The Wine Word

2011-07-16T11:10:00.001+01:00

Petrus barcode switch 'tip of iceberg'

Monday 6 June 2011

by Panos Kakaviatos

The woman who tried to buy bottles of Petrus worth €2,300 for €2.50 each by switching barcodes represents the tip of the iceberg, fraud experts say.

Leclerc: 'real problem'

The 23-year-old, who has not been named, was caught last month in a Leclerc supermarket in Trélisssac, Dordogne, having changed barcodes, replacing the indicated price of about €2,300 per bottle with €2.50 labels, according to Agence France Presse.

But for every person caught, many more get away with such label switching, French supermarket executives told Decanter.com.

‘This is a real problem,’ David Bruguiere, wine buyer for Leclerc said.

Although a bottle of Petrus should be easily recognisable, most cashiers cannot tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine. If dishonest clients unpeel the price label from a bottle and put it on a more expensive one, they can get away with it, he said.

Such label switching is particularly easy during the foires aux vins, annual wine fairs at French supermarkets.
During the foires bottles are sometimes left unlabelled, and unused barcodes are left unsupervised, a representative for the supermarket chain Auchan said.

‘We are working on preventive measures,’ said Bruguiere, ‘but we are not sure what we can do yet.’

2011-07-16T10:53:00.001+01:00

Bordeaux Wine Trading fraudster convicted

Wednesday 13 July 2011

by Jim Budd

The managing director of a company selling non-existent Bordeaux en primeur has been found guilty of fraud.

Pic: www.justlanded.com: £1.2m of orders were not fulfilled

The verdict was returned on Paul Craven, of Bordeaux Wine Trading Ltd, at St Albans Crown Court. The jury returned a unanimous verdict after a trial lasting just over three weeks.

Craven set up Bordeaux Wine Trading in July 2006. BWTC sold £1.2m of 2005 First Growths en primeur but never placed any orders with negociants in Bordeaux.

Instead investors’ money was spent on cars, Cartier watches, lavish holidays and cocaine. Only £12,200 has been recovered – £200 in a bank account and £12,000 in cash under Craven’s bed.

Craven will be sentenced on Thursday along with Oseghale Hayble, who was also a defendant in this trial until he was taken ill.

In December 2010 Hayble was found guilty of fraud for his part in running International Wine Commodities Ltd.

Prior to BWTC Craven had worked briefly at another en primeur company, the Bordeaux Wine Company, owned by Frederick Achom and Anthony Grant, both of whom have been convicted of fraud and are barred from being company directors until July 2013.

Hertfordshire Police carried out the investigation.

2011-07-16T10:49:00.000+01:00

Major Chinese retailer ditches Left Bank Bordeaux

Friday 15 July 2011

by Jane Anson in Bordeaux

One of China's largest wine retailers has announced it will stop promoting the classified estates of the Medoc as their prices make them 'too dangerous'.

Aussino Cellars, which has 200 stores in 100 cities across China, has cancelled a dinner with the Union des Grands Crus and has said it will promote the Right Bank instead of Left Bank wines.

Grace Cai of Aussino told Decanter.com, ‘The prices of the Grand Cru wines are too high because of the booming wine market in China, and it is very dangerous to keep on promoting them.

‘The market is further complicated by forgeries, and by large numbers of importers competing over the same brands. Aussino wants to work with stable and loyal partners, and find good value, high quality wines for the consumer in China.’

The company was planning to hold a wine dinner with the UGC in November during a wine festival at its headquarters in Guangzhou, but has now decided to not run the event.

‘As our consumers become more and more educated about wine, they will realise that they are buying over-heated brands, and we want to offer them wines with stability,’ Cai said.

Aussino is not intending to stop buying Bordeaux, and confirms that consumer demand is still there, but it is shifting its focus to the Right Bank, and more specifically to Pomerol, concentrating on specially-created brands by J-P Moueixand Thienpont, as well as the traditional chateaux.

There is no further information at this stage as to what the new brands will be. Cai confirmed, 'We want exclusive brands. We don't want to compete for the big chateaux brands with other importers, which then further drives up prices.'

UGC president Sylvie Cazes said, ‘We are sorry to hear Aussino doesn’t want to organise the tasting with us this year, but we are committed to China, make at least two trips a year there and would be happy to work with Aussino in the future.’

The owner of Aussino, Robert Shen (sometimes known as Robert Shum in Cantonese) was No 17 in the Decanter Power List 2011 – up from No 28 in 2009.

An evening with Roger Ravoir at Maison du Vin

2011-04-30T12:37:00.002+01:00

Roger Ravoireis not unusual – he is a Frenchman with a passion for wine. He makes red, white and rose at Ravoire et Fils but that passion drives him further still.

But what singles him out from his fellow countrymen is that he also seeks it out at small producers ranging from the Cotes de Provence to the Cotes du Rhone and, when he likes it, he bottles it and puts the good Ravoire name on the case. That mark of quality means the small producer can then tap into Ravoire’s marketing expertise and the wines can be offered to a wider audience.

For the consumer it means we get a decent bottle of wine from any one of hundreds of quality producers, covering an area half the size of Kent, with real character and personality at a price we are all happy to pay in these day s of austerity.

The 09 vintage is a case in point. Roger selected two wines local to his home at the foot of the Luberon Massif, at the crossroads of the Rhône Valley and Provence, to enter the latest Decanter Magazine tasting.

The Olivier Ravoire Cairanne took four stars and the Olivier Ravoire Plan de Dieu was awarded three. But both Cotes du Rhone-Villages wines have that certain je ne sais quoi.

Ravoire said: ‘They are excellent examples of what we can achieve in Provence. The wines were produced just eight kilometres apart and they are totally different. That’s because the terroir and the producer are different.

‘It’s important to me that the identity of each wine grower is preserved. I hope that the quality and competitive price of these wines will help to pull people away from low quality supermarket wine. I work hard to find these wines and it’s very exciting when you come across a small vintage that really delivers that we can sell at a good price for our customers.’

The two award-winning wines, and the rest of Roger Ravoire’s range, are now being exclusively stocked in the UK by Maison du Vin, the niche wine merchant perched halfway up Moor Hill in the beautiful village of Hawkhurst in Kent.

Managing director John Toogood is a big fan of Ravoire’s. John said: ‘These are easy-to-drink wines that are great value. We’re so confident you’ll enjoy them that we’re offering a money-back guarantee if you don’t like them.

‘We believe that wine should always give 100 per cent satisfaction but these Rhone wines really are superb and go with any type of food.’

All of the Ravoir range of superb wines are exclusively available from Maison du Vin

www.maison-du-vin.co.uk

The socking truth about Oddbins!

2011-03-25T15:57:00.001Z

Apart from the colossal amount of money owed by Oddbins to small independent wine producers across Europe. The beleaguered wine company owes £5.5m to HMRC in unpaid UK wine duty.

So would someone please tell me how they have managed to defer that amount of tax?

If all that is wine? It amounts to an estimated 275,000 cases!

Mind you Oddbins own and control their own bonded warehouse in Wimbledon.

That might have something to do with it?!

Oddbins on the skids!

2011-03-25T12:10:00.002Z

BREAKING NEWS: Oddbins The high street wine giant has gone into administration!

Once the Wine darling of the high street. Oddbins has struggled in recent years to regain its position as the UK’s top independent.

The company was purchased in 2008 by UK based company Ex Cellar from French giant Castel. Castel's steward ship of Oddbins was widely regarded as a disaster and hopes were high when it came back into UK hands.

