Latest news with #winefestival
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Connoisseurs will be spoilt for choice at this Cyprus hotspot
What is it that makes Limassol such a great holiday destination? Is it the soothing southern Cypriot coastline? Is it the trove of excellent shops and restaurants offering designer brands and Michelin-approved menus? Or perhaps it's the city's old harbour which offers a journey into the past, via its medieval castle, which now houses a museum? Then, of course, there's the calendar of festival events; wine lovers, for example, flock here for its annual Limassol Wine Festival. In short, there's a lot to love about this cosmopolitan destination. But the thing that could turn your holiday from great to fantastic is a stay at Mediterranean Beach Hotel, a super four-plus star hotel carefully selected by British Airways Holidays that's perfectly positioned on the Blue Flag Vouppa Beach. The hotel's rooms have been renovated in recent years and it stands out for a host of reasons: its calming, tranquil atmosphere, warm island hospitality and wide-spanning culinary offerings that allow you to quickly slip into luxury holiday mode. Its location, halfway between Paphos and Larnaca airports, allows you to choose from two arrival airports, both of which are served by direct UK flights with British Airways Holidays. As you'd expect from this trusted tour operator, you can enjoy a range of benefits when you book your escape: from access to a dedicated 24/7 support helpline during your trip to a generous checked baggage allowance. There's no obligation to pay your holiday upfront in full either, with options to secure your holiday with a low deposit and spread the cost with flexible payments*. You'll also enjoy Atol protection from the moment you book. The hotel facilities and setting are showstopping. You'll find many of your needs and interests are catered for here. Its 250m-long beach comes with free use of sunbeds and parasols and its spectacular, split-level swimming pool is complemented with a charming bar where you can sip on cocktails from bar stools perched in the water. Topping off this gorgeous oasis are the pretty terraced gardens, dotted with towering palms that frame the Mediterranean Sea views and make enviable holiday snaps guaranteed. There are 291 recently renovated rooms and suites to choose from, each one designed in contemporary earthy tones accented with cornflower blue details, plus parquet flooring, walnut woods and geometric art. The rooms here are also curated with an array of holidaymakers in mind. Junior suites, with their cocooning feature walls, are suited to adults and those over 16, while guests travelling with children are right at home in the Family rooms, which offer extra space, a sofa bed and a handy location, next to the hotel's kids' club, which caters for children aged four to 12. Families with little ones will also rest easy when they hear that baby-care and childcare items are available on request, as are babysitting services (additional charge applies), and specially prepared children's meals are offered across restaurant menus. Booking a couples' getaway or honeymoon? You'll find plenty of ways to enjoy a grown-up getaway here, with an Aquum Spa offering a wide range of experiences and rituals, facials and wellness packages. There's a serene indoor pool (heated from November to March), hi-tech gym, Pilates and aerobics classes, with a floodlit tennis court to boot. Gastronomes will find rich culinary pickings at the Mediterranean Beach Hotel, which treats the tastebuds to two main restaurants and three à la carte restaurants spanning themed buffets as well as authentic Italian, Pan-Asian and traditional Cypriot delicacies. You'll find many lovely outdoor dining areas and romantic nooks, as well as sophisticated venues, such as the Blue Bar, where you can unwind with a drink or two. It'll be hard to peel yourself away from this hotel, but if you do, you have a wealth of must-visit spots on your doorstep, from the photogenic Limassol Marina to the archaeological site of Amathus – whose ruins date back to 1100 BC – less than a mile away. Indulge yourself with a stay at this hotel and you can see for yourself why holidays to Limassol are so popular. British Airways Holidays packages include a generous checked baggage allowance for each customer and come with full Atol protection for complete peace of mind. Secure your holiday to Mediterranean Beach Hotel with a low deposit and enjoy flexible payments until you fly.* *Based on two sharing. Full balance due four weeks before departure for short-haul holiday bookings. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
First-ever wine festival with tastings, food pairings and DJs set for south London
A new festival for wine lovers is coming to Battersea Power Station. The Wine Circuit will take place from June 6 to June 8, celebrating both British and international wines. The festival will feature a range of wine-themed activities, including tastings, food pairings, and panel discussions with industry experts. Visitors can also participate in The Wine Cup, a tasting experience where they can vote for the 'Best in Show' and 'Highly Commended' wines from independent wineries and wine shops. Power Station Park transforms into alfresco wine and food market (Image: An artisan market will offer wine-related gifts and gadgets. Battersea Power Station, home to over 150 shops, bars, restaurants, and leisure venues, will provide festival exclusives throughout the weekend. The event will kick off on the evening of June 6 with the Strictly Bangers wine tasting and music event, founded by Mark Gurney, co-owner and director at Bar Levan. Attendees will participate in blind tastings and a quiz, with prizes up for grabs. From the Ashes BBQ and Fallow among pop-ups serving exclusive pairings (Image: Dan Burns) There will also be live DJ sets with Mark Gurney and special guests. The wine list for the event has been curated by Bar Levan and will be supported by Paola Tich, The Beach Sommelier, and Natalia Ribbe, Ladies of Restaurants and Sete in Margate. A series of ticketed wine tasting sessions and panel discussions will be held by wine industry experts on June 7 and June 8. These will cover topics such as natural wine, British wine, sparkling wine trends, alcohol-free wine, and choosing the perfect pale rosé. Power Station Park will be transformed into an alfresco market with pop-ups from Vagabond Wines, Beare Green Winery, Oxney Organic