This week Giuseppe Russo, of the wine estate Girolamo Russo on the northern slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna, came to stay in London for a few days. He presented some of his wines at the elegant tasting held by Goedhuis Fine Wine at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea. It was inspiring to taste the wines in the rarified atmosphere of the modern art galleries, surrounded by large works by contemporary Russian artists. Giuseppe’s wines have been hugely successful since he began bottling them in 2006 and I like to think I may have helped him a tiny bit with that: I designed his labels. Here’s one from a delicious bottle of 2008 Feudo we drank together, of Nerello Mascalese grapes. Salute!

Guiseppe Russo at the Saatchi Gallery · Girolamo Russo wine label, designed by Carla

The week also saw the official publication day of the ASK Italian Cookbook, with a book signing at Waterstones book shop in the large Bluewater shopping centre, followed by lunch and more books to sign at the lovely, newly opened ASK Italian restaurant there. I always enjoy spending time with chef Theo Randall, and it was fun to celebrate the book’s launch with him and the ASK Italian team.

Theo Randall and Carla Capalbo signing books at the ASK Italian restaurant, Bluewater. Photograph: Tony Buckingham