in brief
Delafarge joins Nicolas team
Nicolas has appointed a new wine buyer to work alongside Alain Favereau. Antoine Delafarge is a trained winemaker who has worked in Bordeaux and Australia, before buying for French wine negociant Friedrich for the past two years. His role at Nicolas will
focus on wines destined for the UK market.
Sommelier crown for Murciano
Bruno Murciano, a member of Bibendum's prestige sales team, has been named Spain's sommelier of the year after a gruelling competition in Malaga. The three-day event included a blind tasting test, service tasks,
a long written paper on
gastronomy and
a 30-minute challenge in front of a packed auditorium.
He will
represent Spain in the 2009 European and 2010 World Sommelier Championships.
Hard Times can be fun
Online retailer fromvineyardsdirect.com has launched what it says is a credit crunch-busting selection of 12 wines called the Hard Times Case, including declassified wines from some of Bordeaux's leading producers. The case includes a cloth-bound edition of Charles Dickens's novel Hard Times and retails for £122.
Hot lessons with Teacher's
Beam Global UK is rolling out a PR campaign to encourage consumers to try Teacher's in a new way.
It will centre on promoting the blended whisky in a hot toddy serve and in a recipe for mince pies.
Talisker throws RNLI lifeline
Talisker
will raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
with a limited edition nautical-themed gift pack. Available from Sainsbury's, the pack
has a 10 Year Old
single malt
whisky and £2 from every sale will be given to
the RNLI.
Berry Bros revamps price list
Berry Bros & Rudd has launched a new-look price list off the back of the success of its online list at bbr.com. To
mark the
event, the merchant has published a limited edition of its list from 100 years ago.
Pernod releases 1999 Mumm
Pernod Ricard has released the 1999 vintage of GH Mumm Champagne, priced £32.99.
The year was widely acknowledged as an outstanding vintage for Champagne, especially for Chardonnay.
