NetJets EU Autumn 2023

TUSCAN HIGHS 

Latest happenings in 

Italy’s thriving region 

ON THE WALL 

Stencil art is making 

a mark with collectors 

IN THE ZONE 

Mayo Clinic’s guide 

to beating jet lag 

CLUB FANTASTIC 

Costa Navarino gets 

a golfing upgrade 

ANGLER’S DELIGHT 

Top resorts and lodges 

for fishing fanatics

TAKING OFF 

W 

ITH SEVERAL HOLIDAYS PEPPERED THROUGHOUT THE QUARTER, 

IT LEADS TO AN UPTICK IN TRAVEL – WHAT WE CALL OUR 

“PEAK PERIOD”. 

With many Owners taking the opportunity to spend time with 

family and friends, it’s a good reminder to do what we can to 

stay healthy throughout the season. We share this as we read the latest Mayo Clinic 

research on jet lag. 

On pages 38-40, Dr Vanichkachorn of Mayo Clinic’s Aerospace Medicine team estimates 

that it takes about one day per time zone you cross to adjust to your location. He also 

offers fantastic tips to lessen the jet lag when flying with us. 

This insight may have proven helpful for recent passengers on our longest flight ever 

in terms of time (a NetJets US Global 7500 flew from Hong Kong to Manchester, 

New Hampshire). That 15-plus hour flight might typically lend to a day’s-long recovery; 

however, we are hopeful that the comfort of NetJets – in addition to Mayo Clinic’s 

advice – can allow you to start your holidays (jet-lag free!) upon arrival. 

As you embark on your travels over the next couple of months, we wish you and your 

family a safe and healthy holiday season. 

Only NetJets! 

Adam Johnson 

Chairman and CEO 

CONTRIBUTORS 

JOSH SIMS 

The London-based 

writer delved into 

the world of the 

sketch artist for 

From Street Corner 

to Sotheby’s 

(page 56), and 

discovered why the 

most rebellious 

of art forms is 

gaining a veneer 

of respectability 

among collectors. 

CLAIRE WRATHALL 

For The Power of 

Art (page 10), the 

scribe investigated 

the work of the 

Arete Arts, a new 

charity that aims 

to bring African 

artists to the 

fore and support 

environmental 

and social 

causes around 

the continent. 

MATTHEW SHAVE 

Elegant fashions 

and must-have 

accessories, from 

high-end watches 

to the latest 

camera equipment, 

feature in A Man’s 

World (page 60), 

a timely guide 

for gentlemen 

as captured by 

the experienced 

photographer. 

NIGEL TISDALL 

With a keen 

interest in all 

things eco, the 

veteran journalist 

was drawn to the 

work of The Nature 

Conservancy, 

whose efforts to 

save our precious 

oceans and sealife 

he chronicles in 

Bonding with the 

Blue (page 64). 

IVAN CARVALHO 

Having been based 

in Italy since 2003, 

the American writer 

is well set to judge 

the latest Tuscan 

Triumphs (page 

14), as the fabled 

Italian region 

welcomes some 

fantastic new 

openings, while 

some old favourites 

offer that bit more. 

This symbol throughout the magazine denotes the nearest airport served by NetJets to 

the story’s subject, with approximate distances in miles and kilometres where applicable. 

4 NetJets

CONTENTS 


DINE WITH A VIEW 

La Roqqa, Porto Ercole, 

page 14 

68 52 44 

AFRICA FORWARD 

Arete Arts is a new charity 

championing the best of 

African artists 

pages 10-13 

ON THE HOOK 

Fishing spots around the 

world that offer comfort 

and a great catch 

pages 44-51 

OMAKASE, OH MY 

Discreet venues and 

exceptional fare lead 

London’s Japanese scene 

pages 68-73 

IN THE NEWS 

Developments in Tuscany, 

audio excellence, the 

finest spirits, and more 

pages 14-31 

SWING TIME 

Costa Navarino continues 

to evolve as Greece’s 

golfing hot spot 

pages 52-55 

BUBBLING UP 

Grower champagnes are 

winning over even the 

haughtiest oenophiles 

pages 74-77 

NETJETS UPDATE 

Latest events, staff 

in profile, plus NetJets 

and United Autosports 

pages 32-36 

STREET SAVVY 

How stencil art has moved 

from outside walls to 

inside auction houses 

pages 56-59 

TURKISH DELIGHT 

A spectacular new 

building houses Istanbul 

Modern’s treasures 

pages 78-85 

ALESSANDRO MOGGI, © MANDARIN ORIENTAL, JACOB SJÖMAN, © CASA DE CAMPO 

STAY ON TRACK 

Mayo Clinic’s guide to 

counter and deal with 

the effects of jet lag 

pages 38-40 

ALL ABOUT HIM 

Statement fashion and 

accessories for the man 

about town this season 

pages 60-63 

BLUE AND GREEN 

The Nature Conservancy 

is producing a plan to 

save the world’s oceans 

pages 64-67 

THE LAST WORD 

Architect Frank Gehry 

on his life away from his 

iconic drawing board 

page 86 

NetJets 

7

NETJETS, THE MAGAZINE 

FRONT COVER 

Aerial view of the 

Epidaurus theatre, Greece 

(See page 52 for the 

best golf in Greece.) 

Image by George 

Pachantouris 

AUTUMN 2023 // VOLUME 23 

EDITOR IN CHIEF 

Thomas Midulla 

EDITOR 

Farhad Heydari 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

Anne Plamann 

PHOTO DIRECTOR 

Martin Kreuzer 

ART DIRECTOR 

Anja Eichinger 

MANAGING EDITOR 

John McNamara 

SENIOR EDITOR 

Brian Noone 

STAFF WRITER 

Claudia Whiteus 

CHIEF SUB-EDITOR 

Vicki Reeve 

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR 

Albert Keller 

SEPARATION 

Delnaz Loftimaragh 

WRITERS, CONTRIBUTORS, 

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND 

ILLUSTRATORS 

Ivan Carvalho, Jörn Kaspuhl, 

Larry Olmsted, Christiaan 

Porter, Julian Rentzsch, 

Matthew Shave, Josh Sims, 

Nigel Tisdall, Elisa Vallata, 

Claire Wrathall 

Published by JI Experience 

GmbH Hanns-Seidel-Platz 5 

81737 Munich, Germany 

GROUP PUBLISHER 

Christian Schwalbach 

Michael Klotz (Associate) 

ADVERTISING SALES 

EUROPE 

Katherine Galligan 

katherine@metropolist.co.uk 

Vishal Raguvanshi 

vishal@metropolist.co.uk 

NetJets, The Magazine is the 

official title for Owners of NetJets 

in Europe. NetJets, The Magazine 

is published quarterly by 

JI Experience GmbH on behalf 

of NetJets Management Ltd. 

NetJets Management Ltd 

5 Young Street 

London, W8 5EH England, 

United Kingdom 

netjets.com 

+44 (0)20 7361 9600 

Copyright © 2023 

by JI Experience GmbH. All rights 

reserved. Reproduction in whole or 

in part without the express written 

permission of the publisher is 

strictly prohibited. The publisher, 

NetJets Inc., and its subsidiaries 

or affiliated companies assume 

no responsibility for errors and 

omissions and are not responsible 

for unsolicited manuscripts, 

photographs, or artwork. Views 

expressed are not necessarily those 

of the publisher or NetJets Inc. 

Information is correct at time of 

going to press. 


MADDOXGALLERY.COM 

DOWNLOAD OUR 2023 INVESTMENT GUIDE 

DAVID YARROW, MARSHLANDS

GOODWILL 

THE POWER OF ART 

Arete Arts is a remarkable new charitable venture that 

aims both to support African artists as well as contribute to 

environmental and social causes // By Claire Wrathall 

JAN KOENIG 

LEARNING YOUNG 

Children in La Palais de 

Lomé gardens look over a 

bronze sculpture by the 

Togo-born artist 

Amouzou Amouzou-Glikpa 

IT WAS AS colleagues, passionate about 

conservation, that Emilia Keladitis and 

Stephanie Sluka first met and discovered 

their shared love for African art and culture. 

Professionally, they were focused on funding 

conservation efforts aimed at protecting 

African natural habitats and biodiversity. 

They became friends and together began 

to discover emerging artists across the 

African continent, many of them themselves 

passionate about the environment. Africa 

is one of the lowest contributors to climate 

change and yet suffers some of the most 

dire consequences; drought, famine, 

flooding. “We believe in the transformational 

power of the arts” says Keladitis, who is 

based in Europe but grew up in Botswana. 

Sluka is American but has been based in 

Africa for the last 15 years. Both believe 

that “art is a powerful way to engage people 

emotionally and deepen the discourse 

around social and environmental topics”. 

The intention was to publish a coffee 

table book on African contemporary art, 

celebrating African natural landscapes, 

with all profits going to fund grassroots 

projects across the continent. But with 

every conversation, the opportunity to 

create positive social impact at scale just 

grew and grew. The result is Arete Arts, “a 

platform to amplify the voices and messages 

of contemporary African artists who are 

passionate about the environment and social 

justice. Profits support creative initiatives 

across Africa through a not-for-profit entity 

– the idea being that commercial profits fund 

the issuance of small grants of $5,000 to 

$20,000 to projects dedicated to advancing 

environmental and, in time, social causes. 

Registered as a limited company, the 

commercial arm, Arete Arts Community aims 

to raise money through events, private dinners 

and the sale of their inaugural publication, 

Afroprophetic: Art transforming minds and 


GOODWILL 

TAKE A RIDE 

Motorcycle by 

Beninese artist 

Falhoun Ogoun 

nature, which features artists from across 

the continent, notably El Anatsui and Serge 

Attukwei Clottey (both from Ghana), Romuald 

Hazoumè (Benin), Abdoulaye Konaté (Mali), 

Wangechi Mutu (Kenya), Pascale Marthine 

Tayou and Barthélémy Toguo (both from 

Cameroon), as well as London-based Sir John 

Akomfrah RA, Sokari Douglas Camp CBE and 

Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. 

Arete Arts Community is also planning to 

offer bespoke travel experiences “to connect 

with African artists and art initiatives”. 

Any profits it generates will be donated to 

the Foundation, which is in the process of 

registering with the UK’s Charity Commission. 

Editor of Afroprophetic: Art transforming minds 

and nature, and Arete Arts Circle member, 

Sophie Braine, curated an inaugural exhibition 

for the benefit of Arete Arts Foundation at 

Christie’s in London, where Braine worked for 

10 years. Arete Arts funded the publication 

of the book and all profits from the sale will 

go to funding grassroots projects across the 

continent. “It’s too soon to tell what sort of 

sums it will raise but it is opening the door to 

conversations with like-minded people, who 

share our belief in the transformational power 

of the arts,” says Keladitis. 

What money they have raised to date has 

come mostly from art sales made at private 

events across the globe, including a dinner in 

Hong Kong, hosted by the collector Benjamin 

Sigg, nephew of the famed collector of Chinese 

art, Uli Sigg – from whose private collection 

more than 1,500 items are now on display at 

the M+ museum in Hong Kong. 

“Most of the dinners are funded by the 

people hosting them,” Keladitis explains, adding 

that the next ones will be held in the US and 

Kenya. “These are people who are passionate 

about wanting to buy art with a purpose. Like 

what we are seeing in the travel industry, 

people want to travel but also be educated 

and immerse themselves in a new culture. Art 

speaks to and from our deepest selves, artists 

are communicating a story about their view of 

the world. Collectors want to meet the artists; 

they want to understand their backgrounds.” 

