BKWine Blog: November 2005

BIG NEWS: Wine Tours in English and Finnish

>> Wednesday, November 02, 2005

I will launch two Wine Tours in English

Big news from us is that I will launch two Wine Tours in English the coming spring! I hope you will be many who are interested in this because it is two trips that promises to be very interesting indeed: one tour is “3 Classics” and goes to Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy, and the other tour is also a classic – to Bordeaux.

You can take a look at the full program on my site. You can find the link to the page below.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

And why not give a Wine tour to someone as a Christmas present?

Wine Tours in Finnish

And in addition, I will also be offering Wine Tours in Finnish next season too! See more info on the site.

The Agenda

English Wine Tours

May 17-21, 2006: Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy - 3 Classic Wine Regions

Take a break for a long weekend and visit three of the most famous wine regions in France: Champagne, Chablis and Bourgogne! More info here!

June 8-11, 2006: Bordeaux

For a wine lover a trip to Bordeaux is a must! Here you find not only world famous châteaux and world famous wines but also a lot of new exciting initiatives. In this trip you will get to know both in detail. More info here!

For info, contact me on blog@bkwine.com or +33 (0)6 80 45 35 70 or check the site: http://www.bkwine.com/wine_tours/wine_tours.htm

Finnish Language Wine Tours - Viinimatkoja Ranskan viinialueille!

May 3-7, 2006: Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy - 3 Classic Wine Regions - "3 Klassikkoa"

Take a break for a long weekend and visit three of the most famous wine regions in France: Champagne, Chablis and Bourgogne! More info here!

March 29 - April 2, 2006: Bordeaux

For a wine lover a trip to Bordeaux is a must! Here you find not only world famous châteaux and world famous wines but also a lot of new exciting initiatives. In this trip you will get to know both in detail. More info here!

For info, contact me on blog@bkwine.com or +33 (0)6 80 45 35 70 or check the site: www.bkwine.com/suomi/viinimatkoja/viinimatkoja.htm

Wine and Food Tastings in Paris

With BKWine’s friend Melba Allen-Buillard. For more information and registration contact Melba directly on ph 06 61 60 35 70 or allen_melba%hotmail.com (swap the % with a @ to get the email). Melba is an American living in France since many years and has taught wine at various schools:

8/11, 15/11, and 22/11: Wine Appreciation for the timid and the Un-initiated!

A series of three tastings that give you an introduction to French wine and wine vocabulary: 1. tasting and wine appreciation; 2. French Wines; 3. Wine and Food Pairing. Price:105€ per person for the three classes or 40€ per class if taken separately.

22/11 and 31/1: The ABC’s to Wine and Food Pairing. Price: 40 € per class
29/11 & 7/3: Pairing Wine and Cheese. Price: 45 € per class
6/12 & 7/2: Pairing Wine and Chocolate, Price: 45 € per class
13/12: Pairing Wines during the Holiday Season! Price: 50€

All tastings: time: 19h00 (7PM). Place: Le Garde-Robe, 41, rue de l’Arbre Sec, 75001 Paris, M° Louvre-Rivoli. Info and booking: 06 61 60 35 70 (Melba). Don’t forget to mention that you’ve found it in the BKWine Brief.

Recommendations, wine producers - Château Haut-Marbuzet

Château Haut-Marbuzet
Saint Estèphe, Bordeaux
Château Haut-Marbuzet in Saint Estephe is, since quite a few years now, one of the top wines in Médoc. When the new Cru Bourgeois classification was done they were one of nine chateaux to be placed in the top category Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel. They have a wine style that is round and full-bodied, and very seductive, and it has often given them top ratings. The Duboscq family does not hide their ambition to make a wine that is popular and easy to drink. They create their style by using a high percentage of Merlot (more that 50%), harvesting very ripe grapes, fermenting at relatively high temperatures, and substantial aging in new oak (18 months). The 2003 is already very drinkable, has a high alcohol (very warm year!) and well balanced tannins with quite low acidity. The 2001 is a classic Haut-Marbuzet, according to Hugues Duboscq: full-bodied and smooth with some chocolate and lots of fruit and berries.
Click here for address.

