Huntsman welcomed clients and friends to our New York showroom for an intimate evening of fine wine and bespoke tailoring, for a private wine tasting, hosted by our friends at Berry Bros. & Rudd. The event coincided with the launch our Ladies Bespoke Trunk Show, with Magdalena Handwerker, our Head Ladieswear Cutter, honoured with a wine.
Britain’s oldest wine and spirits merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd has traded from 3 St James’s Street since 1698, a short walk from 11 Savile Row. Across the Atlantic, our two houses came together to celebrate a shared appreciation for craftsmanship, patient endeavour and personal service.For Huntsman, the evening was an opportunity to celebrate our collaboration, and to honour craft and heritage.
Guests were welcomed with a Champagne reception before enjoying a tasting hosted by Scott Wilkes, Head of Private Client Sales at Berry Bros. & Rudd. At the heart of the evening were two wine pairings, selected to reflect the craft and character of Huntsman cutters Magdalena Handwerker and Thomas-Pierre Carr. Each offered a starting point for conversation about the people, processes and individual decisions that distinguish a fine wine or a bespoke garment. For Huntsman’s Head Ladieswear Cutter Magdalena, Berry Bros. & Rudd selected Château Haut-Bailly 2015 from Bordeaux. Its balance of structure and finesse provided an elegant counterpart to the precision of her cutting and the care with which she shapes each commission.
Paired with our Senior Cutter, Thomas-Pierre Carr, was Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 2019 from Tuscany. A wine that rewards patience and close attention, it invited a natural comparison with the measured process of bespoke tailoring, where character emerges through an accumulation of carefully considered details.
Throughout the tasting, the stories behind the bottles were shared in person, with guests gathering among the cloth books and cutting tables to discuss wine, tailoring and the pleasures of both.
These conversations reflected a principle familiar to both houses: expertise is most valuable when it serves the individual. Understanding a client’s tastes, guiding their choices and introducing them to something unexpected are as much a part of the experience as the finished garment or the wine in the glass.