]]>

French winemakers drain Spanish tankers

The incident unfolded less that 10 miles from the Spanish border on April 4, when around 150 winegrowers from the southern departments of Aude and Pyrénées Orientales seized upon a number of tankers travelling into France, draining their loads onto the tarmac.

The group had positioned themselves at a toll barrier at Le Boulou, close to the Mediterranean town of Perpignan and less than ten miles from Spain, to monitor the number of wine trucks entering France from Spain, as reported by Vitishpere.

Five tankers were targeted with some 70,000 litres of wine spilled onto the motorway.

“In two hours, we stopped five trucks,” said Frédéric Rouanet, president of the winegrowers of Aude, speaking to Vitisphere. “This is a breakneck pace. This is a disaster. We want to verify the traceability and compliance of these wines.”

Tensions between French and Spanish producers, and also Italy, have been mounting with rising imports of their wines into France. This incident comes after figures confirmed that France was now the biggest buyer of Spanish wine, purchasing 580 million litres in 2014, a 40% rise on 2013. Globally, Spain became world's biggest wine producer in 2014 outstripping both France and Italy, producing 51 million hectolitres of wine.

Initial estimates from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) indicated that Italy has now overtaken Spain producing 48.9 million hectolitres, up 10% on 2014. Italy was followed by France, which produced 47.4 million hectolitres, a rise of just 1% compared with 2014. Following its bumper harvest in 2014, Spain’s production dropped to 36.7 million hectolitres, down 4% on last year.

Rouanet claims that 28,000 trucks filled with wine had arrived in France from Spain in 2015, with bulk shipping allowing the wine to be sold cheaper. Protesters also claim the provenance of wines entering France in tankers are not being verified and that the Spanish wine is has not been produced in accordance with European regulations. Graffiti was scrawled on the side of Spanish trucks which read “wine not compliant”.

“If a French vineyard produced wine using the Spanish regulations, he quite simply couldn’t sell it”, said Rouanet, reported in the Daily Mail. “‘I want Europe to work, but with the same laws for everyone.”

French police said there had been no immediate arrests but that the incidents were being investigated.

Wine is finally set to return to British TV

An “informative” new TV series centred on the world of wine will hit British screens this spring – the first show dedicated to wine to be launched in years.

The Wine Show will star actors Matthew Goode and Matthew Rhys, who will aim to “provide a fresh, informative and entertaining journey into wine.”

The 13-episode series will air on ITV and will feature wine pairings with dishes prepared by some of the world’s leading chefs, who will be tasked with cooking the perfect meal to accompany their favourite wine.

Chefs include Atul Kochhar, Michael Caines, Jose Pizarro, Peter Gordon, Francesco Mazzei, Brad McDonald, Clare Smyth, Dan Doherty, Elena Arzak, Niki Nakayama, Frances Atkins and Stephen Harris.

Along with this weekly segment, viewers will see Goode and Rhys travel to discover more about how wines – from everyday bottles to the world’s most famous labels – are made.

Expert wine contributors Joe Fattorini and Amelia Singer will also feature in the show.

Throughout the series there will be a special focus on Italian wine – commonly considered to be the most difficult in the world to understand due to the various regions and sub-regions, each with their own labelling and winemaking rules.

From their villa in the Italian countryside, Goode and Rhys are set a new challenge every week that sees them explore different parts of Italy to discover the country’s wines.

The Wine Show was acquired for ITV and ITV4 by Angela Jain, director of digital channels and acquisitions. Angela said: “The show is a joyful romp through wonderful landscapes, tasting great wine, enjoying fantastic food and all in the company of our charming, witty and vivacious hosts, the two Matthews. This show is for wine novices, wine drinkers and wine enthusiasts and we are thrilled to bits to have it.”

Russ Lindsay, founder and director of Infinity Creative Media, which created the show, said: “Wine has now transcended culture, class and background and is a part of the lives of millions. The Wine Show is a cultural journey across the world, which is informative, visually entertaining, humorous, engaging and surprising. We are thrilled that ITV have given us the most wonderful home for our series in the UK.”

Wine before bed time helps with weight loss.

Some great news for all you dieters, and oh do I hope it is true!

Resveratrol – a substance found particularly in red wine – helps to turn body-hugging white fat into quick-burning beige fat, scientists at Washington State University found.