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Read about more recommended producers on the site: Favourite Producers

Recommendations, wine producers - Domaine Haut-Lirou

Domaine Haut-Lirou
Coteaux-du-Languedoc-Pic Saint Loup

Pic-Saint-Loup is a sometimes spectacularly beautiful region some 20 kilometres from Montpellier and is one of the top districts within the Coteaux du Languedoc. There are several very interesting wine producers here and the district has applied to get its own AOC Pic Saint Loup (it now has AOC Coteaux du Languedoc-Pic Saint Loup). “And we really want this recognition” says Jean-Pierre Rambier who owns the Domaine Haut-Lirou together with his son. They have 65 hectares planted 70% with Syrah and with Grenache and Mourvèdre. Their white Vin de Pays du Val de Mont Ferrand is made from half Grenache Blanc and half Sauvignon Blanc and has a nice, refreshing acidity and flowery aromas. Domaine Haut-Lirou 2003 (60% Syrah and 40% Grenache) is not aged in oak and has attractive aromas of ripe, almost dried fruit. Their prestige cuvée, Esprit 2003, is made from a selection of the best grapes from old vines and is spicy and complex and will benefit from a few years bottle age.
Click here for address.

--> Discover more exciting wine producers. Go on a Wine Tour with BKWine. More info here! <--

Read about more recommended producers on the site: Favourite Producers

Recommendations - Paris Restaurant

Le Petit Bistro
Unpretentious and nice – if you happen to be close to Saint-Sulpice and Bon Marché. Try their crème brûlée au Roquefort for a starter... Lunch menu for 15-18 euro.

Click here for address.

Recommendations - Brussels Restaurant

L’Air de Rien
Restrained by attractive décor that well matches the food, that is delicious and beautifully presented. Lunch with two courses is 15 euro – very good value – and in the evening a main course will set you back 15-22 euro. Interesting wine list and good, attentive service. Simply very friendly.

Click here for address.

Bordeaux Oxygène – a new, youthful initiative in Bordeaux

“We don’t want to hear another word about the crisis in Bordeaux!” The phrase comes from Sylvie Courcelle from Château Thieuley, a Bordeaux Supérieur estate. She and 17 other young Bordeaux producers, all around 27-35 years old, recently unveiled their new initiative called Bordeaux Oxygène. The purpose is to show to the world that there is a lot of dynamism in Bordeaux, that Bordeaux is not just a place with stuffy old men, and that, yes, it can be young and trendy to drink Bordeaux wine. “But it’s not a revolution” underlines Florence Lagragette of Château Loudenne in Médoc, “We want to stay with traditions, but there is a need for new ideas, willingness to progress and above all, Bordeaux needs to become better at communications and marketing”. (Photo: Benoit Trocard, President, Bordeaux Oxygene)

Bordeaux Oxygène has the following members:

Juliette Bécot, Château Joanin Bécot, Côtes de Castillon
Jean-Jacques Bonnie and Séverine Bonnie, Château Malartic-Lagravière, Pessac-Léognan
Jean-Baptiste Bourotte, Clos du Clocher, Château Bonalgue, Pomerol
Alice Cathiard-Tourbier, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan
Mathieu Chadronnier, Château Marsau, Côtes de Francs
Matthieu Cuvelier, Château Clos Fourtet, Saint Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé
Marie and Sylvie Courselle, Château Thieuley, Bordeaux Supérieur
Coralie de Boüard, Château Angélus, Saint Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé
Basaline Despagne – Thibault Despagne, Château Tour de Mirambeau, Bordeaux Supérieur
Erwan Flageul, Château Brillette, Moulis-en-Médoc
Caroline Frey, Château La Lagune, Haut-Médoc Grand Cru Classé
Eloïse Heeter-Tari, Château Nairac, Sauternes Cru Classé
Edouard Labruyère, Château Rouget, Pomerol
Florence Lafragette, Château Loudenne, Médoc
Jean-Christophe Mau, Château Preuillac, Médoc
Jean-Antoine Nony, Château Grand Mayne, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé
Stéphanie Rolland-Lesage, Château Le Bon Pasteur, Pomerol
Jérôme Tourbier, Les Sources de Caudalie – Hôtel, Restaurant, SPA
Benoit Trocard, Clos Dubreuil, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, Clos de la Vieille Eglise, Pomerol

What do you think? Comment on this in the blog.

