Wine from the vineyards of South America and Europe flowed in abundance at the annual Sailors’ Society ING wine tasting event in London.
Corks were drawn from bottles as far afield as Uruguay, Romania, Macedonia and even the English county of Suffolk, as opposed to the more traditional wine producing countries of France, Spain and South Africa.
Around 55 guests from companies including Vitol, MOL Tankship Management, Dorian LPG, Credit Suisse and Angola LNG gathered at the Moorgate premises of ING Bank.
ING once again covered the costs of the event, which means that all of the £5,555 ($7,314) raised goes to the Sailors' Society.
ING UK managing director for shipping Adam Byrne told TradeWinds: “We have a long and proud association with the Sailors’ Society and are delighted to be supporting the important work they undertake by hosting their wine tasting evening for the fifth year running.
“ING’s role in the wider shipping industry spans a number of years and we are committed to further developing the many important relationships we have established."
Sailors' Society head of fundraising Kate Sandys presented Byrne with an award in appreciation of the bank’s support.
Sandys told guests that she had been unaware of the role shipping played in people’s lives until she joined the society in January.
She said: “Learning about the hardships sailors face day-in and day-out to deliver goods has been a real learning curve for me.”