Here is how it was reported in Independent Retail news by: Rosie Davenport 4th August 2008

The Oddbins chain has been sold to specialist wine and food retailer Ex Cellar for an undisclosed sum in a surprise deal announced today. Ex Cellar was founded in 1999 by Henry Young and Simon Baile, the son of former Oddbins managing director Nick Baile, who headed up the company in 1973.

Currently, Ex Cellar has two retail outlets in Ashstead and Paris.

The Oddbins senior management team, including Ayo Akintola, HR Director, will remain in their positions. Previous managing director and deputy managing director, Fabrice Bidault and Eudes Morgan, will be replaced by Young as chairman and Baile as managing director.

Baile said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us – Oddbins is a renowned name on the British high street. Our retail background and my knowledge of what used to make Oddbins great will help drive the passion and innovation back into this business. There will be a short period during which we review the current structure and develop plans for the future. This is a cash positive business with plenty of stock, great locations throughout the UK and passionate staff.”

Reading that you have to ask yourselves what the hell happened?

But safe to say, that in the last few years ‘Every wine that has been bought in a UK supermarket is a bottle of wine that has NOT been bought from Oddbins!

Just goes to show that ‘Success is a journey. Not a destination.

Who’s next?

2011-03-19T11:10:00.001Z

2011-03-19T10:51:00.002Z

You pay £14 for a bottle of wine. The vineyard gets £1. Who wins?

The UK goverments measure, and rises in the price of glass and fuel to make and transport bottles, are giving the trade a hangover!

Over a barrel: the price of a bottle shoots from £1 to £14 by the time it hits your table.

Next time you are thinking of choosing the £14 bottle of house red in your favourite restaurant, you may want to reconsider once you know how much the producer got for the wine itself.

Recently one of Bordeaux's more colourful wine producers lifted the lid on how a bottle of wine bought for £1 from a cooperative producer ends up costing £14 or £15 in a UK restaurant.

In a bid to highlight the detrimental impact a recent duty rise is having on the wine trade, Gavin Quinney, the owner of Château Bauduc, set out exactly who gets what out of the £14 you pay for a bottle of house wine.

The figures will certainly surprise many regular restaurant goers, or home wine buyers. After storage and distribution costs are deducted, the restaurant and wine merchant have added their mark-up - and more importantly the government has taken its duty and VAT - only £1 is left to pay the producer who worked all year to make and bottle the wine.

Quinney claims the increase in duty on wine - now makes the UK easiley the most expensive place in Europe to buy wine. "The pound has slumped against the euro while the cost of wine at source, the glass to make the bottles and fuel prices have all shot up - and the government added further duty when prices were already under [this] huge pressure."

It is widely expected that the chancellor will put at least 10p on a bottle of wine in the forthcoming budget.

"Duty on a bottle of wine is now £1.61, with VAT on the duty as well as the wine. There is no duty at all in Italy, Spain and Germany, while France fleeces its "citoyens" for all of 2p a bottle. If you think that at least £2 of each bottle of wine being sold in the UK is now tax, this leaves very little margin for the maker."

He suggests that if there were no UK duty, and if the wine merchant and the restaurant were to make the same percentage margin, the price of the wine - either at retail price or in the restaurant - would be halved.

"That's why wine served in Europe, at this level, is often a fraction of the UK price. The UK has long had a vibrant wine sector which is going to be under threat unless Darling rethinks this crazy taxation policy," he warns.

Another man who has noticed the impact recent price increases have had on the wine trade is Richard Siddle. The editor of Harpers, the trade magazine for wine retailers, says the industry was working on tiny margins and now it's suffering even more.

"The slide of the pound against the euro and the duty increases have been the final nail in the coffin. If you go down the aisles in the supermarkets you will think the 14p duty increase has been largely lost in the system. However, supermarkets still see cheap alcohol as a way of bringing customers through the doors, as long as the government lets them get away with it," he says.

"They are very clever at giving the impression prices haven't risen but, away from the brand names that continue to be discounted, prices are on the up."

The Guardian's wine critic, Victoria Moore, says the duty rise and pound shift has left bargain hunters looking at an ever-decreasing stock to pick from.

"Finding good wines under £5 is beginning to get harder. Competition, shoppers' reluctance to spend much, and supermarket tactics in persuading producers to accept smaller and smaller margins have until recently kept prices right down, even as duty rose," she says.

"In the past, supermarkets tended to absorb duty hikes (or at least force the poor wine producers to do so, thus safeguarding their own profits) but this year 14p a bottle has often proved tricky to magic away.

"I've seen some £5 wines go up to £6 as retailers, forced at last to lift prices, sighed with relief and took the decision to claw back some of the money they were losing thanks to the strength of the euro and inflation."

She maintains the best overall value is to be had when spending between £6 and £9. "This is the point at which an appreciable slice of your money goes into the actual wine," she says.

HAVE YOU BEEN HAD BY WINE MARKETING?

2011-01-08T14:03:00.012Z

Don't worry we all have at some stage!

So how is it that so many of us get taken in? Well here are some examples which feature some of the most well known brands.

Blue Nun.

Was created by German company H. Sichel Sohne in 1923. I was the worlds first mass marketed wine and at it's peak in the 1980's sold 1.25 million cases in the US alone!

Take a look at the picture above. It leads the unwary wine drinker to believe so much without putting anything into print. So what do we see? First of all we see a Nun. Everybody trusts a Nun! We see her carrying a basket of grapes in a vineyard. This infers that that the grapes are hand picked in small quantities by hand in a vineyard! Not only that but this back breaking labour of love is being carried out by a Nun! All of this conveys quality and trust.

But it couldn't be further from the truth. It wont surprise you to know that a no stage has there ever been a Nun involved in the production of this wine. The grapes used are mass harvested by machine from huge vineyard's all over Germany and the wine is produced factory style. How else could they keep up with such huge demand? Now if all that was depicted on the label would you still by it? No one is saying that the over all standard of the wine is below par it's just that the quality is very subtly over stated.

Here's another good one. Matues Rose.

Another one of the worlds first and biggest mass marketed wines.

Once again look a the label. The picture of this grand palace infers by association that the building sits on the vineyards where the wine is made rather like the grand Chateau of Bordeaux. But no. This is the Palace Mateus. There is a connection but as with Blue Nun the wine is mass produced factory style.

The flagon shaped bottle is another clever ploy. There is an joke in the wine business that says when everybody had a bed side lamp sales of Mateus Rose went down by 50% in the UK!

Do you see a recurring them here? All of the truly great wines of the world have a long and proud tradition. Most are made in relatively small quantities in an unmechanised way. Many of the grapes are still picked by hand and there is much human intervention especially in France and Italy. Now when you invent a wine with the sole intent of mass production you don't have any of that legacy to help sell your product and it would be illegal to make it up! But by using clever imagery you can infer all of these things.

First of all there needs to be a sense of History because in our minds history gives us a sense of tradition and that in turn creates trust and quality in our minds.

'Small' and 'limited quantity are real triggers for giving us a feeling of quality.That we are buying something special. A picture of someone picking grapes by hand and putting them in a wicker basket conveys all of this without saying a word.

Remember all of the big branded wines rely totally on huge marketing budgets to sell them and this cost comes directly out of the cost of each bottle.

Last but not least Piat D'or.

Remember the very famous TV adverts in which they state very proudly 'The French adore

Le Piat D'or' Well it might surprise you to learn that most of France has never heard of Piat D'or!

