The Princess' pre-wedding Sauvignon Blanc

Plus, a new charity wine label raises more than $600,000 for needy homeless families and a Chinese executive gets demoted for spending too much company yuan on high-end alcohol

What do you drink on your last night as a commoner? Not an everyday dining question perhaps, but Brit bride-to-be Kate Middleton opted for the Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc 2009 the night before her blowout wedding to Prince William, according to celebrity gossip mag, US Weekly. Since the English are not accustomed to the whole “rehearsal dinner” thing, Kate spent the evening dining with close friends and family in the comfort of the Goring Hotel in London’s Belgravia district. The Lapostolle, listed at the fancy hotel price of 30 quid (about $50), would prove a fine choice to match the salmon blini starter, followed by an entrée of steak Chateaubriand. Representatives from Lapostolle were “naturally, utterly, thrilled” that the new Duchess of Cambridge would pair their wine with her meal. Unfiltered understands a girl (princess or common) simply can’t have red wine-stained teeth before the paparazzi. Therefore, Mrs. Mountbatten-Windsor, you go ahead and pair that beef tenderloin with a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.

• Currently operating in nine states, Wines for Humanity aims to teach the public about wine while raising money for charity. The organization offers guided tastings, led by one of nearly 200 independent wine advisors; individuals can host their own in-home wine-tasting party for up to 14 guests with seven bottles of wine. These wines, all selections from Wines for Humanity’s private label, are sourced worldwide and generally cost about $20 per bottle. Their inventory has on average 60 different styles of wine, including a popular Moscato d’Asti, a Shiraz, and a Pinotage. Though the hosts are invited to choose the wines themselves, most often they leave the decision up to their private wine advisor, who will cater the wine selection specifically to each party’s liking. After an hour’s worth of lessons about wine, wine-tasting tips, food pairings and a few colorful anecdotes from the advisor, guests can purchase any of the wines sampled that evening, with an average of $2 per bottle going to local charities working to prevent homelessness of families with children. So far, the organization has raised over $600,000.

• It’s no scandal in the business world to smooth negotiations with libations—whatever seals the deal. What is a scandal is when the libations cost more than the deal, and the company is state-owned, and some bottles retail for more than the average citizen earns in a month, and the company’s product is undergoing price hikes, and the booze receipts are leaked to the internet. Such was the case of Lu Guangyu, a general manager of China’s oil-refining juggernaut Sinopec and connoisseur of large-format bottles. Lu was demoted last week for spending $397,000 of company lucre on wine and liquor, including Moutai, the traditional toast of Chinese state banquets, in three purchases since 2010. No snob, though, Lu, according to China Daily, also “consumed a large amount of alcohol that could be bought for a fairly low price.” Lu’s egalitarian tastes should prove an asset at his new, demoted position.