London Wine Fair 2017 in pictures

db presents a pictorial round up of this year’s London Wine Fair at Olympia including masterclasses, tastings and the McGuigan Wines’ BBQ, with Masterchef presenter and chef, John Torode, manning the grill.

Gary Williams, of ‘Don’t Tell Gary’ wine fame. This sneaky bottle of Shiraz from the Strathbogle Ranges in Australia was stashed away by Mcpherson Wines’ winemaker Jo Nash and made ‘off the books’, so the story goes. Still, it makes for an interesting back story and an intriguing label.

Easily the most colourful stand at the fair, Origin added a touch of playfulness to proceedings inviting guests to pitch up for a glass of wine within their adventure playground, complete with a swing set table and rope bridge.

Margaret Nolan and Anna Brolin of drinks design agency Denomination made sure their corner of the fair stood out, erecting a giant illuminated ‘WOW’ that shone out from their top floor stand and could be seen from all corners of the fair.

Karen Fistonich, chair of the Villa Maria board and the daughter of its chief winemaker Sir George Fistonich, the founder and owner of Villa Maria, was on hand to show off Villa Maria’s new £90 flagship wine, Ngakirikiri 2013 – its most expensive wine to date. Nagkirikiri (nah-kiri-kiri), which means ‘The Gravels’ in Maori, is made from a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot from the Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay, on New Zealand’s north island, and was officially launched in November 2016 with just 1,000 cases produced. 

Dina Jahina, co-founder and COO of wine preservation gizmo ‘eto’ stopped by the drinks business stand to show off its prototype, ahead of the launch of a kickstarter campaign to bring the product into production in June. The pump action container is a decanter and preservation system in one, that can hold a 75cl bottle of wine that can be poured fresh for 7 days.

Not one to miss a party, the db team made sure to join McGuigan for its annual rooftop barbecue with TV chef John Torode, which this year was graced with spectacular weather. The man himself, Neil McGuigan pouring the team a glass of The Philosophy. The event was held as a networking event, but also to mark the second year that John Torode has launched a rosé in partnership with McGuigan.

The man of the hour, chef John Torode slaved away at the grill. Our very own Andrew and Andy decided to give him a hand…

The ever-charming David Cox, chief executive of The Benevolent and recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement award at the DB Awards, at the McGuigan BBQ.

David Cox and db‘s Lucy, Lauren, Rupert and Andrew enjoyed an outdoor wine tasting.

Sarah Abbot MW, brand ambassador for Wines of Tejo, and Luis de Castro, president of Wines of Tejo at the London Wine Fair following a tasting of the region’s wines. The region is currently working to reposition itself as a premium wine producing region, having grubbed up a third of its high-volume, lower quality vineyards in the last 15 years to concentrate on the better quality sites.

Fleur Mcree, owner of New Zealand’s Vinultra, whose brands include Little Beauty and Black Beauty.

Larry “Mr Pinot” McKenna of Escarpement in Wellington Wine Country on the north island shows off his signature Kupe Pinot Noir, made from its Te Muna Road vineyard in Martinborough.

The Freixenet stand was a floral vision, decked out in artificial glass and a pretty terrace to sip a glass of Cava.

Competing with Origin for the fair’s most colourful stand, Wine of Germany came a close second, with its psychedelic arrangement.

The IWSC hosted a number of masterclasses across the three days, including a popular session of Sherry, covering everything from Fino and Manzanilla to Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez.

JF Hillebrand knew how to keep its guests happy, setting up a sweet stall at its retreat from the fair on the top floor of the Hand & Flower pub opposite Kensington Olympia….

Alex Down, brand manager of Fells, with a bottle of Graham’s 20 YO Tawny Port, which can hold six bottles of Port. Speaking with the drinks business, Down confirmed that exports of white Port to the UK had increased by 38% in 2016, and was in fact the fastest-growing sub category of Port, albeit from a small base. The group is now working on giving its white Ports a boost through the promotion of the classic white Port and tonic cocktail, believing it could hold the key to turning younger consumers onto the Port category.

Visitors to the Kleine Zalze stand were in for a double dose of hospitality from owner Kobus Basson who was presenting his wines.

Castelnau Champagne showed off its brand new look.

Les Dauphins helped to tell the Côtes du Rhône story on the Inter Rhône stand.

On Tuesday Chris Campbell of Waddesdon Wines offered London Wine Fair visitors a pop-up #sunsetaperitif of the Mouton Cadet limited edition Cannes Film Festival white and rose wines on the Rothschild Collection stand. A few lucky people (such as db‘s fine wine editor, Rupert Millar) also got the chance to taste the still very youthful but superb 2010 from Château Lafite.

Judi Dyer – the new managing director of Oldenburg Vineyards, South Africa with the WOSA UK team.

Eric Anesi – owner and founder of Gauchezco in Argentina.

J. Felipe Cabezon – Director of family winery Tinto Figuero from Ribera del Duero – one of Connoisseur Estates new agencies launched at the fair.

Laura Jewell MW and the Wine Australia team celebrate being crowned best drinks trade event of the year at the DB Awards.

We caught up with David Berry Green at the Nebbiolos from Alto Piemonte masterclass, who believes they have the potential to be an incredible (and more affordable) alternative to Burgundy.

No wine fair would be complete without our enthusiastic sales director, Andrew Oliver (left), enjoying a glass of Prosecco. He’s pictured here with the team from the Prosecco DOC Consorzio, who were happy to report record production levels from the region.

We also chatted to the lovely Carlos Delage, export area manager of Cune, who treated us to a tasting of the Rioja estate’s new white – Monopole Blanco Seco, made from an old recipe that blends barrel-aged Virua with a touch of manzanilla pasada, leading to a refreshing, nutty drop.

Also kicking about the Hatch Mansfield stand was the inimitable Chris Hancock of Robert Oatley Wines, who boasts an encyclopaedic knowledge of Australian wines. During our chat we tried his delicious Margaret River Chardonnay and McLaren Vale Fiano.

Doodling on the i Heart stand

Somehow we managed to find the time to sneak out to an abundant lunch at The Bird in Hand pub nearby hosted by Pays d’Oc, where we slurped our way through an impressive selection of whites and reds that offered great value for money for the quality. Among the producers on show were Domaines Paul Mas, Barton & Guestier, Maison Castel and Les Vignobles Foncalieu.