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The Harvest 2005 – a magnificent vintage

All reports from around France, and what we have seen ourselves, point to 2005 becoming an excellent vintage. In every district we have visited this autumn - Bourgogne, Bordeaux, Alsace, Champagne, Rhône-dalen and Languedoc – wine makers are happy and positive. The autumn has been unusually warm, sunny and dry in the whole country. If there has been any negative comments it has rather been the lack of rain during the whole growing season. The grapes have been nicely ripe and very healthy at harvest. The one issue was a short period of heavy rain in the Languedoc but most growers had already (at least almost) finished the harvest. It is never easy to taste a wine that has just finished fermenting, but the Grenache 2005 that we tasted at Domaine Haut-Lirou in Pic-St-Loup, with 15% alcohol and just barely finished the malolactic fermentation, was actually very nice to drink. It all bodes well for the future for this vintage.

What do you think? Comment on this in the blog.

2005 will be a great year in California too

2005 promises to be a great year in California too, both for quality and for quantity. It is estimated that the harvest will reach 3.15 million tons, which is 10-20% above normal. Growers also say that both the quality and the maturity of the grapes are outstanding. The big harvest, some think, will lead to a drop in prices in spite of the high quality. (California accounts for some 90% of the US wine production.) Wine drinkers say “hooray”. Read more on Rocklin & Roseville Today

Vinisud 2006 – The wine fair for ”Mediterranean wines” in Montpellier 20-22 February 2006

Vinisud is a wine fair about wines from around the Mediterranean. Admittedly, many of the exhibitors come from France, and not least Languedoc-Roussillon (which happens to be one of the most exciting regions in France today) but there are also wines from all around the Mediterranean ( Italy, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, Algeria, Greece, etc). At the last Vinisud there were 1391 producers present. In 2006 they expect more than 1500 exhibitors. It is a unique opportunity to get an overview of “Mediterranean wines”. (Interested in going to Vinisud? Contact BKWine and maybe we can arrange something fun around it.). www.vinisud.org

Don Sebastiani & Sons named Winery of the Year by the Wine Enthusiast Magazine

The Wine Enthusiast, one of the US’s leading wine magazines, has selected Don Sebastiani & Sons International Wine Negociants as Winery of the Year. Don Sebastiani was created by an established wine growing family, more know for their budget wines, in 2001 to make and market good quality, moderately priced wines. One of their wines is Screw Kappa Napa…

Scandinavian Wine Fair – 11 February 2006

And we don’t mean a wine fair IN Scandinavia but one with wine BY Scandinavians who make wine in wine districts all around the world. BKWine organised the Scandinavian Wine Fair in Paris 2004 (click here) and now we’re back with the 2006 edition – on Saturday 11 February. We will have more info (both for visitors and exhibitors) early autumn but mark the date in your calendar already! And – we are very grateful for any tips from you on Scandinavians that you might know of who are in any way involved in producing wine (or fine spirits, like Cognac). Send us an email if you know of any!

Salon des Vin de la Loire 6-8 February 2006

Le Salon des Vins de la Loire in Angers is a big professional wine show for Loire wines. Many of the most interesting producers in the Loire Valley are represented. It is an excellent opportunity to get an overview of recent developments in the Loire. (And you can combine it with a visit to the BKWine Scandinavian Wine Fair in Paris on February 11!)

South African wines grow in popularity in Sweden, reaches 16% market share

Imports to Sweden of South African wines grew by 35% over the first 8 months (compared to the same period last year). According to Wines of South Africa (Wosa) they now have a 16% market share, on par with the market leader Spain and ahead of Italy (15.5%) and Australia (11%). Madeleine Stenwreth, purchasing manager at the monopoly retailer Systembolaget in Sweden, said, according to the Sunday Times (SA) that Swedes buy more and more South African wines because of the value for money they offered. Read more in the Sunday Times (SA).