Once again mass marketed and aimed almost exclusively at the UK market.

Take a look at the advert from 1986 on YOUTUBE. No matter what you think of the wine the marketing is brilliant!

So the next time you are out buying wine beware! Things are often no what they seem?

Exclusive Red's from the Rhone

2010-11-06T15:06:00.003Z

I am are delighted to announce that Maison du Vin is now the official UK stockists for the superlative reds form the Rhone valley produced by top growers Ravoir et Fils

http://www.ravoir-fils.com/ . The family business which was started in 1987. Is based in the Luberon gateway to the Rhone valley. The focus is on producing regional wines of the highest quality.

These include wines from areas as Gigondas, Cote du Rhone Village, Vacqueyras and the Luberon to name but a few.

Roger Ravoir

Sherry Master Class

2010-09-11T13:27:00.004+01:00

As a prelude to our Spanish fest in October we are holding a Sherry Master Class at Maison du Vin on September 21st at 7.30 pm. We are co-hosting the event with legendary Sherry producer Gonzalez Byass. There will be a tutored tasting of six fascinating different sherries all served with a selection of tapas.

Even if you no nothing about Sherry. In fact especially if you know nothing about Sherry. This will be a fascinating evening and a real insight into one of the worlds oldest and most misunderstood beverages!

Places are limited and must be booked in advance. To book email kvgriffin@aol.com

WINE SCHOOL RETURNS

2010-08-21T12:49:00.007+01:00

Our ever popular wine school evenings return to Maison du Vin on the 16th of September.

These events are a great way to learn more about wine in a relaxed light hearted and informative manner.

There is a nominal charge of £10 per head which includes a tutored tasting of up to eight wines and a simple supper after the tasting.

Our theme for this forthcoming event will be the wines of 'I VERONI' an artisan grower based in Chianti.

You can book a place by emailing me at kvgriffin@aol.com

Five a day?

2010-08-12T16:36:00.004+01:00

Given that grapes are a fruit and that wine is made from the fermented juice of grapes.

Would it be logical to assume that a glass of wine,or two, counts towards your 5 a day?

Bloody hope so!

Cote de Provence Rose. Nectar of the Gods!

2010-08-04T16:08:00.001+01:00

Kevin Griffin, owner of Maison Du Vin - Kent's wine specialists, discusses the virtues of one of the best summer wines.

“Being in the wine trade I am fortunate enough to get to drink
many of the world’s most expensive wines. But on a lovely hot day
dining alfresco or just sitting in the shade all I desire is a chilled
bottle of Provence Rosé. Then I am quite happy to kiss the rest of
the day goodbye! Rosé for me has to be dry, with rich fruit but very
pale in colour, and without a hint of sweetness. I want two lines of
fruit with a line of alcohol running down the middle. It has to hit
the spot, if you know what I mean. I find a good Provence Rosé
superb with a wide variety of summer foods. It can cope with
heavily dressed salads, dips, olives, grilled meats, sauces and pickles.
It also evokes memories of long lunches taken in sleepy French
Villages where, at lunch time the only sign of life on the street is a
dog sleeping in the shade. It also brings back memories of steaming
bowls of Soup de Poissons, on the Cote de Azur. But let’s not
forget those lovely lunches here in the Weald, alfresco, surrounded
by friends and family, the perfect summer day with the perfect
summer wine.”

Chateau Pigoudet Cotes de Provence £8.99 per
bottle, available from Maison du Vin. Free delivery
to Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas.
Maison Du Vin sells wines, cognacs, champagnes
and armagnacs from small, quality-driven,
independent growers.
Open Mon-Sat from 10am. Closed 4pm Mon,
8pmTue and Thurs, 5pm Fri and 6pm Sat.
Closed all day Wed & Sun.
For more details tel 01580 753487
Real Wine, Real Places, Real People

WINE SCHOOL RETURNS

2010-07-15T12:13:00.005+01:00

Great News! After many requests our popular wine schools return on September the 16th.

Maison du Vin Wine Schools are a great way to learn more about wine in a very relaxed and informal evening. They are also great social events.

We will announce the theme in the next few days. However I can tell you now that there will be a tutored tasting of at least six different wines followed by a light supper. There is a nominal cost of just £10.00 per head.

Too book a place or find out more please phone Kevin on 01580753487 or email kvgriffin@aol.com

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

2010-07-15T10:28:00.000+01:00

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

WE ARE REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOT PRINT

2010-05-22T16:23:00.005+01:00

We recently announced our new 2hr delivery service. Our latest greener alternative may take a little longer! REDUCING

It's Started!

2010-05-22T15:01:00.004+01:00

Well I guess I new this moment would come?

The trend for selling wine by varietals ie, putting the name of the grape on the label, soon killed off in the lower to middle price brackets regional identity in countries like Australia and Chile.

The reason for this is of course that the main flavour of the grape is more important than where the wine actually comes from. So the buying criteria seems to be. "I like Aussie Shiraz I like 3 for £10. Don't really care where in Australia it comes from. My geography of Australia is rubbish anyway" OK all well and good. At least there are three defining choices here. Country of origin, grape variety and price. What is happening now is that those three are being chopped down to just two.

The marketing of wines by varietal has become so popular and it seems effective that wine is now being marketed by the name of the grape alone. For instance in the very bottom categories of Rioja some producers are relegating the name of Rioja to almost the small print and emblazoning the label with the name of the grape variety which is 'Tempranillo' The name of Rioja used to be enough in itself but not anymore it seems?

A lot of these wines are also starting to taste very much the same from one country to the next.

We sell a lovely mid priced Viognier from Sicily. It is delightful but tasted blind one would be hard pushed to tell whether it was from Sicily, Italy,France or wherever?

Does this matter? Many would say not. But I believe it to be the slippery slope to the total homogenisation of wine and I say again. Drinking wine cannot be just a simple matter of how do you want to take your alcohol?

FREE TICKETS TO WATCH THE MOVIES AT KINO CINEMA!

2010-05-01T17:42:00.003+01:00

*Customers spending over £30 in one transaction at Maison du Vin in Hawkhurst will receive a voucher for a free full-price cinema ticket at Kino Hawkhurst (worth £9.25) that may be redeemed when purchasing another full-price or concession cinema ticket for the same film screening. Promotion runs from 1st May - 30th June 2010 inclusive for purchases and voucher redemption. Voucher must be presented at time of payment or ticket collection if payment made by phone. May not be combined with any other Kino promotion. Subject to availability at time of booking.
No cash alternative. Non transferable.
Promotion may be withdrawn at any time.

WHAT EVER HAPPEND TO APPELATION CONTROLEE?

2010-05-01T16:40:00.004+01:00

When I joined the wine business way back in 1988 the French AOC or Appellation Controlee quality control system was the watch word for quality and integrity. In short it was the industry standard. Sadly now in 2010 in the lower to middle price brackets it is almost irrelevant.

For instance. As little as ten years ago it was very difficult to sell a Vin d'pays wine along side a AOC wine for the same or higher price. Now I can mix these two classifications on the racks side by side at the same price and nobody bats an eyelid. Unthinkable in 1988.

The AOC system once the envy of the world was set up in the 30's at a time when making wine was a bit of a free for all. It was common place to add ruff heavy wine from north Africa to say Chateauneuf du Pape to give it more body and it was not uncommon to add Chateauneuf to Claret to give that a bit of umph! Things were getting badly out of control and the French government decided they must act to safe guard the reputation of their most treasured 'liquid asset. So in short this a basic description

An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, such as what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors, may also apply before an appellation name may legally appear on a wine bottle label. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the area of France in which the wine was produced.