There is a potential travel element to Arete’s 

offering. “We hosted an event at Chaminuka 

Lodge in Zambia,” she says, referring to Andrew 

and Danae Sardanis’s game lodge, which is also 

home to a substantial collection of African art, 

more than 1,000 pieces acquired over the past 

half-century that they display throughout the 

main house and 30 guest suites. “And we would 

love to host more events in Africa and are 

working with Le Palais de Lomé in the Togolese 

capital, an incredible project run by Sonia 

Lawson, a former management consultant and 

latterly curator of the Togolese stand at the 

Paris art fair Révélations biennale des métiers 

COURTESY THE ARTIST AND ARETE ARTS 


“ passionate 

Arete Arts is a platform to amplify the voices 

and messages of contemporary African artists who are 

about the environment and social justice 

COURTESY THE ARTIST AND EVERARD READ GALLERY 

d’art et création, and another key member of 

the Arete Arts Community. “The Palais was 

the former German and French governor’s 

palace. It was derelict for 20 years when 

Sonia led the initiative to fund and refurbish 

it into a contemporary art museum set within 

11 hectares of natural biodiversity. It’s the 

first property of its type, a contemporary 

art museum devoted to biodiversity and 

raising awareness for the need to protect 

natural landscapes. They have a thousand 

schoolchildren come through the doors every 

week, to learn about art and about the natural 

habitat, to understand where their food comes 

from, and to discover new flora and fauna.” 

It’s an ambitious business model given 

the vicissitudes of the art world, but one 

cannot but applaud Arete’s ideals, not least 

in promising their artists “a minimum 70 per 

cent” cut of any sale. “So in that scenario 

we’re helping the artist too,” Keladitis adds. 

The key is growth, and they do know a lot of 

people: they have recruited an impressive 

community of supporters across Africa and 

beyond, among them the French-Nigerian 

opera singer Omo Bello (they’re as committed 

to the performing arts as to visual forms) 

and Tiphaine de Mombynes, Director of the 

Metis Fund for art and development, which is 

hosted by French development agency (AFD) to 

enrich dialogue and sustainable development 

impacts. And that is ultimately what Arete Arts 

hopes to do more of. “We could have formed 

a straightforward non-profit or found a niche 

within the collecting space,” Keladitis says, “but 

our mission is to weave those things together: 

to connect collectors and donors with those 

interested in social and environmental projects. 

And to use that money, and that awareness, to 

support grassroots initiatives.” aretearts.org 

AVIAN INSPIRED 

Proof by South African artist 

Colbert Mashile, courtesy of 

Everard Read Gallery 


13

THE SMART GUIDE 

Our collection of the latest, the 

brightest and the best begins with 

developments in an Italian Eden 

TUSCAN TRIUMPHS 

A handful of new standout properties are bringing fresh 

life to the fabled Italian region // By Ivan Carvalho 

TUSCANY IS ADMITTEDLY a 

well-trodden region, with its 

travel offerings, gastronomy 

and cultural artifacts well 

ingrained in the minds 

of visitors. Yet amid the 

familiar columns of cypress 

trees and medieval stone 

towers punctuating the 

skyline in settlements from 

San Gimignano to Siena a 

new generation of wellheeled 

hotels has emerged 

for those eager to explore 

this privileged slice of the 

Bel Paese. 

Heading south from 

Florence, in the heart of 

Chianti, you find the newly 

inaugurated Pieve Aldina 

(lesdomainesdefontenille.com), 

the first Italian addition 

to the Les Domaines de 

Fontenille collection of 

luxury properties. Situated 

in the village of Radda, the 

hotel consists of a quartet 

of stone buildings, one a 

listed national monument, 

where once the bishops of 

Siena sojourned in summer. 

Its rich architectural 

SYLVIE BEQUET 

SUPERIOR INTERIOR 

Elegant design at Pieve Aldina 


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STEFANO SCATÀ 

COUNTRY CULTURE 

Borgo Pignano’s grounds 

and one of its art 

studios; below: the redhued 

Casa Newton 

heritage includes an 

impressive marble staircase, 

neoclassical frescoes and 

tiled roofs. Guests choose 

from 22 rooms and suites 

boasting high ceilings and 

an uncluttered contemporary 

interior design with 

furnishings from Gervasoni. 

MARK BOLTON 

Surrounded by olive 

groves, the bucolic setting 

features alfresco dining 

and a rustic-meets-modern 

indoor space where chef 

Flavio Faedi prepares 

mouthwatering moments 

with classic fare from chianti 

wine stew and chickpea 

cakes to pappa al pomodoro 

and fennel seed salami 

paired with a glass of robust 

Brunello di Montalcino. 

Another newcomer, 

which opened its doors in 

September, is Casa Newton 

(casa-newton.com), nestled 

in the rolling hills and amber 

fields of grain of Val d’Orcia. 

The heart of the hotel is a 

three-floor country manor in 

a red-brick hue hosting nine 

bedrooms together with two 

panoramic suites carved out 

of a renovated farmhouse. 

The property produces its own 

range of natural wines under 

the Fabbrica Pienza label, 

including a syrah vinified 

in conical wood fermenters 

ALESSANDRO MOGGI 


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GREEN SCENE 

The estate of 

Il Borro 

and a straightforward red 

made from whole clusters of 

sangiovese that undergo a 

long maceration. 

For those keen to wet their 

feet and experience another 

side of Tuscany, where 

fragrant Mediterranean 

maquis abound and 

flamingos stroll gracefully 

across the water, a move 

west to the coastal town 

of Porto Ercole finds you 

unpacking your bags 

at La Roqqa (laroqqa. 

com), the latest high-end 

accommodation on the 

Monte Argentario peninsula. 

Opened this August, this 

seasonal addition is a 

design-led project of 55 

rooms, all with private 

balconies or terraces, that 

was envisioned by Milanbased 

architects Ludovica 

Serafini and Roberto 

Palomba. Centrally located in 

Porto Ercole, guests can take 

in the view from its rooftop 

restaurant while perusing its 

all-Tuscan wine list before 

retreating to rooms sporting 

a curated mix of custom 

furnishings and Italian design 

from the 1960s and 1970s. 

After a sojourn at 

one of these newest 

accommodations, the pull 

of nostalgia might send you 

seeking a hostelry with a 

few years under its belt. In 

that case, a move towards 

Arezzo is in order, to spend 

a few days in the patrician 

surroundings of Il Borro 

© IL BORRO 


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ALESSANDRO MOGGI 

(ilborro.it). This Relais & 

Châteaux property centres 

on an agricultural estate, 

farmed organically, which is 

managed by the Ferragamo 

family and produces wine 

SUN TRAP 

A terrace at La Roqqa; 

below: Pieve Aldina 

and olive oil. It counts 38 

chic suites in a medieval 

hamlet as well as the more 

recently added Aie del Borro 

collection of 18 rooms and 

suites divided across a 

quartet of centuries-old 

farmhouses reached via a 

long avenue of holm oaks 

in a bucolic setting marked 

by mulberry trees, lavender 

bushes and wild roses. 

For vacations extending 

weeks rather than days, 

or where large families or 

groups are concerned, Il 

Borro provides an impressive 

selection of villas. The 

same can be said for Borgo 

Pignano (borgopignano. 

com), owned by Welsh-born 

entrepreneur Michael Moritz, 

which offers a half dozen 

well-manicured residences 

immersed in the hills of 

Volterra suitable for big 

gatherings and reunions. 

Naturally, the pride of 

place at Moritz’s 300ha 

hotel is its stately 18thcentury 

villa flanked by 

a traditionally planted 

English garden. With its 

14 regal rooms and suites, 

all adorned with en-suite 

marble and travertine 

bathrooms, the villa is the 

centrepiece of a hospitality 

project that includes its 

own farm, where chefs from 

the property are able to 

source an extensive range 

of foodstuffs from cereals 

and honey to herbs and the 

organic flour used to make 

pizza in the hotel’s woodburning 

ovens. It’s a fitting 

farm-to-table capstone in 

a region that has long been 

known for its exceptional 

produce and even more 

exceptional cuisine. 

Florence or Pisa 

International Airports 

SYLVIE BEQUET 


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A GRAND COLLECTION 

The latest tantalising elixirs to raise the spirits 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 6 

7 

9 

12 

8 

10 

11 

13 

1 BENROMACH CONTRASTS KILN DRIED OAK The Speyside distillery’s Contrasts range offers variations on the smoky Benromach style by 

maturing the spirit in different ways. The limited-edition release matured in kiln-dried virgin oak barrels makes for a sweeter, more malted 

biscuit nose. benromach.com // 2 BLADNOCH THE SAMHLA COLLECTION Three very special – and very limited – whiskies from the Lowlands 

form this selection of Bladnoch’s finest: The McClelland, distilled in 1966 (limited to 15 bottles, pictured); The Prior (1990, 50 bottles); 

and The Sage (2008, 100 bottles). bladnoch.com // 3 BOWMORE ASTON MARTIN Two centres of excellence collide as master blender of 

Bowmore Ron Welsh creates a unique whisky in tandem with chief creative officer of Aston Martin Marek Reichman and his team. The result 

is a symphony of flavours. bowmore.com // 4 LITTLEMILL THE VANGUARDS COLLECTION – CHAPTER ONE Dedicated to Robert Muir, who 

was granted the first ever licence by the government of King George III to “retail ale, beer and other excisable liquors” at Littlemill In 1773, 

this first in a four-part collection has a long finish of citrus and caramelizsed sugar flavours. littlemilldistillery.com // 5 GLEN SCOTIA 48 

YEAR OLD Also marking the past, this limited edition celebrates Campbeltown’s international trade links when it was known as the Victorian 

whisky capital of the world. The result is a whisky aged in bourbon barrels before maturing in two types of sherry casks – and a very special, 

complex taste. glenscotia.com // 6 TORABHAIG ALLT GLEANN BATCH STRENGTH This young Skye distillery brings an end to the first stage 

of its development with this release, which draws on the heavily peated grains of the area and tames them into an elegantly rugged dram. 

torabhaig.com // 7 JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL ELUSIVE UMAMI The enigmatic “fifth” flavour is the inspiration for this new whisky 

from the legendary brand, a remarkable collaboration between master blender Emma Walker and world-renowned chef Kei Kobayashi. 

johnniewalker.com // 8 LADYBURN EDITION THREE Operating for only nine years between 1966 and 1975, Ladyburn still helped define an era 

of whisky and style. This combines in the 210 hand-numbered bottles of this release, each featuring one of 11 iconic images from designer 

David Hicks (including Dressed for Dinner, pictured). williamgrant.com // 9 THE MACALLAN THE HARMONY COLLECTION AMBER MEADOW 

The third installment in a selection that celebrates the distillery’s deep connection with the land. Sisters Mary and Stella McCartney’s 

memories of their family home in the Scottish countryside inspire this citrus-flavoured release. themacallan.com // 10 THE GLENDRONACH 

GRANDEUR 2023 The annual release in the series dating back to 2010 was matured for almost three decades in Oloroso sherry casks. Each 

bottle of this limited edition is sealed by wax and numbered by hand. glendronachdistillery.com // 11 CASAMIGOS CRISTALINO Crisp and 

clean with an aroma of cocoa and caramel, the latest tequila from Casamigos takes an unusual twist on this most fashionable version of 

the spirit. Rather than being añejo-based, this cristalino is derived from Casamigos Reposado Tequila. casamigos.com // 12 COURVOISIER 

MIZUNARA 2023 The second iteration of this Franco-Japanese cognac (as Courvoisier’s master blender teams up with the House of Suntory 

chief blender Shinji Fukuyo) is a wonderful combination of jasmine and cherry blossom overlayed on the traditional rich fruit flavour. 

courvoisier.com // 13 TOMATIN PX CASK Beautifully aged in a Pedro Ximenez sherry butt, distilled in 2001 and bottled last year, this single 

malt has initial aromas of maple syrup and rum-soaked sultanas, transitioning into bitter aromas. tomatin.com 

ALL IMAGES COURTESY THE COMPANIES 


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© GARAGE ITALIA 

A Return to 

the Good Life 

Synonymous with la dolce vita, the Fiat 

500 was a design icon of the last century 

– and is again now thanks to Garage Italia 

Customs, a leading light in the restomod 

industry. The Fiat 500 Spiaggina is a fully 

electric version of the classic car, which is 

rechargeable in just a few hours and from 

any domestic socket. Showing an awareness 

of the past, Garage Italia has teamed up 

with Bonacina, who were responsible for 

the original interior of the car. Then as 

now, rattan core seats are a key feature, 

though for the latest iteration multiple 

colour options are available to match or 

complement the vehicle’s exterior. 

garage-italia.com 

JASON BAX 

Back to Basics 

For its latest Land Cruiser, Toyota has taken a step back with some retro touches 

– and a return to the North American market. Stylistically, a 1958 trim with vintageinspired 

round LED headlamps and a Toyota heritage grille are distinctive, but this 

is a modern beast packed with Toyota’s latest technology. The Safety Sense 3.0 system, 

in particular, adds an extra layer of security to the driving experience. toyota.com 



On the Waterfront 

The road meets the sea in this collaboration between motoring marque Porsche and Frauscher, 

the Austrian shipyard. Using technology developed for Porsche’s all-electric Macan, the duo has 

come up with the 850 Fantom Air. Built to the usual high quality, luxury standards of Frauscher, 

it also incorporates the carmaker’s pre-programmed driving modes from Docking to Sport Plus, 

and has a top speed of 85km/h. frauscherxporsche.com 

Material World 

Scent of the Season 

The US luggage manufacturer Tumi has raised the 

bar with a new high-performance material for its 

latest range of cases and bags. The new Alpha 

X luggage collection is made from PX6, its most 

abrasion-resistant fabric yet, and is exclusive to 

Tumi. The collection includes the international 

dual-access carry-on (below). tumi.com 

A beacon of Italian style and luxe, Acqua di Parma 

is always ahead of the curve when it comes to 

enlivening the senses – as its new range for 

Christmas proves. A collection of candles and 

diffusers that prompt thoughts of the wonders 

of winter with three themes: Bosco, redolent 

of the clean air of the mountains; Neve Fresca 

(diffuser, above left), which brings to mind a crisp 

winter morning; and Portafortuna (candle, above 

right), a gateway to luck and dreams coming true. 

acquadiparma.com 




Delicate Beauty 

Artist Rolf Sachs has an 

endless fascination with 

imperfection, which he explores 

in his collaboration with porcelain 

manufacturer Nymphenburg. 