They tested mice by feeding them a high-fat diet before giving a selection a diet high in resveratrol.

Furthermore, a separate Harvard study of 20,000 people found those who consumed around two glasses of wine per day were 70% less likely to be obese.

Online articles have focused on the late-night aspect of the studies, saying that wine’s impact on fat-burning and craving-reduction is particularly effective before bed.

However, some have criticised press reports for not referencing a paragraph by Professor Min Du, author of the Washington study, which said that resveratrol levels in wine can vary depending on the filtration process.

“Many of the beneficial polyphenols are insoluble and get filtered out during the wine production process,” he said.

But resveratrol’s effect on fat levels was undisputed, with Professor Du saying: “Resveratrol can enhance the conversion of white fat to beige fat and, when you have high rates of browning, it can partially prevent obesity.”

England’s first Albariño hits shelves

Kent winery Chapel Down has released England’s first Albariño, made using grapes from the country’s only commercial vineyard that grows the Spanish variety.

The Albariño grape variety is best known for its wide planting in Galicia, Spain, as well as across Portugal for Vinho Verde wines.

“With England sharing a similar maritime climate to the temperate Galician region, the variety thrived during the excellent 2014 vintage in England,” Chapel Down said.

Chapel Down Albariño 2014 (12% abv, RRP £15) is made from grapes grown at Sandhurst vineyard, where an acre of five-year-old vines are grown on Wealden clay soils with high sand content.

It can be bought by consumers directly from the winery online.

The new launch forms part of a wider project by Chapel Down to explore the potential of different grape varieties and winemaking techniques in England.

In October 2015, Chapel Down released England’s first skin contact white wine, Chapel Down Orange Bacchus 2014, and a number of other trials are also underway.

Chapel Down winemaker, Josh Donaghay-Spire, said: “With England still being a relatively young wine region, there is the opportunity to better understand the terroir and the potential of different varieties.

“As a winemaker, the opportunity to work with a new style and produce the first wine of its kind in England is hugely exciting; although it comes with a certain responsibility to do the fruit justice.”

The aromatic dry white wine has “intense aromas of fresh citrus, white peach and apple, combined with background tones of subtle oak and yeast lees,” the winery says.

“The wine’s naturally high acidity balances the richness of the palate and intense stone fruit notes culminating in a lengthy and balanced finish.”

Prosecco smashes through £400m a year sales.

Given these figures it would appear that the Prosecco bubble has yet to burst.

Prosecco sales in the UK have crashed through the £400m barrier rising 28% to £430m in the year to January 6, according to Nielsen figures.

Although its phenomenal rate of growth has slowed a little from 34% last year it remains the hero wine category adding a further £118m in retail sales.

Last year’s growth was driven by the impulse sector which saw a 40% rise in sales to £45.6m up from £27.5m.

The arrival of I Heart Prosecco accounted for £4.5m additional sales alone, making it the number one impulse brand behind private label with £5.3m overall sales.

Wine could cut risk of death from dementia by 77%

ccording to researchers at the University of Southern Denmark Odense, a pint of beer or medium glass of wine a day could help protect against an early death from Alzheimer’s.

The study, published in the online journal BMJ Open, analysed alcohol consumption among 321 people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease as part of the Danish Alzheimer’s Intervention Study (DAISY).

It found that those who drank moderately, between two to three units a day, had lower death rates than those who were teetotal, drank a unit or less or drank more. While there was no significant difference in death rates among those drinking the most or fewest units, the risk of dying dropped by 77% for those who drank the equivalent of a glass of wine a day, between two to three units a day.

“The results of our study point towards a potential, positive association of moderate alcohol consumption on mortality in patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” said lead author Professor Frans Boch Waldorff, of the University of Southern Denmark Odense. “However, we cannot solely, on the basis of this study, either encourage or advise against moderate alcohol consumption in these patients.”

While alcohol is known to damage brain cells, and that it would be easy to that alcohol could be damaging to those with dementia or Alzheimer’s, Dr Sine Berntsen of the University of Copenhagen said this assumption requires further research.