In 1935, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), a branch of the French Ministry of Agriculture, was created to manage wine-processing in France. In the Rhone wine region Baron Pierre Le Roy Boiseaumarié, a lawyer and winegrower from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, obtained legal recognition of the Côtes du Rhône appellation of origin in 1937. The AOC seal, or Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, was created and mandated by French laws in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

The trouble is that AOC was really only set up for the French and nobody else! It is quite difficult to understand without doing you home work first. Of course if your buying from a good knowledgeable wine merchant this isn't really a problem. But in the supermarket or the local convenience store it is a huge problem!

The thing that has really done for AOC is the thing that has done for French wine in general and that is the huge rise in sales of 'new world wine' By putting the name of the grape variety on the front of the label they have completely cut through all the mystery that once surrounded French wine. the attitude now is "I like Merlot and I like £5 per bottle. I'll buy it"

But of course it has also done away with a lot of the romance, history and little quirks that make wine fun and interesting over and above getting pissed!

Look. If I buy a bottle of Sauvingnon blanc from Chile I know that it is going to taste like a Sav Blanc from Chile. However if I buy a bottle of Sancerre, made from Sav blanc I know that it is going to taste different from a bottle of Pouilly Fume also made from Sav blanc and I might prefer my Sav blanc slightly more rounded in flavour with a little less acidity and Pouilly Fume gives me that! Get the idea?

If you know enough you can even differentiate between two differant vineyards in the same area growing the same grapes! That means in the middle to upper price brackets in the world of fine wine the AOC system still plays a crucial role.

But towards the bottom end I guess the only thing that matters is. Is is under £4? and is it at least 14% Alc!

2010-04-16T14:35:00.000+01:00

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WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE' WINE MIDDLE GROUND?'

2010-03-30T15:29:00.005+01:00

On Saturday night we had a dinner and wine tasting here at Maison Du Vin.

Around the dinner table conversation a question was posed. In the world of buying wine

'What has happened to the middle ground?' It was a good question and provoked an interesting debate. It seems that the vast majority of the wine buying public do not know where the middle ground is either? This is born out by the stark truth that around 80% of all wine sold in the UK is around the £4 a bottle mark. Sales of fine wines say over £15 per bottle are a fraction of the remaining 20%. So this leaves a whopping price band that has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from the countries consciousness

Well hijacked actually, hijacked by the Supermarkets! Who else? They dominate the market. You see they have managed through clever marketing to 'shoe horn most of the countries wine buyers into that very narrow price band that is most profitable and most efficient for them. The £4.00 - £5 bracket.

It is in this grubby little hole where all the truly nasty branded horrors lie. The type of wine that you finished off at a party and wished you hadn't! The cocktail of chemicals that has never been anywhere near a vineyard and has probably been made by boiling a pan of water and waving a bunch of grapes over the top! You may point out that most supermarkets have a so called 'Fine wine section' but is never promoted and sales are in general pretty poor.

Conversely of course all the cheap branded rubbish is promoted to hell.

Over the last ten years or so, many many people have adopted a mind set that pigeon holes wine into two categories. Cheap everyday at £4 then a quantum leap right up to fine wines at £20 a bottle plus. Which in most peoples minds is 'far to good for the likes of them!'

Now here is something that might shock and amaze you. The middle ground is only £2 a bottle more! YES just two quid.

When I first started in the wine trade over 20 years ago the middle ground was where most people spent there money and found great value and nothing has changed. In fact I would say that it has got a whole lot better. So where is this hallowed ground? £6 - £12 per bottle that's where £15 if you want to push it. This is where you are going to find all the great wines that time forgot. Macon Village. Cotes du Rhone Village. Chablis, Sancerre, Rioja, Chianti and many many more. Not to mention lots of great bottles from new world independent producers. One could easily drown ones sorrow's in this huge price vat for the rest of ones life and be constantly surprised and delighted and this bracket stretches across all wine producing countries and grape varieties. It opens up an entire new world of discovery and boundless enjoyment and it is only £2 a bottle more.

Now come on. If somebody offered you the chance to change your life for an extra two quid

would you not be tempted? GO ON. GIVE IT A GO!

MAISON DU VIN EMERGENCY WINE DELIVERIES

2010-03-20T17:18:00.003Z

PEOPLE ROUND FOR DINNER TONIGHT?
FORGOTEN TO ORGANISE THE WINE?
NO PROBLEM WE CAN DO THAT

JUST GIVE US A CALL OR FIRE OFF AN EMAIL
TELL US WHAT YOU WANT
AND IT CAN BE DELIVERED BY 6 PM THE SAME DAY!
CHILLED OR WARMED AND DECANTED IF REQUIRED!
NEXT TO THE AA WE ARE THE 5TH EMERGENCY SERVICE!
CALL 01580 754487 TEXT 07973721350
EMAIL kvgriffin@aol.com

SERVICE IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO WITHIN A 10 MILE RADIUS OF HAWKHURST
SUPPLY IS LIMITED TO AVAILABILITY £50 MIN ORDER VALUE

Have you ever loved a wine so much.......?

2010-03-16T15:31:00.002Z

HAVE YOU EVER LOVED A WINE SO MUCH THAT YOU COULD TAKE A BATH IN IT?

THIS LOT OBVIOUSLY DID JUST THAT!

Wine in deep do-do

2010-03-09T15:15:00.002Z

Once again Wine is in deep do-do.Article Posted: Saturday October 17thArticle last updated on: Saturday October 17th
Once again Wine is in deep do-do. By Antony le Ray-Cook Oct 09 Television in- France 2 has alleged that wine is full of pesticides, which according to the non-pros can lead to illness. The wine industry has slammed a French television report on pesticides in wine as 'misleading'.
The programme said pesticide traces in wine may lead to illness. It also described the use of non indigenous yeasts in fermentation and the addition of sugar (chaptalisation) as unnatural.
'Wine, is it still a natural product?' was viewed by millions in France Jean-Louis Salies, president of the Comité National des Interprofessions des Vins " Appellation d'Origine (CNIV) expressed 'profound anger' at the report. His thoughts are enjoined by Wine & Dine plus millions of pros.
In an 8 October letter to France 2, obtained by decanter.com, he wrote, 'Pesticide use has dramatically dropped in the last ten years. Any residual pesticide in glass is subject to maximum limits.'
In the programme Ghislain de Montgolfier of Champagne Bollinger admits there are traces of pesticides in wine, but they would be harmful only if consumed in massive amounts.
'So I would not advise you to drink more than 150 bottles of Champagne per day,' he joked. Try as I might 150 bottles a day is just a little much for a grown man! M. de Montgolfier later explained to decanter.com pesticide levels in wine must be 'within limits for wine and wine grapes established by the World Health Organisation' and so 'the programme was totally misleading.'
'This was a programme made by non-professionals to scare non-professionals,' Diane Flamand, oenologist with Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), told decanter.com.
'What shocked me is that they did not address lutte raisonée [a system of using pesticides 'within reasonable limits': less often and less aggressively]; excessive pesticide use was a problem 15 years ago, but not today.'

Chiliean earthquake: wineries reaction

2010-03-09T15:07:00.002Z

Written by Richard Siddle /Harpers
Monday, 01 March 2010

Harpers Wine & Spirit has received messages from Chilean producers, O Fournier and Claro Wineries, following this weekend's earthquake and impact on their wineries. We will keep you updated on events as we receive them.

