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Carbonara Monday... readiness for a mega day tomorrow #winetasting #fmv #portfoliotasting #saucy #carbonara #winetraining @fieldsmorrisverdin #pasta #italy #motherland #foodie #battersealife (at Battersea) https://www.instagram.com/p/By0xcOlHaNt/?igshid=186eazdgky24l

#winetasting #fmv #portfoliotasting #saucy #carbonara #winetraining #pasta #italy #motherland #foodie #battersealife

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A cracking day’s gin tasting yesterday @junipalooza for World Gin Day. Great to bump into some old friends but also meet loads of new faces on the gin scene. Just when you thought the market might be over saturated there are some genuinely excellent, interesting things still being revealed. Top marks go to @warnersgin from Northamptonshire who use fresh farm-grown ingredients picked only two months of the year in their lemon balm gin (the honeybee edition is worth a go too), lots of samphire being used (@tarquinsgin) and despite potentially gimmicky packaging the rock samphire and cucumber makes @mermaidgin from the Isle of Wight a real treat. Estonian @junimperium have a very dedicated barman in their recently-borne fold-boasting two sleeve tattoos of this baby label (a mere 4mths old)... umami, lemon meringue pie and @caorunngin raspberry seed (not sweet at all) some other highlights. Top festival of some truly exploratative #gin #worldginday #worldginday2019 #junipalooza #tobaccodock #samphire #scotland #ginandtonic #filthymartini #flavour #power #disruptive #distillation @luceerascal 🍸🍋🌿 (at Tobacco Dock Venue LTD) https://www.instagram.com/p/BygX6WUnADj/?igshid=ctqstw0p6tsh

#gin #worldginday #worldginday2019 #junipalooza #tobaccodock #samphire #scotland #ginandtonic #filthymartini #flavour #power #disruptive #distillation

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T’was a sparkling week last week. Some serious highlights here from the New Wave Champagne tasting @67pall_mall a rousing experience to find music matched with @krugchampagne and unrivalled chance to taste solera aged @domainejacquesselosse next to @champagne_jacquesson - the Champ Caïn Grand Cru 2008 (unphotographed) is truly exceptional 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼#newwavechampagne #avize #dizy #closdemesnil #bouzy #ay #champagne #krug #selosse #solera #jacquesson #traditionalmethod # (at 67 Pall Mall) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByfDIupn5pA/?igshid=1h6787hj2m5st

#newwavechampagne #avize #dizy #closdemesnil #bouzy #ay #champagne #krug #selosse #solera #jacquesson #traditionalmethod

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Friends in flora.. what a wonderful Thursday evening, replete with many happy, historic memories @thehurlinghamclub at this most beautiful time of year #yellowroses #friendship #happiness #hurlingham #hurlinghamclub #memories #polobar #roses #rosegarden #gardens #westlondon #clublife #newspapers #stories #people #persons #personal (at The Hurlingham Club) https://www.instagram.com/p/BybPX40Hxox/?igshid=1b7yzjbi10ttp

#yellowroses #friendship #happiness #hurlingham #hurlinghamclub #memories #polobar #roses #rosegarden #gardens #westlondon #clublife #newspapers #stories #people #persons #personal

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Two of the most brilliant beautiful people for lots of different reasons... drinks under the sunshine on a Thursday night prior to @amanda_wine receiving her well deserved prize to enable her MW studies... #wino #professionaldrinker #siblings #family #warmth #courage #determination #success #masterofwine #vintnershall #ceremony #academic #sunshine #bubbles #celebration #handsome #personaldevelopment (at The Oyster Shed) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bya-3rIHrUI/?igshid=13nlmn7yp96ij

#wino #professionaldrinker #siblings #family #warmth #courage #determination #success #masterofwine #vintnershall #ceremony #academic #sunshine #bubbles #celebration #handsome #personaldevelopment

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16 communes... and then some. Stunning examples of Barolo’s geology this morning through a @67pall_mall borrowed zalto looking glass... subtly woven differences between soils richer in clay, sand and silt that cause delicate nuances between one and the next... reminders of a landscape and terroir that goes deeper than simply what’s in and over the ground #piedmont #barolo #baroloshire #italy #alba #nebbiolo #nebbia #serralunga #piemonte #piemontese #ne grazie team @dbgitalia @arnaldorivera_ar 👌🏼🍷🇮🇹 (at Glaziers Hall Page) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByQ0fDBHNxt/?igshid=1b18gx7zbi5j8

