The week in pictures

This week marked the sad news that Gerard Basset OBE, esteemed Master Sommelier, Master of Wine and an inspiration to the wine trade for 30 years, has died after a long battle with cancer.

Writers, winemakers and sommeliers have come out in their hundreds to share their memories of Basset. His wife, Nina, said she and his loved ones “draw strength from the kind messages that we have already received from the many people whose lives he touched.”

A crowdfunding platform to raise funds for the publication of Gerard Basset’s memoirs has since launched online.

Our editor, Patrick Schmitt MW, also gave his own tribute, which you can read here. He noted that “no-one in wine was as well-known, as widely-liked and as universally-admired as Gérard – and that’s despite stiff competition in this friendly industry of high-achievers.”

“I shall certainly greatly miss his comforting presence at the major events in the wine calendar, where one could be sure Gérard would be present, usually standing to one side of the room, smiling, with his chin resting on his hand.”

He will be greatly missed by all of us.

One of the most fascinating stories in the world of wine is how Argentina became an international powerhouse for big juicy Malbecs.

And now, you can see the tale come alive in London. Bibendum and Argentine winery Catena Zapata hosted the first ever UK performance of the History of Malbec at the Argentinian embassy on Monday.

The play – inspired by Catena’s label design for the 2015 Argentino Malbec – depicts four symbolic women involved in Malbec’s history.

We’re going to need to talk about Brexit this week, but don’t worry we also have celebrities a few pages in. Stay with us.

(Photo: Raul Mee/Flickr)

Let’s start with the basics. Since the utterly, utterly disastrous meaningful vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal on Tuesday, industry leaders have urged her to delay Article 50 in a last-ditch effort to save UK businesses from a no-deal crash out.

Miles Beale of the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA), Kate Nicholls of industry body UK Hospitality, and Ian Wright of the Food and Drink Federation unanimously agreed that a no-deal would be Very Bad. All three called for an extension to the transition period to give the government time to come up with another deal that the majority of MPs will agree on (good luck).

We reached out to executives at Heineken, Brewdog, and other private companies to get their views, but the majority are leaving it to the trade bodies.

However, never one to miss an opportunity to get his views across, Wetherspoon’s boss and Brexiteer Tim Martin had this to say”

“Miles Beale of the WSTA is out of touch. If we leave the EU on 29 March without a deal, we will save £39 billion, regain control of our fishing waters and we can end import taxes on oranges, rice, processed coffee, children’s clothes and thousands of other items, which push up prices for the public. All these initiatives will help the economy.”

“It’s two and a half years since the referendum – the majority of the public, including many Remainers, don’t want to kick the can down the road any more – they want to leave at the first opportunity and hate the idea of more delays. Let’s restore democracy in this country and end arbitrary EU meddling!”

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

While Theresa May battled through the week like Bart Simpson in that Simpson’s episode where he sold his soul to Millhouse, Tory minister Liz Truss was over in Kent sipping rosé with Hush Heath owner Richard Balfour Lynn.

Truss was joined by Maidstone and the Weald MP, Helen Grant MP, to tour the estate, including the new state of the art winery and the ancient oak orchards.

Well let’s hope she’s right, because Truss is one of the most vocal objectors to staying in the customs union after Brexit. She categorically ruled out future membership while talking with ITV’s Robert Peston on Wesdnesday.

.@trussliz categorically rules out future membership of a Customs Union saying it would be incompatible with striking independent trade deals. #Peston pic.twitter.com/TtVqf3wTXr

— Peston (@itvpeston) January 16, 2019

This particular visit was arranged to “explore opportunities for growth in the export market for English wine as well as the ever busy wine tourism market that is continuing to flourish,” according to the estate. Fingers crossed, eh?

The Beckhams are known for their love of status symbol wines. So much so that Victoria has publicly hinted that she’d never dream of buying a bottle for less than £10.

So its unsurprising that, right before she set off to watch Tina, The Tina Turner Musical in London’s West End, the Spice Girl-turned designer bought three personalised silver hipflasks and loaded them up with Tequila to avoid the interval wine.

“Always good to be prepared,” she posted on her Instagram story feed last night.

“No really…it is all about the preparation!”

The hipflasks were engraved with the names of her mother Jackie, hairdresser and close friend Ken Paves, and journalist Derek Blasberg.