José Manuel Ortega, chairman O. Fournier Group, said: "As most of you may know, we suffered a severe earthquake in Chile yesterday. The center of the earthquake was just 60 miles from our Maule operations. All our staff is well. The challenge now is enormous as we were about to start our harvest.

"Since we started the O. Fournier project 10 years ago, we have had significant and difficult times. This event tops anything we may have encountered in the past for personal and business reasons. I am blessed to have such a brave and committed group of O. Fournier staff in Chile who will be up to the task with the help of everyone else in the O. Fournier family.

"Finally, I want to thank all the people that have contacted us yesterday, from China, Japan, US, England, Holland, Brazil and so many other places. I was deeply touched by such a sense of care and solidarity. These circumstances show once more why the wine business and its people are so special and make me, once more, be extremely proud to be a part of it."

Juan Ramsay, Claro Wineries, said: "Our company is focusing all of its efforts to provide support to the families of those employees that have been affected, and fortunately we have no lives loss to mourn.

"We deeply appreciate all of your calls for support, and we will keep you updated with the latest news we have about this tragedy.

"In the meantime, we would like to ask you for some patience and understanding until we are able to re-establish communications and service."

Earthquake hits Chilean wine regions

2010-03-09T15:00:00.002Z

Written by Harpers Editorial team
Monday, 01 March 2010

Saturday's Chilean earthquake has affected some of the country's wine regions, it has emerged, though the full scale of the damage and loss of life remains unclear.
Michael Cox, UK director of Wines of Chile, described the situation as "alarming, shocking, and concerning" and expressed "heartfelt sympathy to all Chileans" on behalf of the British wine trade.
He added: "At this early stage, it has been difficult to ascertain the extent of the damage to Chile's wine regions and winery infrastructure, but I have had contact with a number of friends in Chile who report that there is significant damage in the southern wine areas closest to the epicentre, notably Bío Bío, Cauquenes, and other parts of Maule, and Curicó.
"Even wineries as far north as Colchagua have been affected, with structural damage, road collapses, and power and communication problems."
Cox said his office would monitor the situation, offering updates whenever possible. He added: "In due course Wines of Chile will find a way to ensure that the UK wine trade can send funds to help families in need as Chile finds its proud feet again."

YET ANOTHER WINE SCANDAL. YAWN!

2010-02-19T14:44:00.004Z

Yes, another major wine scandal has been uncovered. This time involving the French (who else? and giant US wine company Gallo. It seems that for the past few years some French producers have been supplying Gallo with what was supposed to be wine made from the Pinot Noir grape? Turns out that it is anything else but! The thirteen wine producers and traders on trial in the Gallo wine scandal were found guilty of having supplied a large quantity of fake Pinot Noir wines and six were handed a suspended prison sentence in a rare case in which the president of the criminal court said on Wednesday that the fraud had been committed.Claude Courset of the Ducasse wine traders was sentenced to a six-month suspended prison sentence with a fine of €45,000 though the prosecutor had asked for a harsher prison sentence.Five other people were sentenced to fines of between €3,000 and 6,000 and the remaining six for less. The trading firm of Limoux was ordered to pay €180,000 in penalties, according to aThe order is likely to be appealed against.The 13 defendants, including executives from wine estates, cooperatives, a broker, wine merchant Ducasse and conglomerate Sieur d'Arques, were accused of selling 18 million bottles of fake Pinot Noir to Gallo of California. The wine was sold under Gallo's popular "Red Bicyclette" Pinot Noir label though made from far less expensive grape varieties.At an earlier court hearing on January 25, public prosecutor Francis Battut asked for tough sentences, including heavy fines, suspended jail sentences and up to 12 months in jail for one of the defendants.All but two senior executives had admitted their guilt.Scandal reportedly erupted in March 2008 when France's fraud squad, the General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), became suspicious during an audit at Ducasse. He had been buying Pinot Noir at €58 per hL when the official market price was €97 and generic local grape varieties were selling for €45 hL. Also, the volume of wine from the Pinot Noir grape being sold to Gallo far exceeded the possible supply from the region.On the basis of a year-long judicial investigation, the defendants were accused of substituting wine made from less expensive local grape varieties for the Pinot Noir, which is popular on the American market."What worries me the most for my country are the economic consequences," prosecutor Battut said in a telephone interview with AFP, the French news agency." If Americans lose confidence in French wine production, particularly the Languedoc region, which is already going through a serious crisis, the consequences could be terrible."

Comment; The root of all wine scandals is of course greed. Greed on both sides. It beggars belief that Gallo truly thought that they were actually receiving Pinot Noir in the quantities that were being produced and the indeed the price they were paying? Pinot Noir is one of the most expensive grapes to produce and it never really has been successfully mass-produced. Because of this, it does have a huge amount of cache. In addition, to me this has a ring of the 'Kings new Cloths' about it. The thought that not a single US customer complained is both worrying but unsurprising! Worrying that there is still such a massive level of ignorance amongst consumers both here and in the US, that can be exploited in this underhand way. Unsurprising in that at this low level of purchase few questions are asked. If no one spits it out and no one dies then who cares? And for this very reason, most wine scandals are perpetrated at the bottom end of the market. I had to laugh when I heard the author Malcolm Gluck being interview on Radio 2 about this recent scandal. Gluck was very quick to get on his high horse and condemn such villainous behaviour. But here's a thing Malcolm has built his name on promoting the virtues of drinking plonk. Doubtless, many of you will have seen or read his bestselling book of the same name. But it is the continuing dumbing down of wine and it's pricing that leads to many of theses scandals in the first place. In the world of wine, you really do get what you pay for. Well most of the time?
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The Joys of being a Wine Merchant

2010-02-17T16:35:00.002Z

It seems that the problems of USA wine merchants are not that different from ours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTS3pwFtgeI

BORDEAUX 2009

2010-02-17T16:23:00.002Z

As usual the Bordelais are hyping up the latest vintage, in order of course to get the highest possible prices. Apart from some hail early in the season it seems to have been a year when the vintage is exellent. Some experts think it will rival the exellemt 2005, but others including Robert Parker are at the moment cooler about it. Demand from the Far East as usual seems to be strong so 2009 will not in any case be cheap. No doubt the MW's will have lots to say when the fomal releases are made so we will have to wait and see.

WINE CELLAR SUPPERS AT MAISON DU VIN

2010-02-09T15:17:00.003Z

On Saturday 30th of May What’s On were delighted to be invited to a unique event held at one of the south east’s most prestigious fine wine venues. Maison du Vin of Hawkhurst.
We were among a select gathering assembled at the launch of Maison du Vin’s Wine Cellar Suppers’
Jean- Pierre Mucyn, a rising stars of the Northern Rhone, flew in especially to attend the event and present his 2007 wines. It is a vintage that has all the hallmarks of greatness and is set to be one of the best ever years in the Rhone Valley.
We were treated to both Red and White Croze - Hermitage and Red and White St Joseph. All the wines tasted fab and had all the characteristics of a landmark vintage.
Maison Du Vin’s proprietor Kevin Griffin is a chef by profession and did most of his training in the wine regions of France. Kevin served us a traditional and authentic Coq au Vin. Described by Jean-Pierre Mucyn ‘As a triumph!’
Wine Cellar suppers are a unique dinning and wine tasting experience perfect for celebrations, get-together’s and a very special birthday present for the wine lover in your life.
Your evening will be hosted by Kevin Griffin and prices start at £15 per head, which includes a tasting of eight different wines and supper afterwards.
Each event can be tailored to suite your individual requirements.
To find out more or book an event please phone Kevin on 01580 753487 or email kvgriffin@aol.com.