Michel Laroche (Chablis) buys wine estate in South Africa

Michel Laroche, one of the most successful producers of Chablis, has just bought a winery in South Africa: Avenir Wine Estate. The winery has 55 hectares (but some say 24 ha)of vineyards in Stellenbosch. The deal is done in collaboration with AXA Millesime that will get 49% of the capital. Laroche has already expanded outside his home turf in Chablis (representing 450 ha, own vineyards and négociant activity) with wineries in Languedoc (500 ha) and in Chile. At his new winery in South Africa Laroche will concentrate on the typical local grape varieties Pinotage and Chenin Blanc (Steen). L'Avenir's web-site

New appellation AOC Beaume de Venise

The Journal Officel of October 25 published the rules for the new appellation AOC Beaumes de Venise. This can be seen as an evolution of the rules for the previous appellation Côtes du Rhône Villages-Beaumes de Venise that is now supersede by AC Beaume de Venise. The rules specify (among other things):

the wine is produced in four communes in Vaucluse: Beaumes-de-Venise, Lafare, Suzette and La Roque-Alric;
the main grape varieties are Grenache and Syrah
the yield is limited to: ’rendement de base’ 38 hl/ha, ’rendement butoir’ 42 hl/ha, ’rendement maximum de production’ 50 hl/ha
wines from the 2004 harvest may carry the new appellation

Kosher Wines Gaining Ground?

European Jewish Press reports that kosher wines are gaining in popularity in France. The cite for example that La Revue des Vins de France has commissioned an article on it for a spring edition. In any case it is clear that it is no longer something that is made only by some specialist producers. We have seen kosher wine at, for example, Chateau Beauregard (Pomerol) and Chateau Liversan (Haut-Médoc). It is controlled in detail and well isolated from the rest of the production and only “authorised” (or whatever the appropriate term might be) staff can handle the wine.

450 new million euro in EU farm subsidies for the wine sector in 2006 and plans for “fundamental reforms”

The EU plans to allocate 450 million in wine farm subsidies, primarily to France, Italy, and Spain, in 2006 (approximately the same as in 2005). The main aim of the support is (in principle…) to help growers change over production to better grape varieties, better land etc. A spokesperson for the commission has said, though, that next year there will also be some “fundamental reforms” of the system, for example by no longer linking the subsidies to the production volume. All according to BeverageDaily.com

France increases the budget for wine promotion in the UK with 40%

Sopexa together with the French Ministry of Agriculture will jointly increase the marketing budget for the UK with 40% in 2006. With this increase they hope to change the trend of losing market share on one of the largest export markets. Read more on Foodanddrinkeurope.com

French wine maker in conflict with Absolut Vodka

A wine producer in Roussillon, in southern France, produces a wine called Tinto Absoluto. The producer of Absolut Vodka, the state owned Swedish company V&S Vin & Sprit protests that it is an infringement on their trade mark. Maybe you can draw some parallels with Champagne where the champagne producers have been very vigilant in protecting the “name” (but not trade mark) Champagne, preventing, for example, perfumes and shampoo to use it. Visit the Tinto Absoluto web site and read more on Decanter.

Sommelier Champions

Danish victory in the Nordic Sommelier Championship
Dennis Rasmussen from the restaurant Le Sommelier in Copenhagen won the trophy as best Nordic Sommelier on Iceland recently. In second place: Björnstierne Antonson, and third: Sören Polonius (both Swedish). www.lesommelier.dk

Yann Satin wins the Belgian Sommelier Championship
Last Sunday the finals in the Belgian Sommelier Championship was held in Brussels. The happy winner was Yann Satin who works at the restaurant “Le Sanglier des Ardennes” in Durbuy. Congratulations! Second place went to Peter Verheyde and third place to Maxime Demuynck from the restaurant “L’Air du Temps” in Noville sur Mehaigne.

WSET moves to new premises

The Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) has just moved to new premises (39-45 Bermondsey Street, just across the river from the Tower of London). The WSET is maybe the world’s biggest (and certainly one of the most respected) educational organisations in wine and spirits. During the academic year 2004/5 they had some 15000 “candidates” in 28 countries. The new facilities will also house several other organisations relating to wine and spirits. The opening was headed by one of the most illustrious ex-students of the WSET: Jancis Robinson. (Photos: WSET) http://www.wset.co.uk

Decanter launches a Chinese wine magazine

Decanter, the leading UK wine magazine, will launch a Chinese language edition of the magazine. It will to begin with be sold in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, and at a later stage in mainland China. http://www.decanter.com/news/69331.html

Why don’t they make more ”vin de cepage” in France? Or put the grape variety on the label?

