The changing tastes of corporate hospitality

City turns out in force for Keith Prowse’s Wimbledon Wine Tasting Evening with Albert Roux

Press information for release 28th May




Keith Prowse, the UK’s hospitality leader, entertained guests with combined buying power in excess of £40 million on Wednesday (26th July) at the Wimbledon Wine Tasting Evening.

Held at the Commonwealth Club in central London, the event brought together the cream of the corporate world and selected media figures to choose the wines which will be served at Keith Prowse’s The Gatsby Club during The Championships, Wimbledon (21st June – 4th July).

Michelin-starred Chef Albert Roux, who has exclusively designed The Gatsby Club menu for this year’s tournament, was in attendance, as six white wines and six red wines were narrowed down to three of each colour by the end of the evening. Andy Vinsen, Acting Commercial Director at Keith Prowse, hosted the evening along with Barry Melton from esteemed wine merchants Justerini & Brooks, who expertly guided guests through the tasting process.

A state-of-the-art electronic voting system allowed attendees to see results within seconds of registering their decision, and the tasting was interspersed with a keenly contested quiz which tested the wine knowledge of guests.

After a close-run contest, the final choices were confirmed as:

White Wines

Babich Black Label Sauvignon Blanc 2009  
Pouilly Fuisse Chateau de Lavernette 2008  
Pouilly Fume, Serge Dagueneau 2008  

Red Wines

Chateauneuf du Pape , Chateau Mont-Redon 2006 
Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 2008
Rioja, Crianza, Dominio Alto 2005  

Assessing the wines which made the final cut, Barry Melton of Justerini & Brooks commented: “The stand-out for me was the Babich, which has been a favourite at Wimbledon over the past few years and suits a wide variety of palates. It was the first time that I had hosted an event of this nature, and I thought it went very well, there was a lot of fun and interaction.”

Andy Vinsen, Acting Commercial Director at Keith Prowse added: “It was a pleasure to host last night’s event alongside Barry, and we were honoured by the presence of Albert Roux. Such was the success of evening that we are already busy planning a series of similar events for the future. As we saw last night, work and fun can go hand in hand and who better to have organising the event for you than the UK's largest and most respected hospitality company?”

Click here to see photographs of the event >

For further information, please contact Triggerfish Communications 020 7233 9700