Taking the world one wine at a time.
Even though Bordeaux remains the Old World wine of choice for many with new money to burn, their tastes are no-doubt changing. When people think of Bordeaux, sweet wine is more than likely the LAST thing on their mind! Sauternes and Barsac, in the Bordeaux region of France, make a very different kind of wine than people have come to know Bordeaux for; namely, sweet and white. But growers in the region have slowly started…
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Chateau d’Yquem the world’s most famous and expensive dessert wine will not be made this year, due to heavy rains preventing the grapes from reaching their necessary sugar levels. The unfortunate weather is expected to cost the winery “tens of millions of euros” in lost sales. This isn’t the first time Chateau D’Yquem has had to skip a vintage. Similar decisions were also made in ‘’52, ‘72 and ‘92. “It is as if there was…
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An infographic that goes part of the way towards helping you better understand Bordeaux wine.(Click for larger view)
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The news coming out of China is that the Shanghai police have arrested a wine counterfeiting gang, seizing thousands of bottles of “fake Bordeaux” in the process. The ringleader had been running the scam since 2010, using Chinese wine whilst the labeling process was being completed. Allegedly, the bottles were not direct copies but so-called “funny” bottles which use the names of famous first growth estates; however, the bottles still infringe on trademark laws. The…
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Chateau Lafite Rothschild have stated to the Decanter magazine that all bottles of its wine from the 2009 vintage onwards will use Prooftag anti-fraud seals. Prooftag is a capsule seal with a 13-numbered code which can be authenticated on its website. Also, in an effort to decrease the amount of wine fraud, Chateau Lafite is also engaging directly with Chinese consumers, and has opened up an account on Weibo, known as the Chinese twitter. The…
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It was just announced this week that the long awaited movie The Billionaire’s Vinegar is to be released in cinemas this year. Will Smith bought the rights to the book as part of a Hollywood consortium and has been named as one of the producers. The New York Times has some guy named Brad Pitt listed in the Acting Credits.The movie is set to be directed by David Keopp, the screenwriter for such mediocre…
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China’s wine industry topples Australia China’s wine production has now surpassed Australia’s wine industry as living standards improve in China. China’s restaurants were once dominated by beer and the local white spirit, Baijiu. But these days you are increasingly likely to see people drinking wine. More than two decades of exposure to the outside world have changed people’s tastes, and increased living standards have made wine more affordable. At the beginning of the…
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English sparkling wine should be called Champagne, says Camilla English sparkling wine should be called Champagne, according to the Duchess of Cornwall. The quality of English fizz is so good the drink "is champagne" the Duchess declared, echoing what many in the English wine trade believe, but showing scant regard for complex and strict European food labeling laws. The Duchess’s comments came as she and the Prince of Wales toured the Denbies Wine Estate…
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Grapes 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc – I’m kind taking an educated guess based on previous vintages, since they don’t currently have an updated tech sheet for the ‘08 on the Chateau Pipeau website. They should probably get on that. Facts The family-owned Château Pipeau wine estate was founded in 1929. Château Pipeau is often viewed as a decent-priced entry into good Bordeaux. The wines vary in price and rating…
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