The week in pictures

Winemaker Laurent Autréau was at the Glass of Bubbly Awards tasting yesterday (Weds 24th Jan 2018) presenting his Gold Medal winning wine Champagne Autréau Les Perles de la Dhuy Grand Cru 2011.

The Autréau family has been involved in growing grapes and producing Champagne since 1670 and is based in the picturesque village of Champillon, near Epernay. Champagne Autréau is represented in the UK by Connoisseur Estates.

You just can’t keep the drinks business away from Grosvenor House. On Wednesday, we got a sneak preview of the menu and wines to be served at the 71st British Academy Film Awards taking place on 18 February.

This year, the menu is more ethically-minded than ever before, with a vegan starter — celeriac panna cotta with apple jelly, golden raisins and toasted hazelnuts — making an appearance for the first time in the Awards’ history.

Of course, what is an awards dinner without Champagne? Tattinger is continuing its partnership with the BAFTAs by providing the drinks for the reception, while New Zealand winery Villa Maria is celebrating its 10th year of working with the Academy by providing the still wines; a 2017 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2017 Pinot Noir.

Model and fitness guru Roger Frampton celebrated the success of his first best selling book The Flexible Body on Wednesday night at the W London’s Perception Bar.

Supported by Tequila-maker Pteón, celebrity guests included rugby star and Dancing On Ice contestant Max Evans, model and beauty blogger Roxie Nafousi, Sky News anchor Sarah Jane Mee, broadcaster Zoe Hardman, Britain’s Next Top Model judge Max Rogers, presenter Pips Taylor and, of course, the famous Frampton brothers David, Joel and Peter.

Founders John McKenzie and Duncan Tait (Photo: GlenWyvis Distillery)

The team at Scottish distillery GlenWyvis were in high spirits this week as production got under way at the “world’s first” 100% community-owned distillery.

Established as a Community Benefit Society, the distillery aims to take a lead role in the regeneration of Dingwall and the wider community. And with gin distillation moving to the site in the Spring, GlenWyvis is set to be one of a few dual whisky and gin producers in Scotland.

Diversification is big news these days as brewers and winemakers alike are venturing into the spirits market, but purveyors of rare whiskeys The Last Drop celebrated going in the other direction on Wednesday night, launching a duo of rare old Tawny Ports; one dating to 1970, and the other to 1870.

Leading fortified wine expert Ben Howkins was on hand to lead team db through the tasting. While the 1970 variety exhibited aromas of rich and balanced nutty fruits, Howkins said “a black and white tasting note simply cannot do justice to a wine almost 150 years old.”

Meanwhile down-under, celebrities have been migrating to Melbourne for the Australian Open. Will Ferrel took a tour of a local winery last week, and this week motormouth chef Gordon Ramsay got chatting to Boris Becker while catching the action on centre court.

Welcome to Melbourne @GordonRamsay!

The celebrity chef chats with @TheBorisBecker whilst catching the action on centre court…#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/25DsjlNZr9

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2018

Later that day, Ramsay swung by the kitchen to surprise Murano London head chef Angela Hartnett, who was cooking in the Australian Open’s chef series dinner over the weekend.

While on site today, @GordonRamsay suprised British chef @AngelaHartnett from the @MuranoLondon restaurant, who is cooking in the AO Chef series dinner tonight. The pair have worked together previously in London. Bless! 🍴 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/nqdMqIV4Jb

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2018

Computer games giant Capcom rolled up to Flatiron Square in Southwark on Wednesday to launch its upcoming Monster Hunter: World game with its pop-up Monster Hunter Meat Shack.

Guests were treated to hunks of meat carved from an 8ft spit roast, monster burgers and barbecue platters to celebrate the game’s launch, which sees a hunter roam the wilderness ridding it of ‘monsters’, with a console set up at each table served by fur-clad warriors.

The event was part of a longer pop-up that will remain at Flatiron square until Sunday. Attendance to the event is free, and includes free food, drinks and a go on the new game, if you can nab a ticket. Grab a slot here. https://monsterhunterbbq.eventbrite.co.uk.

db‘s Phoebe French headed to LoneWolf Spirits’ pop-up in Old Street tube station this week for a Burns Night celebration. On pour was the new, limited edition Cranachan vodka which was shaken up into a delicious sour.

And it wouldn’t be Burns Night without haggis and bagpipes. LoneWolf Spirits managing director Doug Bairner (above, right) gave the traditional address to the haggis like a seasoned pro, although it turned out his haggis stabbing was a little too enthusiastic as he broke his plate!

A pie made from the Balgove Larder’s haggis, a well-known delicacy among St Andrews students…

We headed to nose-to-tail restaurant St. John in Clerkenwell this week for its annual vignerons lunch, attended by a who’s who of the wine trade.

The restaurant’s head of communications, Kitty Cooper, helped the event run smoothly, plying lucky diners with lashings of wine.

The highlight of the lunch was this gorgeous chicken and ox tongue pie covered in pastry as buttery and luscious as a croissant.

db’s Lucy Shaw enjoyed a slice of Italian life at Harry’s Dolce Vita in Knightsbridge – Richard Caring’s charming new restaurant, where she dined with the indefatigable Sandro Bottega, who told her over steak Fiorentina of his dream to become the Leonardo da Vinci of the wine world.

Among the liquid delights enjoyed during the dinner was Bottega’s new white vermouth, which went down a treat both solo and as part of a Spritz.

In keeping with the week’s Italian theme, we also paid a visit to Margot in Covent Garden this week, an Italian restaurant with a French name run by the super suave and impeccably mannered Paulo de Tarso.

(burnt) orange is the new black: during a delightful dinner at Margot we kicked things off with Bellavista Alma Gran Cuvée Franciacorta, which charmed with notes of ginger, peach and white flowers.