Five teams of architects and scenographers will be short listed from the 114 candidates who entered the Competition to design Bordeaux’s Centre of Wine Culture and Tourism on December 17th, according to Bordeaux Wine News. The teams represent twelve different nationalities, spread over three continents: Europe, America and Asia. The project has generated a passionate world … Read more
I enjoy taking a look back back at what has gone before at this time of year and it actually reveals quite a lot about current trends as well as rising stars. I thought I would highlight some of the miles we have travelled in the world of wine and food over 2010 and share my … Read more
You may have heard about the buzz over James Nash’s invention earlier this year on Dragon’s Den. His Cup-A-Wine – a single-serve plastic glass of French wine with a tear off lid – was laughed off the UK television show but is now being hailed as a successful invention. Indeed Marks & Spencer, which bought the concept, “struggles to keep up … Read more
You may have heard recently that Château Chenu Lafitte in the Côtes de Bourg appellation has been bought by a Chinese investor as a gift for his 20 year old son. One of the minority shareholders, Guolong Yin, has been running the estate since April 2010, when the purchase was complete – although negotiations began over three … Read more
We are all familiar with the great wines of Bordeaux but the region has also produced liqueurs and aperitifs for centuries. You could say that Bordeaux was partly responsible for the first Coca-Cola as the original Coca-Cola was once made with Bordeaux wine! The recipe for Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia in … Read more
You might be thinking that Bordeaux has bust the bank with the recent 2009 vintage price releases but there are some super wines around that won’t cost you a fortune. Wines from Petit Châteaux are often eclipsed by their more famous brethren and if you love good red wine then it is well worth discovering them. … Read more
With Saint Patrick’s Day fast approaching I thought it would be fitting to have a look at the Irish heritage in Bordeaux. Irish Catholics fled to Bordeaux after the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and this exodus is known as the Flight of the Wild Geese. Over the next half a century 14,000 Catholic soldiers and … Read more
The original plates used to illustrate various 19th century editions of the renowned Cocks & Féret Bordeaux et Ses Vins guide go on sale in Paris later this month. The set of 588 copper plates will be auctioned by Artcurial in Paris on 18 December. Cocks & Féret’s guide is often referred to as ‘the Bible of Bordeaux’ and … Read more
Many of you have probably read about the 2006 Classification which has been causing uproar in Saint Emilion. I haven’t covered it in the blogs as it is still ongoing. The French are a passionate people and the disagreement over those château which are going to be upgraded and those which are due for demotion has … Read more
Making great wine starts with the vine and the growing of grapevines has its own gardening lore – after all a vineyard is just a big garden with one crop. It’s a specialised process but there are techniques and tips that you can follow to grow your own grapevine in the garden here in the UK. … Read more
