Latest news with #GilesCooper
Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Telegraph
A wine lover's guide to bringing bottles home in checked luggage
Imagine the scene – you're on holiday in the south of France sipping a delicious pale pink rosé. It cost just five euros a bottle but it's undoubtedly the best Provençal blush you've ever tried. You simply must take some home with you. But for as long as CT scanners remain on hold at many UK airports, you have no choice but to risk packing it in your checked luggage, praying the baggage handlers are feeling kind that day. Just how do you keep your precious finds pristine? Options range from the homespun wrap-it-in-a-towel method and cheap inflatable or cardboard sleeves to speciality hard-shell suitcases, which come with a hefty price tag. And of course many airlines charge you to bring back hold luggage, so start by asking yourself if you really will be sipping that fruity cinsault quite so enthusiastically on your return. 'Bringing wine home from holiday is a funny thing. It's a bit like buying holiday art – it's a context thing,' says Giles Cooper, buying director at Chelsea Vintners. 'When the sun is shining and you're gazing at a beautiful view, everything tastes better. That wine might not taste so great on a wet afternoon in Wakefield. But people love to bring home a souvenir. 'If I'm travelling with wine samples, I use a hard-shell suitcase with foam inserts and it has never let me down. Inflatable sleeves are good too and for a more eco-friendly alternative, try recyclable card versions with a honeycomb or concertina design. 'My main tip is that if you are bringing back more than three bottles in something other than a hard case with appropriate foam inserts, then I would recommend getting the winery or shop you visit to ship it for you. The cost of shipping (at a guess around £50-£60 per case of six wines) is worth the peace of mind if you're buying special bottles.' I tested two of the options recommended by Cooper, as well as my own home-made methods, packing two to five bottles in a hand luggage-sized suitcase. As well as trialling these on recent trips, I tried running down the street in the manner of someone late for their flight, and chucking the case about a bit, in the style of an airport baggage handler at the end of a bank holiday weekend. While none of the methods resulted in broken bottles, some felt safer than others, offered more space for clothes and, in some instances, offered a dual use. Ease of use: Easy Although the bottle I brought home didn't break, I was worried about it the entire flight. And because I needed to roll the bottle in many layers of jumpers and towels to provide enough protection, I had to sacrifice space in my case. Ease of use: Easy Ease of use: Easy I recommend these freezable sleeves to any wine-loving friend for keeping bottles chilled on days out. Using them in my case was an inspired idea and they worked a treat although the fairly major downside is that the neck of the bottle is left exposed. I had to use extra padding with clothing for it to feel truly unbreakable. Ease of use: Medium Of the 10 sleeves I tried to inflate, only one pumped up to the full, meaning there were parts of the bottle left unprotected. If I'd had access to something better than the flimsy pump that came with the pack, I would say that these are an excellent option. They do, however, take up a lot of case space and don't feel particularly kind to the planet. Ease of use: Easy Despite the patented 'technology' being no more than deep foam inserts, I was pleasantly surprised with the VinGarde's ability to securely hold up to five bottles, leaving space for clothes, shoes and other essentials. You can also buy add-ins for differently sized bottles or glassware and there are eight- and 12-bottle versions too. After throwing it around a fair bit, the hard shell and secure straps showed their mettle, and I certainly wouldn't feel concerned about my precious cargo if I was travelling with this case. You can remove the inserts and use the case as a carry-on without wine. The single markdown is for the price, which feels extreme for the average holidaymaker. Photos by Paul Grover Six urban wineries to visit You don't have to hire a car to fit in some wine tasting. Plenty of estates are within easy reach of a city, if not in the heart of one. 1. Bordeaux Bordeaux boasts working wineries within its city limits. Château Dillon is on the city's tram network and is one of the first chateaux of the Médoc wine route. 2. Porto Port lovers have the pick of some really great wineries in Vila Nova de Gaia, a short hop across the Douro from the city of Porto, where the fortified wines are aged in waterfront port lodges for optimum humidity. Try Cockburn's, Taylor's or small-scale producer Poças. 3. Vienna Like Bordeaux, Vienna is home to many vineyards within the city limits and its Heurigen (wine taverns) are as famous as the Viennese waltz. The Ottakringer hills are home to many small family-run vineyards and you can combine a day's tasting with a hike, just 20 minutes by public transport from central Vienna. 4. Barcelona The Can Calopa farmhouse is located in the hills to the west of Barcelona. Here you can tour the vines and taste the property's organic red and white wines and olive oil. 5. Cape Town The Constantia Valley is located just 20 minutes from central Cape Town and is home to some of the region's oldest vines, some dating back more than 300 years. Groot Constantia and Klein Constantia are two of the most prestigious properties. Read more about Cape Town wineries here. 6. Venice
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vietnam plans energy shift toward building more solar, less reliance on gas and coal
