The week in pictures

Star Pubs & Bars went on a two day trip to Krakow with the Star Award winning licensees to celebrate their success. They are pictured here visiting Krakow’s famous salt mines.

Cider brand Orchard Pig trialled its ‘Traxi’ service in Chelsea, bringing country life to the capital. Tweet Orchard Pig if you want the Traxi to turn up in your area.

Queen Elizabeth II and Spain’s King Felipe look at a display of Spanish items from the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace, London during the King’s State Visit to the UK.

The King and Queen of Spain were served Sherry chosen by the Poet Laureate on their state visit to the UK – a nod to a 400-year-old custom that has seen producers gift each successive Laureate with a butt of Sherry.

The Duke of Cambridge, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall stand next to a display of Spanish items from the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace, London which were being shown to Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia during the King’s State Visit to the UK.

Turkish wine producer Kayra took part in the annual Oxford Symposium – an international conference for people with a broad interest in food which is attended by scholars, enthusiastic amateurs, writers and chefs. Kayra Educator Ayca Budak was on hand to talk guests through a number of the producer’s wines from native Turkish grapes including: Beyaz Kalecik Karası, Kayra Narince and Kayra Versus Alpagut Okuzgozu.

David Gandy. (Photo credit: Dave Bennet)

Guests were treated to Martini vermouth and tonic cocktails to toast the premiere of the new documentary, Williams. It tells the story of how Sir Frank Williams built a racing empire and the vivid, heart-rendering portrait of the aftermath of a tragedy.

David Coulthard. (Photo credit: Dave Bennet)

Guests at a rather rainy premiere included F1 stars Felipe Massa, David Coulthard, Valtteri Bottas and Damon Hill.

Felipe Massa and Sir Frank Williams. (Photo credit: David Bennet).

Sir Frank Williams came to watch the documentary based on his career alongside F1 driver Felipe Massa.

Official Champagne of the Tour de France, Champagne Castelnau has teamed up with the world’s largest cycling publisher, Immediate Media Cycling, to step up its Tour de France activity. Pictured here is the current leader in the contest, Fabio Aru of Italy, with a bottle of Champagne Castelnau.

The glamour continued last week with a visit to the opera, as the drinks business made a beeline for High Wycombe with Champagne Deutz, Champagne sponsor of the Garsington Opera, with its UK importer Gonzalez Byass.

db’s Lauren Eads was joined by CEO of Champagne Deutz Fabrice Rosset, Martin Skelton MW, managing director of Gonzalez Byass, and fellow drinks writers Margaret Rand, Michael Edwards and Neil Beckett to enjoy a performance of the Marriage of Figaro over a gourmet picnic, served alongside the stunning 2002 Cuvée William Deutz Brut was a highlight.

Caroline Latrive, chef de cave at Champagne Ayala, was in town this week to give a lucky few a first taste of its 2010 Blanc de Blancs, made exclusively from Chardonnay sourced from the villages of Chouilly, Cramant, Vertus and Oiry in the Côte des Blancs.

db paid a visit to the NZ Wine Cellar in Brixton on Tuesday, fresh from its win as NZ specialist retailer at the IWC Awards, for a tasting with NZ winemaker James Millton of Millton Vineyards. Together with his wife Anne, the pair produce a range of biodynamic wines from their vineyards in Gisborne, with a focus on aromatic varieties including Viognier, Gewurztraminer and Chenin Blanc.