Gông, the upscale cocktail bar on the 52nd floor of the Shangri-La Hotel on St Thomas Street in London, may be the most atmospheric spot in The Big Smoke to sip a sunset cocktail. One can watch the city dramatically illuminate below one’s highly coveted viewpoint at the edge of …
Louis XIII’s L’Odyssée d’un Roi Cognac is the product of an inspired collaboration amongst the revered Louis XIII Cognac house and three luxury French maisons—Hermès, Puiforcat, and Saint-Louis. Only three bottles will be released for auction, each one-of-a-kind masterpiece representing over 1000 hours of work by specialized artisans. Hermès created the …
Elysian: of, relating to, or characteristic of heaven or paradise. The word stems from the Elysian fields of Greek mythology, a utopian paradise reserved for heroes after death. Synonyms include heavenly, paradisiacal, and divine. The Elysian Collection, then, seems an appropriate agnomen for British designer Jo Sampson’s sublime collection of …
The inviting elevated Moroccan-style bar and glass floor revealing the remains of a Cluniac monastery dating back to 1082 create a lovely eclectic and welcoming ambiance at Del’Aziz in London’s Bermondsey Square. But the reason to stay is the wonderful variety of fresh, healthy, skillfully-prepared cuisine by executive chef Salvatore Polizzotto …
If I were seized with an absolutely irresistible compulsion to spray Champagne with wild, unfettered abandon, I’d probably lean toward a bottle of Cook’s or André. You know, something that had done me indisputable harm in college and deserved a little redemption. But it’s nothing but the best for the …
Way back in the Middle Ages, the Benedictine monks of the Saint Mont Monastery transformed the ancient vineyards of Plaimont. Since then, the people of the Plaimont region have developed a genuine passion for wine that continues to be handed down through the generations. The vineyards stretch through the very …
If “punk rock Waterford crystal” sounds like an oxymoron you’d have a hard time formulating into your image of the iconic brand eschewed in tradition, take a look at designer Jo Sampson’s new Rebel Collection designed for Waterford. Glowing with velvety, smoky shades of bronze, mauve, gold, and vibrant purple and …
The afternoon sunlight filtering through your crystal barware tosses colorful reflections of violet, lime, warm garnet, and azure standing out in bold against white linen. Clean, contemporary lines are the dominant esthetic here, along with a bright rainbow of unabashed color. In short, this is not your grandmother’s Waterford. Waterford’s …
Love wine? Love nature? Weird, us too! Okay, so sharing a fondness for these two subjects is about as common as sharing a fondness for puppies and ice cream. But now you can contribute to the preservation of the latter with your consumption of the former when you purchase wines …
A visit to Artesa in the Carneros area of Napa Valley is nothing short of spectacular: design, art and nature combine to make the winery one of the most impressive – and popular – destinations in wine country. It is a winery that exudes a sense of purpose: “artesa” means …
Passionate Cellar Master Hervé Deschamps of Maisson Perrier-Jouët brings an artistry to blending delicately nuanced, harmoniously balanced Champagne you can taste in every sip of Belle Epoque 2007. Fortune as well as skill came into play in the success of this beautiful cuvée–an unseasonably warm April back in that fruitful …
If you work in the wine industry there are two questions you hear a lot: first, what wine should I look out for? And second, what’s your favorite wine for the money? A recent trade survey revealed that there is one wine that answers both questions. 92% of trade …