It has been a busy autumn at the AdVL with the publication of Sherry: Maligned, Misunderstood, Magnificent! by Ben Howkins. This was launched to great acclaim at the Consejo Regulador de Jerez on 15 October under the Presidency of Don Beltran Domecq, who then travelled to London the following week to present a Master Class in honour of the book at 67 Pall Mall. We are delighted that this much-needed work has been so well-received so speedily.
Our fourth and final publication of the year will be In Vino Veritas, a wonderfully researched and beautifully illustrated compendium of fine wine writing past and present from across the globe. The idea is based on (and dedicated to the memory of) The Compleat Imbiber, which was edited with flair and distinction for 30 years by Cyril Ray, and which gave me and my contemporaries so much pleasure. Our hope is that the publication of In Vino Veritas will similarly become an annual event – the perfect Christmas stocking-filler for wine lovers of all ages.
Enhancing the pleasure of drinking wine by learning more about it underpins much of what we do at AdVL, so we are especially pleased to announce our patronage of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) – of which I am privileged to be the current Honorary President and which this year celebrates its 50th Anniversary. If I had to sum up my 55 years in wine, I would say they were mostly spent learning about and communicating wine’s many facets – but particularly the pleasures – to my fellow aficionados. Our ongoing involvement with the WSET continues this in a timely manner, rounding off what has been an enormously encouraging first year.
As ever,
Steven