You often hear the critique “Why don’t the French make more wines with the grape variety on the label? It would be so much more easy to understand!”. Well, maybe for some: A survey has shown that only 42% of the French claims to have heard of the concept “vin de cepage” (wine sold under the grape variety name) and only 15% could give a correct example of such a vine. The most common grape varieties cited were: Merlot (named by 3.6% of the respondents), Cabernet (2.8%), Chardonnay (2.1%) and Gamay (1.9%). All according to La Journée Vinicole.

Do you want to buy a vineyard?

When recently in Burgundy we discussed vineyard land prices. We thought that it might be interesting for you who are dreaming of buying a few vines to know the approximate price levels. But don’t take it too serious. It is not a statistically grounded survey... - You can get a hectare of AC Bourgogne at entry level (the simplest terroir) for around 80,000€. The prices then go up to 3,000,000€ per hectare for the top quality plots on Grand Cru. But that, of course, does not include the very elite of vineyards like Romanée Conti and the likes, that simply do not have prices. So, you could get a hectare of Corton Grand Cru (not bad!) for around 1,000,000€. In other words, 100€ per vine! (And you will get less than half a bottle of wine from that vine…) Maybe we should look at another region?

--> Discover exciting Burgundy producers. Go on a Wine Tour with BKWine. More info here! <--

Bernard Magrez opens wine shops in Bordeaux and Paris

Bernard Magrez is not a wine collector. He is a chateau collector. He is probably the person who owns the greatest number of wine chateaux in Bordeaux. He plans to open two wine shops, one in Paris and one in Bordeaux to sell the wines from his 30 wine estates and the more than 90 branded wines his empire makes. The shops will also offer tastings and courses. We do not know if they will also sell other wines than his own. All reported in Decanter: Writes Decanter

Experts’ report recommends the abolition of the monopoly

“[the monopoly] is a vestige from the 1920s. […] a privatisation would not only benefit the consumers but it would also allow the government to increase its revenues from this sector. […]No reason exists to preserve this paternalistic attitude on the part of public authorities who seek to dictate lifestyles and to tell consumers which beverages they have the right to drink.”

These are the conclusions of a report written by a Canadian think tank called the Montreal Economic Institute. The full report is available here from MEI. It contains some interesting comparisons with the province Alberta, that previously also had a monopoly but which was abolished in 1994.

Some examples:

Better availability: The number of stores has risen since the privatisation in Alberta from 310 monopoly stores to 1087 stores today. That gives 42 stores per 100,000 inhabitants compared to the monopoly province Québec where they have 13 stores per 100,000 people. This leads to time savings and more convenience for the consumers.
More jobs: During the first three years after privatisation in Alberta the number of jobs in the sector rose from 950 to 2904, i.e. almost 2000 new jobs.
“The range of available products will be smaller”: In privatised Alberta there are 11,575 products available compared to the monopoly market in Québec with 7,148 products. The comparison is even more dramatic if you look at the evolution of the number of products in Alberta since privatisation. In 1993 the Alberta monopoly offered 1,957 products and now, in the private stores, there are around 12,000. The same evolution in Québec would give the Québecoise a choice from almost 44,000 products…
“Privatisation would lead to many more alcohol problems”: In Alberta the alcohol consumption is on approximately the same level as it was when the system was change. They had a slight increase in the year following privatisation but that was followed by a decrease in the following years. In monopoly controlled Québec the consumption has gone up by 15% over the same period.

What do you think? Comment on this in the blog.

Quotes - Michel Laroche, one of France’s most successful wine makers

Michel Laroche, one of France’s most successful wine makers, on Vitisphere.com:

“If I today am attracted by the New World countries in wine it is because they offer you a liberty in how to make wine that does not exist in France. No limits in yields, no pre-defined grape varieties… each and all has the freedom to make wine as he decides best, with the consequence that he then takes the commercial responsibility to himself sell his wines. In France, our collective model with appellations is too heavy. It is necessary to revise the system.”

