Robert Hill Smith, the legendary proprietor of Australia's oldest family-owned winery, Yalumba, has joined forces with Clare Valley guru Jeffrey Grosset to create a new Eden Valley Riesling. Called Mesh, it was launched in Oz last summer and was due to make its debut over here yesterday (5 February) at the Australia Day tastings in London. "It's called Mesh because it's intended to reflect the joining or fusion of ideas," Grosset explains, "but it also most aptly describes how the wine has come together."
Two Eden Valley vineyards were selected for the project, with grapes "pedantically divided", pressed and fermented in the Grosset and Yalumba wineries before being blended and bottled under Stelvin screw cap.
Eden Valley is one of Australia's best Riesling spots, near the famous Barossa Valley, and its Rieslings are quite different to those from Australia's classic Clare Valley. They are more austere and floral when young, more Germanic even - and, like German Riesling, they develop complexity with a bit of age. Expect to pay around £58 for a six-bottle case, excluding VAT.
For details, contact Negociants UK on 01582 462859.
Brand power
Adding to the rise of branded wines in the on-trade, Allied Domecq Wine UK has appointed Waverley Wines & Spirits as its on-trade distributor for big Spanish brands Campo Viejo, Vina Alcorta, Albor and the Bodegas y Bebidas Iverus wines.
This further boosts Waverley's growing branded wine portfolio, which includes Montana from New Zealand and Wolf Blass from Australia.
Shorts
Out of the blu
The Hilton London Metropole was the venue for Flavour magazine's annual awards bash at the end of last month. The bar magazine gave a big pat on the back to the winners from 11 categories, among them Bartender of the Year, sponsored by Schweppes. Included in the running were Bank in Birmingham, Zander in London, Bar Nomadics in Edinburgh, and Ice in Wakefield. And the winner was... Something Blu in Manchester - or, rather, top shaker Beaumont Myers.
Other winners included the Library Bar at London's Lanesborough hotel, which scooped Classic Bar of the Year, and Oloroso in Edinburgh, for Best Bar Food (go, Singh, go). Slick newcomer Townhouse, in London's Knightsbridge, operated by the boys at LAB, picked up Cocktail Bar of the Year, and the New Bar title went to Milk & Honey in London's Soho (my favourite), which also won Customer Service Bar of the Year. Bar Manager of the Year went to Morgan Watson at the Apartment in Belfast.
Top cocktail
And talking of bars on a high, the Windows Bar at the top of the London Hilton on Park Lane reopened last week with a new menu and cocktail list, plus a smart new walk-in humidor boasting one of the biggest selections of cigars in the UK.
The food was created by Windows restaurant chef Jacques Rolancy, and bar nibbles now include dishes such as lobster tail on a bed of palm heart and leaf salad with lemon dressing (£12.50), and grilled scallops, carrots, leeks and broad beans (£13.50). New cocktails include the Floriana (strawberry nectar and Cointreau topped with Champagne) and Little Italy (limoncello, mandarin liqueur and Aperol).
The pièce de résistance, though, is the Grand Windows, devised by assistant bar manager Giuseppe Ruo, packed with citrus fruits and laced with Grand Marnier.
Southern partnership
Languedoc and Roussillon are currently turning out some of France's most sought-after wines, so get down to Lord's cricket ground in London on 13 February and taste for yourself. There will be more than 120 Languedoc and Roussillon producers on show - the first time they have teamed up for such an event.
But entry is by invitation only, so contact Charlotte at Focus on 020 7432 9432 for a ticket.
The real Chardonnay girls
According to the latest set of figures from the Office of Statistics, popular TV programme Footballers' Wives has proved so influential that parents are naming their daughters after one of its characters - you guessed it, Chardonnay. However, it adds that a further 14 have been named Chardonay!
Organic stout
Make way for the world's first organic stout. Made by the Black Isle Brewery, just north of Inverness, it's brewed with dark roasted organic malts, producing a rich, mellow, black beer that partners oysters and crab beautifully, says the brewery. It also says it's great with mature Cheddar, or even a slice of fruit cake. Available from organic wine specialist Vintage Roots on 0118 976 0528.