Wine – Page 11 – Keep It Overproof!

Amazon wine brand now available in the UK

Amazon has expanded distribution of its new own-label range of wines, into the UK, following their launch in Germany last month – but it will cost UK consumers almost twice as much. The six-strong wine range, which are now available in the UK, comprise a Pinot Grigio, a Merlot, Chardonnay, Grenache Rosé, Dornfelder and Riesling – however the wines in the UK retail for £35.99 for all six bottle, compared to 19.99 euros in the German market. The price differential can primarily be attributed to the difference in UK taxation, with UK consumers charged £2.23 a bottle duty, plus VAT....

Global Masters Wine of the Week: Champagne Palmer & Co. Brut Reserve NV

Every week we select a wine that picked up either a Gold or Master from our competition series, and tell you why the judges loved it. Enter the Global Masters and this could be your wine. Palmer & co is one of an increasing number of estates in Champagne that are making sustainability a top priority, opening a new bioclimactic winery in February. The design maximises natural light, and uses the natural slope of the land to facilitate flow by gravity. With our own Green Awards taking place later today (11 December), this is something close to our hearts at db. Palmer & Co’s...

Fred Sirieix to leave Galvin at Windows

First Dates frontman Fred Sirieix has announced he is to leave his day job as general manager of the formerly Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows in London’s Mayfair. As reported by the Evening Standard, the Limoges-born maître d’ announced his departure from the Park Lane restaurant in an Instagram post this weekend. He wrote: “The time has come to say goodbye to all my friends and colleagues after an incredible 14-year journey at Galvin at Windows”. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me over the years and helped us create amazing experiences and deliver...

The best low- and no-alcohol drinks to serve with dinner this Christmas

The low- and no-alcohol movement has been rumbling on for a while now, with dozens of booze-free ‘spirit’ brands hitting shop shelves since the launch of Seedlip in 2015. And now, the drinks manufacturers want to break into the space that was, until relatively recently, reserved for wines: food pairing. A recent survey published by Drinkaware found that 20% of people feel pressured to drink on Christmas Day, while another survey conducted by “alt-gin” brand Ceder’s claims that 40% of Brits are planning to stay completely sober. If you are one of those 40%, there...

Top marketing moves in drinks: November

Heineken to sponsor Euro2020 and Champions League Heineken will be the Official Beer Partner of next year’s UEFA Euro men’s football tournament, and has also extended its sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League for the next five years. The two separate agreements means the brewer is now the major beer sponsor of Europe’s leading club and international football tournaments. Its partnership with the UEFA Champions League is already 25 years old, and the new deal extends the brand’s sponsorship through to 2024. The new Euro partnership will see Heineken given exclusive pouring rights in the...

Vinous acquires Cellar Watch

Antonio Galloni’s wine media platform Vinous has acquired valuation service Cellar Watch from Liv-ex it has been announced. Vinous will take control of the platform from the middle of January next year. The site will retain all of its features, subscribers will continue to have access to Liv-ex data and apparently will soon be enjoying a number of upgrades which will include access to scores and tasting notes from Vinous, which has a library relating to over 300,000 wines. Vinous’ CEO and founder, Antonio Galloni, said: “Our vision at Vinous has long been to provide wine lovers...

Alcohol may have saved humanity’s ape ancestors

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

The ability to consume and tolerate low levels of alcohol in overripe, fermenting fruit may have helped the ape ancestors of human beings avoid extinction a new book posits. The book, ‘Alcohol and Humans: A Long and Social Affair’ by two British researchers, Dr Kim Hockings, senior lecturer in conservation science at Exeter University and Dr Robin Dunbar, professor of evolutionary psychology at Oxford, suggests that a common ancestor of humans and other great apes may have evolved to carry a protein that helps to metabolise alcohol some 10 million years ago. The ability to consume extra calories...

db Eats: The Grill at The Dorchester

db’s resident gourmand, Lucy Shaw, indulges in one of the most decadent dinners of her life at The Dorchester’s new look Grill, where she is charmed by a lobster thermidor tart. The concept: Once the preserve of septuagenarians in red trousers and kipper ties dangling dangerously close to the oxtail soup, the humble grill, with its often questionable interiors and uncouth carpets, is having a moment in the capital. Back in 2015 The Savoy made history by employing Kim Woodward as its first female chef in the institution’s 126-year history, and just last month The Connaught announced that it...

Graham’s unveils 1940 Single Harvest Port

Port producer Graham’s, owned by the Symington family, has released an extremely rare Single Harvest Port from 1940, the first grapes of which were picked during the Battle of Britain. The estate’s current master blender, Charles Symington, selected two casks of 1940 tawny Port that he deemed merited bottling for this special release, which pays tribute to three generations of master blenders who have tended to the wine over eight decades. “It’s not often we have the privilege of releasing a wine that is eight decades old and bears such unique historic significance. “The 1940 Single Harvest...

Tempus Two extends Quartz range with new Sauvignon Blanc

Australian Vintage has extended its Tempus Two Quartz range with the launch of a new Sauvignon Blanc, which it says comes in response to Australian Sauvignon Blanc becoming the second most popular Australian white wine varietal in the UK. The Tempus Two Quartz range was launched exclusively in the UK into retailer Sainsbury’s last month with a premium Chardonnay and Shiraz. It has been designed to help consumers explore the vertical range, and has been supported by in store activity with a pipeline of events planned in the coming months to further engage with its target consumer. It follows...

Tag: Wine