According to research done by PowerBoutique sales of wine over the internet grew with 171% between 2006 and 2007 compared to +31% for the average on-line shop – in France. Numbers that are perhaps a bit surprising, in view of the struggle that most online wine shops have to survive.
BKWine Travel Stories: vintage organic
Millésime Bio is the only (as far as we know) wine fair dedicated to “vins bios”.
Bio wines translates to organic wines but the scope is a bit bigger since it also includes biodynamic wines (that are organic by definition but that have gone one step further, adopting the biodynamic ways of working).
This is the first time we come to this wine fair and it is certainly seems to be a “must” to come here for a wine buyer (and perhaps wine journalist) interested in organic wines. All very well organised (except the exceptionally poor organisation of transport to and from the wine fair – if any organiser reads this, then you should note that you definitely need to fix this problem. We took a taxi to get there, the rain was pouring down. Then we asked at the info desk how to get back to the hotel in the evening: “First you have to walk 20-25 minutes to the bus stop. Then you take a bus to get to the tram. You change to the tram, and it will take you to the city centre. Oh, and by the way, the walk is over a couple of dark and empty shopping mall parking lots”… Scandalous! But lunch was very good though…)
After spending two days at the event we’ve tasted many interesting wines, ranging from simple, straight-forward everyday wines (what you in French could call gouleyant or vins de soif, ‘thirst wines’), to very ambitious and sophisticated wines.
I’m not going to make a long story of all the producers we tasted (they will no doubt show up in various situations in the future here) but I’ll give you some of the names:
Albet i Noya (Penedes), Ampelidae (Loire), Champagne Fleury, Champagne Françoise Bedel & Fils, Clos Lapeyre (Jurançon), Dom Alain Chabanon (Languedoc), Ch Dudon (Sauternes), Clos Château Gaillard (Loire), Domaine Grand Guilhem (Corbieres, Fitou), Domaine Illaria (Iroleguy), Domaine la Courtade (Provence), La Grange de Quatre Sous (Languedoc), Dom de la Pinte (Arbois), Domaine la Tour des Videaux (Provence), Maison Humbrecht (Alsace), Dom Montirius (Vacqueyras, Rhône), Dom Olivier Pithon (Roussillon), Dom Pierre Breton (Loire), Dom Pierre Frick (Alsace), Château Richard (Bergerac), Dom St André de Figuière (Provence), Ch Yvonne (Loire), Dom Zumbaum-Tomasi (Languedoc Pic St Loup), Colombaia (Tuscany), I Tre Poggi (Piedmonte), Castello di Tassarolo (Piedmonte), Ch Pech-Latt (Languedoc), Dom Borie la Vitarèle (Languedoc), Dom Canet Valette (Languedoc), Château la Tour Grise (Loire), Bodega Enguera (Valencia), Château les Mangons (Bordeaux), Dom Clairac (Languedoc)…
All make very good wines in their respective ranges and categories.
Are they good because they are organic? Well, we’re not convinced that is the case. Perhaps it is, perhaps not. You can certainly also find a lot of bad organic wine. It may be a case of coincidences, so to speak (or mistaken causality): many organic (and biodynamic) winemakers care a lot about how they grow vines and how they make wines. Perhaps the wines are good simply because the producers are careful and thoughtful in what he does, and cares about the quality of the end result too…
There was one tasting that was so particular and so interesting, from a perspective of “what difference does it make what products you use and how you treat the wine” that almost in itself it made the trip worth while. But you will have to wait for the next BKWine Travel Stories post to read about that.
Millésime Bio, wine show for organic (biological, ecological…) wine – definitely worth going to.
Sherry is another of those wines that definitely deserves to be more appreciated by the wine lovers. Especially the wonderfully dry and crisp fino with some olives or Serrano ham, not to mention manzanilla an amontillado. But forget the cloyingly sweet kinds and above all auntie’s Bristol Cream that was wheeled out of the cupboard once a year (less and less fresh). But to be honest, there are indeed some wonderful sweet olorosos too.