The result is a collection of 

limited-edition candlesticks titled 

Berührung (German for “touch”). 

With Sachs’s emotional approach 

to moulding the pure white bisque 

porcelain, one-off pieces are 

formed in various shapes and 

sizes. “I have a love of flaws,” 

he says. “By nature, humans are 

not perfect and if we are, we are 

probably boring.” nymphenburg.com 

The Right Notes 

Having launched in the US last year, 

Steinway & Sons has brought its latest 

flagship model to Europe. The Gran Nichetto 

Model B Steinway is a collaboration with 

Italian designer Luca Nichetto. Born in 

Venice, Nichetto originally conceived the 

piano as a homage to his home city – the 

smoothness and dynamism of gondola a 

particular influence on the contours of the 

instrument. Steinway’s latest technological 

advancements, which allow for live 

performance capture and playback, also 

play a key feature in this remarkable piano. 

steinway.com 

© STEINWAY & SONS 

BRANDL UTZT 


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WALL OF SOUND 

Audio equipment to switch on to 

Cool Option 

Individual Touch 

Promising a personal experience like 

never before, Denon’s latest earbuds are a 

game changer. Denon PerL (Personalized 

Listening) and PerL Pro use parent company 

Masimo’s Adaptive Acoustic Technology to 

produce a personal hearing profile for every 

user, meaning an individual experience 

tuned perfectly to each listener’s own 

hearing. The buds also offer active noise 

cancellation and a social mode, which 

allows you to dictate just how much you 

tune in and drop out. denon.com 

If you want glacier chic, the limitededition 

ice-blue versions of Audio 

Technica’s ATH-M50xIB and wireless 

ATH-M50xBT2IB might fit the bill. As 

the headphones of choice of many top 

audio engineers the ATH-M50xIB is 

known for its large-aperture drivers, 

sound-isolating earcups and robust 

construction. The wireless version is 

perhaps more suitable for the more 

casual listener, with its exceptional 

clarity and 50 hours of playtime on a 

single charge. audio-technica.com 

The Power of Red 

In many ways, it seems an odd collaboration. 

Audio pioneers Bang & Olufsen’s range of topclass 

speakers are generally designed to blend 

into people’s homes, visually neutral, while 

providing the ultimate aural experience. Ferrari 

aims to grab as much attention as possible, on 

the track and on the road. Yet there is much that 

unites them, from visionary founders to a passion 

for poise, power and precision. And the result? 

A reimagining of a series of the Danish brand’s 

headphones and speakers in the striking red of 

Ferrari. bang-olufsen.com 



Take it for a Spin 

The re-rise of vinyl continues apace, with the format outselling CDs 

for the first time in 30 years in 2022. And the response of top audio 

firms is to produce better and better turntables. The DP-3000NE 

from Denon is one of the latest and the finest. The craftmanship 

is exquisite – a dark ebony veneer over a sturdy wood cabinet – 

combined with the highest quality components to produce a crystalclear 

sound. denon.com 

Setting the Tone 

Designed 

to Shine 

The fusion of a sphere 

and a cylinder into one 

solid aluminium piece, 

the Beolab 8, the latest 

in Bang & Olufsen’s 

high-end speaker series, 

is visually distinct. 

The flexible speaker 

is as easily used as 

standalone equipment 

or part of larger sound 

system, guaranteed to 

produce a powerful, 

immersive sound. 

bang-olufsen.com 

The latest addition to Kef’s LSX II Wireless range is a new 

iteration in olive green. The creation of renowned industrial 

designer Michael Young, the range has garnered praise for the 

minimal design and inobtrusive way the speakers fit beautifully 

into the home, while providing a high-quality sound system. The 

olive green speakers join other shades such as cobalt blue and 

lava red in Kef’s collection. kef.com 


31

NOTES FROM NETJETS 

Latest happenings, onboard updates, and profiles 

THE FAST TRACK 

Renowned motor racing team United Autosports’ partnership with 

NetJets for the World Endurance Championship is built to last 

JAKOB EBREY JEP 

ANDREW LOFTHOUSE 

TEAM GLORY Victory in 

Portimão’s LMP2 race; on 

the track in Le Mans 

FORMED IN 2009, by 

McLaren CEO Zak Brown and 

former racing driver Richard 

Dean, United Autosports has 

become one of the fastestgrowing 

motorsports teams 

in the UK, competing across 

a number of different racing 

categories around the globe. 

Among the drivers who have 

featured for the Yorkshirebased 

team are Fernando 

Alonso, Lando Norris and 

Juan Pablo Montoya – and 

the talent keeps on coming. 

As do the accolades, such as 

winning the 2020 FIA World 

Endurance Championship and 

the Le Mans 24 Hours (also in 

2020), among them. 

This level of sustained 

success is one of the 

reasons NetJets became the 

official airline partner for 

United Autosports for the 

2023 FIA World Endurance 

Championship (WEC) 

campaign. “We are proud to 


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“ 

Phil 

support one of the fastestgrowing 

teams in motorsport 

with flight services that will 

allow them to maximise their 

time competing globally 

heading into the World 

Endurance Championship and 

beyond,” says Myra Perez, 

executive director sales and 

service for NetJets Europe. 

The FIA World Endurance Championship is the pinnacle 

of endurance racing – the pinnacle of my discipline in 

racing – and it really is a global spectacle 

Hanson, United Autosports driver 

The WEC is a perfect 

opportunity to offer 

NetJets’ support to 

the United Autosports 

ambitions. It is a series of 

seven races ranging from 

the 1,000 Miles of Sebring, 

Florida, to the eight hours 

of Bahrain in November 

(via the world-renowned 24 

hours of Le Mans, as well as 

Portimão in Portugal, Spa in 

Belgium, Monza in Italy and 

Fuji in Japan). It is a test of 

the stamina of drivers and 

endurance and technical 

abilities of the car on a global 

stage. It is the ultimate 

challenge for the United 

Autosports team and one 

they are doing well to live up 

to at the moment. 

As Phil Hanson, a fullseason 

driver in the #22 

United Autosports LMP2 

car says: “The FIA World 

Endurance Championship is 

the pinnacle of endurance 

racing – the pinnacle of my 

discipline in racing – and it 

really is a global spectacle. 

You visit countless circuits 

across three continents – 

next year, four continents – 

travelling to some incredible 

places, including Japan – 

where we’ve just come back 

from with a podium result. 

I flew into Tokyo, which is 

one of my favourite cities. 

Quite often, I don’t get the 

chance to explore the culture 

and cities themselves, I’m 

much more familiar with 

the airports and hotels by 

the tracks! But when we’re 

flying further afield, I try to 

make a trip of it. Next year 

the championship will go 

to Brazil for the first time. 

It’s great to be part of a 

championship that puts on 

a show in all regions of the 

world.” unitedautosports.com 

RACING HARD 

Clockwise from top: 

competing in Monza; 

and Portimão; 

driver Phil Hanson 

JAKOB EBREY JEP (3) 


JULIAN RENTZSCH 

NETJETS BY THE NUMBERS 

PRESENTING 

THE EMBRAER 

PRAETOR 500 

INSIDE TRACK 

LUIS DE ALMEIDA 

Cabin Crew Program Manager 

YOUR ROLE AT NETJETS IS ... to oversee the Cabin Crew 

program, namely the Communication Strategy with crews, Crew 

Engagement to ensure that our colleagues are aligned with 

our company brand and values, to ensure that our Cabin Crew 

colleagues are aligned with the best practices and highest 

standards in Safety, Service and Training in the industry and, 

finally, to assist developing products and procedures to ensure 

our NetJets Signature flying experience is second to none. 

NetJets is expanding our midsize fleet – and your 

access to seamless, on-demand travel – with the 

addition of the extraordinary Embraer Praetor ® 500. 

Offering both best-in-class range and cabin altitude, 

the Praetor 500 enables you to fly in comfort to 

more destinations and arrive feeling refreshed. 

© NETJETS 

YOUR NORMAL DAY CONSISTS OF ... well, it depends 

on different factors! If I’m in the Lisbon office, then it’s a 

day with meetings, where I can discuss current procedures 

with the Leadership team, Managers and stakeholders, while 

benchmarking and seeking opportunities to improve our 

operational efficiency and product delivery. When I’m not 

in the office, I have the opportunity to spend time engaging 

with our crew colleagues and ground staff in certain hightraffic 

European FBOs, while also flying onboard our aircrafts 

to collect crew feedback to then refine and develop specific 

strategies for the crew and our operation. 

THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB IS to be able to 

make a difference! The fact that I’m constantly receiving 

feedback, while having the opportunity to speak with so 

many colleagues allows me to actively participate in laying 

foundations and to define strategies into the future, which is 

professionally and personally quite rewarding. 

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE IN YOUR ROLE 

IS to be able to speak with colleagues from completely 

different areas and mindsets and to bring those views 

together to pave the way forward. In reality, it’s a challenge 

that I really appreciate. 

THE MOST UNUSUAL THING TO HAPPEN WHILE AT 

NETJETS WAS … a world tour in seven days. A full tour 

around the globe was a truly remarkable experience, from 

hot to freezing weather, while crossing numerous time zones 

and also with the unique opportunity to discover so many 

different cultures. Truly rewarding and all in seven days! 

UP TO 250 NEW PRAETOR 500S 

NetJets begins taking delivery in 2025 

UP TO SEVEN PASSENGERS 

Up to eight with the belted lavatory 

1.82M, FLAT-FLOOR CABIN 

Also the widest in our midsize fleet 

UP TO 7:45 HOURS’ ENDURANCE 

Fly nonstop from Washington, DC, to 

San Jose, California 

870KPH HIGH-SPEED CRUISE 

Travel at an industry-leading speed 

FOUR CUBIC METRES OF 

BAGGAGE CAPACITY 

Includes a one-cubic-metre internal closet 


35


BEFORE JOINING THE NETJETS TEAM, I 

… had an amazing opportunity to fly fighter 

jets for the German Air Force in my home 

country, and be an instructor on them in the 

US. I was even able to fly the legendary RF-4 

Phantom in my early days of being a pilot. 

THE ONE DAY AT NETJETS I WON’T 

FORGET IS … one of many! There are 

countless days at NetJets which I’ll never 

forget; however, if I really had to pick one day, 

then this one would rank highest: last year I 

got to take my parents-in-law for a NetJets 

flight. At the time they were in a fragile state 

of health, at the ages of 91, and 84 (there 

was also my brother-in-law, who has limited 

mobility). It was literally the last flight in their 

lives. It is a very touching moment in my own 

life when I look back at their cheerful faces. 


