Friday, October 15, 2010

Big Pumpkin

Pumpkin and champagne, El Vino wine bar, Fleet Street, London

Pumpkin and champagne
El Vino wine bar
Fleet Street
London, October 2009

“El Vino, also known as El Vino's, is a wine bar and off-licence in Fleet Street that was famously patronised by journalists when many national newspapers were based nearby. The business was founded by the wine merchant Alfred Bower in Mark Lane as Bower and Co. in 1879. That was on the east side of the City of London and, as the business prospered by selling imported Burgundy, claret and sherry, he opened four more wine bars, including the famous branch in Fleet Street. In 1923, the business had to change its name so that Bower could become an alderman, and so it was renamed El Vino – the Spanish name for wine. Bower then became Lord Mayor and the business continued in his family until 2015, when it was sold to the Davy chain of wine bars. For much of its history, the bar required male customers to wear ties, and although women customers were permitted, they were not allowed to approach the bar to be served until a discrimination case was raised in 1982.” (El Vino, Wikipedia)

6 comments:

Lowell said...

So, did you win?

Halloween doth bring out a lot of foolishness.

One would probably be better off going to the store and buying a bottle of wine and/or champagne and forget the guessing game.

It would seem to be merely an enticement to get people into the establishment where it is likely they would end up drinking several glasses of wine, thereby increasing the owner's profit margin substantially seeing as how wine is one of the best money makers a pub has!

cieldequimper said...

What they wouldn't do to make you have a glass!

Dina said...

I wonder if champagne goes well with pumpkin pie.

joo said...

So, what was the weight?
Anyway, I love all pumpkins:)

Changes in the wind said...

Cute way to advertise...

Francisca said...

Oh, Jacob! Of course it's marketing! But how clever! It pulls at people's innate desire to gamble... okay, some people, but still... My first thought was the same as Jacob's though: did you win? :-D