It was such a rewarding experience being involved in the recent BBC2 series Michel Roux’s Service. To see 7 youngsters develop both personally and professionally before your eyes in such a short-time frame was something extremely special.
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The annual Marathon du Médoc is always on the second Saturday of September about 10-12 days before the harvest begins. So as all the picking and triage machinery is brought out and washed down, chaos descends on the normally sleepy town of Pauillac. 6,000 runners with friends and family from all over the world arrive – the roads are packed, the hotels full and the restaurants booming.
I have run the marathon here 5 times before and its quite an unique event that keeps me coming back for more. Usually done in fancy dress, this years theme is the Circus so I am running as a clown. I have done it previously as a bunch of grapes; running 26 miles as a bunch of grapes is not easy.
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The other day we had a complaint about wine service in one of our hotels, to be honest this is quite rare but I rang the customer to find out what had happened. He told me that the sommelier was opening bottles of wine and then taking and drinking some of the wine, and that it was a disgraceful practice that he had never see anywhere in the world and that he had eaten for years in the best restaurants in the world (you know the type).
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I am very excited to announce the first ever Bistro du Vin in London. This will be the first of many that we hope to create in local neighbourhoods around London. Our first will be close to Farringdon Tube station and Smithfield Market in the site of the old East Side Inn. There is a fantastic space here with a big open plan kitchen and separate cocktail bar area.
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Following the screening of the final episode of Michel Roux Service on BBC2, Sommelier scholarship winner Danielle Meenagh talks about the impact Ronan Sayburn has had on her being awarded the scholarship and how much she is looking forward to working with Ronan in the future.
Ronan Sayburn was one of the first true Sommeliers who welcomed me into Sommellerie over 10 years ago, opening his door to share his knowledge and assist in developing my sommelier skills whilst working in Michelin starred establishments. He has been a direct influence in my professional development and wine studies including national and international sommelier competitions. His willingness to assist and support anyone with a true desire to further themselves in the hospitality industry is effortless, and one which echoes across the UK and abroad through world-wide recognition and respect amongst his peers and leading industry figures.
Matt Wilkin M.S., UK Sales and Marketing Director, H2Vin Ltd.