Sales of sherry, by type, approximately dry-to-sweet (source: DO Jerez and Drinks Buisness):
If he’s not (and I imagine that’s the case), then perhaps he should be. He has probably done more than anyone else to revive the fortunes of Chateauneuf (at least according to some growers). A few decades ago (or even less, before Parker ‘discovered’ it) it was considered a rather old-fashioned wine that dad (or granddad) drank. Today it is on the height of fashion. As Marie Giraud said: “when our wines arrive in New York it takes three hours and then they’re sold out!”
We started this morning with a visit to Domaine Giraud in the village of Chateauneuf itself. Today it is run by brother & sister Marie and François Giraud who have taken over the daily management from their father. (He’s still in the background but lets M&F run the show, but he is obviously and deservedly very proud of the children.) We tasted the range of their wines, starting with the (rare) white before going on to the reds. They have three reds, with increasing concentration, increasing portion of Grenache and increasingly old vines. Domaine Giraud makes a modern concentrated and very extracted Chateauneuf but they have not fallen in the trap of using too much oak aging which would mask the originality of the terroir and the fruit (albeit they do use a bit new oak). Excellent (and of course not cheap) wines.
What one should also keep in mind is that both Giraud and Sabon (as well as many other producers in the area) also make “simpler” wines: Côtes du Rhône, Lirac, Vin de Pays and others. They can often be excellent value for money (with prices of good Chateauneuf being what they are) since they are generally made with just as much care and attention to detail.
We have our truffles man, whos well hidden at the end of a winding country road. Rain still keeps fallling when Eric and Polka (the truffles dog) takes us out to the truffle forest. By the way, truffles are surrounded by many "myths", let's kill a few: you don't hunt truffles with a pig. You did a long time ago but today, generally, you use a dog. They're friendlier, and easier to manage (and to transport) than a pig. Second, the dog dosen't have to be an exotic race from Italy or somwhere else. We've met several truffles dogs and they have been all sorts of races. Some are what the call in French "bastards", perhaps not very kind, but it's simply a mixed race dog. Polka, our dog, is charming, very young and very keen to go truffle huntig with us.
In the end, it's not a bad truffles day, in spite of muddy feet, muddy hands, wet clothes and more. We even find a BIG one wheighing in at 156 grams!
-truffles canapees of two kinds: pate and truffles buttre with a truffle slice on top and sea salt
- scrambled eggs with truffles and a crips slice of country bred fried in olive oil
- a delicious fish and tagliatelle pasta with a creamy truffles sauce
- cheese: truffles stuffed camambert on a bed of young salad leaves with olive oil and truffles dressing
- creme brule' with a thin slice of truffle on top
A entire meal with everything with truffels, except the coffee...
And with some truffles in the bag to bring home for hose who so wish. What better occasion to buy one of the luxurious tuber melanosporum than when you've hunted it down yourself?
Tomorrow off to Chateauneuf!
We start the day with Domaine Tour de Videaux in Pierrefeu. Paul Volker (no, it's not the ex-Chariman of the Federal Reserve) runs the domain sind the mid 90s and is making some very interesting Provence wine. Volker Paul (which are his first names) says, regretfully, that Provence is first and foremost known for its rose wine. And we agree - it is a pity that people don't appreciate more the excellent red wines that are made here. Tour des Vidaux, for example, make some excellent, concentrated syrah-based reds.
And head for Avignon.
Yesterday we arrived in a nice late afternoon sunshine and a weatehr that is definitely much more clement than when we left Paris.
Antibes has one of the most amazing collection of boats (ships, yachts... seating up to 60 in the dining room) and after having inspected the 'boats' we go looking for a restaurant.
A very nice (but unfortunately underpopulated a January Wednesday) La Forge, newly opened, proves to be a good choice. Small, cozy, friendly service. We hve a quite decent Domaine Tamary Provence red wine with the meal.
