The week in pictures

Tributes have been pouring in from the culinary world for British chef Gary Rhodes, who died suddenly in Dubai yesterday of natural causes at the age of 59.

For many of our readers, Rhodes was one of the very first chefs we recognised as a celebrity, paving the way for the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

In an online tribute yesterday, Ramsay called Rhodes “a fantastic chef” that “put British cuisine on the map”.

John Williams, head chef of The Ritz London, tweeted that Rhodes was “one of the very best British chefs”, while Paul Ainsworth, a protégé of Rhodes, spoke of how the chef gave him his first break, paying for him to stay in a London hotel for three months so that he could move to the Big Smoke and begin his career.

In festive facilities, the Christmas lights at London Pride-maker Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, west London, have been switched on this week.

In boyband crossovers, New Zealand wine label Yealands sponsored an event by Kiwi ex-pat networking organisation Kea at New Zealand House in London on Tuesday (27 November).

But this was’t your average networking event. also in attendance were the members of Six60, taking a break from the UK leg of their world tour.

Eli Paewai, Chris Mac, Ji Fraser and Marlon Gerbes, spent time meeting the crowd and enjoyed a taste of home supplied by Yealands’ single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc and single vineyard Pinot Noir.

Six60 formed about 11 years ago, and have had chart-topping success since their debut album featuring triple platinum-selling single Don’t Forget Your Roots. They released their third album ahead of the tour on 7 November, featuring the wonderfully bluesy-pop style single Ghosts. Tonight, the band is heading to Dublin to play at The Academy, before heading back to London to play at the Roundhouse on Sunday.

In new kids on the block, Brixton’s craft beer bar Taproom hosted a beer and cheese pairing night on Wednesday evening in partnership with local brewer Kernel, and south London vendor Champagne and Fromage.

As part of their first official event in the new Taproom by Brixton Village (which opened at the start of November), the evening was guided by brewers and representatives from both of the South London businesses.

Meanwhile, Veuve Clicquot has become the first Champagne brand to launch a fizz bar and ‘concept store’ in upmarket London department store Selfridges.

Bertrand Steip, managing director at Moët Hennessy UK said that consumer experience was “central to the buying experience itself – particularly at this heightened time of shopping.”

Consumers can also pre-book a Champagne tasting or cocktail masterclass that will be conducted on board ‘Le Tram’ by a Veuve Clicquot ambassador.

In celebrations, we took a trip to Eneko Basque Bar & Kitchen in Covent Garden on Wednesday to catch the Rioja Recognises awards.

The Rioja DO celebrated four new industry ambassadors who have this year shown commitment to the category in the UK.

In more Rioja diplomacy, Rioja producer Valdemar has opened a new winery in Walla Walla, Washington State, making it the first foreign-owned winery in the region.

There are several projects in Washington State between European and local partners, such as Marchesi Antinori and Chateau Ste Michelle’s ‘Col Solare’ collaboration, but Valdemar’s new winery is the first solo investment by a European business.

Sukiyabashi Jiro, often referred to as the world’s best sushi restaurant, has been dropped by the latest Michelin Guide, after claims it no longer takes public reservations.

The 10-seater restaurant, famed for its 40,000 yen (£285) chef’s selection menu, has been cast out of the Michelin Guide, not due to the quality of its food, but by the nature of its reservation system.

To dine at the restaurant, which is owned by Jiro Ono, who is in his 90s, and his eldest son Yoshikazu, guests must either be a regular, have special connections, or book through a concierge of a top hotel.

In tourism news, Pernod Ricard’s Jameson Distillery on Bow Street, Dublin, has won the World’s Leading Distillery Tour at the World Travel Awards for the second year in a row.

The 26th World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2019 took place at the Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman

Aston Martin was been granted an alcohol trademark this week, and already the luxury car maker has announced a partnership with Islay’s Bowmore distillery on a range of limited edition whiskies and “innovative lifestyle experiences”.

Aston Martin said that Bowmore will become its exclusive spirits partner and will create exclusive bottlings that reflect “both brand’s commitment to heritage but also to cutting edge-design and manufacturing techniques”.

In own-labels, Amazon has become the latest retailer to launch its own wine brand.

Amazon has quietly rolled out an own brand range of “affordable” wines, called Compass Road, which launched in Germany earlier this month.