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam is revising its energy plans to focus more on large solar farms and less on reliance on coal and natural gas. The fast-growing economy now aims to get 16% of its energy from the sun — more than triple its earlier target of just 5%. A draft of the new policy outline, likely to be finalized in coming weeks, scraps plans to build offshore wind turbines, instead building more onshore wind capacity, rooftop solar and energy storage. Offshore wind and new gas projects have proven expensive and difficult. Large solar farms are cheaper and easier to build. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. But Vietnam also is emphasizing expansion of large solar farms to meet soaring demand for power generation. It forecasts it will need more than 211 gigawatts of energy by 2030 as its economy grows, 40% more than its previous estimate and more than Germany's current total capacity. 'This reflects both an overall increase in potential power demand by 2030 and the fact that LNG (or liquefied natural gas) projects are not on track to be completed by 2030,' said Giles Cooper, a partner at the international law firm Allens based in Hanoi who specializes in energy policy. Solar power expanded rapidly in Vietnam from 2018 to 2020, helped by generous government policies, as it leaped past its neighbors and some richer nations like the United Kingdom. But construction of new solar capacity stalled in 2020 as the Southeast Asian nation realized that its creaky electricity grid was getting overloaded since electricity was only available when the sun shone. 'It was like the market almost stopped,' said Dimitri Pescia, of Berlin-based thinktank Agora Energiewende. Use of polluting coal, which releases earth-warming gases into the atmosphere, has surged and Vietnam is set to become of the world's top five coal importers, displacing Taiwan, according to the International Energy Agency. Like many other countries, Vietnam still needs to upgrade its rickety grid, which has failed to keep up with rapid growth of clean power generation. However, it has made improvements and gained experience dealing with energy sources that aren't always availables, Cooper said. Last year, authorities allowed electricity-guzzling factories to buy power directly from energy producers, aiming to ease pressure on the overstrained power grid and help big manufacturers like Samsung Electronics meet their climate targets. But that was hindered by a lack of space to build clean energy projects close to factories. Solar energy is 'seen as the most promising technology to kick start' those direct purchases, Cooper said. But while it's building clean power capacity, Vietnam is also ramping up use of coal. That's partly to make up for lost hydropower capacity due to drought, and also to meet soaring demand as businesses shift factories from China to Vietnam. Vietnam is Southeast Asia's second-biggest coal producer after Indonesia. It also imported 50 million ton of coal in the first three quarters of 2024 — a 31% increase, according to government data. Pescia noted that Vietnam's coal-fired power plants aren't very old and operators have yet to recoup their investments. 'Phasing out coal in a country like Vietnam will take more time,' he said. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Vietnam plans energy shift toward building more solar, less reliance on gas and coal
Vietnam is revising its energy plans to focus more on large solar farms and less on reliance on coal and natural gas. The fast-growing economy now aims to get 16% of its energy from the sun — more than triple its earlier target of just 5%. A draft of the new policy outline, likely to be finalized in coming weeks, scraps plans to build offshore wind turbines, instead building more onshore wind capacity, rooftop solar and energy storage. Offshore wind and new gas projects have proven expensive and difficult. Large solar farms are cheaper and easier to build. But Vietnam also is emphasizing expansion of large solar farms to meet soaring demand for power generation. It forecasts it will need more than 211 gigawatts of energy by 2030 as its economy grows, 40% more than its previous estimate and more than Germany 's current total capacity. 'This reflects both an overall increase in potential power demand by 2030 and the fact that LNG (or liquefied natural gas) projects are not on track to be completed by 2030,' said Giles Cooper, a partner at the international law firm Allens based in Hanoi who specializes in energy policy. Solar power expanded rapidly in Vietnam from 2018 to 2020, helped by generous government policies, as it leaped past its neighbors and some richer nations like the United Kingdom. But construction of new solar capacity stalled in 2020 as the Southeast Asian nation realized that its creaky electricity grid was getting overloaded since electricity was only available when the sun shone. 'It was like the market almost stopped,' said Dimitri Pescia, of Berlin-based thinktank Agora Energiewende. Use of polluting coal, which releases earth-warming gases into the atmosphere, has surged and Vietnam is set to become of the world's top five coal importers, displacing Taiwan, according to the International Energy Agency. Like many other countries, Vietnam still needs to upgrade its rickety grid, which has failed to keep up with rapid growth of clean power generation. However, it has made improvements and gained experience dealing with energy sources that aren't always availables, Cooper said. Last year, authorities allowed electricity-guzzling factories to buy power directly from energy producers, aiming to ease pressure on the overstrained power grid and help big manufacturers like Samsung Electronics meet their climate targets. But that was hindered by a lack of space to build clean energy projects close to factories. Solar energy is 'seen as the most promising technology to kick start' those direct purchases, Cooper said. But while it's building clean power capacity, Vietnam is also ramping up use of coal. That's partly to make up for lost hydropower capacity due to drought, and also to meet soaring demand as businesses shift factories from China to Vietnam. Vietnam is Southeast Asia's second-biggest coal producer after Indonesia. It also imported 50 million ton of coal in the first three quarters of 2024 — a 31% increase, according to government data. Pescia noted that Vietnam's coal-fired power plants aren't very old and operators have yet to recoup their investments. 'Phasing out coal in a country like Vietnam will take more time,' he said. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
