Gorgeous by Graham Beck

Gorgeous by Graham Beck, the first brand-exclusive sparkling wine bar in South Africa, has opened its doors at Steenberg Vineyards in Constantia. As reported on thedrinksbusiness.com, taking its name from the favoured term of endearment of South African sparkling wine pioneer, the late Graham Beck, Gorgeous features the full selection of Beck’s Méthode Cap Classique wines.

Decked out with wallpaper by Vivienne Westwood and Tom Dixon light fixtures, canapés come courtesy of executive chef Garth Almazan of the winery’s Catharina’s restaurant. Among the dishes created to complement the sparking wines are Saldanha Bay oysters, poached tiger prawns and asparagus and goat’s cheese risotto croquettes.

Gorgeous will only offer Beck’s sparkling wines, either by the bottle or glass, with prices starting at SAR40 per flute and SAR200 per bottle. On show will be the brut NV, rosé NV, demi sec NV, vintage blanc de blancs, vintage rosé and the iconic Cap Classique flagship, Cuvée Clive. The bar will be open seven days a week and won’t take reservations.

Gorgeous is the latest addition to the Steenberg estate, formerly owned by Beck (pictured), which also features a hotel, spa, 18-hole golf course, Bistro Sixteen82, and Catharina’s restaurant. Beck died in July 2010 aged 80. Entering the wine business in 1983, he was a constant champion of Méthode Cap Classique sparking wines, which he made and sold through his estate, Graham Beck Wines. Beck bought Steenberg Vineyards through his Kangra Group in 2005.

Gordon's Wine Bar

Every wine lover must at some point make a pilgrimage to Gordon's Wine Bar – the oldest wine bar in London. Located on Villiers street, next to Embankment, Gordon's opened in 1890 and has enjoyed a colourful history – the building was home to diarist Samuel Pepys in the 1680s.

Before becoming a bar, it served as a seed warehouse until the Thames was embanked in 1824, and shortly after opening, author Rudyard Kipling moved in as a tenant, penning the London-based novel The Light That Failed in the parlour above the bar.

The charm of Gordon's lies in the fact that very little has changed in its 120-year history. Walking down the narrow staircase, it's like the 20th century never happened. The wooden walls are covered in yellowing newspaper cuttings and old posters from a bygone era. It's full of trinkets, from grandfather clocks and ornate vintage tills, to old wine kegs and Champagne bottles cloaked in cobwebs.

I spent a happy hour at Gordon's last night, in the company of the bar's current owner, Simon Gordon. Well, his mum owns it, he runs it. We sat in 'the cage' as they've christened it, a tiny area at the back of the bar under the arches, complete with what looks like a prison door. It's where the wine used to be kept, until they recently built a new cellar. Crammed around a table in a space no taller than my modest 5 foot 5 height, the dining area is not for the claustrophobic.

With the peeling ceiling and cracked floors, it feels a bit like you're partying in a WW2 shelter. Candles wedged in wine bottles adorn the wooden tables, dripping waxy stalactites down the green glass. You can hardly move for people. I went on early a Monday night and it was rammed, even though they only serve wine. On my first visit before Christmas I enjoyed a glass of Oloroso straight from the barrel. Simon's father, Louis Gordon, was a huge Sherry fan – for 200 years the family Sherry shippers were the sole importers of Domecq to the UK.

Last night I was on the Fat Bastard, the Rhône-based brainchild of Thierry Boudinaud and Guy Anderson. I indulged in a glass of the 2007 Chardonnay, moving on to pair the '07 Pinot Noir, which uses a proportion of Corsican grapes, with my tapas. The chef kept rolling out dishes – chorizo, tortilla, pinchitos, albondigas, alitas de pollo...

After a quick chat with Simon, and a bellyful of tapas, I hoofed it to Centrepoint in my purple kilt for a Burns night party, hosted by Monkey Shoulder Whisky. Last summer, Monkey Shoulder built a tree house at the Big Chill festival, full of tables that doubled as backgammon boards. Much monkeying around ensued. Last night was a similarly raucous affair, with a devilish selection of Whisky cocktails on the menu, my favourite being the pink Scotch drink, a creamy concoction served with raspberries and Shortbread.

Scottish roast beef and mini haggis's did the rounds, while beatnik poets lyrically spouted the works of the Bard. The party was held in the Paramount members bar, designed by über-cool architect Tom Dixon. The views it afforded across the London night skyline were spectacular, but after a few pink Scotch drinks, my (tube) carriage awaited.