Link Tips - Some wine sites that you might enjoy visiting

Burgundy: The Burgundy Report is a site created by a Burgundy fanatic. Lots of interesting information: http://www.burgundy-report.com/
Grape-Nutz, a site wit lots of wine information and tasting notes written by Eric Anderson: http://www.grape-nutz.com
The Auction at Hospice de Beaune: We have previously mentioned that Christies will take over the auction. Here's a bit more of the story behind it.

Recommendations - Wine Bars and Restaurants - Barrique Wine Bar

Recommendations
Wine Bars and Restaurants
Gothenburg:

Barrique Wine Bar
If you happen to be travelling to Gothenburg in Sweden there is a new wine bar (opened in September 2005). It is run by Rolf Olofsson and Thomas Norman (who also runs the top quality restaurant Hamngatan 12). Unfortunately we have not yet been there but a new wine bar is always worth telling you about. They will have periodic “themes” and are starting out with Burgundy and a selection of interesting wine producers from Bourgogne.

Click here for address.

Read more recommendations on restaurants and winebars on my Restaurant and Wine Bar page.

Scandinavian Wine Fair – 11 February 2006

And we don’t mean a wine fair IN Scandinavia but one with wine BY Scandinavians who make wine in wine districts all around the world. BKWine organised the Scandinavian Wine Fair in Paris 2004 (click here) and now we’re back with the 2006 edition – on Saturday 11 February. We will have more info (both for visitors and exhibitors) early autumn but mark the date in your calendar already! And – we are very grateful for any tips from you on Scandinavians that you might know of who are in any way involved in producing wine (or fine spirits, like Cognac). Send us an email if you know of any!

Christie’s to take over the auction at Hospice de Beaune

The November auction at the Hospice de Beaune is somewhat of a guide for the market evolution for Burgundy wines. It is a very traditional affair mainly open to the trade, but also to some extent the public. According to information in the press the English auction house Christie’s will take over the responsibility for the auctions. Another change is that they will start auctioning wines in bottles. Traditionally it has only been wines in barrel that was offered, which of course is a bit inconvenient for private buyers. This year the auction will take place on November 18-20
www.decanter.com,
www.journee-vinicole.com

Schramsberg, a Californian pioneer celebrates 40 years

BKWine’s reporter-at-large participated in the festivities on August 27 when Jamie Davies celebrated Schramsberg’s 40th anniversary. Schramsberg was founded by the Davies couple when they moved from Los Angeles to Napa in 1965. It has become well know for solely focussing on quality sparkling Napa. Read more here (a short exercise in French…):

Schramsberg-Napa

Bag-in-Box wines show poor quality according to study: only 5% is OK

The Swedish monopoly retailer has conducted a study on how the quality evolves over time for wines in bag-in-box. Only 5% of the wines tested were judge to be of sufficient quality. The tests were done by checking how the quality changed in unopened BiBs bought in the monopoly stores. Barbro Ström, purchasing manager, said “One possible cause […] can be the packaging”. The Systembolaget will now try and make the producers mark the BiBs with a “best-before” date. As reported in World of Wine Fax News.

Wines En Primeur less in demand (in Sweden)

People are buying less wines en primeur in Sweden. Well, actually, they will be buying none at all since Systembolaget, the Swedish retail monopoly, has decided not to offer wines en primeur any longer. The reason being the weak demand for it.

Patagonian wines from Argentina

Argentina is mainly know for the Mendoza wines but since the beginning of the decade massive investments (partially state subsidised) have been done in Patagonia, a bit south of Mendoza. The landscape is flat and desolate; it is a desert that has been made arable thanks to irrigation with water from the Andes. Already after just a few years some of the wines are pretty good. BKWine was there in August and visited some of the producers: Bodegas Arquen, Shroeder / Saurus, NQN (Neuquen – which is the name of the city), Anelo / Finca Roja, and (the very appropriately named) Fin del Mundo. Never before have we seen so may shining new wineries in one place with so much money invested in developing vineyards. Read about the visit here (a short exercise in Spanish):
www.lmneuquen.com.ar (Photo: La Manana Neuquen) . It shows me, Mark Golodetz from the Wine Enthusiast/USA, Eduardo Viotti, Market Press/Brazil, and the BKWine photographer)

Jaboulet in the Rhône Valley to be sold to Swiss financier?

