On the 3rd November Dallaglio RugbyWorks hosted the 9th edition of 8Rocks at Battersea Evolution for an evening of fine dining, fine wine all coupled with some world-class entertainment and all for a fantastic cause.

On the 24th October a small group joined Charles Braastad of Delamain Cognac and Michelle Brachet, a leading Cognac educator who has just published a fantastic new book, The World of Cognac for a workshop exploring cognac and food pairings from a range of British cheese, charcuterie and chocolates.

In mid-September Justin Liddle, Andrew Hawes, James Dodsworth & James McKenna travelled to Alsace for a meeting with Chapoutier at Schieferkopf where Michel Chapoutier and four friends, all, like him, passionate about great grape varieties and great terroirs, decided to turn their dream of “making a fine Riesling in Alsace together” into reality.

As a huge fan of Sherry and with a keen interest in horse racing, I was very excited to have been invited to The Famous Carreras de Caballos ‘Horse Racing’ as a guest of Bodegas Hidalgo La-Gitana.

The Carreras de Caballos is held on the beaches of Sanlucar de Barrameda, but how exactly the races started is unclear. One story is that fish buyers raced the horses along the beach as they waited for trawlers to bring in their haul to the port. What is known is that a horse racing society was established in Sanlucar in 1845, creating a tradition that would become a part of the city’s cultural fabric.

Royal Ascot is the centrepiece of the British social scene and the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world. Few events can match the rich heritage, horseracing, pomp and pageantry that entice worldwide spectators, who flock to enjoy the theatre as much as the racing. The event which takes many months to prepare is Champagne Bollinger’s largest global sponsorship.