27-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Vietnam plans energy shift toward building more solar, less reliance on gas and coal
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam is revising its energy plans to focus more on large solar farms and less on reliance on coal and natural gas. The fast-growing economy now aims to get 16% of its energy from the sun — more than triple its earlier target of just 5%. A draft of the new policy outline, likely to be finalized in coming weeks, scraps plans to build offshore wind turbines, instead building more onshore wind capacity, rooftop solar and energy storage. Offshore wind and new gas projects have proven expensive and difficult. Large solar farms are cheaper and easier to build. But Vietnam also is emphasizing expansion of large solar farms to meet soaring demand for power generation. It forecasts it will need more than 211 gigawatts of energy by 2030 as its economy grows, 40% more than its previous estimate and more than Germany's current total capacity. 'This reflects both an overall increase in potential power demand by 2030 and the fact that LNG (or liquefied natural gas) projects are not on track to be completed by 2030,' said Giles Cooper, a partner at the international law firm Allens based in Hanoi who specializes in energy policy. Solar power expanded rapidly in Vietnam from 2018 to 2020, helped by generous government policies, as it leaped past its neighbors and some richer nations like the United Kingdom. But construction of new solar capacity stalled in 2020 as the Southeast Asian nation realized that its creaky electricity grid was getting overloaded since electricity was only available when the sun shone. 'It was like the market almost stopped,' said Dimitri Pescia, of Berlin-based thinktank Agora Energiewende. Use of polluting coal, which releases earth-warming gases into the atmosphere, has surged and Vietnam is set to become of the world's top five coal importers, displacing Taiwan, according to the International Energy Agency. Like many other countries, Vietnam still needs to upgrade its rickety grid, which has failed to keep up with rapid growth of clean power generation. However, it has made improvements and gained experience dealing with energy sources that aren't always availables, Cooper said. Last year, authorities allowed electricity-guzzling factories to buy power directly from energy producers, aiming to ease pressure on the overstrained power grid and help big manufacturers like Samsung Electronics meet their climate targets. But that was hindered by a lack of space to build clean energy projects close to factories. Solar energy is 'seen as the most promising technology to kick start' those direct purchases, Cooper said. But while it's building clean power capacity, Vietnam is also ramping up use of coal. That's partly to make up for lost hydropower capacity due to drought, and also to meet soaring demand as businesses shift factories from China to Vietnam. Vietnam is Southeast Asia's second-biggest coal producer after Indonesia. It also imported 50 million ton of coal in the first three quarters of 2024 — a 31% increase, according to government data. Pescia noted that Vietnam's coal-fired power plants aren't very old and operators have yet to recoup their investments. 'Phasing out coal in a country like Vietnam will take more time,' he said. ___
Sky News
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Mariah Carey to perform at Sandringham
Mariah Carey is set to perform an exclusive concert at a royal estate. The US megastar is lined up to headline Heritage Live at Sandringham in Norfolk on 15 August. Also set to perform are Nile Rodgers & Chic and British R&B group Eternal. It will be the second UK show for the singer this summer, as she has also been confirmed as the headliner for the Brighton Pride Festival on 2 August. The singer was previously lined up for the event in 2020, which was later cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Giles Cooper of Heritage Live Festivals, said: "We're absolutely thrilled to bring one of the greatest pop artists of all time to the Royal Sandringham Estate for an exclusive UK headline show. " Mariah Carey is an award-winner, a record-breaker, and an absolute global icon - this show will be historic. "Mariah's live show is second to none and with such a catalogue of huge hit singles, it's going to be an incredible occasion. It will most definitely be an 'I was there' event that will live in all of our memories forever." Carey has 19 number one US singles to her name, more than any other solo artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her best-known hits include Vision of Love, Fantasy, Emotions and the festive favourite All I Want For Christmas Is You - which turned 30 at the end of last year. Sandringham is described as the "much-loved country estate" of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The Royal Family traditionally spend Christmas at Sandringham.