Wine Safari to the Loire Valley

2010-02-09T12:56:00.003Z

The magnificent Loire is the last of France's truly great wild rivers. Unlike its peers, the Dordogne and the Rhone the Loire remains un-dammed throughout its 634-mile journey from the southern Masif Central region to the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of France

I am sure if you were to ask any number of UK wine drinkers to name 10 French wines, without doubt two names from the Loire would be included. Sancerre and Muscadet.
Yet this fascinating beautiful area of France produces scores of different wines of all styles including the driest of whites. Some of the world’s best dessert wines. Red and sparkling wines. It is intriguing to think that although the Loire has been a top tourist destination for us Britt’s for decades the bulk of its wines remain largely undiscovered.
However, all that was about to change for us and twenty other lucky people when we were taken to Tours by Maison du Vin of Hawkhurst on one of their Wine Safaris at the beginning of October.
First of all if you have not been. Tours (capital of the Loire) is a beautiful city and we were staying right in the centre at the cities only four star Hotel the Hotel Univers. Highly recommended.
Tours is vibrant, bustling and full of style and charm. Head for the old town and you will find a clutch of gorgeous little squares and pavement cafe's and Bistro’s.
This year’s trip started at Ashford International rail station where we boarded the Eurostar at 7.30 am bound for Paris. We were all treated to a fabulous on board breakfast of Bagels filled with smoke salmon and cream cheese plus of course croissants. Oh, there were also some individual fruit salads for some of the more health conscious. All this was provided by Linda Markwick Catering of Tunbridge Wells.
Now despite the early start all this lovely food had to be washed down with more than just mere tea or coffee. Therefore, Maison du Vin provided some bubbly. By the time we got to Paris we were all holiday happy! The second leg of the Journey Paris to Tours takes less than an hour on the TGV. Our arrival time in Tour was 1.30 pm. Therefore, we just had time to fit in another onboard snack. This time we all tucked into a magnificent giant Pork Pie! Not very French but none the less delicious. The pie was made by long standing Maison du Vin customer David Sloan of Classic Touring. This masterpiece of culinary engineering received many admiring glances from fellow passengers as they shuffled passed on their way to the buffet car! You will not be surprised to find out that a few glasses of Vin Rouge washed it down!
The rest of the weekend was spent visiting a host of superb wineries and tasting some truly great wines. One of the unique features of the region is the many Troglodyte dwellings that litter the hillside and cliff faces. Some of the larger ones have been utilised by Wines Makers for cellarage.
One of the biggest and best known is Akerman-RemyPannier in Saumur, whom we enjoyed lunch with on the Saturday followed by a tasting and tour of its 7k of tunnels! Well, not all 7k
Before this, we had visited the region of ‘Chinon’ famous for its chunky red wines made from the Cabernet Franc grape. There we were to meet Ken Soni who owns Domaine Daniel Chaveau.
Ken is a wine maker from California who purchased the estate two years ago. A total eccentric complete with ponytail and cowboy hat! Of course, the locals think he is crazy and they might be right. Even Ken thinks that he is crazy! Nevertheless, judging by what he has achieved in the short space of time he has been there Ken is definitely a wine maker to watch. Anyway. Craziness has never been a barrier to making great wine!
By far and away, the biggest high light of the trip was our visit and tasting on Sunday morning to Domaine Huet in Vouvray
. Talk about saving the best until last! We were personally greeted and escorted by owner and world-renowned wine maker Noel Pinguet. Who had generously agreed to open up especially for us.
Almost the entire operation at Domaine Huet is built into the side a cliff. There is a labyrinth of tunnels where many treasured vintages lay quietly sleeping. Many dating back to the 1920’s and the early 1900’s! So, if you thought that white wine does not age. Think again.
Vouvray is exclusively a white wine appellation with Chenin blanc being the predominant grape variety.
Our tasting was led by Noel Pinguet and consisted of Dry, sweet, semi-sweet and sparkling wine all made from Chenin. All the wines stood out for their amazing balance, freshness and character.
The Loire valley is stunningly beautiful with a fairy tale chateau around every corner. Known as the playground of the Kings. It was once just that. A place where the Nobility of France came to play.
As the majestic Loire slowly makes its way to the sea it was soon our turn to slowly make our way home. Tired but very happy! As our train slowly slipped out of Tours, I began to contemplate what a wonderful time we had all had. This lovely corner of France may be a playground for Kings but for one glorious, golden sunny weekend in October, it was all ours.
Many thanks to Maison Du Vin for yet another fantastic Wine Safari
Cut and paste the link below into your browser to see a slide show of the trip.

http://www.whats-on-magazine.com/2009/11/05/whats-on-magazine-on-wine-safari/

What we've been eating and drinking

2009-01-17T11:51:00.005Z

Friday 16th January 2009

Got home at 7pm Beverley-the wife- had already put some Pommes dauphinoise in the oven. I had bought some locally reared lamb chops from our village butcher.
Under the grill with fresh rosemary and garlic cloves. Carrots and pettit pois
for veg plus some flageolet beans mixed with coarsely ground black pepper and fresh sage. Now here’s a tip. The finer you mill pepper the hotter it becomes. White pepper is much hotter than black by the way. So if you want your dish to be imbued with a gentle spicy heat don't even use the pepper grinder. Just get some black pepper corns and crush them with the heal of a heavy saucepan or cover them with a tea towel and crush with a rolling pin. Instead of chopping up the sage leaves just tear them in half or quarters. Toss the whole lot into the beans and heat.
For me Flageolet beans and lamb are a marriage made in heaven. Don't bugger around with dried beans just by a tin!
I like to have a glass of Vino when I'm cooking so I was delighted to find in the fridge at least two large glasses left in the bottle of last nights Vouvray.
Until we started stocking this wine I had forgotten just how good it can be.
I personally think that Chenin Blanc is one of the worlds most underrated grapes. It makes both dry and sweet wines and indeed you can get both sweet and dry Vouvray.
This particular one is dry made from old Vines by Bourillon Dorleans. It is just sensational. Dry full with ripping acidity but perfectly balanced with a hint of apricots. Can't stop drinking it.

By 7.30 we were sitting down. The lamb was pink and succulent. The dauphinoise were creamy and fab. The beans orgasmic.

This was washed down with an inexpensive Chateauneuf-du-pape from Domaine Pere Eugene 2005. Light but very fruit driven with good regional character.

Dessert was a lemon cheese cake then of course 'The Cheese' I don't have many vices but cheese and chocolate are certainly two of them. I don't have to do a whole cheese board to get my cheese fix after a meal just one or two really good ones will do. Now this particular one purchased at a local village grocers was an absolute delight. unpasturised farm house cheddar from the Isle of Mull! It was terrific.
Who'd have thought it.Cheese from the Isle of Mull bought in a village store in Kent!
There be women driving lorries soon. Anyway by 10pm I was feeling no pain and had fallen asleep in the armchair watching 'Iron Man' Hey! I know how to live.

Both wines mention are available on our web site www.maison-du-vin.co.uk
or give me a call on 01580 753487

Credit crunch wine punch up!

