• ULTIMATE REVELATION: THE POPE LIKES RIOJA

    par | Fév 12, 2013

    From the Indian Wine Academy Newsletter, February 02:

    While the religious and social sentiments and their political and bureaucratic offshoot continue to hinder the wine consumption due to the government policies equating wine with hard liquor, Catholic wine connoisseurs and especially  from Spain would be glad to know that Pope Benedict XVI likes wines from Rioja

    It’s not common for Benedict XVI to talk about his own tastes. But he did when he met with the tribunal of the Roman Rota.

    He greeted the judges one by one, and when he spoke with one from Spain’s La Rioja region, he made a very personal comment, as you can see from this video…

    “I’m from La Rioja, Holy Father,” says the Spanish judge: “Oh, from Rioja! Very good wine!” replies the Pope. (suite…)

  • NO SHIT: THE NRA CALLS FOR SUPPORT FROM WINE BUYERS

    par | Jan 30, 2013

    From Chin Chin Jobs — 25 January 2013 and Decanter Newsletter — 29 January 2013

    The NRA (National Rifle Association of America) Wine Club calls for members to support 2nd Amendment rights by purchasing wine through their Wine Club.
    New membership has soared with a donation from every bottle of wine purchased going to the NRA to support its fight to preserve the 2nd Amendment.

    The NRA Wine Club’s website advises members that their « purchase will directly benefit the NRA’s continuing support of America’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms and the other basic freedoms of the American Culture. The NRA Wine Club has been founded on these principals and is bringing you the finest wines that are available. »

    Guns ‘n rosés: NRA members now have access to fine wines as well as assault rifles. As Pascal Simonutti’s Touraine humorous label says Boire tue (meaning ‘Drinking Kills’).

    (suite…)

  • A BORDEAUX ROAD MOVIE — 7 YEARS ON…

    par | Jan 27, 2013

    By LINCOLN SILIAKUS on January 26, 2013

    Mr VinoSolex re-discovered this one on tasting at my friend Philip Scheiner’s, when a dozen wine devotees sniffed and gulped our way through as many wines.  It came second, against a Gevrey 1er cru (the winnner) and other terrific bottles.
    The wine was specially blended by the Coopérative of Gaillan-en-Médoc for a group of anarcho-syndicalist slurpers calling themselves Mmmm… ton vin! under the guruship of the urbane and stylish Daniel J. Berger.

    The purchase was our way of protesting against the inhuman prices of 2005 primeurs.
    We set Petrus in our sights and decided that if it reached over 1500€ a bottle, we’d go out and buy a palette of other good booze for the price of one bottle of the Big P!  After all, in a very good year, most wine is pretty good, too.  So, when Petrus reached 2400€, we had a budget of around 5€ per bottle.  In clear, freezing weather in January 2007, an inner core of four of us drove around the Medoc for three days with Miles Davis in the CD player, dropping into wineries.  Once we’d made our choice and had reported back to the group, demand was strong enough to get us three palettes.

    And I still have a few half cases left.

    Mmmm… indeed!

  • CHEZ LE CAVISTE (2) : MONTAGNE SAINTE GENEVIÈVE, PARIS 5ème

    par | Jan 26, 2013

    DANIEL J. BERGER

    Un peu confesseur, un peu psychothérapeute, il écoute, comprend, prescrit. C’est le caviste. On a besoin de lui : comme filtre entre les multiples offres du web, les pseudo promotions, les primeurs qu’on regrette plus tard, et le vignoble toujours en mutation. Comme informateur, car il connaît les vignerons. Comme conseil sur le rapport prix / qualité-plaisir. Et comme compagnon avec qui discuter.
    Mmmm… ton vin! vous entraîne dans une série de portraits de cavistes à Paris et en Ile de France et, 
au hasard de nos voyages-dégustations, de régions d’Europe et d’ailleurs.
    Deuxième halte:     De Vinis Illustribus dans le 5ème arrondissement de Paris, chez Lionel Michelin, qui a transformé en cave hype une vieille.

    « Oui, le caviste remplit toutes ces fonctions à la fois. Surtout celle d’échange: certains de mes clients ne viennent pas d’abord pour acheter, mais pour passer un moment à discuter, se raconter. Et j’ai toujours du temps pour les écouter », déclare Lionel Michelin, propriétaire-fondateur de De Vinis Illustribus qui va avoir vingt ans.

    C’est l’un des rares antiquaires de vins, mot qu’il tolère à défaut. Selon Daniel Pennac — l’antiquaire est un pilleur d’âmes. Michelin est tout le contraire: il refait la vie de bouteilles âgées et leur offre un destin inespéré. (suite…)

  • SMASHING A €12,000 ALSACE BOTTLE TO PROMOTE CHINESE VINES

    par | Jan 23, 2013

    From JESSICA ELGOT | THE HUFFINGTON POST UK | August 30, 2012

    A Chinese wine connoisseur has brought a new meaning to getting smashed — by throwing a €12,000 bottle of French Alsace wine on the floor at a high-end wine festival in Changli.
    The mysterious unnamed wine aficionado, who was pictured looking stern beneath reflective aviator sunglasses, smashed the bottle in a show of patriotism, hoping the stunt will show that supporting Chinese-produced wine is « priceless »     — according to local media reports.

    The Beijing-based bidder bought two bottles of French famous Alsace white wine for around €12,000 each at a wine festival in Changli, a wine-producing region in northern China. He smashed one of the bottles on the ground for a stunt, leaving many to speculate it was a ruse to jack up the price of the other bottle, or just shameless attention-seeking. The wine was Emile Beyer Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2007 (photos below), a late harvest white wine from Domaine Emile Beyer in Alsace. According to Wine Searcher the same Emile Beyer Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives, vintage 2009, would be going for a thousand times less, at €13 a bottle.

    (suite…)