This year marks a remarkable milestone for House of Arras: three decades of redefining Australian sparkling wine. To celebrate 30 years of craftsmanship, Ed Carr—the visionary and Chief Winemaker behind the brand—hosted an intimate lunch that showcased the elegance, complexity, and longevity of his creations.
Step inside the newly launched Liverpool Street Chop House & Tavern and you feel a sense of London’s dining history humming through the walls. Part tavern, part chop house, this is both a nod to the City’s 17th-century eating houses and a modern reinvention, where heritage and produce are treated with equal reverence.
Every extraordinary meal is elevated by the company. On this occasion, I was joined by three luminaries from the worlds of hospitality, design, and gastronomy.
Unearthing Wine, Wonder, and the Heart of the Rhône
The sun rises over the vineyards of southern France, scattering gold across a landscape steeped in centuries of viticultural tradition. As we continue our journey through the Côte du Rhône, we delve deeper into the region’s enchanting terroir, unearthing not only exceptional wines but also the stories, people, and natural marvels that make this corner of France so captivating.
Early this summer I had the pleasure of spending 4 days in Avignon exploring what the Côtes du Rhône region has on offers when it comes to Wine Tourism. I went with quite a few pre-conceptions, mainly that all the wines would be red, very heavy with high levels of alcohol that would blow my head off and the quality would be questionable! But my experience was far from those pre-conceptions and I learnt so much more about the wines of Côtes du Rhône, the people and the wide range of activities (including family friendly) you could take part in from a ble
Nestled on the ever-vibrant 100 Wardour Street, Freak Scene Wardour Soho beckons with neon signage, eclectic beats, and a promise of gastronomic adventure. It’s a pop up restaurant that wears its name with pride—a place where boundaries between cuisines blur, traditions are gently subverted, and every dish tells a story of creative rebellion. Freak Scene captures the dynamic spirit of Soho: irreverent, artistic, and unapologetically bold.
The Visionary Behind the Mayhem: Scott Hallsworth
The English wine industry has seen remarkable growth in recent years. By 2024, there were over 1,000 vineyards in the UK, reflecting significant expansion. This growth is driven by increasing interest in locally sourced wines and the favourable growing conditions in regions like Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire. The total vineyard area in the UK has grown by 123% over the past decade.
It’s a Wednesday evening down at Gaucho, Tower Bridge and I’m sat down for dinner with Edy Del Popolo, the terroir whisperer who uprooted two thousand 80-year-old Malbec vines and successfully replanted them. This effort is part of Edy's broader mission to explore and tap into the hidden potential of Argentina's diverse terroirs, particularly in regions like Gualtallary. Edy's journey in viticulture began with his studies in enology and agronomy at Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza.
Wardour Street does not lack for spectacle. Neon flickers, restaurant windows glow and Soho hums at its usual pitch. Kanpai Classic Soho answers all that noise with a dark, softly lit room and a quiet promise: the best beef you will eat this year, cooked right in front of you. It calls itself a “new-style Japanese steakhouse”, a phrase that sounds like marketing until the first slice of Wagyu meets the grill. After that, it sounds more like a warning.
I was first introduced to Château Galoupet in April 2024, during lunch with Estate Director, Mathieu Meyer. I’d never tried a premium rosé before then, certainly not one that demanded a £50 a bottle price tag and claimed to be the wine that could accompany every course on the lunch or dinner menu, including steak. From that point I’d fallen in love with this gastronomic rosé and was delighted to receive a bottle of the latest 2024 vintage and the newly released organic ‘G de Galoupet 2024’, a wine with a price point which is accessible to more ros
In Chinese culture, food is never just sustenance. It’s the heartbeat of social ritual, the thing that gathers families, marks milestones and keeps centuries-old traditions alive. From woks sizzling at dawn in busy street markets to lantern light falling on banquet tables at dusk, every bite tells a story.
