The week in pictures

Last weekend, three riders from Mentzendorff joined Brunello di Montalcino producer Ciacci Piccolomini and 3,000 other riders, all on vintage racing bikes (pre-1987), for the Eroica Montalcino, a 100km ride on the ancient “Strade Bianche” roads of Tuscany, made even more demanding by the rain.

In other summer sport news, Treasury Wine Estates’ brand Wolf Blass has launched a £1 million marketing campaign as part of its sponsorship of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

(Photo: David Parry/PA Wire)

The partnership, which launches this week, includes every activation under the sun including an experiential sampling event, wine tastings, social media ads and limited edition bottles.

An experiential pop-up experience – The Chase – opened at Bernie Spain Gardens on the Southbank on Thursday, and last night saw former England batsmen Nick Knight interview two cricketing greats and Ashes winning captains – Michael Clarke and Charlotte Edwards CBE – asking them about their careers and thoughts about the upcoming tournament.

Never known to miss a free fizz reception, A-listers Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman and Kate Moss all flew out to Champagne last week to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Moët & Chandon’s signature cuvée, Moët Imperial.

(Photo: Moët & Chandon)

The French estate pulled out all the stops with a dinner devised by chefs Dominique Crenn and Yannick Alleno, a speech from wildly talented tennis player Roger Federer (who has also been Moët’s brand ambassador since 2012), and, of course, a boatload of Champagne.

Have you heard the one about the pig and the Champagne bottle?

Author Nina Stibbe was presented with the 2019 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction, for her novel Reasons to be Cheerful, at the Hay Festival in Wales on Sunday.

(Photo: Bollinger)

Last year’s prize was withheld because the entries failed to make every judge laugh out loud, but Stibbe’s book wasn’t as boaring (sorry). Thanks to her wit, the judges handed over an extra special rollover prize of a methuselah of Bollinger Special Cuvée, a case of Bolly, a complete set of the Everyman’s Library collection of P.G. Wodehouse books, and apparently, a giant Gloucester Old Spot boar named after her winning novel.

Reasons to be cheerful, indeed…

(Photo: Bollinger)

In culinary collabs, Champagne Bollinger has also being working with chefs across the UK on a series of recipes designed to pair with its recently released La Grande Année 2008.

The latest pairing created for the month of May came courtesy of cBolhef Gareth Ward at destination Michelin Star restaurant, Ynyshir, in South Wales.

His recipe involved a highly technical process to based on that incredibly 2019 dish, Miso Black Cod. It involved marinating line caught Black Cod in miso, mirin and sake for three days, then washing it off and cooking the fish in a water bath before being rested and then quickly charred on the plancha. It is left to rest and brushed with soy before being flaked to serve.

And what has Ward called this lovely complex dish?

Cod.

This week, London has been wrapped up in English Wine Week, with a whole roster of activities celebrating homegrown grape juice across the capital.

(Photo: Ridgeview)

East Sussex-based Ridgeview was just one of the wineries getting involved, erecting a pop-up bar at Mare St Market in Hackney. Ridgeview offered its Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia Rosé and Blanc de Noirs sparklers alongside a limited edition BBQ menu on the terrace bar.

Meanwhile The Coral Rooms, The Bloomsbury Hotel’s bar famous for its homegrown fizz menu, teamed up with Sussex’s Bolney Estate to offer a flight of its wines as part of English Wine Week.

(Photo: Bloomsbury Hotel)

The Coral Rooms also celebrated its first birthday this week. It feel like only yesterday that db‘s entire editorial team arrived en masse to the launch party last year….

Happy Birthday guys. Looking forward to the next one!

(Photo: Jockey Club)

In other fizz news, The Investec Derby kicks off today, and Coates & Seely, the Jockey Club’s official English sparkling wine partner, has parked a vintage Albion bus at the racecourse in Epsom.

Jockey Club Catering’s head chef Rhys Owen couldn’t resist a photo opp.

(Photo: Veuve Clicquot)

In other, other fizz news, The Courtyard Garden and Long Bar at the Sanderson has been turned into a sultry paradise for the summer, thanks to Veuve Cliquot.

Despite somewhat chilly weather at the launch party, db and other guests were given a taste of the tropical, with specially created Painted Lady cocktails, which combined Veuve Cliquot Rosé, St-Germain, fino Sherry, raspberry and lemon.

Innovation of the week goes to Grey Goose, which launched an extravagantly high-tech draught cocktail system at a party on London’s Bankside on Thursday evening.

(Photo: Grey Goose)

The vodka label has created a new sub-zero draught tap system that can create a perfect version of the beloved espresso martini on-demand, tapping into the rising demand for cocktails on-tap.

Whether charged with nitrogen to add a rich and creamy texture to an espresso martini, or adding more traditional fizz to regular, reimagined cocktails, the system has been designed to allow for a variety of drinks to be served “with ease, at speed, at sub-zero temperatures.”

“The new, innovative draught tap system has been designed with this versatility in mind, allowing bars to cater for a wide assortment of drinks now and into the future.” Lee Applbaum, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Grey goose, said.

In Tenuous Links, the Spice Girls UK tour has officially kicked off, and the marketeers at Slingsby Gin inform us there’s no better way to celebrate than with a cocktail made with one of the brands flavoured takes on the spirit.

Spice Up Your Life, Wanna-Bee and When Two Become One are made using Slingsby’s signature gins, Rhubarb, Gooseberry and London Dry.

Last week, db had the pleasure of an evening with cricketing star Ian Botham, who was in conversation with Joe Fattorini to talk about his recently-launched premium range of Australian wines, and to hear about his love of Australia, wine making and cricket ahead of an exciting summer of sport in the UK.

We also stopped by to hand “Beefy” his Special Commendation in the Best Launch category of our Drinks Business Awards 2019, which took place earlier that day. Congrats!

In Westminster, South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne and TV presenter Anthea Turner joined forces to raise awareness of the Wood White butterfly, with the launch of a new Wood White beer in the House of Commons on the 13th May.