The week in pictures

Northern Italy’s winemakers kicked off the week, as the Consorzio del Pinot grigio delle Venezie DOC hosted the first international convention dedicated to the virtues of Pinot Grigio on Monday (14 October).

A number of wine experts from Italy and beyond attended the conference in Venice, including Emma Dawson MW (buyer at Berkmann Wine Cellars, London), who presented a talk called “It’s a question of style in the UK”, and Christy Canterbury MW (journalist from New York), who gave insights on the American market with “Born in the USA’ discussion.

This week in royal visits, the Duchess of Cornwall was at Sussex-based Bolney Wine Estate to officially open the vineyard’s new state-of-the-art winery.

Managing director Sam Linter took her on a tour of the new gaff and the 104-acre vineyard, before a fizz tasting at the estate’s Eighteen Acre Café.

Bolney MD Sam Linter (left) and the Duchess of Cornwall (right) tuck into Sussex fizz.

Linter said the opening of the new winery has been strategically timed with the autumn harvest, and closely follows the Estate’s merger with neighbouring vineyard, Pookchurch, earlier this year.

“We are honoured that Her Royal Highness was able to join us to mark this occasion and officially open the new winery,” he said.

In more harvest news, 12 members of the team from Champagne bar Searcy’s – including staff from head office, the Champagne Bar at St Pancras and the Blenheim Palace site – had a field trip to Greyfriars Vineyard in Surrey this week to help out with the grape harvest.

The winery has launched a new Friends of Greyfriars’ membership scheme, which allows oenophiles to get discounted wine deals at the Cellar Door, as well as the opportunity to chip in during an exclusive Harvest Day at the vineyard on 19 October, an Open Vat Day on 23 November, and a day of pruning vines and blending wines in January 2020.

In competitive sniffing, Matteo Montone, wine director at the London Edition hotel, has won the world final of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs young sommelier of the year – the third year in a row that a sommelier working in Britain has claimed the title.

In oenotourism, Oastbrook Estate in Sussex picked a gong for Quirkiest Place To Stay at the Enviivo Awards on Tuesday (15 October).

The English winery’s owner, America Brewer (we know), was at the ceremony in London’s The Grand Connaught Rooms to collect Oastbrook’s award.

The surprisingly spacious Hobbit House in Robertsbridge, Sussex, comes complete with its own private garden and jacuzzi for guests.

The Judges said: “This magical property is decidedly the quirkiest of the bunch, with a theme related to an iconic story – yet it functions well as a cosy retreat for all the family. Guests marvel at the attention to detail at this whimsically designed property – raving in the reviews about the ‘hand forged keys’ and the attractiveness of the place. The judges especially liked the use of local wood throughout, the execution of the theme, and the plethora of activities for guests to enjoy.”

In beer news, southern England brewer Hogs Back has just gained Cask Marque accreditation; a badge of honour for UK pubs and breweries that have proven a certain level of quality and care for their beers.

Rupert Thompson, Hogs Back MD, was actually one of the founders of the Cask Marque scheme back in 1988, and has waited over 20 years to get his own seal of approval.

The European Guild of Beer Writers held their first meeting in September.

In more beer news, the British Guild of Beer Writers tells us it is forming a European chapter.

The group held its first meeting in Brussels at the end of last month, attended by existing Guild members from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Ukraine, and the UK.

Provisionally called the European Guild of Beer Writers, the new group will aim to improve the standard of beer writing by “sharing expertise among members, and creating more social opportunities for European members to get together.”

Pete Brown, Guild chair and beer writer extraordinaire, said that, given the UK’s imminent break from the European Union, now felt like a good time to forge closer ties with writers across borders.

“When there’s so much political rancour around the issue of Europe, it feels like the perfect time for a beer-related organisation to create closer ties between Britain and our friends and colleagues on the continent,” he said.

In hospitality, The Ivy Collection is opening a new restaurant in Victoria on 12 November.

To promote the new site and pay tribute to the local areas history and Victorian era, The Ivy Collection took to the streets with five professional penny fathering’s, passing historic landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Bridge and Horse Guards Parade.

Speaking of European relations, db made dashed over to the Tate Modern on Thursday (17 October) to chat to Tim Atkin MW at Spanish wine region Rioja’s annual trade & press tasting.

The event included a showcase of the region’s top 100 wines, as selected by a panel of judges at a blind tasting under the guidance of Atkin and Sarah Jane Evans MW.

The tasting also featured two panel discussions including ‘Sourcing Rioja’ and ‘Communicating Rioja to consumers’.

The Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) celebrated its 50th birthday last night (17 October) with a dinner at London’s historic Vintners’ Hall.

Master Vintner Christopher Davey praised the trust’s success in getting 100,000 people to study courses last year, adding the WSET is now “an international brand of serious education.”

Although Ian Harris, WSET’s chief executive, joked the celebration itself was more like “a private dinner party with a massive and dysfunctional family around me.”