The 2022 City Fine Wine Challenge in aid of NSPCC Childline was held on the 3rd March, and we were delighted to be back in One Great George Street after the virtual event last year.
Back in the swing and despite some nervousness and some absences with Covid still circulating (sadly including ex-chairman of the committee Andy Briggs himself), it was a great success and raised in excess of £187,000 for NSPCC Childline.
In an interesting innovation, three members of L&S staff (Jack Chapman, Tom Lorimer and Angus Barcroft) were auctioned before the quiz began, to sit with the tables that ‘bought’ them, perhaps providing some useful answers at key moments, or merely giving a different perspective on some of the wines tasted.
The L&S Team being auctioned
As usual, the quiz questions, still provided by Andrew Hooper, the now-retired manager of Barnes and then Chiswick L&S shops for many years, included some technical wine questions and a few rather more whimsical ones where the connection to wine was more tenuous, such as:
Côte Rôtie is famously divided between the Côte Blonde and the Côte Brune. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, says the 1953 film title, but which famous brunette starred alongside classic blonde Marilyn Monroe?
a) Rita Hayworth
b) Audrey Hepburn
c) Jayne Mansfield
d) Jane Russell **
or the final question on Barolo:
Barale Fratelli is a new producer for LEA & SANDEMAN and nothing to do with popular Scottish pop combo The Fratellis. So, it’s irrelevant and irreverent to ask, which was The Fratellis’ most successful single release, reaching No5 in the UK charts in 2006?
a) Chelsea Dagger **
b) Fulham Paper Knife
c) Kensington Guerrilla
d) Portobello Revolutionary