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Week in pictures: 10 – 16 August 2024
This week in pictures features Louis Thomas at the Pol Roger Touch Rugby Tournament, Douglas Blyde at The Audley, and two Global Wine Masters competitions.
Pol Roger
Louis Thomas attended the sixth Pol Roger Touch Rugby Tournament, though as a spectator, not player. With the Champagne flowing and all of the teams getting into the spirit of things, it was, as Pol Roger Portfolio MD James Simpson MW called it: “Like a wine trade sports day”. The Liv-ex team emerged as the overall winner, defeating reigning champion Berry Bros. & Rudd in the final.
The Global Orange Masters
This week saw the inaugural Global Orange Masters take place. Georgia is not the only orange wine producer – in the 1990s, North-East Italy, with historic producers such as Gravner or Radikon, developed a reputation for orange wines too, and it is now safe to say that amber wine has conquered the world and is produced in a myriad of countries and styles. This singular but diverse category of wine deserves a competition on its own, resulting in the competition this week.
The Global Malbec Masters
This week also saw the Global Malbec Masters take place. The Masters tasting rewards the best Malbecs in the world, ranging from the mountains of Mendoza and Chile’s Maipo Valley to the châteaux of Cahors. Judges comprised Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and senior buyers with their expert knowledge seeing top examples awarded medals from Bronze through to Gold – with Master reserved only for the truly exceptional.
Mount St. Restaurant and Rooms
Beneath a chandelier of found antlers, Ewan Venters OBE hosted an exclusive game dinner at Mount St. Restaurant and Rooms on The Glorious Twelfth, a day traditionally marking the start of the grouse shooting season. The CEO of Hauser + Wirth and its hospitality arm, Artfarm had planned to serve some of the first grouse of the season to an illustrious guest list, including chefs Sally Abe and Mark Hix, actress Genevieve Gaunt, Home Slice director and podcaster Mark Wogan, broadcaster and former model Vernon Kay, and the renowned Instagram personality and restaurant consultant Clerkenwell Boy.
However, due to a scarcity of grouse, head chef Jamie Shears instead presented a main course of roast squab pigeon with Scottish girolles and cherries. Venters, a trustee of The King’s Foundation, showcased his support for English wines by serving Hundred Hills Blanc de Noirs 2019 as an aperitif, followed by the 2021 Chardonnay from Danbury Ridge in Crouch Valley, Essex, paired with game broth, bread, and pigeon offal skewers. The evening concluded with a dram of Fife Arms single malt whisky, accompanied by Venters’ homemade tablet.
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