Christine Parkinson on driving sake with customers and sommeliers at Hakkasan

Helen Arnold talks sake with Christine Parkinson, chief wine buyer at the 12-strong Hakkasan restaurant chain, the first company to put some of its sommeliers through a new WSET sake course.

Skye Gyngell to open first standalone restaurant at Somerset House

Skye Gyngell, who made her name at the Petersham Nurseries Café, is to open her first solo venture,Spring, at Somerset House in London in October.

Imogen Taylor on "exciting" white South African wines and making it as a young sommelier

Douglas Blyde talks to the 22 year-old sommelier of Greyhound at The Test in Stockbridge who says it was not her father of Stone Vine & Sun fame that inspired her to take up a career in wine, but getting her hands dirty out in wineries around the world instead.

Gymkhana comes out top in the National Restaurant Awards

Premium London Indian restaurant, Gymkhana, has been voted the best restaurant in the UK in last night's National Restaurant Awards, run by Restaurant magazine, sister title to Harpers.co.uk.

Alain Ducasse sommelier wins first Wines of Portugal Wine Quest competition

Dorian Guillon, assistant head sommelier at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, has won the inaugural Wines of Portugal Wine Quest 2014 competition set up to help spread the word about Portuguese wine amongst UK's leading sommeliers.

Tengu Sake's Oliver Hilton-Johnson on driving sake sales in the UK

Anna Greenhous talks to Oliver Hilton-Johnson of Tengu Sake, shortlisted for the International Wine Challenge 'Innovator of the Year' 2014 award, about how he's made sake more accessible and the growing interest in sake in the UK.

Valentino Monticello, sommelier and acclaimed artist, has died

Douglas Blyde compares the culinary and wine delights of the Fat Duck and Fera at Claridge's

Occurring within days, I was lucky enough to experience arguably two of England's finest chefs calibrate dishes to complement complex ferment from noble estates. These were served in the presence of two of the trade's most celebrated raconteurs.

Matthieu Longuere comes out top in Wine Australia's Tasting Blind Club

Master Sommelier, Matthieu Longuere, has been announced as the 2014 winner of Wine Australia's Tasting Blind Club.

Michael Simms, head sommelier at Sartoria, on a life serving wine

Harpers.co.uk talks with Michael Simms, head sommelier at Sartoria in Mayfair about how he accidently fell into training to become a top sommelier.

Harpers Awards 2014 winners announced at London's Hurlingham Club

Morrisons, Naked Wines, Bibendum, Corks Out, Vinoteca and the Chiltern Fire House were some of the big name winners announced tonight at the Harpers Awards at London's Hurlingham Club.

France dominates the Sommelier Wine Awards 2014

France took home a total of 366 medals and commendations in this year's Sommelier Wine Awards, with nearly 100 more accolades than the runner up Italy, which took home 267.

Final 12 sommeliers chosen to battle it out for Moët UK Sommelier of the Year 2014

The 12 semi-finalists of the Moët UK Sommelier of the Year 2014, organised by the Academy of Food & Wine Service, have been announced who will now battle it out to go through to the grand final.

Sake: hot or cold? Anna Greenhous on when it's right to heat things up

Whether sake should be drunk warm or cold is the subject of much debate. People unfamiliar with sake have often only experienced it warm, and so believe this is the way it should be served. Some sake fans claim good quality sake should always be served cold and that bad sake is warmed to hide its faults. However, it isn't that simple.

Douglas Blyde unleashes his senses on José Sanfins' wines at London's Clos Maggiore

According to research recently published in journal, "Science", the average human is equipped to differentiate some one trillion odours (999,999,990,000 more than previously thought). Buoyed by these findings, I was keen to apply my apparently amazing snout to the finery at Clos Maggiore's wine club. Tonight's instalment was hosted by Matt Thomas. Formerly a store manager at Majestic Wines, Thomas joined Hallgarten Druitt, as account development manager six months ago. Despite Clos Maggiore's Covent Garden location, Thomas's territory, work-wise and residentially is Dalston where he secured accounts, White Rabbit and Jones & Son, which he highly recommends are worth a visit

Get your five a day with new vegetable cocktail range

Those struggling to get through their five or seven fresh vegetables a day might want to try a new range of vegetable cocktails from mixologist Thomas Weinberger of Barschule München.

Heston Blumenthal to take Fat Duck and Dinner to Melbourne

Heston Blumenthal is to close his three Michelin star restaurant, the Fat Duck, and re-open it in Melbourne, Australia as part of a six-month deal with the Crown Melbourne Resort. When it returns to the UK it will be replaced by his other UK Michelin restaurant, Dinner.

Discover the Origin to hold two masterclasses with Gerard Basset

Discover the Origin, a campaign focused on Bourgogne Wines, Parma Ham, Douro Wines, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Port, is set to host two mastercalsses in May featuring award winning sommelier Gerard Basset.

Q&A: Agustin Trapero, head sommelier at Michelin-starred Launceston Place

Gerard Basset leads line up for Discover the Origin masterclasses around the UK

The UK on-trade is for the last time going to have the chance to literally Discover the Origin of some of the most iconic drink and food products produced in the European Union with a series of masterclasses featuring some of the trade's most well known figures including Gerard Basset MW, MS.