The week in pictures

Moët & Chandon Brand Ambassador and tennis champion Roger Federer celebrated beating Marin Cilic to win this year’s Australian Open the only way he knows how.

Federer became the first man to win 20 grand slam titles after beating Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in Melbourne on Sunday 28 January.

The Champagne House sent its own best wishes to the athlete: “You pursue success in your own way, and you get there in your signature style: every milestone, every incredible athletic achievement.

“To be a champion you need hard work and passion, and you inspire us all to do the same.”

From athletics to music, Rioja provided wines for the MusicCares ceremony during the Grammys for some 3,000 artists, producers, celebrities and media types, followed by an after party at the Hilton Midtown in New York.

Wines were provided by Marques de Riscal, Muga, Muriel, Ontanon and Bodegas Riojanas, and imbibers at the Hilton included former US President Bill Clinton.

Troubled transatlantic troupe Fleetwood Mac, who have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, was honoured as the 2018 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute.

The Australia Day Tastings, which saw over 1200 guests from across the UK and European wine trade flock to sample just as many wines from 245 wineries, came to a close in Dublin on 29 January, following events in London and Edinburgh last week.

An Aussie pop-up café serving treats including lamingtons and Anzac biscuits was on-hand at the London event to soak up the vino.

Wine Australia’s CEO Andreas Clark, who was over from Australia for the roadshow said there was a “fantastic atmosphere, full of people discovering wines they hadn’t tasted before and renewing old acquaintances.”

(Photo: Eoin Holland)

While we’re on the subject of Ireland, Jameson Irish whiskey has kicked off St. Patrick’s Day early this week with its seventh annual limited-edition bottle design.

Irish illustrator Claudine O’Sullivan led the design process, recruiting two close friends from different creative fields — British designer, Alex Mellon, and Irish photographer Leonn Ward —  to form a collective to curate the label.

(Photo: Eoin Holland)

The 2018 bottle is inspired by the Fianna; Irish mythological warriors known for valuing loyalty and bravery

Whisky lovers can look forward to a dram with a difference – after some special Scotch malt whisky has made a journey to the South Pole, and back again as part of the south Pole Energy Challenge.

Father and son team Robert and Barney Swan set off for the South Pole in November for the South Pole Energy Challenge – on a mission to use zero carbon technology all the way.

On their quest they brought two small flasks of aged malt, provided by friends from the Ardgowan Distillery, which is building a new still on the Ardgowan Estate, west of Glasgow.

Barney (23) enjoyed one of the flasks as he toasted Hogmanay 140 miles from the journey’s end.

The rest he took to the South Pole, which he and his father reached on 15 January, and now it is on its way back to Scotland where it will form part of a special edition Ardgowan Expedition bottling.

Baller sparkling wine brand Belaire recently unveiled limited edition versions of its luminescent Belaire Fantôme range, featuring the faces of its high-profile celebrity ambassadors.

Bottles featuring hip hop icon Rick Ross, Grammy-nominated DJ Steve Aoki and global hit-maker/cocoa butter enthusiast DJ Khaled will go on sale to the on-trade in bars, clubs and restaurants.

New Year’s resolutions to get out there and keep fit were certainly in evidence when 17 intrepid guests blew the cobwebs away on their first introductory session to Nordic Walking at Furleigh Estate vineyard in Dorset.

Julia Williams and Paul Duffy from The Garden Studios with Rebecca Hansford of Furleigh Estate.

In keeping with all good exercise programmes a proper cool-down session followed before they all took shelter and enjoyed a well-deserved glass of Furleigh Estate Classic Cuvee 2013.

Meanwhile in London’s financial district, Trading Standards is cracking down on short measures.

The governing body is introducing a line of beer mats to UK pubs encouraging punters to ask for a top up if they don’t receive a full pint.

The reverse even details exactly how tall a pint should be, leaving little room for dispute. Trading Standards Officers are due to carry out test purchases across London this year, and intend to follow-up on pubs continuing to sell short measures.

Meanwhile in Soho, London fried chicken chain Absurd Bird announced a novel combo-deal —  a fishbowl cocktail and the company of a real-life porn star for just £400.

The deal, dubbed the ‘Orgy Martini Experience’, comprises “the UK’s biggest porn star martini” – a cocktail large enough for four people to share.

No, really.

At the other end of the spectrum, Soho’s 100 Wardour Street welcomed Linje Tio — one of the World’s 50 Best Bars — to London as part of a week-long Anglo-Swedish residency.

Hailing from Stockholm, Linje Tio are the first ever Swedish bar to enter the World’s Top 50, where they currently sit at 44.

The team of mixologists will take up residency in The Den at Wardour Street from 31 January – 7 February 2018, serving up their creative twists on classic drinks, before moving into the Restaurant and Club from 8 – 10 February.

Signature serves include the “Beets By Tjoget”, a Scandinavian take on the classic pina colada incorporating beet-infused vodka, coconut syrup, ginger, lemon, and nutmeg, and “La Belle Epoque”, which combines Pierre Ferrand Cognac with absinthe, lemon, and sugar, topped off with champagne.

Moët & Chandon Chef de Cave Benoît Gouez and London’s Michelin-awarded Jason Atherton have launched their first culinary collaboration with a Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé food experience.

A trio of paired menus have been created at City Social, Pollen Street Social and Social Eating House – each menu is different to reflect the culinary style of the Michelin-star restaurant, and each has been carefully paired to the same trio of Grand Vintages from Moët & Chandon. All are available from 10th February for five weeks.

Over in Hong Kong, James Suckling is to open a wine bar in the city later this year it has been revealed, serving a wide array of fine wines by the glass using Coravin.

Speaking to the drinks business‘ sister magazine dbHK, Suckling announced he would be opening the bar and ‘showroom’ this year, potentially to be called ‘James Suckling Wine Central’, although he did not divulge where it would be located.