The week in pictures: 18-24 November

This week in pictures features Louis Thomas at Brunello en primeur, Douglas Blyde on World Raki Week, a Brighton retailer battles to re-new its lease, and a London wine bar gets festive.

Brunello di Montalcino 

Staff writer Louis Thomas attended Brunello di Montalcino En Primeur in London. 91 wines in total, from the 2019 vintage and riserva examples from 2018, were available to taste from producers ranging from Argiano to Voliero. With styles ranging from fresh and red fruit-forward to smoky and structured, the tasting offered an insight into the DOCG’s diversity, and ability to produce Sangiovese that reflects the work of producers in both the vineyard and the cellar.

Grace O’Malley

Grace O’Malley Irish whiskey and street artist KinMx have joined forces with Metacask, a blockchain-powered spirits marketplace, to launch ‘The Grace’ – a limited collection of digitally connected bottles. Together, the 501 bottles form a 6 x 4.5m mural of Ireland’s legendary pirate queen, Grace O’Malley (see below).

The work is the final ‘reveal’ in an exciting year-long creative partnership that uniquely combines art, whiskey and technology to bring Irish contemporary culture and heritage to the forefront.

Available to buy now from €450, the deal is an opportunity for collectors and whiskey lovers to own a one-of-a-kind piece of decentralised artwork from this renowned artist, who is a prominent figure on the Irish art scene.

World Raki Week

In advance of World Raki Week, commencing 4 December, Douglas Blyde hosted a spirited celebration of Türkiye’s national spirit, Raki, at Mayfair’s Rüya restaurant. This was accompanied by a bespoke playlist of 1960s and 70s Turkish music created by Debora Ipekel, host for NTS Radio, and co-founder of the Michelin-starred Arkestra, Istanbul.

In collaboration with Rüya’s head chef, Halit Deniz, Blyde’s banquet included Maldon oysters accompanied by a Raki-pepped mignonette, skewers of compressed melon with a Raki infusion, and grilled wild seabass with a pistachio crust. Alongside, as well as the traditional serve, which sees the five times distilled Yeni Raki Uzun Demleme louche as it is diluted with iced water, cocktails such as the Raki Berry Crush, starring blackberry, cranberry, clove, All Spice, and lime, were devised by Rüya’s own Francesco Medici. To find out more about the week long celebration of the aniseed infused spirit, visit here.

Seven Cellars

Caroline Lucas MP and Sian Berry of the Green Party visited Seven Cellars in Brighton as part of the campaign to persuade the Co-Op to renew the lease.

Pictured is Seven Cellars’ Louise Oliver and Sean Burridge (centre) with Green Party – Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas (right) and candidate for next general election Sian Berry (left).

Lady of the Grapes

Lady of the Grapes wine bar, restaurant and shop on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden will launch a festive tasting menu prepared by new Head Chef Matyas Plzak on 1 December in celebration of its fifth birthday. Opened in 2018 by Carole Bryon, Lady of the Grapes shines a light on women winemakers offering only organic, biodynamic and natural wines.

The menu features six enticing wine-matched dishes. To start, a glass of Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne produced by Marie-Noëlle of Henriet-Bazin is paired with langoustine tartare featuring salt baked white beetroot and lime gel. Staying with Chardonnay, but this time a white Burgundy from Fanny Sabre made in the village of Santenay, hazelnut and yuzu cream and bottarga sit atop a crab crumpet for the second course.