2009-01-13T16:34:00.005Z

The sale of onions is going through the roof! Demand is massive according to onion sellers and producers. Restaurants are virtually empty and closing down at an alarming rate! These are sure-fire indicators that in these hard pressed times the great British public are choosing to stay at home and cook! Yes dinner parties and that cosy meal for two are on the increase.
So apart from the food and the company. What do you need to make the evening a sure fire success? A nice bottle of wine, or three, of course. And where would you go to buy that wine? Not your local supermarket it seems? Oh no it seems that despite the great opportunity to get the average wine buyer to trade up the big boys who control and dominate the market are peddling even more of their innocuous three quide, and less God help us, utter, utter cats piss in a bottle! My God what are they on?
Perhaps Justine Rose chief ex of Sainsbugs is reading this? Or even Sir Terry Lehey of Tescos? In case they are, here is a little tip boys. PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE AND STILL HAVE A GOOD TIME. SOD THE CREDIT CRUNCH! Instead of going out and paying through the nose for over priced mediocre wine in restaurants people can afford to push the boat out a bit in the comfort of their own homes. Experiment a bit.Once you get above £5 a bottle a whole new world opens up. A wonderful world of great tasting and characterfull wines that you could spend the rest of your life exploring and never spend more than £10.00. So why would anyone want to buy a bottle of Spanish rose at £2.89! Because they think they are getting a bargain?
Look, do the maths. At bottle of wine at £3.00 contains £1.57 duty and 15% vat. Once all the other costs have been paid THERE IS NO WINE LEFT! The only people who benefit from these deals are the supermarkets and all you and your guests will get is pissed and a headache in the morning.

Please. Wine drinkers everywhere. There is so much more to wine drinking than just getting some alcohol down your neck the cheapest way possible. Live a bit eh?

Is this one of the most expensive bottles of wine being retailed in the UK?

2009-01-03T16:32:00.007Z

Esteemed fine wine merchants Maison du Vin of Hawkhurst Kent currently have on there shelves for sale one bottle of 'Richebourg' 1993 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti.The price is a mere £900.00 You may fall of your chair but when it comes to investing in wine few wines give a return greater than 'Domaine de la Romanee-Conti.' Situated in the village of Vosne-Romanee in northern Burgundy this small Domaine comprises of five tiny grand cru vineyards. Romanee-Conti, the flag ship wine, LaTache,Richebourg,
Romanee-St-Vivant, Grands Echezeaux. These five tiny plots of land together make up less than 74 acres and between them have an average production of approximately 73,000 bottles. Just over a thousand bottles per acre. The smallest number is that of Romanee-Conti just 6.500/7.500 bottles from 4.32 acres.
Small yields in deed but these wines offer big returns for investors ranging from 64% to 150% since 2004. The best performer being LaTache up by 234%! No wonder with the FT finishing the year with its worst performance ever, more and more people are looking to invest in fine wines. So much so that Maison du Vin are launching there own wine fund and expect to be able to give share holders an average return of between 10 and 15%. An initial 100 shares will be issued at £1000 per share.
For more information contact Kevin Griffin at kvgriffin@aol.com

Are you getting the deal you think you are

2008-11-15T14:53:00.002Z

As things get tougher on the high street. The big wine retailers come up with ever more tempting offers. In fact over the last few weeks there has been an explosion in the big four supermarkets of what would appear to be some very tempting offers.
Some almost too good to be true?
My local superstore has wine pilled up right inside the door as you go in. Half price offer they proudly boast. For example Pinot Grigio rrp £8.99 now £4.50 min purchase 6 bottles. Great you might think? And certainly people are filling their trolleys with the stuff. You may have been one of them? But let me ask you this. Would you be so keen if it was just priced at £4.50? Probably not? But that's all it's worth.

You see the thing is it's this rrp (recommended retail price) you have to be careful of. This wine hasn’t previously been on sale at £8.99. Who has recommended that it be sold at £8.99? The supermarket themselves? We would all love to be able to charge much more for our wine than we actually do. Fact is that no wine is worth more than the market is willing to pay. So these inflated prices are at best aspirational or at worst very sharp marketing that is just within the law. Because clearly very few people are going to pay £8.99 for a bottle of PG but many would like to think that they have bagged a bargain. If you don't believe me put it to the test. Look out for one of these deals out Tesco's biggest rival. Buy a bottle of Pinot Grigio or anything else on one of these half price deals and taste it along side it's equivalent bog standard relative being sold at it's non inflated price and see if you can spot the difference? At the same time ask yourself if you would have been happy to pay double for it? Because you should have been. Fact is if it's been offered at half price then it should be worth full price.

Next time you’re in a supermarket take some time to look past all the generic brands like Blossom Hill, Jacobs Creek etc etc. Look past all the promotions and you will see that all of the serious well made wine that has some regional identity is no cheaper here than it is from most good independent wine merchants.
What's that old saying? Can't see the wood for the trees.

Another Italian wine under suspicion

2008-08-18T12:41:00.009+01:00

Another Italian red wine is being investigated by Italian authorities for possible fraudulent grape mixing. U.S. trade authorities are again stopping the import of some wine until the Italian authorities have concluded their investigations.

The possible fraud is the second case in a year of Italian producers mixing wines with the wrong grapes. Earlier this year Italian authorities questioned whether some Brunello producers in Montalcino were blending their wines rather than using 100 percent Sangiovese grapes, as required.

Now two producers of Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano are being investigated for possibly using grapes from outside the region. Italian standards say the wine must be made from 70 percent Sangiovese grapes and the remaining grapes must come from the same region.

The U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau, have stopped issuing new labels to wine produced from June onwards until the Italian authorities can prove their has been no mixing up of the grape.

"We are waiting to ensure the label claims and for confirmation from Italian authorities," Gail Davis, the bureau's international trade division director, said. Davis said the bureau was also reviewing labeling of French wines from St. Emilion, based on media reports of a dispute over wine classification in France.

Robotic wine taster

2008-08-05T14:05:00.002+01:00

A new robotic wine taster has been invented by scientists. Designed for quality control in the field, the device is made up of six sensors which detect substances characteristic of a certain wine variety. Components such as acid, sugar and alcohol can be measured by this detection, and from these parameters it can determine the age and variety of the wine.

The tongue was invented by scientists at the Barcelona Institute of Microelectronics, Spain, and is reported in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal The Analyst.

Wine industry specialists told the researchers they lacked a fast way to assess quality of wines – it takes a long time to send samples to a central laboratory for processing.

Cecilia Jiménez-Jorquera one of the inventors said: "This new tongue is not only swift, but also portable, cheap to manufacture, and can be trained to taste new varieties as required. The device could be used to detect frauds committed regarding the vintage year of the wine, or the grape varieties used."

Holy Wine

2008-07-28T11:08:00.004+01:00

A nun from rural Mahlabathini in South Africa who makes her own wine from beetroot, Is set to turn it into a commercial venture thanks to the help of the South African health minister who was left speechless when she tasted the wine at an agricultural expo and promised to help her produce the wine commercially.

69-year-old Sister Lydia Ngema from the Order of Saint Benedict joined the Thwasana mission at the age of 14 and started making wine in 1977 as a hobby. But has never actually tasted her wine as alcohol consumption is not permitted by the Order of Saint Benedict.

Sister Ngema said "her wine-making had been controversial because people assumed she drank what she made. I don't touch it. None of us drink here, here; we are not allowed to drink any form of alcohol. I don't taste my own wine."