Copper and substances containing copper are frequently used to fight mildew. It is even permitted in organic farming (even though it can hardly be claimed to be a “natural” treatment). There are now discussions on EU level to declare copper as a not permitted substance in farming, since it is difficult for nature to assimilate it in quantities often used. The irony is that this would perhaps hit hardest for the organic winemakers. Non-organic (“traditional”) grape growing can use alternative, chemical, substances, but organic farmers cannot… The decision is not yet taken though. (Latest news: in a revised list of prohibited substances copper is no longer included, according to our latest information.)
Criteria: an interesting wine (not too cheap) and one that you can enjoy with dinner or friends (not too expensive). And very good! Selected by Jack, our reporter in Stockholm.
Faustino I Grand Reserva, Rioja
It is not quite what you expect – that a Japanese restaurant has what is no doubt one of the best (if not the best) wine list in Beaune. But so it is. You will find virtually all of the top Burgundy producers but also other districts are well represented. When we were last there, on the table next to us a young winemaking couple was tasting one of their (illustrious) neighbours’ wines. If you like saké they also have many of the top producers. Food, having trawled through the extensive wine list, is excellent. Both the sushi and the meat, traditionally prepared on the cooking table in the middle of the restaurant. A dinner will add up to 35-50 euro (or more, of course, depending of your choice from the wine list…).
Click here for address and more recommendations.
Pinxo is run by Alain Dutornier from the Michelin-starred restaurant Carré des Feuillant, just a few blocks away. The decoration is very Spartan with a Japanese touch. The first thing that strikes you with the food is the presentation: very modern, very slick and it too more than a hint oriental. Choose e.g. the mi-cuit (very lightly cooked) tuna, grilled gambas with spicy rice and coconut milk and finish with the coffee accompanied by a heavenly delicious chocolate preparation. You will not be disappointed. Very professional and attentive service. Good selection of wines starting at 30€. Count on 40-60€ for a full meal.
Click here for address and more recommendations.
Click here for address and more recommendations.
Click here for address and more recommendations.
BKWine bigger than Wine Spectator? Well, it depends how you count. We were surprised recently when we saw that BKWine TV had more viewers than WineSpectatorVideo on YouTube: 4796 against 4290. Fun! We actually have more than 70 video clips today, the most recent being a mini-series with a biodynamic grower in the Rhône valley, and we have some 250 video views per day (our site, bkwine.com, has around a thousand visitors per day). Read more on this below.
What kind of year will 2009 be? It’s started in a bit of a gloomy mood, with the credit crunch and North Pole weather in Paris. It can be a good idea to cheer up with a nice bottle of wine. And our ambition is to help you find them (without having to break your credit limit).
We, Britt, Per and Jack, our correspondent reporter in Stockholm, sat down (virtually) and tried to pin down what we think will be some wine trends the coming year. Here’s our list:
France will slowly edge towards a more market orientated wine production – in view of coming winery bankruptcies, classification debacles, export market share losses etc some winemakers will catch on and make an effort to think about what the market and the customers want. (“we make our wine and then the courtier deals with the contact with the negociants and we deliver the wine. We never deal with the market ourselves”, today a common thing to hear at top Bordeaux chateau, less so in the future)
The rule of oak will fall, fruit will make inroads – producers will focus more on emphasising the fruit in the wine and will avoid flavouring them too much with oak (barrels, planks, or chips). Both for red and white, and in particular chardonnay.
Residual sugar levels will go up – primarily in “simple” wines where producers will keep more sugar in the finished wine to make it easier to drink (more populist if you wish).
Luxury wines face difficult times – top Bordeaux, luxury champagne cuvees, the rarest burgundies and Californians (et al.) will not sell their wines so easily. Will prices plummet?
Environmental concerns – firstly, organic wines will win market shares, and no doubt also biodynamic, since the difference between the two is not well understood neither by consumers, nor by journalists and other wine people. Secondly, wine producers will focus on reducing the environmental impact of wine growing and wine making.
