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Slideshow
The week in pictures
db travelled to Paris with Champagne Castelnau this week for the launch of its second Hors Categorie prestige cuvée Col CCF2067, named after one of the most demanding climbs of the Tour de France. Champagne Castelnau has been the official Champagne of the Tour de France since 2012. The multi vintage cuvée, modelled here by the producer’s CEO Pascal Prudhomme, is a blend of Champagnes from the 2010 and 2011 vintage, and is comprised of 15% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 45% Pinot Meunier. Of that blend, 85% is from the 2010 vintage, which was aged on its lees in oak barrels, making this cuvée distinctive to others in the Castelnau range.
The launch of the Champagne was made memorable due to its location inside an art-filled apartment in the centre of Paris, which included a number of striking artworks and wild interior design, some of which can be seen below.
Keith Issac MW, general manager of Catelnau Wine Agencies, a subsidiary of Castelnau Champagne, couldn’t resist a photo opportunity in the avant-garde apartment, which featured a bath inside an office, along with Christian Prudhomme, general director of the Tour de France (below).
Australian golfer Jason Day quite literally hit his ball in the drink at The Masters yesterday, when his drive on the first hole of The Augusta National ricocheted off a tree, bounced off of someone’s shoulder and landed in a spectator’s beer.
Finding the bottom of the cup after your first shot on a par-four is usually a cause for celebration, but this wasn’t the cup Day was aiming for.
His wayward shot clattered through the trees on the first hole, striking someone’s shoulder before coming to rest in a green plastic cup filled with beer.
Erik Lorincz of The American Bar at The Savoy
It’s been a week of departures in the world of drinks. On Wednesday, we bid farewell to The Savoy’s head bartender Erik Lorincz, who is hanging up his white jacket and plans to leave his role at the American Bar next month after nearly eight years of service.
Lorincz told db he’s going to take a couple of months out to tick off his global bar bucket-list, before returning to London to work on launching a cocktail bar of his own.
On Thursday, wine fair group Vinexpo announced that CEO Guillaume Deglise is to step down from the role after this year’s exhibition in Hong Kong.
Deglise has been at the helm of what is one the leading global wine trade events since 2013 and in that time he has overseen the growth of the flagship show in Bordeaux, the “strong development” of the Hong Kong show as well as launching new shows in Tokyo (2014), New York (2018) and the show in Paris scheduled for 2020.
Meanwhile Adolfo Hurtado, chief winemaker and general manager at Chilean winery Cono Sur, has left the company after 20 years to pursue other – as yet unannounced – winemaking projects.
Given the reins at Cono Sur in 1997 while still a relatively young and untested winemaker, Hurtado was given licence to develop a number of projects that were, at the time for Chile, rather daring; including working with Riesling, Gewurztraminer and the grape that has become most closely linked with Cono Sur, Pinot Noir.
(Photo: Lesley Martin/Savanna)
Savanna brand ambassadors took to the streets of Edinburgh over the Easter weekend, offering locals a chance to “sing for their cider.”
Armed with a branded taxi bearing the phrase: “never apple-ogise for riding in style”, punters had to work for a free taxi journey and a bottle of Savanna Dry by singing one of their favourite songs and introducing the word “Savanna” into the lyrics.
Travellers tapped into their creative side, adapting songs from Copa Savanna to Sweet home Savanna and more.
Team DB is in agreement: these puns are unpearable.
Speaking of things that sounds like Savanna, Bacardi-owned rum Havana Club (not to be confused with Pernod Ricard’s version) combined cocktails with immersive theare and debuted its show Cuba-centric exhibition “Amparo” in New York at Bill’s Townhouse on Thursday.
The show portrayed the journey faced by the original owners of the spirits brand —the Arechabala family — including their exile from Cuba after the original Havana Club rum was nationalised by the Castro government in the 1960s.
It’s a bold move from Bacardi, following the launch of its “Forever Cuban” marketing campaign earlier this year.
The cast, crew, and creative team behind “Amparo” are all deeply rooted in Cuba, according to Bacardi, but the spirits firm, which is currently embroiled in a bitter trademark battle with Pernod Ricard over Havana Club, actually makes its rum in Puerto Rico.
Pernod Ricard has accused Bacardi of including “misleading statements”in the campaign, but Bacardi says it is simply helping Havana Club “assert its rightful place” as the one true Cuban rum.
While we’re on dark spirits, this week saw the monthly auction go live at Whisky.Auction featuring an original Johnnie Walker 1820-1970 150th Anniversary decanter, never commercially available but given only to certain staff and friends of the distillery in 1970.
The decanter features the classic striding man logo actually etched onto the glass. With the 200th anniversary on the horizon, teamdb wonders if Johnnie Walker’s marketers might take inspiration from this year’s controversial International Women’s Day label rebrand for the next milestone?
The bottle is lot number 31705 in the current auction live until 10th April. Click here if you want to get your mitts on some historic whiskey stash.
Cognac Frapin took over east London speakeasy The Nightjar to launch its latest 1270 expression, a single estate Congac which was introduced by export director Bertrand Verduzier.
In keeping with the bar’s live music ethos, guests enjoyed two live sets from singer songwriter Alexis Francis (left) – James Bay’s younger brother.
They also enjoyed a selection of Cognac cocktails laced with Frapin’s new expression, with Verduzier keen to show the spirit’s versatility in cocktails.
Down Under, Yealands Family Wines has been voted Favourite New Zealand Wine Brand in the Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2017: People’s Choice Award.
Run by New Zealand Winegrowers, the competition offered the chance for native wine drinkers to choose their favourite brand.
Peter Yealands, the winery’s founder, said: “I’m so proud of everyone at Yealands, for all their passion and hard work, and commitment to making exceptional wines that are enjoyed by so many people.”
This week in cocktail porn, London’s Madison bar launched a new menu inspired by America’s colourful drinks history from the Victorian ages right through the Prohibition era to the present day.
The new card features mouthwatering concoctions including La Grande Illusion (pisco, falernum, mandarin liqueur and lime juice), and a Maple and Almond Sour (Rittenhouse rye whiskey, roasted almond, dark chocolate, spices, lemon juice and maple syrup).
AB InBev-owned Budweiser is continuing its mission to replace craft beer as the Millennial’s favourite brew.
The creatives over in East London were treated to free Bud Light and a visit from Budweiser’s very own “town crier” on Easter Monday.
The Bud Light Crier rang his bell at Howl at the Moon in Hoxton before handing punters “Dilly Coins”, which they could redeem at the bar for a free Bud Light. Other pubs and bars that serve Bud Light can sign up for the opportunity for a Bud Light Bank Holiday celebration – there are a number coming up throughout 2018.