Past events

Combating wine fraud is part and parcel of Maureen’s appreciation of the hard work, skill and artistry that goes into creating great wine. Struck by passionate collectors’ needs for qualified advisory services with their wine collections, Maureen founded Chai Consulting in 2005 to help them focus on their individual needs and passions.

With over 20 years of in depth wine industry experience, Maureen Downey stands out as an independent expert on fine and rare wine, and the foremost authority on counterfeit wine and has compiled the largest database on the subject in the world. Specializing in authentication and valuation, Maureen has inspected hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of wine in the course of advising the world’s top collectors, auction houses, wine merchants, restaurants and hotels. 

Maureen has also advised the FBI and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in a number of high profile cases. She worked closely with the FBI on the Rudy Kurniawan case, advising them for many years in the initial investigation and in the subsequent lead up to trial. 

Today she is an active wine judge participating in international wine and spirit competitions in the US and abroad. She has her Diploma in Wines & Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London, and is a Certified Wine Educator. She also is a Certified Spanish Wine Educator an International Bordeaux Tutor, and is accredited by the French Government as a French Wine Scholar and Instructor. As a columnist for Wine-Searcher.com, Maureen continually educates collectors and the public about wine collection, wine fraud, and how to avoid fake wines, among other topics. In December 2012, industry magazine Drinks Business named Maureen as one of the “Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Wine”.

Georgina Wright is a senior researcher at the Institute for Government where she focuses on Brexit, Franco-British relations and the future of the European Union. Prior to joining the Institute, she was a researcher at Chatham House, the leading foreign policy think tank, and has worked at the European Commission and NATO in Brussels. Georgina has been recognised as one of the leading commentators and analysts on Brexit and has written for the The Times, Guardian and Politico. She is also a frequent guest-presenter for BBC 5 Live and BBC World Service. Her work has led her to give evidence to select committees in the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Recent works include:

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/a-bumpy-road-ahead-what-these-election-results-mean-for-europe

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2019/04/no-deal-brexit-would-not-make-it-easier-uk-agree-terms-eu

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/eu27-take-control-brexit-extension

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/theresa-may-needs-to-learn-to-speak-european-bm5fvj2z9

We will taste:

UK sparkling: Nyetimber 

Germany: Chardonnay Malterdinger bienenberg weingut 2016 

Belgium: Chardonnay Blauw Wijnkastel Genoels Eldderen 2015  

Italy – Sicily Etna Rosso Girolamo Ruso 2012

Spain - Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez Pesquera Janus Ribera 2014

France – Cotes du Rhone, Ceps centenaires, la Meme, Domaine Gramenon 2017

Sustainable economy with Anna Chilton, sustainability manager at Camelia and wine expert.

Anna Chilton has worked in the wine and beverage sectors for over 15 years in a few countries and spanning the public and private sector, focusing on ‘green’ production and what has become popularly known as sustainability.

What does sustainable wine mean? Is it organic, is it biodynamic and is it even possible to make wine 'sustainably’?

In this session, we will discuss what it means to make, distribute and drink wine with the environment and community in mind. We will discuss the biggest topics in wine which touch on sustainability today and how these will shape the future of wine.

Finishing off with some stories and wine from a South African winery which survived one of the worst and most documented droughts in history.

We will discuss our responsabitilty and taste South African wines.

We know that the challenges of the 21st century are not easy to solve—from poverty and global warming to terrorism and ethnic strife. Today’s problems require ‘moral leaders’ with the long-term commitment and character to navigate the unknown and bridge divides between rich and poor, public and private, business and philanthropy, shareholders and stakeholders. Through sharing her own journey from a Biomedical Scientist to Impact Investing to being a Mum-preneur, Ambika will provide an opportunity for you to take a journey within and connect with your own authentic Moral Leader.

A Consciousness Coach, International Speaker, Co-Founder, Leader, Mum-preneur. At Acumen, a pioneer in the impact investing sector, Ambika manages Partner engagement across Europe, resource mobilization and revenue generation across multiple sectors in developing markets. Simultaneously, Ambika leads the online health transformation platform she co-founded with her husband, Ronnie Rich, FITBANKER, committed to put an end to lifestyle-induced diseases. A Biomedical Scientist by qualification with a PhD in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, specialised in normal and preterm pregnancies. A global citizen who has lived across 4 continents. Dedicated to personal development and service to humanity, she is constantly investing in discovering her True Self through spiritual education from ancient Vedas. Her legacy is Love, the core essence of what it is to be Human.