“It has been argued that social drinking may be harmful for patients with AD”, he said. “However, we have not been able to identify any studies on the association between alcohol consumption and mortality in patients diagnosed with dementia. Considering that AD is a neurodegenerative disorder and that alcohol has known neurotoxic effects, one could easily jump to the conclusion that alcohol is damaging for patients with AD. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the positive association between moderate alcohol intake and mortality shown in population-based studies on healthy subjects can be transferred to patients with mild AD.”

Taittinger to plant vineyards in UK

Taittinger is launching Domaine Evremond, a winery within a 69 hectare plot in Kent near Canterbury that will be used to produce a range of new “premium” English sparkling wines.

Around 35-40 hectares will be planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Some 20,000 to 25,000 cases are expected to be initially produced.

“We have dreamt for a number of years of working with our dear friends in the UK to create a special Franco/British project,” said Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, president of the Champagne house. “We are very excited that this dream is now becoming a reality.”

The purchased land is a former orchard near Chilham in Kent, close to Canterbury and Faversham.

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier vines will be planted to produce English sparkling wine, although the exact planting figures are not yet known.

The plots have an “ideal terroir” for producing sparkling wine, sitting at a maximum of 80 metres above sea level with chalk soil and south-facing slopes, Taittinger said.

No wine will be produced until the land is fully transformed from orchards into vineyards, with no definite time-scale so far in place.

It is estimated that planting will begin in May 2017, although it could start as quickly as May of next year. However, the first wines will likely not be seen on the market until the mid to late 2020s.

Taittinger has insisted that the English sparkling wine it will produce should not be directly compared to Champagne.

“Our aim is to make something of real excellence in the UK’s increasingly temperate climate, and not to compare it with Champagne or any other sparkling wine,” he said.

Champagne houses have been rumoured to be searching for plots in the south of England for some time as they seek to capitalise on its increasingly similar growing conditions with the famous French region.

Land prices are considerably cheaper in the UK than in Champagne, with an unplanted hectare in Kent costing £10,000 to £15,000 and rising when under vine. A top Champagne vineyard can cost between €1-2 million per hectare.

Furthermore, with sales of English sparkling wine expected to continue rising, the likelihood of further investment from Champagne is increasing.

Taittinger has not revealed the exact financial details of its investment in Domaine Evremond, named after Charles de Saint-Evremond, a 17th century poet and courtier to King Charles II who is buried at Westminster Cathedral.

UK distributor Hatch Mansfield is a joint partner in the venture, along with a number of unnamed private investors.

Patrick McGrath MW, managing director of Hatch Mansfield, expressed his belief in English sparkling wine, saying: “Our aim is not just to be an English sparkling winemaker, but also to be a significant supporter of the whole English wine industry.”

English vineyards are forecast to double in capacity and production over the next seven years, according to trade group English Wine Producers.

The prediction was revealed in September as politicians toured one of the UK’s biggest wine producers, Rathfinny Wine Estate, where they also heard about the Sussex winery’s application to the EU to have the county fully recognised as a wine appellation.

Julia Trustram Eve, marketing director of English Wine Producers told the drinks business she thought the news from Taittinger, “shows the seriousness and high regard English sparkling wine is held in.”

She added it was yet further proof that there was an “exciting future” for English fizz and that it was a “new chapter” in its story.

The rising quality of English wine is being continually praised.  A blind tasting in October saw two wines from English producers Nyetimber and Hambledon coming top in a contest featuring sparklers from Veuve Clicquot, Pol Roger and Taittinger.

Prosecco boom to last ‘at least 10 years’

Follow link to recent article in Drinks Business. You know I wouldn't be surprised......until the next big thing comes along that is!

http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2015/10/prosecco-boom-will-last-for-at-least-10-years/

Champagne’s 2015 vintage almost ‘too good’

At a tasting of Ruinart’s blanc de blancs NV and vintage Champagnes recently, Frédéric PanaÏotis, chef de cave, reported that while 2015 yields in Champagne had dropped by around 20%, the quality of its harvest had been exceptionally high.

“Don’t expect me to say its a vintage of the century because I never say that, but I have a pretty big smile on my face at the moment”, said PanaÏotis.

“We are all pretty happy at the moment. If you don’t make a good vintage this year then what does it take to make a good vintage? It was not a difficult season.”

While conditions throughout much of 2015 were favourable, a drought toward the end of the growing season did dent the eventual yield of the harvest, but importantly not its quality.