IN SERVICE 

ANDREAS “LUKAS” KRACH 

Captain, Citation XLS 

MY FIRST EXPOSURE TO AVIATION WAS 

… listening to the stories my dad told me of 

when he first became a pilot, flying gliders 

that were “bungee” launched off the sand 

dunes on the Baltic coast. Later, as a sevenyear-old 

boy, my grandpa and I would stand 

up on the visitors’ terrace of Düsseldorf 

Airport watching the planes take off. Even 

now, half a century later, I still remember this 

touching moment on each occasion I land in 

Düsseldorf. 

THE BEST PART OF FLYING IS … 

everything (I tend to say). But after flying for 

over 40 years, it has become very clear to me, 

the very best part of aviation by far is the 

great people we meet and the social factor. 

I most enjoy working together with all our 

colleagues from various backgrounds, sharing 

their abundance of experience, as well as 

working with a great team in the office, and 

then meeting all our exceptional Owners, 

whose individual lives are most interesting 

and inspiring. 

ONE THING OWNERS PROBABLY 

WOULDN’T GUESS ABOUT ME IS … that 

I enjoy doing a bit of artwork on the side. 

Besides designing and producing aircraft 

paint jobs, I try to catch our Owners’ special 

occasions, on the day of the flight, and come 

up with an original-drawing greeting card for 

them – if I get a chance. 

ON MY DAYS OFF … I drive my family crazy 

by being sort of hyperactive, doing a variety 

of things in the great outdoors – in the 

mountains and on the water. 

WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR, I WOULD LIKE 

TO … change the aircraft type from the one I 

have been on for the past 15 years at NetJets 

to the latest type, so I have the opportunity 

to work with another group of the finest 

aviators you can find. 

WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS, I WOULD 

LIKE TO … utilise our pre-retirement, parttime 

scheme, to make more use of the unique 

NetJets Gateway system (being able to work 

and travel from different gateways within 

Europe) and also use the ad hoc staff travel 

option on our fleets. 

MY PROUDEST MOMENT OF BEING A 

CREW MEMBER … comes each time I 

mention that I have worked for NetJets for 18 

years, and seeing the reaction of respect in 

people’s faces, either by other aircrews from 

a different company, but especially from our 

NetJets Owners. 


LIVING WELL 


STAYING 

IN SYNC 

Dr Greg Vanichkachorn, of Mayo Clinic’s Aerospace Medicine 

team, on the perils of jet lag and how to to deal with them 

JÖRN KASPUHL 

JET LAG IS a common complaint among those who travel long 

distances and can sometimes be so disruptive that a longawaited 

trip is practically ruined. Are there ways to combat 

or even beat jet lag? Dr Greg Vanichkachorn of Mayo Clinic’s 

Aerospace Medicine team offers advice on minimising the 

disruption of jet lag. 

“Jet lag isn’t just being tired after travel,” Dr Vanichkachorn 

says. “Here at Mayo Clinic, we call it jet lag disorder. It’s a 

state where your body’s internal clock isn’t in sync with the 

external environment.” 

Dr Vanichkachorn explains that, while symptoms of jet 

lag usually include fatigue, that’s not the only problem it 

can cause. Gastrointestinal issues, confusion, changes in 

cognitive levels, depression and anxiety can all be the result 

of jet lag disorder. 

“All jet lag isn’t equal,” Dr Vanichkachorn says. “It can be 

impacted by the direction of travel, how many time zones 

you’re crossing. It’s usually harder on your body when you’re 

traveling east because you’re losing time.” 

Dr Vanichkachorn estimates that it takes about a day per 

time zone you have crossed to adjust to the time at your 

new location. 

But what if you just don’t have the time to waste on several 

days of malaise due to jet lag? What if you need to be on top of 

your game for a presentation to a major client, or you’re taking 

your family on the trip of a lifetime? Can travel via NetJets 

help with jet lag? 


39

LIVING WELL 

“ 

you’re 

All jet lag isn’t equal. It can be 

impacted by the direction 

of travel, how many time zones 

crossing 


Dr Greg Vanichkachorn is part of the Aerospace Medicine programme 

at Mayo Clinic. He and his team can provide specialty consultations to 

NetJets Owners as part of Mayo Clinic’s Executive Health programme. 

Dr Vanichkachorn thinks so, admitting, “Spending a long 

time in a commercial aircraft isn’t really the greatest thing 

in the world.” 

More than the discomfort, he says, the atmosphere inside 

the cabin can be unhealthy for some people. 

“The air isn’t pressurised to sea level, so it’s like sitting on 

a mountain at 2,500m. This can be problematic for those with 

underlying lung disease or breathing issues.” He also says the 

atmosphere in some aircraft cabins can be dry due to altitude 

and could lead to dehydration when flying long distances. 

Private air travel usually includes pressurising cabins to 

a lower altitude than commercial aircraft, decreasing the 

effects of fatigue and dehydration. The flexibility of flying 

by private jet means you can choose exactly when you take 

off and where from, offering more travel planning options to 

lessen symptoms of jet lag. Plus, private air travel is more 

comfortable due to more space and less noise within the 

cabin than a commercial flight, making it easier to rest while 

traveling and, depending on the time difference, helping 

to minimise effects of jet lag. Another perk of private jet 

travel, according to Dr. Vanichkachorn, is the ability to better 

regulate light and temperature, adding to your comfort and 

allowing for better strategic light exposure. 

While flying privately with NetJets can be helpful for 

lessening the effects of jet lag disorder, Dr Vanichkachorn has 

a few other tips to banish jet lag from your travel experience. 

- Use light exposure strategically. Being exposed to sunlight 

helps reset your internal clock, and it’s the most powerful 

natural tool for regulating the sleep-wake cycle. Morning 

light exposure can usually help you adjust to an earlier 

time zone after travelling east. Evening light helps you 

adapt to a later time zone after traveling west. This helps 

with circadian rhythm and melatonin production, both of 

which help to get on a day/night schedule. Sunglasses can 

help with blocking light when you’re trying to reset your 

internal clock. 

- Use melatonin to initiate a new sleep cycle but do so 

sparingly. Dr Vanichkachorn says most people need only 

3-5mg. 

- Start your adjustment process a few days before travelling. 

Dr. Vanichkachorn says there are several apps available that 

can help preemptively shift circadian rhythms. 

- Take care of yourself on your way to your destination. 

Drink plenty of water, even in the days before your flight, 

to avoid dehydration. 

MAYO CLINIC AND NETJETS 

NetJets is excited to partner with the Mayo Clinic Executive Health Program to bring expert 

medical, health, and wellness content that matters to you. With a focus on preventive health 

and wellness with timely, coordinated access to multidisciplinary care, including advanced 

diagnostics, state-of-the-art prevention strategies, and therapeutics, the Mayo Clinic Executive 

Health Program provides individualized, comprehensive care to meet the unique needs of 

business leaders in the demanding stages of their careers. The QR code will lead you to more 

thorough information about this world-class program, and your Mayo Clinic Executive Health 

liaison for NetJets Owners will be happy to answer your questions. 


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OUTDOOR PURSUITS 


GONE 

FISHING 

The world’s best spots for angling offer just 

the right combination of fertile waters and 

creature comforts // By Larry Olmsted 

ISTOCK 


45

EDWARD C. ROBISON III 

© CASA DE CAMPO 


LAND AND SEA 


Casa de Campo, 

Dominican Republic; Big 

Cedar Lodge, Missouri; 

Ashford Castle; Ireland 

“If you’re too busy to fish, you’re too busy,” 

says Johnny Morris, billionaire founder of the 

Bass Pro Shops retail fishing empire. Morris 

was repeating an old sportsman’s adage, but 

he knows what he is talking about firsthand. In 

addition to running the two biggest retailers 

in this field, Bass Pro and Cabela’s, as CFO – 

Chief Fishing Officer – he has personally set 

fishing records for multiple species, all around 

the world. He talks at length about the natural 

beauty of the settings, the bonding, the honing 

of skills, the heart-pounding excitement of 

© ASHFORD CASTLE 

hooking a big one and the fun you still have 

even when they are not biting. Most of all, he 

understands why thousands of his customers 

choose the same bumper sticker: “I’d Rather 

Be Fishing”. 

If you’d rather be fishing, the hardest part 

might be choosing which great place to go, 

because there are world-class lodges and 

resorts for every style of angler in every corner 

of the globe. Here are some of the very best. 

Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the 

Sea protagonist hooked a giant marlin, the 

largest of the billfish: marlin, spearfish, 

sailfish, and swordfish. Billfish remain the 

Holy Grail of deep sea sportfishing, and 

there may be no better place to complete 

the Billfish Grand Slam – three of the four in 

one day – than at Panama’s legendary Tropic 

Star Lodge (tropicstar.com). Sitting on the 

remote coast of the pristine Darien Jungle, 

more International Game Fishing Association 

(IGFA) records have been set here than at any 

other resort on Earth, 300-plus. Blue marlin 

of up to 350kg are regular occurrences. 

They also have tons of massive dorado and 

enormous schools of yellowfin tuna that can 

top 130kg. All billfish are catch and release, 

and like most top fishing lodges, packages 

are all-inclusive with daily fishing, gear, 

guides, lodging and all meals. 


“ the 

After billfish, salmon are probably the quarry more 

anglers make bucket-list trips for than any others, and 

king salmon is practically synonymous with Alaska 

CATCH OF THE DAY 

From top: Bair’s Lodge, the 

Bahamas; Steamboat Bay 

Fishing Club, Alaska; Hawks 

Cay Resort, Florida 

The only reason to go to Tropic Star is to 

hook monsters, but it’s quite the opposite story 

at Casa de Campo (casadecampo.com.do) in the 

Dominican Republic. This luxury mega-resort 

is so famous for its golf, tennis, shooting, 

polo and other facilities that the fishing often 

gets overlooked. But it is home to the most 

advanced marina in the Caribbean, full of firstrate 

charter boats with excellent deep-sea 

fishing, and hosts one of the most important 

blue marlin tournaments in the world. While 

best known for these, guests also regularly 

catch other billfish, mahi mahi, wahoo, and 

especially big tuna, close to 225kg. The golf 

is ranked at the top of many lists charting 

Mexico and the Caribbean, and this year Casa 

de Campo opened The Premier Club, a new 

luxury boutique hotel and spa, now its highest 

accommodation tier. A more far-flung take on 

the iconic luxury hotel model can be found at 

Reid’s Palace, A Belmond Hotel (belmond.com) 

on Madeira. This remote Portuguese island 

well off the coast of Morocco was the last 

restocking point for sailors headed to the New 

World, and it remains the first feeding ground 

in thousands of miles for giant fish headed 

the other way. Its remoteness and deep water 

make it a haven for world record blue marlin, 

as well as a litany of other great targets: white 

marlin, swordfish, spearfish, bluefin tuna, 

© BAIR’S LODGE 

© HAWKS CAY RESORT 

© STEAMBOAT BAY 


47


© HAWKS CAY RESORT 

© RIFFLIN’ HITCH LODGE 

© BIG CEDAR LODGE 

WATER WORKS 


Hawks Cay Resort; 

Rifflin’ Hitch Lodge, 

Canada; Big Cedar Lodge 

Facing page: 

Steamboat Bay 

Fishing Club 

bigeye tuna, albacore, wahoo, red snappers, 

barracuda and more. After fishing, enjoy 

the island’s namesake fortified wines and 

exquisite cuisine. The historic luxury hotel sits 

on the same harbour in Funchal as the charter 

sportfishing fleet. 

After billfish, salmon are probably the 

quarry more anglers make bucket-list trips 

for than any others, and the biggest, the king 

salmon (also known as chinook), is practically 

synonymous with Alaska. For this reason, 

despite a short summer season, Alaska is 

full of destination salmon lodges, none 

swankier than Steamboat Bay Fishing Club 

(steamboatbay.com). It’s operated like a toptier 

African safari lodge, with a private boat 

and captain for each of the ten lodge rooms 

or the eight-person residence, and all meals, 

wines, top-shelf drinks, fish processing to take 

home, and seaplane transfers from Ketchikan 

are included. Cabin cruisers are custom made 

for the region, with full bathrooms, heated 

cabins, and stable rides with shock absorber 

seats. It’s hard not to catch your king salmon 

daily limits here, along with big halibut, cod, 

rockfish and silver (coho) salmon. 

