• 1976 JUDGEMENT OF PARIS WINES ENTER US HALL OF FAME

    par | Nov 21, 2013

    By CHRIS MERCER — DECANTER Newsletter — Thursday 21 November 2013

    The Napa wines that famously beat France’s best in the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting have been chosen from among millions of artefacts as one of the 101 items that ‘made America’.

    Smithsonian magazine, representing the 167-year-old, US-based Smithsonian Institution, one of the largest museum and research complexes in the world, picked out the handful of 1973 vintage Napa wines from 137m possible events and symbols. They now sit alongside Abraham Lincoln’s top hat, Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit, and the American flag — the star spangled banner — in terms of their contribution to US history.

    Judgement of Paris – wine-tasting event of 1976 © Gary Myatt 2012, 6×3 m. Oil on canvas, at the Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury UK (suite…)

  • MARIE-THÉRÈSE AUX INROCKS

    par | Nov 20, 2013

    DANIEL J. BERGER

    Marie-Thérèse Chappaz, la plus célèbre des vigneron(ne)s suisses était à Paris la semaine dernière, invitée au festival… Les Inrocks !
    L’organisateur du festival, Dominique Revert, est un grand amateur de vin. Il a eu l’idée d’inviter des vignerons à présenter leurs bouteilles en backstage pendant les concerts à     La Cigale. Les rockers œnophiles ont pu faire connaissance d’un vin, d’une appellation, d’un vigneron — souvent français mais pas que, la preuve : Marie-Thérèse elle-même herself en personne était venue du Valais.
    Récit. (suite…)

  • CLICK AND CLINK: AMAZON SELLING WINE IN CHINA

    par | Oct 30, 2013

    By YU WEI — China Daily USA in San Francisco — 2013-10-30 07:21

    After launching its first shipment of directly imported US wines into China, Amazon China, Amazon.com’s branch there, said the wines have received a very good response in the country, especially in Shanghai. “The direct-sales model gives our wines quality assurance and more cost-effectiveness,” said Niu Yinghua, vice-president of Amazon China. “Consumers can easily have fine wines from thousands of miles away by just clicking Amazon.cn.”

    According to Amazon China, sales of its wines in Shanghai account for nearly half of its total sales, making Shanghai the hottest selling city in China.

    Barbara Insel, president of Stonebridge Research Group, a leading research firm for the wine industry, said the news from Amazon China is good news for all California wines, as it shows that there is interest in and demand for fine wines from California’s family producers. (suite…)

  • BIO, MINORITÉ AGISSANTE EN CROISSANCE (5)

    par | Oct 27, 2013

    DANIEL J. BERGER

    Depuis 2012, chaque bouteille de vin bio produit dans l’UE porte le même logo (ci-contre), certifiant le processus de production de la vigne à la bouteille — exigeant des ingrédients bio, la limitation des intrants œnologiques et des ajouts de SO2, entre autres (*).

    Comme le montre une enquête récente menée dans l’Hexa-
    gone par     IPSOS/Millésime Bio/Sud de France, la viticulture bio continue d’y progresser, qui atteindrait 8% du vigno-
    ble; ainsi que les achats, soit en 2012 + 15% sur 2011, pour une consommation globale de vin restant stable.

    Les conclusions de l’enquête montrent que la tendance générale en faveur du vin bio se confirme bien : 65 000 hectares de vignoble certifiés et en conversion (1) en France en 2012 (contre 22 500 ha en 2007), avec une consommation atteignant désormais un amateur de vin sur trois. (suite…)

  • FRENCH WINEMAKERS SEEK ELUSIVE CHINESE BLENDS

    par | Oct 25, 2013

    AFP-JIJI — PENGLAI, CHINA — Oct 20, 2013

    The world’s fine winemakers have exacting standards for soil, climate and cultivation to produce the perfect grape. And they are looking to re-create that unlikely blend in China, which is better known for cheap mass production. The potential harvest will be more drinkers in the world’s most populous country, where wine consumption more than doubled in the four years to 2011 and is set to rise another 40% by 2016 (*).

    France’s Domaines Barons de Rothschild (DBR), maker of the renowned Château Lafite red wines, is planting roots in China with an initial 15 hectares in Penglai.

    The estate is situated on a hilly green peninsula dotted with vineyards on the east coast of Shandong province with a century-long history of winemaking.

    DBR is associated with CITIC, the first Chinese State Investment Bank.

    (suite…)