The week in pictures

Last weekend Pol Roger had a royal time sponsoring the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, where Christopher Burton clinched his second British Open title.

On Monday, Luc Belaire announced its new partnership with Gumball 3000, the annual 3000-mile international motor rally. The partnership kicked off with an unveiling of specially designed Ferrari-shaped bottle carriers at the London launch party this weekend.

that’s ok, we didn’t want to go anyway…(Photo: Belaire)

Never ones to miss an opportunity to namecheck their famous friends, the team informed us that the London launch saw a variety of guests in attendance. These were:

UK Grime artists Giggs and Wretch 32

American rapper Bun B

Love Island 2k18 stars Josh Denzel and Kaz Crossley

David Hasslehoff and wife, Hayley

Actor Adrian Brody

British racing driver Oliver Webb

Ferrari race driver Josh Cartu,

DJs Jillionaire and DJ Ruckas, and record producer Dallas Austin. Got that?

In sadder news, Hampshire’s Jenkyn Place vineyard in the village of Bentley has been cut in half.

The Grade II listed Bridge, that connected the Chardonnay vineyard to the Pinot Noir, has been destroyed. Owner Simon Bladon, who was “disconsolate”, promises that the bridge will be rebuilt to match the original in every detail.

Built in 1901 – on the now-aptly named Hole Lane – the bridge was 17′ high, six inches higher than the minimum height for a motorway bridge; but that was not enough to save it from a passing Welsh hay lorry.

William Grant & Sons UK’s Highland Festival returned to Haggerston Park at the weekend for the fourth consecutive year. The sun-soaked event saw the country’s top bartenders battle it out to win a highly-coveted trip to Barcelona.

This year, nine brand teams competed for the title, with Team Drambuie ultimately rising to the top, led by global brand ambassador Freddy May.

Brooklyn Brewery kicked off its ‘local legends’ tour of the UK in Glasgow on Saturday.

Staff from the Carlsberg-owned brewery are traveling the country in a specially adapted tour bus to champion community heroes and help consumers celebrate the “Brooklyn State of Mind”.

The tour will also see Brooklyn Brewery partner with global media company, VICE, in order to document the community stories, and capture the atmosphere.

The Whisky Exchange opened the doors to its second store in Great Portland Street this week. The new store boasts a 50% increase on the retailer’s Covent Garden site, and is home to more than 2,500 spirits, wines and beers.

Head buyer Dawn Davies MW said: “British products are given great attention, especially in the booming gin category, and we have significantly increased our offering of wines, champagnes and beers compared to our Covent Garden store.

Bond-film moment of the week goes to Kent-based Copper Rivet Distillery.

Co-founders Bob and Matthew Russell sped their freshly harvested wheat, barley and rye back to their distillery on the shores of the River Medway in Chatham earlier this week, and, well, who can blame them for taking a photo?

And it’s not just grain being harvested. The Dyfi Distillery, based in Wales’ only UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve, has released its own 2018 harvest update.

“We started the 2018 foraging season in very cold and wet conditions, by picking gorse flowers while snow was falling in Dyfi,” said Danny Cameron, who founded the distillery with his brother Pete in 2015.

“The main flowering season itself, beginning with elderflower and hawthorn flowers, was late and individually short. As of just now, the heady meadowsweet harvest is completed, and heather flowers are starting to appear.”

“Our leaf crops, such as sweet gale, nettle tips, new birch and bramble leaves have all been healthy. In fact, the extended period of heat may have contributed to some greater flavour concentrations than in 2017. The very dry spell which threatened the viability of many natural springs in Dyfi, including our own, at first also led to concerns about berry crops. With wonderful bilberries now picked though, and very promising blackberries on the best sites, things are turning out very well indeed. Rowan (mountain ash), so evocative of traditional Welsh ferments from generations past, are making their final colour-turn just now, and look healthy and generous. From there, we’ll move on to rose hips, sloes and haws”.

This week, news broke, that 80s hitmaker Rick Astley, known for the legendary Never Gonna Give You Up, has partnered with Danish microbrewer Mikkeller to open a craft beer bar in London.

Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and his childhood idol, Rick Astley met each other a few years ago when they collaborated to brew the beer ‘Astley’s Northern Hop Lager.’ Out of their friendship, the idea of opening a bar together in London grew, with the concept now becoming a reality. The Mikkeller Bar London will open on October 19.

“We have finally found a fantastic location in the Shoreditch district that suits us perfectly, said CEO and founder of Mikkeller, Mikkel Borg Bjergsø. “Meanwhile, we have been fortunate to get to know Rick Astley and his wife Lene Bausager Astley, so now we have also found the perfect partners.”

Stella Artois released a 20-minute guided ‘meditation’ on how to drink a beer this week, voiced by actor Luke Evans.

Mimicking the popular minfulness app Headspace, which offers guided meditations to bring a slice of calm to your day, Stella Artois has introduced Stellaspace, an audio guide designed to help people focus on being present and truly enjoying a Stella Artois.

“Whether I’m traveling for work, on set for a new film, or dining with friends it’s so important for me to be able to focus completely on the moment,” said Luke Evans. “And one of my favourite ways to connect with friends and family is over a cold beer, which is why I think Stellaspace is brilliant – it provides a fun way to remind people to be present, make the most of their time and of course enjoy a Stella Artois while doing so.”

Also doing the rounds this week is the news that McDonalds is creating a ‘luxury concept restaurant’. No, that’s not a typo.

The High Street Kensington branch of the popular burger chain has started taking reservations for a one-day pop-up event on 15 August.

Diners at the pop-up will enter the restaurant to the sounds of a string quartet and will be escorted to their table by butlers wearing white gloves.

Cornish brewery St Austell has appointed Jack Stein as an ambassador for its Proper Job IPA. Stein, son of TV Chef Rick Stein, has recently released his first cookbook called ‘World on a Plate’ and currently holds the role of chef director of the Rick Stein group.

As part of his new role with St Austell, Stein will host a number of promotional cooking events featuring Proper Job IPA and has also created a series of recipes and food pairings for the beer.

Speaking about the new partnership, Proper Job ambassador Jack Stein said: “Having grown up in Cornwall it’s really exciting to be working with one of the most successful and well-known Cornish brewers in the country – especially one that shares my passion for sourcing its ingredients locally, wherever possible.

“Proper Job is a real treat of an IPA and perfect for foodies as it’s big, bold and powerfully hopped. It’s a proper match for those looking for a beer to pair with a flavourful dish or incorporate into their cooking.”