In Alaska, Pacific salmon are commonly 

caught in deep water with conventional 

saltwater tackle, but Atlantic salmon are 

also one the biggest prizes for avid flyfishing 

junkies, and for that it is hard to beat 

remote and luxurious Rifflin’ Hitch Lodge 

(rifflinhitchlodge.com) on the famed Eagle 

River in Canada’s Labrador. There are no roads 

here, and guests arrive in Goose Bay and are 

flown in by the Lodge’s A-Star 350 helicopters 

or Cessna Grand Caravans. Guests are also 

flown daily to angling hot spots, including 

Rifflin’s satellite day lodge in a National Park 

Preserve to fish for jumbo trout. The main 

event is trophy-sized Atlantic salmon, but 

anglers also land huge brook trout and Arctic 

char. All fishing is catch and release, but the 

food is gourmet and there is no shortage of 

the local specialties, along with fine wines. 

There are just seven suites and a ratio of one 

guide for every two guests, much better than 

industry standards. 

Iceland is world famous for its fly-fishing 

because of some unique policies. While it has 

many pristine lakes and some of the best sea 

trout, char, and salmon streams in the world, 

all fishing rights are privately owned and 

mostly leased to outfitters. This means fishing 

is severely limited on all the best waters, 


© STEAMBOAT BAY FISHING CLUB 


49

“ much 

No place has as many luxury resorts on sporting estates 

as Britain and Ireland, but few are as opulent – or as 

fun – as the Emerald Isle’s Ashford Castle 

MATTIA AQUILA 

keeping quantity and quality of fish high. 

The only Orvis Endorsed company in Iceland 

is is the fly-fishing outfitter Fish Partner 

(fishpartner.com) whose guests get access 

to the Kaldakvísl and Tungnaá rivers and 

Lake Thingvallavatn. All-inclusive itineraries 

typically stay in two different locations on 

each trip to maximise angling variety, with a 

guest-to-guide ratio of 2:1. 

If you are looking to try fly-fishing for the 

first time, a remote lodge immersion might 

not be the best choice. No place has as many 

luxury resorts on sporting estates as Britain 

and Ireland, but few are as opulent – or as 

much fun – as the Emerald Isle’s Ashford 

Castle (ashfordcastle.com). The luxe resort 

features an almost 800-year-old castle that 

sits on 18,000ha Lough Corrib, known for its 

abundance of brown trout, salmon and pike. 

The property also has immediate access to 

the River Cong, world famous for salmon. 

Ashford employs its own full-time expert 

ghillies (guides) using traditional wooden 

boats. Instruction is offered, they’ll cook 

your catch, and it’s a great place for experts, 

novices, or families to fish. Ashford also has 

world-class golf, an equestrian centre, tennis, 

shooting, even falconry, along with a laundry 

list of bars and restaurants. 

SEA VIEW 

Fom top: Reid’s Palace; 

Madeira; fishing off the 

coast of Caso de Campo 

© CASA DE CAMPO 


FLY FOR FISHING 

Clockwise from top left: 

Lizard Island, Australia; 

Turtle Island, Fiji; Futa 

Lodge, Chile 

Bass are much smaller than billfish and even 

salmon, but no form of angling is more popular 

in the United States than bass fishing, which 

has its own professional tour. The pros have 

an annual stop on 17,000ha Table Rock Lake 

in the Missouri Ozarks, also home to Johnny 

Morris’s Big Cedar Lodge (bigcedar.com). From 

George H W Bush to Tiger Woods, presidents, 

pro athletes and music A-listers have all 

fished here, and there is no better equipped 

freshwater angling resort anywhere. It has 

two full-service, state-of-the-art marinas 

with top-shelf gear, boat rentals, licenses and 

instruction, and lodging runs the gamut from 

hotel rooms to lakeside cabins to luxe private 

homes. The 1,800ha fantasy sporting resort 

also has five golf courses and a world-class 

shooting facility. 

While salmon, tuna and billfish can be found 

worldwide, there are a couple of much sought 

after but geographically limited specialty 

fish that serious anglers lust after. Pound for 

pound, many deep-sea sportfishers consider 

tarpon the most exciting quarry. The “silver 

king” of gamefish, they can dive more than a 

hundred feet in seconds, weigh up to 130kg, 

and are ferocious fighters that can take hours 

to reel in. Florida is tarpon central, and the 

top choice is Hawks Cay Resort (hawkscay. 

com) in the Florida Keys, an old fishing haunt 

of Hemingway himself. Guests land world 

record tarpon as well as billfish, barracuda 

and a little bit of everything. 

For zealous fly-fishing aficionados, the 

extremely challenging bonefish, found in 

shallow saltwater, is another much-catch. 

The Bahamas is the world epicenter of 

bonefishing, and for more than 30 years, 

Bair’s Lodge (bairslodge.com) has been the 

destination of choice. Bair’s has access to 

both coastal flats and an inland creek system, 

you can wade or use skiffs, there’s fishing 

right out the front door, and it has some of 

the world’s best guides. Protected by Andros’s 

West Side National Park, it enjoys some of 

the least pressured waters in the world’s 

bonefishing capital. 

© LIZARD ISLAND HOUSE 

FARTHER AFIELD: THE REEL DEAL 

LIZARD ISLAND RESORT, AUSTRALIA 

The only luxury resort directly on the Great Barrier Reef – the 

world’s largest – this private island sits within a national park 

and catch includes black marlin, mahi mahi, mackerel, sailfish, 

tuna and more, along with legendary diving and snorkelling. 

lizardisland.com.au 

TURTLE ISLAND PRIVATE ISLAND RESORT, FIJI 

With 12 private beaches and world-class diving, this is one of 

Fiji’s top luxury resorts. The island nation is one of the best 

fishing places in the world with the two top categories of 

saltwater gamefish, marlin (black, blue and striped) and tuna 

(yellowfin and skipjack), plus sailfish, barracuda, wahoo and 

mackerel. turtlefiji.com 

FUTA LODGE, CHILEAN PATAGONIA 

Patagonia is one of a handful of true fly-fishing bucket-list trips, 

and Futa is its best-known lodge, with miles of lightly fished 

pristine lakes and rivers for its guests, offering float rips and 

wading for record-sized brown and rainbow trout. 

futalodge.com 

© TURTLE ISLAND 

STEPHAN DOMBAJ 


51

TEEING OFF 

HELLENIC 

GOLFING HAVEN 

Costa Navarino pairs exceptional Peloponnesian 

beauty with outstanding amenities – including two new 

championship courses // By Farhad Heydari 

JACOB SJÖMAN 

BAY OF PLENTY 

The Olympic 

Course at 

Costa Navarino 


IN THE PANTHEON – forgive the pun – of Greek 

destinations, the Peloponnese might not have the same 

A-list cache as sun-soaked spots such as Mykonos or 

Santorini, to name just two. But this large peninsula, 

connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus at Corinth, 

has quietly begun to make waves, thanks in large part to 

a singular masterplan destination called Costa Navarino 

(costanavarino.com). 

It was envisaged by a self-made shipping magnate named 

Vassilis Constantakopoulos back in the early 80s, with the 

businessman then spending the better part of the next 25 

years acquiring land – one parcel at a time – in his beloved 

and native Messinia, a historically significant region of the 

southwest Peloponnese. Today, Costa Navarino is ranked as 

one of the top holiday destinations in Europe. 

Why? Perhaps it’s because back in 2010, the resort’s 

first phase, Navarino Dunes, debuted with a pair of luxe 

hotels (The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, and The 

Westin Resort) and a championship golf course designed by 

Bernhard Langer in partnership with European Golf Design. 

Or perhaps it’s because a couple of years later, despite the 

economic crisis in the region, the resort’s second phase 

kicked off with the debut of another 18-hole layout, the 

stunning Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed Bay Course. 

Now, however, another pair of new championship courses, 

the Hills and the International Olympic Academy Course, 

by two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup legend José 

María Olazábal, as well as the sprawling beachside W Costa 

Navarino and an even newer Mandarin Oriental property, 

are adding further lustre to this expansive destination. 

Like the earlier courses, these latest offerings are a 

visually striking and challenging test, which are perched 

not at sea level as their earlier siblings are but rather 

200 metres up on a littoral plateau with views of box 

canyons, mountains and the azure coastline. “The 

two courses are distinct in character,” says Olazábal, 


53

TEEING OFF 

remarking that it took no fewer than five years to spearhead 

them. “The Olympic Course is more polished in style and full 

of spectacular vistas across the Bay of Navarino, while the 

Hills Course offers more of a rural feel, where we take you 

out through the gently rolling hills.” 

He’s right: dotted with ancient olive trees and lined with 

native vegetation and scrubland, the par 72, 6,945-yard 

Olympic Course features mounded undulating fairways and 

greens with shallow bunkering. Playability is paramount with 

long arching par-5s (gettable if you’re in the right position), 

lengthy par-3s offset with those of the shorter variety, and 

fun par-4s, such as the stunning 384-yard-long 10th hole, 

the green of which is framed by mountains and the coastline, 

making for one of the most scenic holes in all of golf. 

The visual hits (and the corresponding challenges) keep on 

coming, including at the 187-yard par-3 12th hole, where a keyshaped 

green sits atop a massively vertiginous promontory, 

protected by a barranca-like hazard from short right to long left. 

The views from the elevated 15th tee are just as distracting, 

offering a wonderful look over Navarino Bay – a panorama that 

becomes more glorious the closer you get to the green. 

Then there is the 198-yard par-3 16th hole, where the 

stunning tableau distracts yet again but where the wind 

conditions require immediate refocus: depending on the 

direction, club selection can vary up or down by five or six 

clubs. The penultimate hole is a risk-reward, downhill par-5 

that can make or break your round, with players required to 

either fly their second shots over a meandering rock-lined 


“ 

José 

The Olympic Course is more polished in style and 

full of spectacular vistas across the Bay of Navarino, 

while the Hills Course offers more of a rural feel 

María Olazábal, course designer 

HIGH LIFE 

Costa Navarino’s 

Hills Course 

JACOB SJÖMAN 

ditch that crosses the fairway short of the green or to lay up. 

For its part, the par-72, 6,836-yard Hills Course, is no 

pushover. Far from it. Playing through mature mountainside 

vegetation (think garrigue shrubland, autochthonous trees, 

ancient rock walls and sheer ravines that carve deep into the 

Kinigou Hills), the course features large green complexes, 

with tightly mown rollaway areas inset by bunkers surrounded 

by spongey Bermuda grass overseeded with rye that are 

a challenge for even single-figure handicaps. The putting 

surfaces are equally devilish and boast significant contouring 

and subtle breaks that often require a second look. 

Five tee locations on each hole (one less than on the Olympic 

Course) enable all skill levels and age groups to both enjoy the 

round and to challenge themselves. Case in point the 4th: the 

first of four par-5s, this tricky 517-yard long specimen requires 

precision from a semi-blind tee shot that leads to a wide but 

shallow green that is positioned perpendicular to the line of 

play and perfectly framed by long views. 

The experience, which is rustic, playing sometimes around 

ancient rocky farming boundary walls, offers a good balance 

and variety, from doglegs to uphill and downhill holes, long 

par-5s, short par-4s and challenging par-3s. The 8th is a 

perfect example: a demanding 432-yard par-4 with fairway 

that is beyond a wooded canyon – find it and you’ll have a long 

iron approach into a green that slopes from front left to back 

right. The 9th is another downhiller with a split fairway short 

of the green while the 557-yard 11th is a brutal, gently sloping 

uphill par-5 with a ravine cutting into the fairway on the left 

and a lone tree that protects the right – the second shot is 

challenged by shallow bunkers. 

The challenges aren’t limited to the two courses. Should your 

game need a post-round tune-up, there is an expansive golf 

academy on-site that rivals anything on Tour. Most 36-a-daytypes, 

however, will head back to their quarters and, having 

had a dip in their own pool or one at the many beach clubs, 

decide which of the more than 30 dining venues they will avail 

for dinner and postprandials. 