Press information reports that the big Rhône producer Jaboulet is on the verge of being sold to the Swiss financier Jean-Jacques Frey. Jaboulet is one of the most famous and biggest producers in northern Rhône (together with Chapoutier and Guigal). They are the producer of the reputed Hermitage La Chapelle. But recently the dynamism has maybe been lacking a bit. The deal includes 22 hectares of land in Hermitage and 62 ha in other ACs (Crozes-hermitage, Cornas, Condrieu, St-Joseph, St Péray). Frey already owns some other wine estates: Chateau La Lagune in Bordeaux, Champagne Ayala, and Champagne Billecart-salmon (part owner).

Parker hires new taster for German wines

Robert Parker, famous wine writer, critique and taster, and publisher of The Wine Advocate, has recruited a new collaborator to write about German wines: David Schildknecht, is his name. He has a background as wine writer and wine importer.

Swedish taxation on alcohol is not reduced

The Prime Minister Göran Persson and the finance minister Per Nuder both agreed that the Swedish taxation on alcohol should be lowered. But this will not happen. The coalition partners to the ruling social-democrats did not want lower alcohol taxation and the Prime Minister did not want to fight for a changed taxation – risking an overall budget agreement on the issue.

Virgin Wines...

Richard Branson, eccentric British billionaire, owner of e.g. Virgin Airlines, has launched a range of wines with the motto “Unscrew it, let’s do it!”. “Wine, like life, is meant to be enjoyed," said Branson. The wine is described as “wine with an attitude” (whatever that means…?) and will primarily be sold in the US in cooperation with Brown-Foreman. Read more on MSNBC. (Possibly the person on the photo in the article has something to do with the branding of the wine.)
www.msnbc.msn.com

The new appellation Chaume Premier Cru is annulled

A French court (”Conseil d’Etat”) has annulled the creation in 2003 of the appellation Chaume Premier Cru for a sweet white wine made in Anjou near the old appellation Quart de Chaume (itself created in 1954). They motivated the decision with that using Premier Cru in the appellation could imply that there is some hierarchy, to the detriment of Quart de Chaume and creating confusion for the consumer, and that the new appellation is actually outside Chaume itself. The plaintiffs in the affaire were Domaine des Baumard (a QdC-producer) and ”le Syndicat de défense de l’appellation d’origine contrôlée Quarts de Chaume”. Here you can see the Launch event of Chaume 1er Cru at Lavinia in Paris: Chaume Premier Cru

New rules for Côtes-du-Rhône Villages

New rules were published on August 27: 20 geographical names (village “appellations”) can be used on the label: Beaumes-de-Venise, Cairanne, Chusclan (red and rosé), Laudun, Massif d’Uchaux (red), Plan de Dieu (red), Puymeras (red), Rasteau, Roaix, Rochegude, Rousset-les-Vignes, Sablet, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Maurice, Saint-Pantaléon-les-Vignes, Séguret, Signargues (red), Valréas, Vinsobres and Visan. Maximum yield (”rendement de base”) is 45 hl/ha for CdR Village, and 42 hl/ha for CdR with Village specification (with possibility for more after special ruling).
www.admi.net

Quotes - Robert Parker on French classifications

Robert Parker interviewed in the French magazine Paris Match, on the French classification systems:

“The French classification systems are historically important, but the 1855 classification is more a document than a real reflection of today’s big successes. […] I think this type of classification creates too much polemics and controversy. I for one, think that the market situation and the prices that are set by supply and demand are the best indicators of the quality of a wine.”