#piedmont #barolo #baroloshire #italy #alba #nebbiolo #nebbia #serralunga #piemonte #piemontese #ne

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An evening of Caractère: two delicious dishes from @caractererestaurant Notting Hill last night-recently opened destination resto from Emily Roux and partner Diego Ferrari-bringing playful personalities from Italy and France on to the table and into every glass (wine list 🍷👌🏼) The Acquarello risotto with girolles and hazelnuts + red wine reduction was my favourite of the ‘Subtle’ tasting menu mains, and ‘Greedy’ final twist on the Alphonso mango with lime and coconut finished the evening with freshness 🥥🥭 (celeriac cacio e Pepe also 🤤) a sumptuous evening with similarly sumptuous @annsleymerelle #caractere #nottinghill #londonrestaurants #emilyroux #france #italy #alphonso #cacioepepe #italophile #francophile #interiorstyle (at Caractère) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByN8KnvHGih/?igshid=134jf3lrhn698

#caractere #nottinghill #londonrestaurants #emilyroux #france #italy #alphonso #cacioepepe #italophile #francophile #interiorstyle

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A @jaxxnelson kind of birthday... bottles of @ridgeviewwineuk Bloomsbury @theexmoutharms last night to celebrate (all things English wine) this inimitable human turning one year older... happy birthday Jaxx 🥳🎈🎊🍾🥂 #englishsparklingwine #ridgeview #sussex #exmouthmarket #birthday (at Exmouth Arms) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByHiPYCHntg/?igshid=kgk66etcg3f6

#englishsparklingwine #ridgeview #sussex #exmouthmarket #birthday

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About last night... what a joy to taste through some exceptional and lesser known vintages from the iconic @marchesiantinori estate in Tuscany, in the run up to the @christieswine finest and rarest wines and spirits sale next week (5th-6th June). A particular highlight was the Cervaro Della Sala 2016-buttery mineral montrachet-esque made from 90% Chardonnay, 10% grechetto, followed by a trio of Tignanello (‘01, ‘09, ‘13) including this incredible 2001 double magnum showing amazing balsamic, black olive tapenade nose and still bright fruit notes on the palate, three Solaia (‘04, ‘08, ‘15) and the lesser known Mufdato della Sala 2010 - amazing coffee caramel and dark chocolate torrefaccion on the nose and deep preserved fruit on the palate made from Chardonnay but also Semillon, Grechetto and Gewurtztraminer - tip top! #wine #antinori #supertuscan #marchesiantinori #tignanello #solaia #muffatodellasala #cervarodellasala #iconwines #vertical #chianti #italy @barbouludlondon (at Bar Boulud, London) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByGA50Qnerc/?igshid=gw6mc4vawf2e

#wine #antinori #supertuscan #marchesiantinori #tignanello #solaia #muffatodellasala #cervarodellasala #iconwines #vertical #chianti #italy

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Channelling Alderney: centre-ville, shades of blue and stumbling upon the performing arts festival makes for Cuban beats, memory laden images and other live music shakerato island-wide... an unusual weekend find on an island lesser visited #blue💙 #channelislands #alderney #performingarts #crew #cuba #people #travel #trippin’ #sailing #englishchannel (at Alderney) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByBS2M9nTP_/?igshid=v0ycow3kvnrz

#blue💙 #channelislands #alderney #performingarts #crew #cuba #people #travel #trippin #sailing #englishchannel

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Huge congratulations to @langham_london @toffske for winning yesterday’s @no3gin Unlock Taste competition @berrybrosrudd whose winning cocktails included the use of carbonated ‘good ordinary claret’. The day kicked off in Pickering place with a surprise duel between contestants (such as the history of this little square dictates) tasking competitors to find their “Pistols swords and cocktail shakers” using a surprise box of ingredients. The six finalists then had to create the classic martini and gin and tonic ‘with a twist’ with some impressive left of field entries including this very clever frozen key-a symbol of promise, from the Langham’s Krystian Kropaczewksi - drawing on his scientific background and working with gin and tonic’s molecular similarities. Many of the cocktails included coffee as an ingredient in a nod to BBR’s 300 year old history, an ingredient of which is quinine - harmoniously also found in tonic. Bravo to all competitors - some serious cocktails created here under intense, nerve-wracking conditions #unlocktaste #londondrygin #no3gin #berrybrosrudd #fmv #history #heritage #cocktails #craft #creativity (at Berry Bros. & Rudd) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxxJ_EincR9/?igshid=tnat9f7swodc