The resort writ large also includes a Mouratoglou Tennis 

Center, an NBA Basketball School, opportunities for myriad 

other sporting activities, and several public open spaces or, in 

ancient Greek, agora, where restaurants and bars complement 

boutiques, piazzas and the like. Add the tasteful addition of 

the waterside Mandarin Oriental and the buzzy allure of the W 

hotel, complete with its chillout DJ, and golfers as well as other 

holidaymakers won’t be short of options: after all, that’s one of 

Costa Navarino’s major draws. 

Kalamata International Airport: 27miles/43km 


55

CULTURE BOOK 

FROM STREET 

CORNER 

TO SOTHEBY’S 

The rapid rise of stencil art in the past 

decades draws on a rich heritage – and looks to 

have an even brighter future // By Josh Sims 

BLAME BANKSY. If most art finds its credibility – and 

collectability – in winning the unofficial stamp of approval 

from a prestige gallery, museum or investor, street art has 

gone straight from urban sprawl to penthouse wall. But 

not just any graffiti. It’s stencil art, specifically, that in its 

graphic directness and ready reproducibility, both from 

street to street and from street to T-shirt or mug, has become 

a 21st-century cultural currency and a new take, perhaps, on 

the Pop Art of yore. 

If the stencil proved the logistically most efficient 

way of getting art up on a street wall quickly – not least 

because most of the preparation could be done beforehand 

in a studio – that also helped define its bold, neat look, its 

leanings towards unfiltered sociopolitical relevance and, 

often, its droll placement; one of Banksy’s more recent 

works, Valentine’s Day Mascara, made entertaining use of an 

abandoned chest freezer. 

WALL FLOWERINGS 

Banksy’s “Choose Your Weapon” 

Facing page: An example of the 

pioneering work of Nick Walker 

COURTESY THE ARTIST AND NELLY DUFF GALLERY 


COURTESY THE ARTIST AND NELLY DUFF GALLERY 


57

CULTURE BOOK 

“ 

John 

Part of its appeal now, as then, is that it’s simple and 

can be done quickly – it’s like that return to three-chord 

songs you get after music gets overly complicated 

Fekner, street art pioneer 

OUTDOOR SCENES 

DOT DOT DOT’s Handgun 

on Sunset Boulevard, LA 

Facing page: Wheels over 

Indian Trails, in New York City, 

by John Fekner 

“Given how economically disadvantaged [fledgling] artists so 

often are, the stencil has long been the ultimate low-cost tool for 

some kind of protest messaging, from the Berlin Wall to Ukraine 

today,” explains Cassius Colman, founder of Nelly Duff, in London’s 

East End, one of the first galleries to exhibit international street 

artists. “And the best of it is incredibly skilled – the minimum 

amount of mark making for the maximum impact.” 

That, technically, stencil art is illegal in most places has 

only added to its underground edginess, affording it the cool 

of controversy too. Or, perhaps, that used to be the case. 

“I heard that ‘street art’ was being called ‘urban contemporary 

art’ now, and that’s when you know the institutions have 

started to accept it as a genre, instead of fighting it,” laughs 

DOT DOT DOT, the Norwegian stencil-turned-conceptual artist 

whose street works are characterised by their large scale and 

often dark wit. 

COURTESY DOT DOT DOT 


“The movement for the last 10 to 15 years has scaled up 

the interest in art for people in general, and maybe it has 

been important in terms of changing people’s perspective of 

everyday life,” he adds. “But certainly ‘street art’ is not only of 

interest to a certain type of person anymore. It’s for everyone.” 

But, warns Colman, that doesn’t mean it’s all any good. 

Beware the mimics. “Invariably, as with many successful art 

forms, its exponents have been imitated. And street art is easy 

to imitate,” he suggests. “The best of it requires a strong artistic 

statement and comes from artists who push their own style. 

They have a track record of progressive, independent thinking. 

I don’t think anyone needs to see another ‘Mickey Mouse with a 

machine gun’ type of image. There’s a lineage to stencil art now 

that brings some sober analysis [to the market].” 

Indeed, for all that Banksy may have become a household 

name – at least in neighbourhoods where, arguably, street 

art is least likely to be found on the actual streets – and 

commands record prices (his Love is in the Bin sold in 2021 for 

$23.5m) he was preceded by many lesser-known but genredefining 

stencil artists. 

Among them are the likes of the École des Beaux- 

Arts-trained Parisian street artist Blek le Rat – his work 

recognised by his signature rat motif – and Nick Walker, 

whose ironic, humorous images helped shape the influential 

graffiti scene that emerged out of Bristol, UK, both artists 

starting out inspired by stencilling’s early 1980s explosion. 

And before them was the poetry-loving John Fekner, often 

cited as the artistic pioneer of the medium, whose 300 or 

more conceptual works comprising official-looking symbols, 

dates and words, addressing the environmental hazards of 

living in New York, were at the core of the city’s creative 

energy from the late 1960s. 

“The phrase ‘street art’ didn’t really happen until later and 

was really about people from the community painting for 

the community, but stencilling came out of the ‘No Nukes’ 

protest era, as a means of making a quick, striking message 

about something,” says Fekner, who explains that stencilling 

originated during World War Two, with the US forces employing 

it to catalogue equipment or create makeshift signs to direct 

troop movements. 

“Part of its appeal now, as then, is that it’s simple and can 

be done quickly – it’s like that return to three-chord songs you 

get after music gets overly complicated. It also represents a 

kind of ‘artisan connection’ to old printing techniques, cutby-hand, 

woodcutting, typesetting, sign painting, and so on. 

Sometimes you can make new art with old tools,” says Fekner. 

“But I think it also appeals because it’s still ‘de-labelled’ 

– that you don’t know who made the work – which forces 

consideration of the message,” he adds. “That said, I do 

question how street art has become so commodified. 

Remember too that neighbourhoods have to live with these 

pieces and [unlike the art world] they don’t always like them.” 

COURTESY JOHN FEKNER 


59

STYLE GUIDE 

A MAN’S 

WORLD 

Fashion and accessories 

for him that make a 

statement this season 

DUNHILL Prince of Wales wool 

Rollagas down blouson BRUNELLO 

CUCINELLI wool flannel leisure 

fit trousers with pince PATEK 

PHILIPPE 5235/50R watch with 

40.5mm rose gold case, two-tone 

graphite and ebony black dial, 

self-winding movement, regulatorstyle 

display, hour and seconds 

subdials, sweep minutes, day, 

date and month in apertures FOPE 

bi-coloured yellow and white gold 

Essentials Flex’it ring CHAUMET 

rose gold Alliance Liens Évidence 

band GIORGIO ARMANI dark grey 

deer leather gloves AU DÉPART 

Le Martin de Voyage Reflective 

Jacquard and leather fourwheeled 

carry-on E.B.MEYROWITZ 

The New Yorker sunglasses in 

black 

Photography by Matthew Shave // Production by Elisa Vallata 


SERAPIAN slim briefcase Stepan Eclipse 

in Moss Green leather TOD’S sunglasses 

with black acetate frame and light 

brown/yellow lenses GIORGIO ARMANI 

black leather boots with micro-pleated 

nappa details (on the right) DUNHILL 1893 

Harness top handle bag in black leather 

(on the left) and hybrid plain Derby shoe 

RICHARD MILLE RM 72-01 Automatic 

Winding Lifestyle Flyback Chronograph 

with titanium case and black rubber strap 

MONTBLANC Meisterstück Selection mini 

bag in croc-embossed leather SERAPIAN 

Cachemire Eclipse pencil case in black 

leather MONTBLANC Writers Edition 

Homage to Brothers Grimm limited-edition 

fountain pen; Extreme 3.0 thin document 

case in embossed full-grain black leather 

(under the shoe)


BRIONI Avio double splittable wool and cashmere Vagabond jacket SERAPIAN Secret Mosaico leather bag in coffee/ 

khaki CHOPARD Alpine Eagle in Lucent Steel with 41mm case, pine green dial, self-winding movement and date-window 

between 4 and 5 o’clock BULGARI white gold B.Zero1 bracelet and ring 

Facing page: BRETT JOHNSON beige wool and silk bomber jacket with side pockets KITON white and beige cashmere, 

virgin wool and silk checked overshirt with snap buttons and breast pockets GIORGIO ARMANI straight trousers in double 

cashmere blend with Prince of Wales ivory pattern LEICA Q3 digital camera with triple resolution 60MP sensor, 8K Ultra 

HD video and new Hybrid AF system GIORGIO ARMANI pleated nappa backpack in extra soft lambskin AUDEMARS PIGUET 

Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph with 41mm pink gold case and brown dial with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern, pink gold 

applied hour-markers and hands with luminescent coating FOPE rose gold Flex’it ring set with black diamonds (left hand) 

NOEL Revolution rose gold Princess Black Diamond band (right hand. 

STYLE GUIDE 


63

OUR WORLD 

BONDING 

Could the key to saving the oceans lie in 

the arcane world of debt refinancing? Nigel Tisdall 

takes a look at how The Nature Conservancy 

is leading the way across the globe 

ISTOCK 


WITH THE 

BLUE 

STRETCHING FOR 300 kilometres between 

Mexico and Guatemala, the Belize Barrier 

Reef is a World Heritage-listed chain of some 

200 cays and atolls where travellers enjoy 

sensational snorkelling, diving and sailing. 

Its clear, warm and often uncrowded waters 

pulsate with richly coloured corals and 

myriad creatures from the endemic whitelined 

toadfish to mighty loggerhead turtles. 

Like many of our most impressive natural 

wonders, this is a fragile ecosystem facing 

multiple threats that range from rising water 

temperatures and beach erosion to illegal 

fishing, aggressive construction, plastic waste 

and, potentially, oil extraction. How can a 

small, tourism-dependent country like Belize, 

home to just 400,000 people, combat all this? 

One answer could lie in what is commonly 

known as the Blue Bond, an innovative 

financial arrangement in which developing 

coastal and island nations restructure their 

sovereign debt on more favourable terms 

as a way to release funds for marine and 

littoral conservation. 

“It’s similar to refinancing a home,” 

explains Julie Robinson, Belize programme 

director at The Nature Conservancy, the 

Virginia-headquartered non-profit behind 

the scheme. “In 2021 Belize repurchased 

$553m of its public debt at a 45% discount. 

This was on condition some of the funds 

released would go to create protected marine 

zones and guarantee long-term, sustainable 

financing for ocean conservation over the 

next 20 years.” 

WORTH SAVING 

Aerial view of the Belize 

Barrier Reef Reserve. 


65

BRIGHTER FUTURE 

Marine life will benefit from 

the Blue Bond system 

ADOBE STOCK 


Out on the water, this means balancing 

the requirements of fishing communities and 

tourism businesses with the urgent need to 

conserve mangrove forests and reefs. Money 

that would have disappeared in interest 

payments can now be put to work finding 

ways to protect a mini-paradise like the 

remote, jewel-like atoll Glover’s Reef, home 

to a tapestry of some 800 coral gardens. At 

present there are just six Fisheries Department 

staff here doing their best to tackle unlawful 

fishing in a marine reserve that stretches for 

32km. “Anyone caught is fined and has their 

boat and nets confiscated,” says manager 

Raphael Martinez, but his resources are 

extremely limited. On the more accessible and 

larger Turneffe Atoll radar is now being used 

to monitor its pristine waters, a measure that 

will hopefully be implemented here too. 

Support from larger, wealthier nations is 

clearly essential, and the Blue Bond offers 

some hope for our beleaguered oceans and 

their far-flung settlements. The first such 

debt swap was launched in the Seychelles 

in 2015 when the Indian Ocean archipelago 

refinanced $22m of borrowing in exchange 

for protecting 30% of its waters, a measure 

fulfilled in 2020. The initiative has since 

spread to the Caribbean where in September 

2022 Barbados completed a $150m Blue 

Bond debt conversion that will provide $50m 

of funding and see its marine protected areas 

expand from virtually zero to approximately 

30%. In May, Ecuador signed the largest “debt 

for nature” swap on record, worth $656m, 

that will see at least $12m a year channelled 

into conservation including help to protect 

the exceptional wildlife and landscapes of 

the Galápagos. 

