One of the world’s leading wine makers will be hosting a special dinner at the Three Crowns Hotel in Chagford, Devon, later this month. 

David Hohnen founded Cloudy Bay, one of New Zealand’s most famous wine brands, and now owns a boutique vineyard in the Margaret River in Western Australia. 

He is visiting the South West and has kindly agreed to host a four-course dinner on Monday, April 26 at 7pm. Walter Hicks, St Austell Brewery’s wine merchant, is the sole distributor of David’s wines in the region and supplies wines to many of the region’s top restaurants, hotels and bars. 

The four courses have been carefully chosen to accompany David’s wines – three reds and two whites - and he will offer an expert insight into the pairings. 

Catherine Murden, from St Austell Brewery, said: “The wines are all from the fabulous area of Margaret River.  David Hohnen is a distinguished and entertaining speaker and has previously been involved with Cloudy Bay and Cape Mentelle.” 

The dinner will be held in the unique surroundings of the Three Crowns Hotel, a 13^th century inn complete with oak beams and roaring open fire in picturesque Chagford. 

Tickets for the special dinner will cost just £35 a head, to include five wines. To reserve your place please call the Three Crowns Hotel on 01647 433444.

Pubs across Cornwall and the South West hosted a series of fun-packed events to celebrate Britain’s national drink as part of Cask Ale Week (March 29 to April 5). 

St Austell Brewery marked the week with a range of great ale-orientated events designed to promote cask ale and encourage people to give it a go. 

Kick-starting the celebrations was a Ladies Ale Night at the Rashleigh Arms in Charlestown (March 29), which included guided tastings, musical entertainment and a presentation from Roger Ryman, St Austell’s award-winning head brewer. 

The Bishop of Truro, the Right Rev Tim Thornton, visited St Austell Brewery on March 31 to meet staff and view the brewing process. While there, he said a prayer for the brewery and blessed its beers. 

Bishop Tim blessed the brewery for its innovation, its benefits to the local economy and its success in showing off what Cornwall has to offer to the rest of the country. He also enjoyed a pint of Tribute, St Austell’s flagship ale. 

The world’s foremost beer writer Roger Protz hosted an extra special tutored beer tasting event on April 1 in aid of Cornwall Hospice Care. Roger writes for The Guardian and the Times, as well as numerous specialist publications. 

Jeremy Mitchell, Director of Marketing at St Austell Brewery, said: “We have enjoyed a year on year sales growth of 20% for our cask ales, lead by Tribute and Proper Job, so real ale is a British tradition which is very much alive and well. 

“Cask Ale Week gives us the opportunity to have a bit of fun, spread the message and to encourage people who have not previously tried cask ale to give it a try.” 

Legends from Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City football clubs swapped goalposts for golf clubs in an annual contest. 

Among the familiar names playing were John Hore, Nicky Marker and Tony Rounsevell for Argyle and Alan Banks, Jimmy Giles and Darren Rowbotham for Exeter. 

The match, at Carlyon Bay Golf Club, near St Austell, Cornwall, was sponsored by Tribute, St Austell Brewery’s flagship ale. 

No different than football tussles between the two clubs, the competition, now in its third year, is always a keenly fought affair. 

This year, for the first time, Argyle got the upper hand with an 8-4 triumph over Exeter City. 

Despite contending with strong winds and heavy rain, some excellent golf was played in Ryder Cup format.

Newquay’s first three-dimensional football match was screened at St Austell Brewery’s Central Inn on Saturday (April 3), much to the delight of fans.

Around 600 people donned 3D glasses for the big debut – the Manchester United versus Chelsea football match.

 Customers paid a small deposit for the glasses, which they got back after the match.

 Manager Nick Hayman said: “It felt like we were at Old Trafford watching the game. The difference was incredible. We were all really impressed.

 “People were packed in like sardines, it was one of our biggest events for ages. We’re already looking forward to the next match.”