#unlocktaste #londondrygin #no3gin #berrybrosrudd #fmv #history #heritage #cocktails #craft #creativity

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What a great tea tasting earlier this week @goodandpropertea in the company of @motherrootldn Hibiscus was probably my favourite of the evening, fresh bright alive and packed full of vitamin c, this particular one harvested by Ms Alice for 20 years in Malawi... was great to retaste some from uva province in Sri Lanka and wild Roiboos from the Cederberg Mountains in South Africa-bringing a real sense of place having been lucky enough to have visited a few years ago. Tea bushes get better the older they get but lose their yields, a little like wine vines. Those grown at altitude are considered the best of them all. A top tea tasting Tuesday 👅🌪#tea #teatasting #hibiscus #roiboos #teaplants #teaplantation #southafrica #malawi #taiwan #ceylon #india #assam #darjeeling #teatime (at Good & Proper Tea) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxmtas6nlWd/?igshid=xkufp8dcj0bn

#tea #teatasting #hibiscus #roiboos #teaplants #teaplantation #southafrica #malawi #taiwan #ceylon #india #assam #darjeeling #teatime

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Congratulations @karyn_noble on the launch of the new @lonelyplanet Global Distillery Tour last week @cityoflondondistillery a top soirée providing yet more marvellous liquid reasons to tour the globe from Peru through to Tasmania, shake a little cocktail towards this... Great to see @winebird and meet @starward_pete and @todays_tipple who gave us a sneaky behind the scenes peek of the distillery (thanks stills, Clarissa Jennifer and Elizabeth for all your hard work) #lonelyplanet #drinkstravel #globaldistillerytour #cityoflondondistillery #travelwriter #reasonstotravel #mykindatravel #sakecocktail #cocktailoclock (at City of London Distillery) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxXGp6Ln9oa/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=g38zgqsgb0c1

#lonelyplanet #drinkstravel #globaldistillerytour #cityoflondondistillery #travelwriter #reasonstotravel #mykindatravel #sakecocktail #cocktailoclock

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Boot shaped love today at the @fieldsmorrisverdin Slice of Italy tasting... 18 producers and all sorts of delicious things to try... wine trade friends come along, we’re open til 4pm #italophile #italy #italianwine #dribkfmv #unit6 #coventgarden (at Covent Garden London) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxMmXcenZPY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jl1fe8lpq9rx

#italophile #italy #italianwine #dribkfmv #unit6 #coventgarden

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Sunday spreads and mystery magnum #alfresco #cincodemmayo #bankholidayweekend #vieuxtelegraphe https://www.instagram.com/p/BxHskXcnxmg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=8gk7xlmcr0jf

#alfresco #cincodemmayo #bankholidayweekend #vieuxtelegraphe

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London wine lols last weekend celebrating all things spring and English wine with some bloody lovely Chardonnay. Thanks @blackbookwinery #urbanwinery #london #battersea #englishwine #englishfizz #englishchardonnay (at Blackbook Winery) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxHsJXzH_jO/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mljxcya4yk7l

#urbanwinery #london #battersea #englishwine #englishfizz #englishchardonnay

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Tough start the day... Alvaro Palacios En Primeur. My first time tasting the EPs but already such freshness, vibrance of character, and distinct mineral character in these wines... a joy from Priorat to Bierzo and Rioja in between... folks in two years time should expect sheer greatness in a glass #wine #palacios #alvaropalacios #priorat #bierzo #spain #juicy #freshness #feeling ‘pasión’ #winning #thirstythursday @fieldsmorrisverdin 👌🏼🍷 (at Berry Bros. & Rudd) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvSXHKpH50d/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=a2c915ug6zga

#wine #palacios #alvaropalacios #priorat #bierzo #spain #juicy #freshness #feeling #winning #thirstythursday