The Nature Conservancy has identified 20 

countries that could benefit from the Blue Bond 

initiative and has a declared goal of seeing more 

than 10% of the world’s oceans under protection 

by 2030. While government debt negotiations 

are kept secret until confirmed, islands in the 

South Pacific could well be next in line. Fiji’s 

Blue Accelerator Grant Scheme, which is backed 

by the United Nations Development Programme, 

is already funding projects that support its blue 

economy such as the introduction of electrically 

powered boats, sustainable prawn farms and 

the country’s first mangrove eco-walk. 

Others in Fiji have not waited for 

governments, institutional investors and 

philanthropists to rescue our imperiled seas 

by juggling financial figures. On Vanua Levu, 

veteran French oceanographer Jean-Michel 

Cousteau has been involved for many years 

with an eponymous eco-resort that is a shining 

model of sustainability. Here education is 

seen as a vital way forward that is manifest 

in a kids’ club featuring a School Under the 

Sea where children are taught about the 

importance of sharks, go night snorkelling, and 

plant mangrove seedlings. Its resident marine 

biologist, Johnny Singh, sums up the situation 

bluntly: “We’re a small country and if we lose all 

this we’re gone.” As the 85-year-old Cousteau 

puts it: “Protect the ocean and you protect 

yourself.” nature.org 

OUR WORLD 

REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT 

In 2015, NetJets launched Blue Skies By NetJets ® to offer our Owners a more environmentally friendly way 

to fly. Participating Owners can purchase an equivalent number of carbon offsets to the carbon footprint 

of their annual flight hours – calculated by multiplying the carbon offset hourly rate for their aircraft type 

by total share size. Because of our partnership with Climate Impact Partners, Blue Skies ® contributions go 

directly toward supporting global projects that protect forests, capture and destroy landfill gas, and scale 

up renewable energy distribution, to name a few benefits. 


67

LONDON’S 

CULINARY ARTSCAPE 


The hottest tables in the U.K. capital belong 

to a host of diminuitive Japanese spots where the chef’s 

vision leads the way. // By Farhad Heydari 


69

GOURMET GUIDE 


STEPHEN JOYCE; PREVIOUS SPREAD FROM LEFT: © MANDARIN ORIENTAL, © DORCHESTER COLLECTION 

IT ROUGHLY translates to “I’ll leave it up to you” – a nod to 

the all-knowing sushi chef on the other side of the spotless 

counter to whom you respectfully accede on matters of 

freshness and choice and whose largely pescatarian set menu 

is purveyed personally to a select few at each given seating 

and can in no way be altered or amended. For diners who may 

have special requests (“I’ll have the wasabi on the side,” for 

example) or are oftentimes tardy to their appointed reservation 

time or anticipate having a boisterous evening meal, omakase 

may not be for you. 

But if you are a diehard gastronome, these no-choice, 

multicourse Japanese affairs are the ultimate expression of 

excellence and are now burgeoning around the world. Omakase’s 

roots date back to Japan’s Edo period (1603-1868) when the 

purveyors of fish would serve their best and freshest catch to 

their most trusted customers, employing the Japanese spirit 

of omotenashi—the art of hospitality ingrained in the guest’s 

happiness. Today, we are as healthful and ichthyophagous as 

ever, and the demand for top-of-the-line, seafood-centred 

rations has never been more acute, which is why we are seeing 

the emergence of small, discreet, hole-in-the-wall eateries 

around the world, which have proliferated and are drawing au 

fait gastronomes in droves. 

That’s if you can get a reservation. Take London, for example. 

With myriad direct flights to Japan, and with the British Isles 

a bountiful aquatic larder for the freshest catch, top-tier 

sushi chefs are now showcasing their skills and creativity in 

spartan, often unmarked, intimate settings where tradition 

and authenticity come to the fore and the focus remains firmly 

on high-quality ingredients and expert preparation. 

Sushi Kanesaka (45parklane.com) is a perfect example. 

Hidden behind an unmarked door on the second floor of the 

Dorchester Hotel’s sister property, 45 Park Lane, it oozes 

the kind of zen “find” that diners crave. In fact, it’s a setting 

straight out of Ginza, which also happens to be where master 

chef Shinji Kanesaka’s two Michelin-starred original outpost is 

based. Like its sibling, napkins are delivered in hand-lacquered 

boxes, the ikebana floral arrangement is reassuringly front and 

centre, and guests are asked to “refrain from wearing perfume 

as the refreshing aroma of vinegar is an important part of the 

sushi experience—as is the natural flavor of the fish itself.” 

Those lucky enough to secure a reservation at the 13-seat 

sleek cedarwood counter will enjoy not only an 18-course 

masterpiece but they’ll also witness monk-like chefs working 

together in an elegant ballet in a cosy and polished space 

framed with soothing backlit washi screens. 

Another transportive portal is Taku (takumayfair.com), the 

16-seat brainchild of chef Takuya Watanabe, whose Parisian 

omakase restaurant Jin was the first to be bestowed with a 

Michelin star. Located behind noren curtains on fashionable 

Albemarle Street in Mayfair, the ever-changing, Edomae-style 

cuisine (a more traditional expression of sushi-making that 

involves laboriously curing fish, and a particular way with rice 

that allows the delicate umami notes to come to the fore), 

was lavished with a Michelin star in March 2023, just four 

months after its debut. Diners at the pine bar have a choice 

of a 20-course menu or one with additional courses appended 

with ultra-premium ingredients such as caviar and truffle in a 

serene oasis of pale woods and natural stone. 

Mayha London (mayhalondon.com), meanwhile, is omakase 

for a less-formal breed, complete with a speakeasylike 

subterranean bijou bar and verdant courtyard where 

preprandials are crafted with as much care and attention 

as the fare that’s served up at the curved stone chef’s table 

superjacent, which has touches of an industrial test kitchen 

to it. Beneath an eye-catching bespoke light installation that 

recalls a tree of light or a beautiful canopy of illuminated 

flowers and with an eclectic soundtrack as the accompaniment, 

head chefs Jurek Wasio and Yuichi Nakaya craft a menu using 

meticulously sourced seasonal ingredients from a range of 

local and Japanese suppliers, the latter providing the finest 

seafood and specialty produce, at two seatings to 11 patrons 

each evening on chic Chiltern Street. 

Then there is Roketsu (roketsu.co.uk), a gloriously minimalist 

bilevel time-space threshold that instantly transports you 

to Kyoto, where, incidentally, all of the pared-back and 

streamlined interiors were fashioned by the craftsmen from 

Nakamura Sotoji Komuten, one of the world’s leading experts 

in the Sukiya style of architecture using Japanese hinoki wood, 

before being shipped to the UK and assembled on-site. The 

LIGHT FANTASTIC 

Mayha London’s bespoke 

installation and counter 

Previous pages, from left: 

Omakase at The Aubrey; 

chef Shinji Kanesaka at 

45 Park Lane 


71

GOURMET GUIDE 

TASTE OF JAPAN 

From left: Endo 

Kazutoshi; place setting 

at Roketsu; The Aubrey’s 

fare; Sushi Kanesaka 

Marylebone eatery is situated in Portman Village, where chefowner 

Daisuke Hayashi, who brings decades of experience at 

Japan’s world-renowned Kikunoi Honten working as a protégé 

of the owner and chef Yoshihiro Murata, serves up a traditional 

kaiseki meal with dashi (the mystical Japanese dried fishbased 

broth) as its foundation, for 10 diners at two sittings 

each evening. The attention to detail is next-level – inspired by 

the wabi philosophy and aesthetic, even the tableware varies 

by season in accordance with its principles. Libations, which 

can also be enjoyed at the midcentury basement lounge, have 

been conceived by sommelier Ryosuke Mashio, who prior to 

Roketsu spent 13 years as head sommelier at Michelin-starred 

Umu. He has amassed an award-winning wine list where over 70 

sakes are on offer by the bottle, including two sakes imported 

exclusively for the restaurant – Kikunoi and Echigoryu – as well 

as more than 20 available by the glass. 

A similar fusion of omakase and kaiseki is on offer at the 

incredible eight-seat Maru (marulondon.com). Helmed by 

Yasuhiro Ochiai, previously head chef at two-Michelin-star 

Masato Nishihara’s esteemed Tsukumo restaurant in Nara, 

Japan, the restaurant offers a 20-course farm-to-fork, fishled 

daily-changing menu featuring primarily hyper-seasonal 

British ingredients in a petite space in Mayfair’s Shepherd 

FROM LEFT: TOM ASTERIADES, © ROKETSU 


FROM LEFT: GIADA ZOSI, © DORCHESTER COLLECTION 

Market. The setting is serene with interiors (complete with an 

eye-catchingly fetching framed shūji calligraphy), floristry, and 

crockery (handmade by Maruyama himself) that complement 

the multisensory meal. A must-try is the king crab, served in a 

silver bowl cast from the shell itself. 

But not all omakase has to be of the break-the-bank variety. 

At TOKii (tokii.co.uk), the refined in-house restaurant of the 

petite Nipponese Marylebone hostelry The Prince Akatoki, 

one can indulge in an intimate blind-tasting experience 

that’s veiled in secrecy until you and five other guests are 

comfortably seated at the chef’s counter for your 11-course 

journey. The décor and service are unfaultable and the fleet 

of elegant dishes (think Otoro tuna belly temaki) are served 

with confidence and aplomb. 

Those unfaltering precepts have held Endo at the Rotunda 

(endoatrotunda.com) in good stead since April 2019 when it 

opened on the top floor of The Helios building in West London. 

Since then, it has garnered a Michelin star thanks to chef Endo 

Kazutoshi’s uncompromisingly fastidious attention to detail 

and ingredients – seafood, for example, is sourced from Endo’s 

personal relationship with just a handful of fishermen: clams 

from Dorset, monkfish from Devon, cuttlefish from Brittany, 

scallops from Orkney, and much more. And the rice, as another 

example, is from a dedicated farm in Fukuoka Prefecture, 

ensuring that it has the perfect PH when rendered. Patrons, 

just a dozen of them, sit transfixed around a meandering 

200-year-old hinoki wood counter and beneath a washiinspired, 

cloud light feature that levitates gracefully above, 

with expansive views of West London as accompaniment. 

But omakase as a concept isn’t limited to just exquisite 

rations. At The Aubrey (theaubreycollection.com), an eccentric 

Japanese izakaya experience at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde 

Park, bar director Pietro Rizzo and his team embrace the 

ancient principals of seasonal and elegant combinations, for 

a deeply immersive and ever-changing experience through 

the expansive world of Japanese spirits including everything 

from umeshu, shochu, sake, and a miscellany of Asian herbs 

and spices. The elusive ingredients are transformed into 

exciting elixirs that are served alongside a carefully curated 

selection of Japanese-inspired light bites to just six patrons 

per sitting, in a stunningly sultry space, with art inspired by 

the Japonisme movement, gilded finishings, and plush leather 

and velvet furnishings and fixtures, all tucked away behind a 

secret door. In the end, regardless of the particulars of the 

omakase experience, the remarkable blend of seasonality and 

intimate size ensures it will be a meal to remember. 


73

LEIF CARLSSON 

TASTING NOTES 


BOLD 

BUBBLES 

Grower champagnes are all the rage, focused on single-estate bottlings 

and small producers. But are these popular bubbles worth all the fuss? 

// By Christiaan Porter 

IN TIMES WHEN so many products are dubbed artisanal, 

when authenticity is a prized characteristic for many upscale 

goods and a heartwarming origin story all part of the pitch 

to ever more conscious consumers, it would be surprising if 

such a luxury product as champagne escaped the same buzz. 

Enter “grower” champagnes. Finding increased resonance 

over the course of the last two decades, they still qualify 

– in the slow-moving French region of Champagne – as the 

next big thing. 

These are the “récoltants manipulants”, or RM, as they’re 

designated on their bottles, indicating that at least 95% of 

the grapes used were grown on a single estate. Typically, 

they’re from small independent producers, maybe just one 

or two generations old who, being young, are evangelists for 

new, more radical methods. And so the bottles might also 

feature single vintage, single vineyard, single variety, or low 

intervention distinctions, often fashionably natural or organic 

in their approach in ways more common in Burgundy but rare 

in Champagne. 