“We had a pretty severe drought, not as bad as ’76”, said PanaÏotis. “We did experience hot temperatures which prevented a lot of diseases. We had no downey mildew and no botrytis until the end.”

“The lack of water meant the berries did not grow big enough”, he added, “so yields were around 20% lower than expected but we have nothing to complain about because between the reserve quality is very good.”

Chardonnay grapes for both Ruinart’s blanc de blancs and vintage Champagnes are sourced from vineyards in the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims – Premiers Cus for the Blanc de Blancs, and Grands Crus for the Dom Ruinart. The best Champagne grand cru to PanaÏotis mind is Chouilly, describing it as “the Mersault of Champagne”.

When asked if this year would result in a Dom Ruinart vintage Champagne PanaÏotis is confident, the last being from the 2004 vintage.

“I think we should be able to make a Dom Ruinart in 2015”, he confirmed. “Blanc de blancs I have no choice, it’s not an option not to make it. This year the goal with Blanc de blancs is to not make it too good. You want to make its good but not too good because what am I going to do next year when its not so good? It has to be consistent. So this year I might use some reserve wines and save some of this year’s for the future. We have to think about that.”

While PanaÏotis’ continued goal is to make wines of “purity and aromatic freshness”, his current focus is on increasing the “elements of toast” in his wines, believing increased contact with oxygen to be the key. Since 2010, Ruinart has used corks to seal bottles during secondary fermentation rather than crown caps – the results of which will not be known until 2022.

“I’m very much a fan of toasty elements coming from the reduction”, explained PanaÏotis. “The idea is to in the future increase this toastiness. We think oxygen is the answer to that so we have switched our bottling for secondary fermentation from crown caps to corks, starting with the 2010 vintage. The expected result is more purity and expression.”

Panaïotis joined Champagne Ruinart as chef de caves in 2007, having previously worked at the CIVC, later specialising in the interaction of cork and wine and training its professional panel on different tasting procedures.

Italy beats France to become world largest wine producer

Italy has surpassed France to take to crown of world largest wine producer in 2015, according to European Union data. This year's benign weather conditions have resulted in an abundant grape harvest across the Mediterranean peninsula, as opposed to that reaped on the other side of the Alps.

Italy's projected wine production is up 13% on the previous year and 5% on the average for the past five years, for a total output of 48.8 million hectolitres, figures submitted by member states to the EU Commission in mid-September show.

Lack of rain and a heatwave have instead caused a 1% contraction of French production, which relegated the country at the second place with 46.4 million hectolitres. The world-famous regions of Beaujolais and Bourgogne were among the worst affected and wine lovers with a taste for local bottles could face a price rise in the coming months, according to Les Eechos newspaper.

Italy and France have long been the sole duellists for the title of world top wine producer, both in terms of quantity and quality. However, 2015 has arguably been a particularly favourable year for the Italians after Ferrari (Trentodoc) won the prestigious sparkling wine producer of the year award.

Spain is set to maintain the third place in terms of wine output with 36.6 million hectolitres. Other EU states follow at distance: Germany ranks fourth in the continent with 8.7 million hectolitres, trailed by Portugal (6.7 million) and Romania (four million). Britain is last among the top 18 EU producers, with 470,000 hectolitres.

Worldwide, the US, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, China and Chile traditionally placed themselves between Spain and Germany producing from 25 million to 10 million hectolitres each

Bordeaux on track for ‘best vintage since 2010’

I know we've heard it all before....another great vintage in Bordeaux but this article from Drinks Business bodes well for this year's wines. Question is, 'how expensive will they be?'

It is still too early to make a definitive assessment, and parts of the Médoc received unwanted heavy rain in the second week of September, but weather conditions have been near-perfect elsewhere, notably on the Right Bank, where Cheval Blanc have already finished picking all their grapes. Their technical director, Pierre-Olivier Clouet told the drinks business on a visit to the château last Thursday that he regards this as an “incredible” vintage.

“We have had outstanding climactic conditions in St-Emilion in 2015,” he said. “After nice flowering, water status was perfect. It was very warm from mid-June till the end of July when the vines needed some rain, and we got 10mm, exactly the right quantity. August was also hot and we had another 10mm in the middle of the month at the right time. Never forget that in Bordeaux, late season weather is the key, and we had a lovely September without any rain.”