Comments - Systembolaget dishes out penalties to some of the companies suspected for bribery

On September 2 Anitra Steen, Managing Director of Systembolaget AB, announced what measures would be taken by Systembolaget against some of the companies suspected of bribery. Systembolaget is the state owned company that has the monopoly on all retail sales to consumers of alcohol (wine, beer, spirits). Systembolaget has decided to annul purchasing agreements with three importers: Philipson & Söderberg, agreements representing a sales volume of 17 million kroner (4% of the company’s turnover with Systembolaget); Åkesson, 5 million kroner (10% of t/o); and for the third importer, VinTradgårdh, all of the company’s purchasing agreements with Systembolaget are cancelled. In other words, VinTradgårdh is no longer a supplier to Systembolaget. Systembolaget says that the cancellations are an effect of “breach of contract” and not an effect of the alleged bribes. However, some of the companies suspected of bribery have not been touched by these punitive actions. For example, V&S Vin & Sprit, who has several employees involved in the affair and suspected of bribery, has not had any agreements cancelled. V&S Vin & Sprit is the largest Swedish importer and is, just like Systembolaget, state owned. One can only assume that they have not been so abominable as the others. Systembolaget also claims that these punishments should have no effect for consumers or for producers. Producers are welcome to supply their wines through other importers. It seems a rather naïve way of looking at things. Here is the list of the products that are hit by the punitive action.

Here is the list of the products that are hit by the punitive action.

Read more in The Local.

Book Reviews - Touring in Wine Country Burgundy/Bordeaux/Loire/Rhône/Provence

Touring in Wine Country Burgundy/Bordeaux/Loire/Rhône/Provence
Hubrecht Duijker (Mitchell Beazley), ca £10-13. Also exists in French, published by Flammarion

These books were published some years ago but they are books that you don’t want to be without if you travel in wine country. Indispensable. It is a series edited by Hugh Johnson and written by the Duthc author Hubrecht Duijker. (We have not seen the Provence book.) Each book is in a convenient pocket format, following the same logic: the wine region is described sub-district by sub-district, the wines are commented, and some good growers are put forward. There are also some short suggestions for hotels, restaurants and tourist sights. But the best part of the books are the maps: eften very detailed, with suggestions for roads to take, some wine producers and vineyards marked on the maps etc. More or less the same maps as in The Atlas (Hugh J’s) but in a packaging that is perfect for travelling. Buy them and you’ll be urging to get going. (And then you can go on a wine tour with BKWine!)

Click here for more book reviews on my site. You will also find links to on-line book shops on that page.

Book Review - Touring in Wine Country Burgundy/Bordeaux/Loire/Rhône/Provence

These books were published some years ago but they are books that you don’t want to be without if you travel in wine country. Indispensable. It is a series edited by Hugh Johnson and written by the Duthc author Hubrecht Duijker. (We have not seen the Provence book.) Each book is in a convenient pocket format, following the same logic: the wine region is described sub-district by sub-district, the wines are commented, and some good growers are put forward. There are also some short suggestions for hotels, restaurants and tourist sights. But the best part of the books are the maps: eften very detailed, with suggestions for roads to take, some wine producers and vineyards marked on the maps etc. More or less the same maps as in The Atlas (Hugh J’s) but in a packaging that is perfect for travelling. Buy them and you’ll be urging to get going. (And then you can go on a wine tour with BKWine!)

More book reviews!

More link tips

Interested in combining food and wine? Read Sam Gugino’s recommendations on his site SamCooks.com. (Sam is also a contributing editor to the Wine Spectator.): http://www.samcooks.com/
Blaxta – a vineyard in Sweden (!) that is described in an article in Indiana Daily Student News!: www.idsnews.com
A new webcast (or podcast, or web radio) on wine, published by Fine Wine in the UK: www.finewinepress.com
We were awfully disappointed not to be on the list of the seven best wine blogs listed by the American magazine Food & Wine. I guess we will have to sharpen up… Here’s the list: www.foodandwine.com
A Franco-American wine newsletter and blog with some very interesting wine selections, by Cynthia Hurley: www.cynthiahurley.com
Wine bars in Paris and recommended producers: in an article by the American Loire expert Jacqueline Friedrich in the International Herlad Tribune: www.iht.com/articles
The Wine Yellow Pages? (Blue Pages??) Looking for something on wine? Try www.bluewine.com
Spittoon.biz runs a regular photo competition for food and drink blogs. The latest winner is Anne’s Food, a Swedish (!) site with some nice food (we think, but have not tested all the recipes) and nice pictures: annesfood.blogspot.com

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