More local grape varieties – big interest in other grape varieties than “the international” ones. If you’re not yet familiar with alvarinho, vermentino, alforcheiro, xinomavro, antao vaz, petit manseng, negrette, fer servadou etc you will soon be.
What about low-alcohol wines? – We’re doubtful. It is difficult (impossible) to make wine with less than a certain level of alcohol (“the only way to make a decent Bordeaux with less than 12% is to mix the wine with water” as one producer said). You do actually need to have ripe grapes. But there is the possibility that there will be a slight shift in demand – less Priorat, less Amarone, less body-building Californians (no, this is not a political opinion) and Aussies – and more northern wines perhaps. A boom for German wines? Hardly. (And, by the way, unfortunately.)
If you have any comments, do send us an email or post in the blog.
Britt & Per
PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief or forward it to them !
Not sure about the English equivalent, but in Swedish you say that one should not swear in church. Perhaps the alternative is, one does not use screw cap in Portugal? That’s similar to what Jean-François Moueix (chateau Pétrus, négociant Duclot) has done, according to a blog post on The New Bordeaux written by the usually well informed Jane Anson. Moueix recently said in an interview with the French magazine Nouvel Observateur that (brace yourself) maybe there wont’ be a primeur campaign, or only a half one, for the 2008s… “The chateaux believe they are victims of the financial crisis, but they have orchestrated the problem (of overly high pricing)... If négociant houses can’t buy or obtain lines of credit for their allocations, the wine will remain at the chateaux. And if there are not enough takers of allocations, there won’t be any en primeur sales.” It will be interesting to see what happens next spring. At the same time we cant really feel much pity for the chateaux who worry (they’ve sold well, at very high prices, in recent times; and perhaps it’s time for an overhaul of the whole somewhat antiquated way of going to market in Bordeaux?), nor for the buyers who complain that Bordeaux wine is too expensive. If the price is not right there are plenty of other just as excellent wines out there looking for buyers. Perhaps time to decamp and discover alternatives if the price is not right?
The most grown grape varieties in south Africa (source: WOSA):
1. Chenin blanc, 19 %
2. Cabernet sauvignon, 13 %
3. Colombard, 12 %
4. Shiraz, 10 %
5. Chardonnay, 9%
6. Sauvignon blanc, 8 %
7. Merlot, 7 %
8. Pinotage, 6 %
9. Cinsault, 2 %
10. Ruby cabernet, 2 %
The ten biggest export markets for wins from South Africa (source: WOSA, million litres over Jan to Jul 2008, change relative to 2007):
1. UK, 61 Ml, +26 %
2. Germany, 37 Ml, +9 %
3. Netherlands, 18 Ml, 0 %
4. Sweden, 16 Ml, 0 %
5. Africa, 15 Ml, +177%
6. Eastern Europe, 12 Ml, +269 %
7. Australasia, 10 Ml, +462%
8. Denmark, 10 Ml, +21 %
9. USA, 9 Ml, +55 %
10. Canada, 9 Ml, +35 %
Total exports reached 225 million litres over the seven months with a growth of +31%. It appears that the Swedes are quaffing by far more SA wines than anyone else. Wonder why?
The appellation Côtes des Ventoux changes name and becomes AOC Ventoux, a wine region in the western part of Provence. There are some 150 winemakers making primarily red wine (75%), almost a quarter rosé and a little white. There are many “côte” appellations in France – Côte de Bourg, Côte Chalonnaise etc. Perhaps more would benefit from simplifying their names? Read more : vitisphere.com
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Vine Growing and Wine Making
The original Swedish title is "Ett vin blir till" meaning A Wine is Born. It is a unique description of the work in the vineyard and in the wine cellar. Published in 2009. More info on the web site for A Wine is Born.
Languedoc
Wines, vineyards and winemakers in Languedoc in the south of France, one of the most dynamic wine regions in France, and in the world. Published in 2007. More info on the site of the Languedoc book.
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