Sebastiano Giustiniani, was taken with Henry’s sporting prowess, describing the way he played as “the prettiest thing in the world – his fair skin glowing through a shirt of the finest texture”.

The Pol Roger dream team was formed of Paul Graham, Freya Miller and James Simpson MW

… who were joined by db’s Lucy Shaw, the four of them playing against each other in a close mixed doubles battle.

The spoils of victory!

We also found time to head to The Club at The Ivy this week to attend the launch of Nancy Dell’Olio’s new limoncello brand Limonbello, which uses agave syrup in place of sugar to appeal to health-conscious drinkers.

Nancy looked suitably glam and told the story of the brand, which was inspired by her grandma’s homemade limoncello recipe, which was far less sweet than the ones on sale today.

Ending the week in style, we were delighted to be invited to The Ritz by head sommelier Giovanni Ferlito, to try some of the new English wines that have been added to the list, including a Bacchus from Camel Valley and Gusboune Pinot Noir 2014, which paired magnificently with lamb.

Battle of the bottles – during the lunch Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2009 was pitted against Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs.

Before lunch we indulged in delicious salmon and horseradish amuse bouche served in ice cream cones.

During the lunch, Sicily-born head sommelier Giovanni Ferlito talked us through the English wines on pour and how they complemented the dishes.

After lunch head chef John Williams took a bow and regaled us with stories of black truffle hunting

His strawberry pud proved the perfect ending to a charming event and paired seamlessly with Nyetimber rosé