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Top Bordeaux – over the top?

>> Monday, May 15, 2006

This period of the year is traditionally full of news about the “primeur” tastings of the latest vintage in Bordeaux. You will find links to some of the most interesting commentaries in the Brief. I did not have the opportunity to go the tastings in Bordeaux myself this year unfortunately.

A lot of the commentaries on the 2005 vintage indicate that it is a very exceptional vintage. But many also fear that prices will shoot up (from an already high level), and some complain about “profiteering” winemakers: “they really shouldn’t raise the prices so much” and so on. I say: let them raise the prices as much as they want! If they price is too high for you (or me) – don’t buy! Apparently there are people willing to pay the high prices that are demanded. If you think the price goes up too much – buy some other wines. There are many, many wines made in France (and other countries) today of excellent or outstanding quality but that do not have the famous name and label of the top Bordeaux wines and that you can buy at very reasonable prices. Buy those wines instead of overpriced Bordeaux. (There are also many “lesser” Bordeaux wines that are not expensive at all and very good.)

No reason to complain today when there are so much good wines around. By the way, the same can be said for many other highly acclaimed wines from other regions: Burgundy, California, Spain, Italy,… Don’t complain about the prices. Buy something else instead, that is less costly and just as good! Read the BKWine Brief and we will tell you what our recommendations are.

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This month's must-have wine gadget: Inventor of rapid “cooling funnel” wins Electrolux prize

>> Thursday, May 04, 2006

CoolBoy is a sort of electric cooling funnel invented by Ian Thompson, a university student in Britain. Thompson was tired of having his and his friends’ drinks service tepid – you pour the drink (or the wine) through the CoolBoy “funnel” and it is instantly chilled to the appropriate serving temperature. The CoolBoy recently won a prize in an inventor competition sponsored by Electrolux. News @ Northumbria

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Mumm launches prestige champagne: Mumm Grand Cru

>> Tuesday, May 02, 2006

The image “http://www.bkwine.com/images/mumm-grand-cru.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.Mumm recently launched a prestige champagne called, simply, Mumm Grand Cru. They only made 2300 hl (30,000 bottles) of the first “edition”. It is not a vintage champagne: it was bottled in June 2002, with a majority of wine from 2001, and disgorged in July 2005. 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay.

--> Discover Champagne. Travel to wine country with BKWine. More info: Click HERE! <--

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Instant Champagne knowledge

a0615-213-1386Champagne covers about 33,000 hectares (e.g. the equivalent of a third of Bordeaux). The main sub-districts are: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs. The soil is primarily chalk. There are seven permitted grape varieties but only three are significant: Pinot Noir (12,254 ha), Pinot Meunier (10,877 ha) and Chardonnay (8,952 ha). The other grape varieties are: Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. The sweetness classification:
- brut nature/non-dosé: <3g sugar per litre
- extra brut: 0-6 g/l
- brut: < 15 g/l
- extra dry: 12-20 g/l (not really dry any longer)
- sec: 17-35 g/l (quite sweet)
- demi-sec: 33-50 g/l
- doux: >55 g/l sugar

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Constellation (finally) buys Vincor – giant’s acquisition in wine

Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ), one of the world’s largest wine producers (if not the biggest), buys Vincor (TSX: VN), a Canadian company that also belongs to the top wine producers and distributors in the world. The acquisition has been in the making since a few months back. The deal is valued at US$ 1.31 billion. prnewswire.com

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Wine Evolution 2006

Every year since 1999, the two last days in January there is a conference in Paris called Wine Evolution, organised by Skalli & Rein, a marketing consultancy firm specialised in the wine industry. At Wine Evolution different players in the wine industry have an occasion to meet – producers, buyers, distributors, journalists … - and invited speakers talk about sales strategies and new trends. This year we learned how best to sell wines in, for example, China, Japan, Germany (2 of 3 bottles are sold for less than 2 euro!), USA, and even Sweden. One of the seminars concerned different closures: Carlos de Jesus from Amorim, the world’s largest producer of natural cork, debated with Stefano Alderuccio from Supreme Corq one of the leading producers of synthetic cork. See skalliandrein.com

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Wine Boom & Bust?

While large parts of the wine marking world (France, Australia, California,...) seem to have great problems with over production collector wines apparently do not have the same issues. According to Liv-ex 100 (a kind of financial index for collector wines) times look good. See picture. A dramatic price increase over the last six months. (But perhaps a conclusion is that when everyone have discovered a good investment it is already too late.) liv-ex.com

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Invest in wine cheaply – in Fenouilledes

>> Friday, April 21, 2006

That is one of the arguments in a recent press release from the wine growers in Fenouilledes (Languedoc-Roussillon). The other argument is that the region will be “the next Pic St Loup” in Languedoc. Compared to some other wine districts, land is not expensive: 7,000 – 10,000 euro per hectare for old Grenache and Carignan, with possibilities for partnerships with existing growers to help you get going. Almost makes you want to move south! For more information: contact-at-fenouilledes-selection.com

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Masculine wine

030902-1-k835-0014No, it is not Hermitage or Côte Rôte (sometimes called the most “masculine” of wines, as opposed to more feminine wines like Burgundy). A vineyard in California has launched a range of wine targeted and packaged solely and directly for male consumers. The range only includes red wines (“white wines are for ladies”) and is made by Ray’s Station Vineyards: “hearty red wines for men” is the slogan. But there is another producer that has already taken the brand “Fat Bastard”. BBC News

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How to survive a wine harvest

030902-1-k835-0013If you are thinking of taking part in the grape harvest this autumn, now is the time to organise it. But you should not think that it is a nice way to get a week or two relaxing autumn vacation. It is very hard work. To get an insight into what it is you can read the “Survival Manual” for a grape picker done by Chateau Carsin (Finnish-owned and medal winner at the Scandinavian wine competition recently) and published on their web site. The “manual” actually gives quite a lot of information about what goes on during the harvest, interesting even if you don’t intend to pick grapes.

