I read an article by Jason Overdorf in the Global Post: India’s wine boom going bust? which surprised me given the news that Indian wine was breaking into the UK market with Waitrose becoming the first UK supermarket to stock wines from the sub continent. India is also being recognised in international competitions: Sula Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2010, produced … Read more
Over the weekend it has been reported that a ghostly wine connoisseur has been making its feelings known about the wine list at the Court Oak in Harborne, Birmingham. The pub is part of the Sizzling chain and was built in 1932. However it is thought that the pub was built on the site of … Read more
Two articles from Reuters recently have reported on wine and the Asian Market. Fridays’ report: Global Wine Auctions, Investments to Slow in 2012 is based on an interview with Spanish wine expert, Pancho Campo who is President of the Wine Academy of Spain. Campo reckons that global wine auctions and investments will slow next year as the … Read more
Chateau Teyssier is a Saint Emilion Grand Cru and lies on the plain of Vignonet in Saint Emilion. The estate has been making wine since 1714 and during the 19th century was the largest estate in the area. The château is Napoleonic dating from the Second Empire in 1869 and was once owned by Jules Roy, … Read more
Château Prieuré Lichine lies north of the village of Cantenac near the town of Margaux and is a Fourth Growth Grand Cru Classé neighbouring the Second Growths Châteaux Brane Cantenac and Palmer. The château has ancient roots and was originally a Priory. The Priory of Saint-Didier de Cantenac was founded by the Saint Augustin canons of the Abbey of Vertheuil … Read more
Whilst reading about the recent purchase of Chateau Mauvesin by the Barton family the other day I came across another château for sale: Chateau Les Conseillans. The château initially caught my attention due to the similarity of its name to that of Chateau La Conseillante in Pomerol. There is no historical connection between the two estates. La Conseillante takes its name after an enterprising … Read more
It seems that the Ancient Greeks were into recycling their wine amphorae according to a report in Nature News. Recent DNA analysis suggests that Greek sailors traded a wide range of foods — not just wine, as many historians have assumed. The study (Journal of Archaeological Science) found evidence of vegetables, herbs and nuts in nine jars … Read more
Yesterday it was announced that for the first time in the history of the Decanter World Wine Awards a Chinese wine won at the highest level. The wine was the Winery He Lan Qing Xue’s Jia Bei Lan 2009, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Gernischt. I had come across the mysterious Cabernet Gernischt before (see Long Lost … Read more
Back in 2009, I wrote about Wine Being Stolen to Order when 57 cases were stolen en route to Berry Bros & Rudd and more than 3,000 bottles of red wine and pink champagne, worth £32,000, were stolen in a burglary at Nutbourne Vineyards. The theft of wine from Berry Bros & Rudd involved the wine being stolen from a lorry … Read more
Whilst away in Bordeaux I cam across an unusual story about a Saint Emilion château that has lead to one French newspaper headlining the story as “The Curse of Badette”. Chateau Badette lies in Saint Christophe des Bardes, one of the satellite wine producing communes of Saint Emilion. Badette also lies at the centre of a … Read more
