Elizabeth & Wine

Type a wine, a place or a kind of event.

    Bank of New York Mellon: Rooftop Wine Safari

    10 February 2026 · 1 min read · by Elizabeth Hawthornthwaite

    Bank of New York Mellon, Rooftop Wine Safari

    Event: Client entertaining and relationship-building

    Guests: 80 Format: Wine Safari

    Location: Rooftop, City of London

    Rooftop drinks table with snacks and greenery overlooking St Paul's Cathedral and the City of London

    Last year, I hosted my largest event to date, a Wine Safari for 80 guests on the rooftop of Bank of New York Mellon.

    For the first time, I wasn’t pouring solo. I was joined by two brilliant women in wine:

    • Corinne Seely, winemaker at Exton Park and former youngest female winemaker in Bordeaux
    • Kirsty Woodgate, wine expert and long-time industry colleague

    Together, we led guests through a tasting journey of wines owned or made by women, from classic Margaux to standout Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. Corinne hosted the sparkling wines, Kirsty led the reds, and I introduced the whites, each wine grounded in the story of the woman behind it.

    The event was elegant, professional and full of energy, with exceptional food, perfect weather and a strong sense of collaboration. More than a large-scale success, it was a personal milestone for me and a powerful example of how wine-led client events can feel meaningful, inclusive and memorable.

    View on LinkedIn

    Rooftop wine tasting setup with glasses, plants and views of St Paul's Cathedral and London's skylineThree women pose with a wine bottle on a rooftop terrace, with St Paul's Cathedral behind themBlue BNY seating on a planted rooftop terrace overlooking the London Eye