Unbolstered by much in the way of reserves, these grower 

champagnes are unique and reflective of a very localised soil 

and climate – to the point that a single bottle may be a true 

one-off – and, indeed, some wine experts and producers have 

argued as early as the 1930s that truly great champagnes are 

always this singular. 

There are, of course, some grandes marques in Champagne 

that do trumpet their localism – Krug began producing 

single vineyard, single vintage blanc de blancs 44 years ago 

– but a renewed enthusiasm for the idea has seen the likes 

of champagne portfolio manager Terry Theise speak of the 

merits of “farmer fizz”, as distinct from champagnes that are 

– as he damningly puts it – “from a factory”. These are the 

“négociants manipulants” whose output is consistent year 

after year, a steady stream of consistent bubbles. In contrast, 

names like Vilmart & Cie, Egly-Ouriet, Ulysse Collin, Jacques 

Selosse, Benoit Marguet, Pierre Paillard, Philipponnat and 

Pierre Gimonnet have been trumpeted as grower Davids up 

against these multinational Goliaths. These growers lack 

access to marketing budgets, and their under-the-radar 

reputation is typically built by word of mouth. That they’re 

hard to find perhaps only adds to their appeal, especially for 

some wine investors. 

Certainly, it’s argued, grower champagnes have had a 

positive impact on the Champagne region. They are giving it 

a frisson of fresh energy, extending choice with something 

different, bringing a more personal, familial approach. Most 

importantly, they are helping with soil conservation in an 

industry that has relied heavily on pesticides and fertilizers 

and, indirectly, may be applying some pressure to move to 

more organic practises among the large negotiants that still 

represent the overwhelming major of Champagne’s production. 

The likes of Dom Pérignon and Louis Roederer are among those 

giants that have taken steps towards more organic and more 

terroir-specific products in recent years. 

“Historically, it’s been a marginal climate for viticulture, 

but the champagnois feel the changing climate more acutely,” 

explains Davy Zyw, wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd’s 

champagne expert and senior wine buyer. “Recent growing 

seasons have tested the vines, the terroirs, and exposed the 

best farmers in the region, and there is increased division 

NEW VINTAGE 

The cellar at grower label 

Champagne Philipponnat 


75

TASTING NOTES 

“ 

Mark 

These small growers have control over their own grapes, 

will know each vine intimately, and will pick at optimum 

maturity for their own product 

Savage of Savage Selection 

between the vignerons who are responding correctly, and 

those who are not. It is the most sensitive vigneron who are 

making the best wines. And these are often the small growers.” 

Indeed, according to wine merchant Mark Savage of Savage 

Selection – one of the few specialists in grower champagnes – 

the grower market is now at the stage where it’s finding more 

widespread acceptance, while the dominance of the grandes 

marques and their centuries of tradition is less certain. For one, 

attitudes have changed. While they may be a minority, Savage 

argues that there are increasing numbers of people “who aren’t 

obsessed with the grandes marques, who recognise that these 

big names have huge marketing power – the strongest in the 

entire wine industry – but that maintaining that requires 

drinkers to pay a hefty premium”. 

Standards have improved massively too. If grower 

champagnes had little hope of matching the grandes marques’ 

quality 50 years ago, says Savage, more recent years have seen 

improved insights as to which of them have the skills, vines, 

and location to compete, and the building of a reassuring track 

record of impressive champagnes to boot. “What’s more,” he 

says, “these small growers have control over their own grapes, 

will know each vine intimately, and will pick at optimum 

maturity for their own product. There isn’t the same incentive 

to take the same care if you’re just selling your grapes on to a 

grande marque.” 

Thirdly, grower champagnes are changing our ideas about 

what champagne is or should be. “Those few titanic grandes 

marques and their uniform cuvées have trained consumers to 

expect consistency in champagne styles. But this has only ever 

given us a binary view into a region that holds such wealth and 

diversity of terroir, style, winemaking talent and philosophy,” 

explains Zyw. “But now many small producers, often the younger 

generations, are not renewing contracts to sell grapes to the 

larger houses, and instead are looking to articulate their own 

VALENTIN PACAUT / THE EXPLORERS 


ALL IN THE PROCESS 

Testing time 

at Champagne 

Philipponnat; 

facing page: among 

the vines 

at Champagne 

Marguet 

vineyards, in a way we would associate with, say, Burgundy. I 

think the Champagne region is at the cusp of climatic, cultural 

and commercial change, and there’s really never been a more 

exciting time for champagne enthusiasts.” 

This, however, isn’t to say that grower champagnes are 

exactly set to take over. It can be hard to cut through the hype. 

Some argue that they are still more a product of excitable overexuberance, 

driven by farm-to-table restaurants keen to offer 

ever more discerning diners wine lists of specific Champagne 

regions and styles. Likewise, grower champagnes have proven a 

boon to independent wine retailers, competing with the market 

forces of much larger retailers, in providing them with a more 

accessibly priced product that allows them to stand apart. 

And, as Alan Marginean of the International Sommeliers 

Union notes, grower champagnes are not without controversy 

in the wine world where it counts – in the taste. Some feel that 

their “racy acidity, with lots of mouthfeel” makes them a perfect 

accompaniment to many foods, one way in which sommeliers 

might convince diners to explore a singular champagne from 

a house they’ve likely never heard of. “But perhaps they are 

less good on their own, because they lack the ageing balance 

and the richness [of grandes marques champagnes],” he says. 

“Champagne has always struggled to find a market outside of 

celebrations and high-end restaurants. So even if awareness 

of grower wines is increasing, they’re going to be more for the 

wine geeks.” 

Indeed, these grower champagnes account for between just 

five and 10% of exports, according to Comité Champagne. Just 

5,000 of the estimated 19,000 independent growers across 

the Champagne region hold back some of their grapes – often 

from the best parcels of land – to produce their own wine, and 

then often only for local consumption. 

As far as the geeks go, the ones driving demand for grower 

champagnes, this is still very much a matter of caveat emptor 

– since, even with improved knowledge of what the market 

offers, both the thrill and the potential disappointment 

of grower champagnes is their very inconsistency and 

idiosyncrasy. That’s less an issue plumping for the never-tobe-repeated 

drinking experience of a bottle recommended 

by a sommelier. It’s trickier when you want to buy several. 

Shifts from the transcendent to the terrible in the same 

case might be expected. Think of grower champagnes, then, 

as independent films, relative to Hollywood blockbusters: 

always interesting if not always successful compared to the 

dependable if rarely surprising. 

MICHAËL BOUDOT 

Scale and historical background help to build stock levels 

and reserve wine levels that enable production of higher quality 

champagne over a longer period of time. The producer is less 

reliant on the quality of individual harvests. And it is true that 

some people’s interest is limited if they know they can enjoy 

a great bottle but never reorder it. If grower champagnes are 

a concept people love to like, then there is always reality. You 

can be a very small producer and make something terrible 

as much as the opposite can be true. People advanced in 

their wine knowledge are interested in grower wines but it’s 

important to take a balanced view. People want to find those 

golden nuggets – but there remain very few of those around. 


77

INSIDE VIEW 

TURKISH 

TEMPTATION 


The new home for Istanbul Modern, 

the country’s foremost repository of 

contemporary and modern art, entices 

both with its bold new structure and 

the sheer breadth of the work within 

CEMAL EMDEN 


79

SAHIR UGUR EREN 

INSIDE VIEW 


COURTESY THE ARTIST AND ISTANBUL MUSEUM OF MODERN ART MURAT GERMEN 

ABOVE 

From top: a hall in 

the exhibition Always 

Here; From the series 

Constructed_V2, by 

Zeynep Kayan, part of 

the exhibition 

FACING PAGE 

Hera Büyüktaşcıyan’s 

A Study on Endless 

Archipelagos, featured 

in Always Here 

PAGES 82-83 

Renzo Piano’s 

remarkable design 

for Istanbul Modern 


81

INSIDE VIEW 

RISEN FROM 

THE WATER 

The confluence of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn has an 

air of magic about it, and it is no surprise that on the banks 

of this mystical meeting place, one of the world’s greatest 

architects has conjured a masterpiece. The new home of 

Istanbul Modern, Turkey’s original museum of modern and 

contemporary art, covers 10,500sq m with an assortment of 

exhibitions, film screenings, educational programmes and, of 

course, a collection of more than 280 works by the country’s 

most renowned artists from 1945 to the present day, as well as 

international stars (Yüksel Arslan, Mark Bradford, Tony Cragg, 

Olafur Eliasson, Gülsün Karamustafa and Anselm Kiefer among 

them). The creator is Italian superstar architect Renzo Piano, 

who took inspiration from the watery surrounds to design a 

shimmering building of glass and metal. Of his creation, he 

says: “This museum building is like a creature of the sea, that 

has just jumped out from the water of the Bosphorus. We 

wanted to make a building to defy gravity and levitate above 

the ground, creating transparency with views towards the 

sea on one side and on the other the park and the medieval 

district of Galata.” The rota of recent exhibitions matches 

the building in ambition, among them Floating Islands, which 

pays homage to artists’ attachment to a specific place while 

also emphasising the impact of their thought and production 

beyond borders and geographies; Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s In Another 

Place, featuring 22 portraits taken around the world by the 

Turkish filmmaker; and Always Here, a collection of feminist 

works. istanbulmodern.org 

FACING PAGE 

The Floating 

Islands exhibition 

ENRICO CANO 


XXXX 


83

COURTESY THE ARTIST AND ISTANBUL MUSEUM OF MODERN ART 

INSIDE VIEW 

ABOVE 

Mud Boys, India, by 

Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 

from In Another Place 

FACING PAGE 

Olafur Eliasson’s Your 

unexpected journey, from 

Floating Islands 


COURTESY THE ARTIST AND ISTANBUL MUSEUM OF MODERN ART 

ABOVE 

From top: scenes from 

Jenna Sutela’s weton-wet 

watercolour 

painting, which will 

be on display at the 

biennial; Red Forest’s 

Abandoned positions of 

the Russian Army in the 

Red Forest, Chernobyl 

Exclusion Zone 

FACING PAGE 

A stage in the design 

process of artist Adrián 

Villar Rojas, whose sitespecific 

installation, The 

End of Imagination, is on 

Vallisaari Island 


85

THE LAST WORD 


FRANK 

GEHRY 

The legendary architect on life away from the drawing board 

TRAVEL 

Home comforts or reaching out? 

I travel a lot for work so I love to stay at home! But we are 

going to Morocco for a vacation in a couple of months. I’ve 

been there before but never to Marrakech. We love going to 

Berlin – we did a concert hall there for Daniel Barenboim. It 

turned out to be pretty damned good. I’m going to have my 

next birthday there. One place I’d like to go is Egypt. I’ve 

paid for trips to Egypt several times but for some reason 

they didn’t work out. 

FOOD 

Big names or hidden gems? 

I’m not very fussy about food, but I usually look for local 

fare. I remember in Paris that a chef opened up a place 

after her “job” and it was all very classical French. You 

could only see 15 people in this little room and there was 

old French cooking. That was very special. I like things like 

that – bistros and Paris. 

DRINK 

Classy cabernet or a contemporary cocktail? 

I love a good wine. I was offered the chance to design a winery 

for Marqués de Riscal. I said the job was too small but I 

visited anyway. They took me down to the cave and they asked 

me when my birthday was. I told them and they pulled out a 

bottle of 1929 red, took a sword, cut the top off, and poured 

the wine. It was so good. I said, “OK, OK, if you give me this 

kind of wine, I’m going to do the job.” 

ARTS 

Live entertainment or still life? 

Well, I’ve designed a few concert halls so I’ve been involved 

with them over the years. I’m on Herbie Hancock’s board so 

I’m very involved with his work. I mostly go out to see classical 

music and jazz. A little bit of opera. I used to listen to music 

when I was a young kid in architecture school. I used to listen 

to Bach constantly, playing always while I was working. 

FUTURE PLANS 

Taking it easy or keep on going? 

I love working on concert halls. If someone offers me anything 

related to classical music, I drop everything and go, wherever 

it is. It’s the fascination with connecting people. It does it so 

beautifully. I love that feeling. 


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S E E K B E Y O N D 

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NetJets EU Autumn 2023

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