Estate, Sandbridge Barton, Domaine des Jeanne, ETO, La Mad, Battersea Brewery, and Tillingham. Festival-goers can purchase a ticket to participate in The Wine Cup, where they can taste wines from around the world and vote for their favourites. Tickets cost £30 and include a branded tote bag and cup, as well as a tasting card. Exclusive wine and food pairings will be available from pop-ups such as From the Ashes BBQ, Masa Tacos, Made of Dough, and Tasca. The team behind Fallow will also be serving their famous fried chicken paired with frozen margaritas, wine, and beer towers. An artisan market will offer bottle stoppers, corkscrews, decanters, wine glasses, and other wine-related gifts. Many of the bars and restaurants at Battersea Power Station will join The Wine Circuit with their own wine-themed activities. Vagabond Wines will host a duo of wine and cheese tasting events on June 8, while Searcys Champagne Bar will have their Champagne Rolls Royce bar in Power Station Park. Kate Boothman-Meier, head of communications and marketing at Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: "Battersea Power Station has become one of London's most beloved food and drink destinations and we pride ourselves on our wide selection of bars, cafes and restaurants available across the riverside neighbourhood. "We're always keen to offer new and unique experiences to our visitors and we are excited to host our first-ever wine festival next month. "We look forward to welcoming visitors for a weekend full of fun, wine-themed activities suitable for wine aficionados and novices alike." Travelling to Battersea Power Station for The Wine Circuit is easy, with the Zone 1 Battersea Power Station Underground station bringing the riverside neighbourhood within 15 minutes of the West End and the City. Battersea Power Station also has its own Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier and is a 15-minute journey from Embankment, 20 minutes from Blackfriars, 30 minutes from Putney, and 40 minutes from Canary Wharf. The riverside neighbourhood is easily accessible by bus, bike, car, and train too.
Japan Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
The world's biggest natural wine festival returns to Tokyo
Returning for its second edition, Raw Wine Tokyo will be held at Ota City's Tokyo Ryutsu Center from May 10 to 11. The annual natural wine festival will feature more than 80 natural wine producers from around the world, including 11 Japanese wineries. The response to last year's edition, which was held at Shinagawa's B&C Hall, was very positive, with a turnout of 2,400 guests, according to Tomomi Manton, Raw Wine Tokyo's public relations representative. 'Visitors came mostly from Japan, but we also had some international wine trade professionals from neighboring countries such as South Korea, China, Thailand, the Philippines, as well as the U.S. and Canada,' says Manton. 'The winemakers also love traveling to Japan to experience the vibrant natural wine scene here and the exceptional food offerings,' she continues, adding that this year's venue has doubled in size, from 1,100 square meters last year to 2,000 square meters. Since its first edition in London in 2012, Raw Wine has grown internationally, taking its event to major cities with a vibrant natural wine scene. | RAW WINE TOKYO Since its first edition in London in 2012, Raw Wine has expanded its brand internationally, running the event in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Paris. The festival is the brainchild of Isabelle Legeron, a Master of Wine who is determined to spread the word of natural winemaking. Natural winemaking, in which wines are made with as little intervention as possible, oftentimes without any filtration and sometimes without any preservatives like sulfites, has always polarized drinkers. Proponents say that it is the purest, most untainted form of winemaking, while opponents argue that the hands-off approach can sometimes result in wines that taste spoiled or 'funky.' This debate hasn't stopped the trend from growing, as natural wine bars and festivals continue to pop up in dining capitals around the world. Raw Wine, however, remains the biggest natural wine festival to date. To participate in Raw Wine, winemakers have to satisfy a set of criteria established by Legeron: The grapes must be cultivated using organic farming methods, and vinification should be done with minimal intervention. Wine producers also have to complete a questionnaire about their winemaking methods and submit their wine analysis data as well as wine samples for tasting. Some of the natural wine producers participating in this year's Raw Wine Tokyo include Le Clos des Quarterons (Loire Valley, France), a farm known for its fresh, minerally cabernet franc; Poggio Cagnano (Tuscany, Italy), an up-and-coming winery making wines from sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and merlot; and Roberto Henriquez (Bio Bio Valley, Chile), a winemaker who makes wines from vines over a 100 years old. The event will also showcase 11 Japanese natural wineries — part of a small but growing number of wine producers who are defying the odds to make natural wine in Japan. | RAW WINE TOKYO Many of the 11 Japanese wineries are new to this year's event. They include Shindo Wines from Fukuoka Prefecture, Sawauchi from Aomori Prefecture, and Natan Winery from Tokushima Prefecture — young wineries that have boldly taken on the challenge of making natural wine in a country known for its difficult grape-growing conditions. The event will also feature six sake breweries who are making sake from organic rice, such as Fukumitsuya from Ishikawa Prefecture, Niida Honke from Fukushima Prefecture, and Terada Honke from Chiba Prefecture. According to Manton, their inclusion in the event is important because of their similar modus operandi. '(The sake brewers and natural wineries) rely on clean agriculture and natural fermentation to produce a drink that is alive and representative of their terroir,' she says. For the wine geeks, there will also be wine seminars to attend — one of them, 'Why Old Vines Matter,' will be conducted in English by Smallfry Wines (Barossa Valley, Australia), Chateau La Baronne (Languedoc, France), Agricola Yumbel Estacion (Bío Bío Valley, Chile) and moderated by Legeron. Raw Wine Tokyo; Tokyo Ryutsu Center, Hall F, 6-1-1 Heiwajima, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143-0006; 10 p.m - 6 p.m; ¥9,000 for public, ¥7,000 for trade/industry members. For more information, visit