A wide diurnal range has also been highly beneficial this year, with cool nights, even in August, ensuring that pH levels are low. Small berries have brought “amazing concentration”, in Clouet’s words. Overt tannins (‘croquant’ or crispy ones), deep colour, fragrant aromas, vivid acidity and around 14% abv have helped provide ‘everything you need’ in Clouet’s view. Cheval Blanc’s yield of 38.7hl/ha for their Merlot and 36.1 for their Cabernet Franc is also up on their average.

The winemaker of another Premier Grand Cru Classé A estate in St-Emilion, Emmanuelle Fulchi of Angelus, declared that “you can’t take the smile off my face”, while cellar master, Jean Dugos, said flowering had been exceptional – ‘the best I’ve seen in 16 years.’ No wonder, then, that Peter Shakeshaft, the head of wine investment company Vin-X, who was in Bordeaux last week, is priming his clients to buy Right Bank wines en-primeur, as long as prices are right.

Selective buying will be advisable after the 150mm rain that fell in Pauillac and St Estephe over the weekend of 11/12 September. Some dilution of concentration can be expected here, but Margaux and St Julien escaped the deluge as did Graves. Christian Seely, managing director of second-growth, Pichon Baron, admitted that excitement is “high” on his estate about the vintage.

“I’m always reluctant to say it’s a great year before the wines are made, but at this stage, everything points to it being outstanding,” he told the drinks business. “It looks like a very beautiful work in progress. The bit of rain we got in July and August was very positive after some very hot weather. The wonderful August has given a fullness of palate, and we’ve had very good conditions for harvesting.”

In Graves, too, optimism was palpable. Olivier Bernard, owner of pre-eminent white wine producer, Domaine de Chevalier, reported unusually high acidity for what were high alcohol levels for his Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc (13.2% and 13.9% respectively). Balance, therefore, should not be an issue. Paulin Calvet, owner of Château Picque-Caillou, 95% of whose production is red wine, also pointed to encouragingly low pH levels, and declared that this would ‘definitely’ be the best vintage since 2010. “We have small berries and strong skins, with deep colours, quite strong tannins and wonderful concentration,” he said.

At Château Paloumey, the cru bourgeois estate in Haut-Médoc, Pierre Cazeneuve, the vineyard manager, also predicted a stellar vintage.

“I know everyone wants to hear this, but this has the potential to be as good a year as 2010,” he said. “The quality of the fruit is exceptionally high. It’s the first time our Cabernet Franc has reached 13 degrees in 25 years, but the pH is low due to the cold nights.”

Further south in Cadillac, in the Cotes de Bordeaux AOC, Youmna Asseilly, co-owner of leading boutique producer, Château Biac, revealed she had never experienced such heat in June and July, but said the vines coped due to the notable temperature drop at night.

“We are very, very happy with both the quality and quantity of our dry and sweet wines,” she said.

Her views were echoed by Herve Grandeau, owner of Château Lauduc and president of the Bordeaux Superieur appellation, which accounts for 46% of all wine produced in the region. “We’ve had incredible September weather,” he said, “and I think it will be an exceptional year for red Bordeaux Superieur and a very good one for the whites.”

Road built over drunk man

Latori Barman, 45, fell into the hole on Friday night while walking home from a village fair in the Katni district of the Madhya Pradesh state in India, according to reports by The Times of India.

The pot hole was said to cover “more than half” of the road, with Barman believed to have lost consciousness after falling into it. He was later buried alive after construction workers filled in the hole with molten tar and used a heavy roller to tarmac the road. His death would have gone unnoticed had residents not discovered his arm sticking out from beneath the tar.

“It was dark and there were no warning signs. He would have been walking in an inebriated condition when he fell into the pit between Udlana and Hata village and lost consciousness”, an investigating officer told the Times of India.

Two of the workers have been arrested in connection with the incident and charged with negligence leading to death. Barman’s family will be given 50,000 Rupees (US$761) as compensation for the incident.

Sign up for our newsletter for your chance to win £100 wine tasting voucher

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
Email Format
x
x
x
Tweets by @wine_works1
x
x

Review Us

x
x

Hello.
We use cookies on this website to help us and our partners improve your browsing experience.
CloseManage Cookies