Pavilion, the restaurant, is the latest addition to the TARDIS-like, six floor luxury serviced office complex of that name, created by the founder of Foxton's estate agents, Jon Hunt and daughter Emma.
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In honour of today's British visitors, the Union Jack is draped alongside the bandiera d'Italia at Luxardo's distillery near Padua. But both are motionless given the lack of breeze.
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Douglas Blyde talks to the 22 year-old sommelier of Greyhound at The Test in Stockbridge who says it was not her father of Stone Vine & Sun fame that inspired her to take up a career in wine, but getting her hands dirty out in wineries around the world instead.
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David Babich, general manager of the family-owned Babich Wines, which reaped its first vintage in Auckland's Henderson Valley in 1916, along with Dinah Kinnear, sales manager for Europe, introduced their wine range at a special event hosted by UK distributor, PLB, at London's Underground Cookery School.
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Occurring within days, I was lucky enough to experience arguably two of England's finest chefs calibrate dishes to complement complex ferment from noble estates. These were served in the presence of two of the trade's most celebrated raconteurs.
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Douglas Blyde meets the UK and international brand ambassador for Mount Gay rum who oversees the brand's maturation facility in Barbados' parish of St Lucy. Miguel Smith joined the business in 1991, and was instrumental in the development of the award-winning Extra Old blend.
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Douglas Blyde talks with Joel Cadbury, founder of the Groucho private members club, about the wines he is serving up at his estate of Bel & Dragon Inns.
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Douglas Blyde catches up with Katie Cooper, manager of Berry Bros & Rudd's Wine Club, on the kind of wines and service she offers its growing band of members.
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A gentle breeze sifts scrub as an old orange Russian-made truck wobbles by, threatening to spill its cargo of freshly-hewn boulders. Far away on the periphery of the crater that is this open mine stands a supervisor, surveying István Szepsy Jr. and our troupe of transplanted sommeliers.
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Published: 29 April, 2014
A meal, as a life, needs a structure. Like fleeting youth, lingering middle age and then the inevitable gradual decline into fluffy grey forgetfulness, a meal in three courses (or acts) must appetise, sate, and then comfortably conclude, diner high on ferment, with sweet reward...
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Published: 24 April, 2014
Douglas Blyde talks to Thomas Mooney, first president of the American Craft Distillers Association and co-owner and chief executive of American craft distillery, House Spirits - makers of Aviation gin.
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Published: 22 April, 2014
According to research recently published in journal, "Science", the average human is equipped to differentiate some one trillion odours (999,999,990,000 more than previously thought). Buoyed by these findings, I was keen to apply my apparently amazing snout to the finery at Clos Maggiore's wine club. Tonight's instalment was hosted by Matt Thomas. Formerly a store manager at Majestic Wines, Thomas joined Hallgarten Druitt, as account development manager six months ago. Despite Clos Maggiore's Covent Garden location, Thomas's territory, work-wise and residentially is Dalston where he secured accounts, White Rabbit and Jones & Son, which he highly recommends are worth a visit
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Published: 09 April, 2014
BIBO, defined as "simply the Latin, Bibo (I drink) - Bibo ergo Sum if you will," by consultant-sommelier, Zeren Wilson, is brought to you by restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas, mind behind local stars, Sam's Brasserie and Kitchen W8, and chef Chris Beverley, "one of Theo Randall's top boys."
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Published: 04 April, 2014
Value, quality, style: sherry has it all. But can it sustain its recent renaissance? Douglas Blyde asks ten of the UK's leading sherry lovers what the future has in store
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Published: 04 April, 2014
Douglas Blyde talks with 10 of the UK's most influential sherry opinion formers in the UK, including leading figures in on and off-trades, suppliers and importers, on how sherry is enjoying a new lease of life across the country
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Published: 07 March, 2014
Bruce Perry is in good spirits as he talks frankly to Douglas Blyde about Cognac's place in the spirits market
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Published: 07 March, 2014
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Published: 26 February, 2014
Combine one part history lesson with another part insight into the runnings of five family businesses, with a final part of tutored wine tastings, and the first Fells wine forum would result.
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Published: 11 February, 2014
"The Whip" cocktail lounge above Mayfair's oldest pub, The Running Horse (1738) launched last week launched last week.
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