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Norway launches wine production scheme according to BBR.com

>> Thursday, April 20, 2006

Norway has started a vineyard close to the village Ugotterby. The Norwegian minister responsible for wine questions Loof Lirpa (NB!) explains that the long hours of sunshine that Norway has in summer compensates for the cooler climate, according to bbr.com. (Disregarding the fact that this article was published last Saturday, there is actually supposed to be a vineyard in Norway. Maybe a reader has more details?)

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Auction prices go upwards at Sotheby’s

Some encouraging or discouraging (depending on if you are buying or selling) prices from Sotheby’s recent auction L06603 (98.5% of all wines sold):
12 bt Lafite 1982: £7,130
12 bt La Mission haut Brion 1989: £7,130
12 bt Latour 1982 : £6,900
….and more. www.sothebys.com

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Champagne with screw cork?

a0616-216-1637No, at least for the moment that is unlikely. But the champagne growers’ association (CIVC) has created a project group to study alternative closures. They have done tests with synthetic corks and have concluded that it is not good partly because they may cause seepage. Composite corks (e.g. with the process “Diamant”) have given better results, according to the person in charge, Michel Valade. But for the moment they do not say anything about screw cap, nor about crown cap (“beer bottle cap”) even though it is used by at least one of the champagne producers (on a wine made in Australia). Read about that here. http://www.bkwine.com/bkwine_brief/brief_021_e.htm

--> Discover Champagne. Travel to wine country with BKWine. More info: Click HERE! <--

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The wine fair in Brussels cancelled

Brussels Wine Expo has been cancelled according to information on their site. Perhaps there are too many wine shows around the world now: Vinexpo (in 2005), Vinisud on February 20-22, Vinitaly on April 6-10, Prowein on March 23-26, Vinordic on April 24-27, and of course the BKWine Scandinavian Wine Fair in Paris on Paris 11…

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World’s best Tempranillo

>> Wednesday, April 19, 2006

041006-146-4608On May 22-24 the World’s Best Tempranillo competition will be held i Cologne. The competition is organised by a Spanish organisation which perhaps is not surprising since much of the world’s Tempranillo is made in Spain. But they have taken the opportunity to use the competition as a travelling promotion event, organising it in a new city every year: in 2005, the first year the competition was held, it took place in Copenhagen. Perhaps not a bad idea to make your wines known around the world! http://www.enologo.com/tempranillo/

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Salaries up 5.8% in the wine business

According to a report from Wine Business Monthly and Western Management Group salaries have gone up with on average 5.8% in the wine industry during 2006, compared to 3.5% for all sectors. A wine maker’s average salary was $92,435 (+2.6%) and a vineyard manager received on average $76,685 (barely +1%). Vice Presidents of Sales had on average $151,555 (+1.5%). Read more on Wine Business Monthly

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More on the wine agreement between the EU and the US

Recently we mentioned that the long discussed agreement between the EU and the US on wine has been signed. This is supposed to decrease the use of “geographic” names (e.g. Chablis) on wines that do not come from that specific region. Overall, the intention is to facilitate trade. Here is some more detailed information from the American Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB):
- A short introduction www.ttb.gov/international_trade/us_ec_wine_agreement.htm
- A summary of the agreement (pdf)
- The complete text of the agreement (pdf, 83 pages)
- The main TTB page: http://www.ttb.gov

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The genetic code of Pinot Noir established

040505-1-105-CRW_0572_RJA group Italian researchers at the agricultural research institute Michele all’Adige have identified the genome (the genetic code) of Pinot Noir. It is the first grape that has had its DNA mapped. The researchers say that it will contribute to develop new and better variants of the grape, e.g. more resistant against diseases. Riccardo Velasco, leader of the research team, says that it is like taking the first step on the moon. “Agriculture will never be the same again.” checkbiotech.org

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René Renou reappointed chairman of the INAO

René Renou will continue as chairman of the semi-governmental control authority INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine) that supervises much of what has to do with wine production in France. Renou is a wine maker in Bonnezeaux (sweet wines from the Loire Valley made from Chenin Blanc grapes). During his time as chairman INAO has launched several proposals on how to reform the French AOC system to improve French wines’ competitiveness. The INAO chairman is appointed by the French Agriculture and Fishing Ministry. vitisphere.com

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Screaming Eagle in California sold

>> Tuesday, April 18, 2006

030718-k914-0020The Californian cult vineyard Screaming Eagle has just changed hands. Charles Banks and Stanley Kroenke, two financiers, acquired it from Jean Phillips who, according to press information, had liquidity problems – in spite of sometimes astonishing prices on the wines. (A six litre bottle of the 1992 vintage sold for $500,000 on auction once, admittedly a charity auction.) The price has not been announced but the value of the vineyard has been estimated at around $30 million. decanter.com

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