Tag: London

Pop-up Symphony at Searcys Champagne Bar St Pancras Grand – Europe’s longest Champagne bar

This past week, to the surprise of Searcys Champagne Bar St Pancras Grand patrons, and travelers of Pancras Grand a ‘Pop-Up’ rendition of the finale of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at St Pancras International was performed.

Patrons and travelers were serenaded by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and massed choir, led by the BBC SO Principal Guest Conductor David Robertson performing one of the greatest European anthems of all time – ‘Ode to Joy’.

Ailish Tynan, Daniela Lehner, Allan Clayton and James Rutherford make up the quartet of soloists for this unique performance, which heralds the most in-depth exploration of the Symphony ever undertaken by the BBC.

“Ode to have been lucky to have been there!”

Not only is Searcys Champagne Bar St Pancras Grand the largest Champagne bar in Europe, I have found it to have the largest selection of Grande Marque houses in the UK, with 20 offerings by-the-glass.

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses

Do You Live in London? Do You Love Champagne? Then You Will Love This Champagne Club UK Card

Champagne continues to be the “drink of choice” for many Londoners and the popularity of it is reflected in both consumption figures and also the extensive variety of Champagne available at restaurants and bars.

The Champagne Club UK offers members and their guests “A Glass Of House Champagne On The House” when dining at any of the London restaurants listed their website. You have a choice of over 100 London restaurants from Brassieres to Michelin-Starred!

The membership is a 12-month plan which also allows a maximum of 7 guests to enjoy “A Glass Of House Champagne On The House” prior to lunch or dinner.

Membership is currently priced at £60.00 and delivery of the card is fast and efficient. It comes beautifully gift wrap to further enhance that special feeling associated with Champagne.

“We’ve always loved Champagne in the UK, now residents and visitors to London can benefit from our favourite-loved drink at every meal simply by presenting a membership card and saying cheers! The Champagne Club UK will be rolling out to other cities extending the reach of members’ cards even further” Says founder Patricia Madden.

www.champagneclubuk.com

Liz Palmer
Wine and Travel Writer

WIN dinner for 20 at Michelin-starred ‘nahm’ restaurant Halkin Hotel London

The Halkin has launched a series of celebratory events to commemorate its 20th Anniversary which focuses on cuisine, Champagne, culture, and design throughout the month of September.

First in the series of events, The Halkin has teamed up with Louis Roederer Champagne to create an exclusive ‘Halkin at Twenty’ celebration dinner. One lucky Halkin guest can expect to win a gourmet experience with 20 of their friends at London’s acclaimed Thai restaurant ‘nahm’. The dinner includes a menu created by Head Chef Matthew Albert, a selection of fine wines and Champagnes by Louis Roederer Champagne along with a Master of Wine (MW) to guide you through the menu and wine pairings.

About nahm
nahm is the first Michelin-starred Thai restaurant in Europe, and is for serious gourmands who value originality and tantalizing cuisine. The venue is decidedly modern and chic.

To become eligible, make your hotel reservation online between July 20th and August 20th. The lucky winner will be drawn on The Halkin’s anniversary on Tuesday 20th September 2011.


Tel +44 (0)20 7333 1059
Email res@halkin.como.bz
http://www.halkin.como.bz

Liz Palmer
Wine and Travel Writer

The Capital Restaurant London Celebrates its 40th Birthday

The Capital Restaurant, which this year celebrates its 40th birthday, will be hosting a very special evening on Thursday, September 29th in conjunction with Champagne Bollinger. Like Bollinger, The Capital has enjoyed a long and proud heritage of family-run, independent ownership.

The evening will feature a five-course dinner, prepared by head chef Jérôme Ponchelle, with dishes carefully matched to a selection of Champagnes, and will be hosted by an ambassador from Bollinger, Christian Dennis. The evening will take place in one of The Capital’s stylish private rooms, with space for up to 16 diners.


Dishes are to include Scottish scallops served with black pudding, celeriac purée, frisée and bacon chips; and a classic fillet of Mey selection beef ‘Rossini” with pommes soufflées, spinach, wild mushroom and artichoke. Dessert will be a blackberry and apple tart with warm blackberry compôte. Champagnes to be tasted include Bollinger La Grande Année 2002, Bollinger La Côte aux Enfants 2002 and Bollinger Rosé NV.
The Capital Restaurant is a stalwart of the London dining scene, having forged a reputation for the enduring high standards of its classical French and British cookery over the past four decades. Jérôme joined the restaurant in 2009 from Wiltons, and is now creating his own chapter in the restaurant’s history.


Tickets and more information are available by calling 020 7589 5171 or visiting www.capitalhotel.co.uk

London International Wine Fair 2011 – Attendance and Feedback

The London International Wine Fair closed on Thursday, May 19th with both exhibitors and visitors reporting a very successful event. The three-day show by Brintex was praised yet again, as was the quality of the visitors attending the event.

The Timetable was full and varied filled with interesting briefings, seminars, tastings and master classes, which covered a wide range of industry topics.

The final visitor attendance figure stood at 13,754, a slight increase on the 2010 total of 13,684.

For reference 4,680 exhibitors personnel attended the LIWF.

Some of the comments:

James Murray, Event Director commented: “The feedback we have received so far about this year’s show has been overwhelmingly positive. Despite tough economic trading conditions, UK agents were out in force alongside pavilions from all the major wine producing nations, as well as exciting emerging markets. Lebanon, India and Russia reported positive business leads and gave a feeling of optimism for the coming months. Whilst we’re pleased that we have seen a slight increase in the visitor numbers this year, it is the quality of those visiting that is key to our exhibitors, and many have reported their most successful show for many years.”

Bernard de Lague, Commercial Director, Chateaux Palmer said: “There has been a great turnout at the show, and gladly at the tasting I held. It has all gone very well.”

Matthew Dickinson, Commercial Director, Thierry’s commented: “Thierry’s had a truly exciting trade fair this year in sponsoring the Access Zone. This allowed us to work on some really innovative communication projects with Vrazon and Brintex and we were delighted with both the number and quality of visitors, both real and virtual!”

Giles Cooke MW, Marketing Director, Alliance Wine said:
“As ever, there were very high quality attendees over the course of the three days. We have had plenty of very constructive meetings with lots of results in the bag.”

Su Birch, CEO, Wines of South Africa commented:
“Our new format has proved very successful and we have had a steady stream of people tasting, including media and buyers. Brintex did a great job as ever.”

Veririea Codrean, Celebrity Cruise Line said:
“I have had a terrific time! The lectures and tastings have been valuable. The Beaujolais tasting with Joe Wadsack was lively and very interesting.”

Alexandre Bonnefoy, Ex-Sommelier, Viajante commented:
“I enjoyed the Matt Stamp and Hamish Anderson tasting. Throughout the show there has been a great selection of wines.”

The 2012 event will run from 22-24 May at ExCeL, London.