Roula Khalaf is the deputy editor of the Financial Times. In this role she provides strategic direction for the FT’s editorial coverage and its large global network of foreign correspondents. An award-winning journalist, she also writes a weekly column on international affairs.

She was promoted to foreign editor came after she served for more than a decade as the FT's Middle East editor, overseeing the launch of the FT's Middle East edition and leading coverage of the financial crisis in the Gulf and later the Arab spring. Before that she was a staff writer for Forbes magazine in New York, where she focussed on corporate reporting accounting. 

Khalaf holds a masters degree in international affairs from Columbia University. She appears regularly on national and international TV and radio.  She was named foreign commentator of the year at the Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards in 2016.

We will be discovering wines from The Mediterranean to complement the Middle East theme.

Geeta Sidhu-Robb is an author, inspirational speaker, CEO and Founder of Nosh Detox and Board Apprentice to Invesco Select Perpetual Trust.  Her frequent appearance on Radio and National TV has given her a strong media profile as an expert on Natural Health Solutions.  Geeta gave up her career as a corporate lawyer to set up her own business, Nosh Detox in 2008, after her son’s severe food allergies, eczema, asthma and anaphylaxis as a baby led her to retrain as a Raw Chef and functional nutritionist.

Geeta describes herself as a health coach and nutritionist with a holistic understanding of how nutrition affects body functions.  She has applied this passion to help over 15,0000 clients treat everything from problem skin, weight issues and digestive problems to coping with stress and fighting infections.

Geeta has taken home Entrepreneur and Business Women of the Year awards in 2010, 2011 and 2014. Her strong skills in business development and her entrepreneurial acumen have seen Nosh grow from a start-up to a multi-award winning wellness empire that now consists of a group of companies including Nosh Raw and Nosh Infusion.  July of this year saw Geeta launch the very first Nosh Infusion Clinic in the exclusive Harvey Nichols, London.

We will be exploring some organic wines

Born in Poole, and raised on the edge of the harbour, a passion for the sea developed at a young age, sailing in dinghies, moving on to captain team racing teams at a national level, then coaching the first women’s Arabian offshore race team in Oman, racing throughout Arabia. Sailing the Atlantic 5 times, racing in inshore and offshore regattas in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Skippered the women’s team ‘Atlantic Endeavour’ in the 2016 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, a 3,000 nautical mile rowing race from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean. Sarah is now considering her next challenge…

Her two charities:

https://www.mind.org.uk/
https://www.womenforwomen.org.uk/

We will also be discussing English wines as a companion to this very English lady

Florence Cathiard gratuated from the Institut d’Administration des entreprises and fron the Institut d’études politiques (IEP) of Grenoble. and was a member of the French Alpine Reserve team. She then started a career in business and became the Vice-President of Mc Cann Erickson Europe & Director Mac Cann France.

She then completely changed her career to be the co-owner with her husband Daniel of Château Smith Haut Lafitte (Grand Cru Classé de Graves) since 1991, of Château Cantelys, Château Le Thil, Château Beauregard (Pomerol) and Château Bastor-Lamontagne (Sauternes). She has also created something truly unique with Les Sources de Caudalie (Palace Hotel, restaurants, SPA)  and Les Etangs de Corot (hotel, restaurant, spa) 

In addition to all this, Catherine is a member of l’Union des Grands Crus and Vice-Chancelière of the Académie du Vin de Bordeaux, , Counselor of Foreign Trade of France since 2010, Président of the Conseil Supérieur de l’Oenoturisme (“Wine Tourism Council”) since 2014.

Catherine has also  published two books books around wine (« Art de vigne » and « Autour d’une bouteille avec Florence et Daniel Cathiard » ).
She is also a Chevalier de l’ordre national du Mérite des Arts et Lettres et du Mérite agricole and nominated in 2014 as Chevalier dans l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur and has been recognised as a Leading Woman Entrepreneur of the World (2000).
 

It should have been a unique tasting experience with Grace Belgravia Club

The Club has closed this sunday 17th of February: 

https://www.gracebelgravia.com/

We will no longer hold that event and feel deeply sorry for Grace Club that was a wonderful heaven for women.

Laurence and Anne
 

Ayana Misawa is a fifth generation winemaker working at Grace Wine in Yamanashi Prefecture, about 100km west of Tokyo and north of Mt Fuji.

Trained in Japan, Bordeaux and Stellenbosch, and having worked in Argentina, Chile, Australia and France,  Ayana is now the chief winemaker at Grace Wine. However, being one of the very few female winemakers in male dominated Japan, is not easy. While Ayana is determined and confident, she is also sensitive and making wines matching her character: powerful yet full of delicacy and grace.