The week in pictures

The Malbec Masters judging took place this week at South Kensington’s Bumpkin restaurant. The judging panel was chaired by db editor-in-chief Patrick Schmitt MW (second from right). Stay tuned for the results.

Pol Roger held a charity event at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in aid of Wilberry Wonder Pony, hosted by television and radio presenter Clare Balding (centre in green), with three-day-event riders taking on former international rugby players in a riff on the BBC television programme, Question of Sport.

Cornwall’s St Austell brewery was crowned the 2017 West of England Business of the Year sponsored by PwC and run in association with Circle2Success.

Lachlan Rooney of The Voodoo Rooms and Charles Roche of Scout were crowned the winners of Auchentonshan’s New Malt Order, a competition offering bartenders the chance to create a limited edition whisky for the brand.

Officials from Rioja visited Bodega Carlos Moro this week including: Roberto Sanz Soblechero of Bodegas Familiares Matarromera; Iñigo Nagore, minister of agriculture, livestock and the environment; Leonor González, counselor for economic development and innovation; Javier L. Fernández, Mayor of San Vicente de la Sonsierra; Luis Carlos Moro, president of Bodegas Familiares Matarromera, José I. Ceniceros, president of Rioja, Esperanza Castro, Bodegas Familiares Matarromera, and Ignacio Peral, manager of Bodega Carlos Moro.

21 cyclists from Berry Bros. & Rudd set-off on the 100km journey from the company’s historic premises in St James’s, to its warehouse and offices in Basingstoke. The charity bike ride was in aid of Sebastian’s Action Trust, which provides vital support to families of seriously-ill children.

Stormzy won the Copper Dog Solo Artist of The Year award at GQ Men of The Year 2017. The award was presented to him by Jeremy Corbyn and afterwards Stormzy was then greeted off-stage with a single one-off blend of Copper Dog Whisky, distilled from the year of his birth given to him by Scottish broadcaster, XFM DJ and former journalist, Gordon Smart.

The Institute of Masters of Wine’s launch for the Living Wine Symposium (the symposium itself will be held in Logrono, Spain next year) took place in London this week and saw “a cornucopia of the eleven rumbustious characters ramble on their chosen topics”. Among them was Helen Chesshire of JF Hillebrand and Michael Sager of Sager + Wilde.

Sager and Chesshire were also joined by db‘s very own Patrick Schmitt MW who talked on the subject of restaurant wine pricing. The topic of Willie Lebus’ talk – 50 Shades of Red – was certainly reflected in his choice of outfit. Full marks for presentation!

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s harvest time in the northern hemisphere. At Champagne Bollinger, they’re piling the grapes high.

Fellow Champagne house Louis Roederer posted this picture on Twitter this week of the stunning sunset after another day of the harvest ends.

Nederburg has revealed the line-up of for its September auction: 16 wines spanning four decades, from the 1980s to 2014, which includes six sweet, six red and four white wines. Some are sufficiently age-worthy for further cellaring while others are ready for drinking now. Pictured are Gunter Brocel and Heinrich Kulsen pictured with the Nederburg 1977 vintage collection. 

A group of four Chilean winemakers came to London this week to promote Semillon from South America in an evening masterclass led by Richard Hemming MW.

Left to right: Julio Bouchon, head winemaker at Bouchon Family Wines; Jon Usabiaga, winemaker at Aresti Wines; Juan Alejandro Jofré, head winemaker at J.A Jofré; wine writer Richard Hemming MW; Emily Faulconer, winemaker at Viña Carmen.

A beaming Olivier Krug came to London this week to launch Krug 2004, which he described as a vintage with “outstanding potential”, and “luminous freshness”…