Emo kids, rejoice! It was a good week for fans of guitars and craft beer. First, heavy metal icons Metallica teamed up with California’s Stone Brewing to release a new beer in the US, to be rolled out internationally in spring, when the band sets out on its 2019 European tour.

Enter Night has been brewed in partnership with the band and Arrogant Consortia, a subsidiary of Stone Brewing, named after a lyric in the 1991 track Enter Sandman. 

The beer is a 5.7% Pilsner and is said to represent the “cataclysmic collision of two uncompromising supernatural forces” that transcends “genres, shatters preconceptions and challenges convention”.

00s children had their own musical beer treat as well this week, as Panic! At the Disco announced they will launch a new IPA at the New Jersey leg of their Pray for the Wicked tour this weekend.

Produced with local Asbury Park Brewery, the beer is described as an “American IPA brewed in collaboration with Brendon Urie, with a strong malt backbone and a big hop finish”.

In Lucrative Sports Sponsorships Land, the Dutch Atlantic Four became the first ever Dutch team to win the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, a rowing race purporting to be the world’s toughest.

The foursome, Marcel Ates (58), Erik Koning (51), Bart Adema (34) and David de Brujin (33), persevered through challenging weather conditions to cross the Atlantic Ocean, reaching the finish line in 34 days, 12 hours and 9 minutes.

Sure, it was challenging. Sure, they were rowing for well over a month. Sure, the team burned around 8,000 calories per day and lost 20% of their bodyweight in the heroic effort of crossing the Atlantic, but they finished in Anitgua, so our sympathy is limited.

Also in Caribbean nautical news, House of Camus celebrated the arrival of its Cognac expedition in Barbados after a month and a half’s voyage.

The 10 barrels of cognac will begin a year of tropical maturation surrounded by barrels of rum in the traditional open-sided cellars, under the specific climatic conditions of Barbados.

It is the first time the producer has undertaken an expedition of this kind, and indeed, maturation both at sea and under the tropics is a first in the world of cognac. Some samples of Cognac have been kept from before the voyage, and on its arrival in Bridgetown. Others will be taken throughout the entire tropical maturation process, in order to make a comparative tasting.

Richard Seale, Camus’ director and the great grandson of a Bajan rum distillery founder, said “patience is paramount in our profession, but I can’t wait to taste the result in a year and a half’s time.”

Diageo has released an extended range of whiskies based on HBO’s hit TV series Game of Thrones, which is now available to pre-order online.

The release of the limited edition White Walker and single malt collection comes ahead of the start of the show’s eighth and final season. They can be pre-ordered from Amazon in select European countries, and through www.malts.com. The first shipments will arrive from 19 February.

Pioneering Kiwi winemaker Kevin Judd jetted over to London for the annual New Zealand trade tasting, held this year at County Hall on the Southbank. Judd, who helped propel Cloudy Bay to international fame as its first winemaker, was on hand to pour a number of wines from his Greywacke label, including his daringly different Wild Sauvignon.

The indefatigable Louise Hill of Philipps-Hill Wine Marketing was keen to show db the latest addition to the Yealands range – a brand called Babydoll, which, in addition to bottles, comes in on-trend pastel cans.

Making its UK debut at the NZ tasting, the lifestyle wine brand is is named after the breed of adorable miniature sheep that keep the grass trim between the vines. The wines, which include a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, rosé and Pinot Noir, hail from the premium Awatere Valley sub-region of Marlborough and are made at Yealands Estate by senior winemaker Natalie Christensen.

Respected winemaker and biodynamic pioneer in Champagne, Hervé Jestin, came to London this week to celebrate a new partnership between his brand, Champagne Leclerc Briant and UK wine merchant and distributor, Berry Bros & Rudd. He also stressed the need for the wine world to find an alternative to copper as a fungicide.

Also in London this week was Nicolas Bizzarri, who is head winemaker at Chile’s Luis Felipe Edwards. Having hosted a lunch at Pollen Street Social, he pulled out a Cabernet Sauvignon from the producer’s inaugural vintage: 1994, which we all agreed has the balance and flavours of a cru classé Pauillac from a similar era. 

And finally… Panda Wines brought a selection of Chinese reds to London this week, where db sampled this Doggie (not dodgy) Cab from Tiansai in the Gobi, while Janet Wang officially launched her book, called The Chinese Wine Renaissance, which you can order here.