She added "almost any fruit or vegetable could be used to make wine. I make seven types - from beetroot, plums, carrots, oranges, grapes, grapefruit, and mixed-fruit wine. Virtually anything can be turned into wine."

According to Sister Ngema, it takes five years to make a good wine, but she said big companies had a way of speeding up the process. "Which is what makes my wine so unique - it's made from ordinary fruit and matures on its own."

It is hoped the new business venture will provide jobs for the local community and any profits will go back to helping the local community
.

The art of wine making

2008-07-22T15:26:00.003+01:00

Great news for white lovers!

2008-06-24T11:13:00.012+01:00

A white wine which is as beneficial to health as red wine has been developed by scientists.

The Israeli wine contains enhanced levels of plant chemicals which are believed to fight heart disease.

Researchers from Technion, the Israeli Institute of Technology, found that they were able to fortify white wine with health-giving polyphenol compounds.

Red wine is naturally fortified with the compounds, which are concentrated in grape skins.

The fermentation process releases the polyphenols, giving red wine its colour and its antioxidant properties.

So how do you solve the moral dilemma - is it a glass of white or a glass of red the doctor ordered??

The all blacks are coming

2008-06-02T12:06:00.009+01:00

There's trouble brewing in the New World!

Australian wine makers have been warned to expect a lot more competition from neighbours New Zealand over the next year. New Zealand has just recorded its biggest ever vintage, with yields up almost 40 per cent on last season.

Philip Gregan, from the New Zealand Wine Growers, says more pinot noir, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc will be exported to Australia.

"We think we're in for quite a challenging marketing year, because the vintage came in that much bigger than we expected," he says.

"Having said that, we are seeing very strong demand in Australia, in the United Kingdom, the United States and a number of other markets as well, so I think we can say it's going to be a very interesting year, we'll just see how strong that demand is."

Tragedy of wine producer

2008-05-27T15:01:00.011+01:00

A wine producer was killed in a freak accident at his vineyard when he was crushed by hundreds of bottles.

George Musgrave, 66, who ran Polmassick Vineyard in St Ewe, Cornwall, with his wife Barbara, 62, was killed when half a tonne of empty bottles fell on the father of two.

He was airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, but later died from his injuries.

Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

India set to shine in the world of wine

2008-05-19T08:25:00.002+01:00

The London International Wine Fair opens in London this week and some of the more unusual brands on display are from India.

Industry experts are predicting that India will emerge as one of the largest wine producers in the world in the next fifty years.

Some of the Indian brands to be showcased at the fair include Marquise De Pompadour, Tiger Hill, Indage Reserve, Chantilli, Riviera, Ivy and Omar Khayyam.

Most of their technology and advice is from Europe, Indian winemakers are now promoting themselves in a big way to catch the attention of the rest of the world. Though India offers an ideal climate for winemaking and Indian wines have also won many prizes abroad, the biggest challenge for their industry is to make wine lovers around the world comfortable with the Made in India tag.

2008-05-13T12:05:00.005+01:00

China will be leading wine producer by 2058

China will come to the fore in the next half-century and emerge as the leading wine producing country. This is according to a new document out from Berry Bros & Rudd entitled 'The Future of Wine Report'.

Two significant areas are set for change in the next fifty years, it says. Firstly, the rise of wine brands will lead to massive changes in the marketing and packaging of wine products and secondly New World wine countries will see radical changes as climate change sets in.
China especially (currently the world's sixth largest wine producer and number four in terms of area under vine) will come to prominence as the leading producer by 2058.

The report says Cabernets and Chardonnays, in particular, will be in demand.

Alun Griffiths MW said: "China has the vineyards, but not the technical expertise, however, if good people from wine producing countries think there is opportunity to make wine in China, they will go there and invest."

Just for the computer buffs?

2008-05-09T10:26:00.001+01:00

Our prayers have been answered!!

Women hospitalised after cafe mistakes washing up liquid for wine

2008-05-09T10:15:00.002+01:00

Two women have been taken to hospital after a New Zealand cafe mistakenly served dishwashing liquid as mulled wine.

Chico's Restaurant in the mountain resort of Queenstown on South Island pleaded guilty to a charge of selling food containing extraneous matter — the chemical sodium hydroxide — that caused injury

Customer Sarah Ferguson had ordered a glass of "Mountain Thunder" mulled wine from the cafe and spat out the liquid when she experienced a burning sensation on her lips and mouth.
Cafe worker Bethany Sim then offered to test the drink and suffered a similar reaction.

I can think of some so-called popular wines over here that may struggle to pass the dishwasher test!!

Same wine - different lable

2008-04-14T19:23:00.006+01:00

Have you ever wondered if you are continually drinking the same wine but with a different label?

Well your concerns may not be unfounded.

A recent industry report flagged up a frightening statistic - there are currently an estimated 3000 second labels floating around the worlds wine racks.

So what is a second label? Lets be clear, it is not a second wine. Merely a bottle with a differently designed label to disguise the fact that there are thousands of wines on sale in the high street that are exactly the same in every detail. Except for the name and the price - yep, the price.

Second labels are a valuable, cost effective tool for the the majors to make more money without over stocking. It enables them to widen their range of wines and spread it out around different stores, without actually having to buy new wines from different growers. There are many growers that will quite happily label many of their wines to suite your requirements. Therefore if you have a chain of shops you can label the same wines to suite the expectations of your clientele. For example if you have two shops, one in a fairly affluent area and one in an area where the customers are a bit more price sensitive. You can label the same wine differently to appeal to both sets of customers.

It also enables you to charge a £1 or so extra depending on what you think it will bear.

It is a useful tool for the majors who stock their wine departments according to the demographic of each particular stores customer base. It also enables the producers or their agents to sell the same wine to different companies without conflicting overlaps.

Is it illegal? No it certainly is not. There are strict EU laws governing the labeling of wine.

According to the Food standards Agency these are the legal requirements.

'Specific mandatory items must be shown, in one field of vision. These include nominal volume (eg 75cl), alcoholic strength (eg 11.5% vol), bottler's details, country of origin, type of wine. In addition a statement about the sulphur dioxide content will be required on any label when this exceeds 10mg/litre.'

That is all you legally need to have on the wine label and it doesn't even need to be on the front label. It is perfectly OK to print all this info on a back label.

You may now feel as though you've been had but is this any different than buying cheaper own brand products rather paying more for the leading brand that is made by the same manufacturer? You may well be paying more for the same product because of the way it is dressed up?

A case of 'The King's new clothes' maybe?

Credit crisis? What crisis?

2008-04-14T11:25:00.004+01:00

While the global credit crunch has forced many consumers to curtail their spending, one Beijing-based billionaire has splashed out a record $500,000 on 27 bottles of red wine.

The anonymous Chinese entrepreneur bought a mix of vintages of Romanee Conti, a Burgundy wine and considered to be among the world's most exclusive with only 450 cases produced each year.

The price is the highest that has ever been achieved for a single lot at auction.

And the best part of the story? Apaprently, he hasn't bought the wine as an investment - he's bought it to drink!

New contender for the world's most expensive wine

2008-04-07T18:31:00.006+01:00

Champagne house Krug has announced the release of it's new 1995 Clos d'Ambonnay. This is their first new release since launching their Rose 25 years ago. It's also the House's first 'Blanc de Noirs' - meaning that it is made entirely from Red grapes, in this case Pinot Noir.

But the real headline grabber is the price which is £1500 - £2000 - per bottle, not per case! This phenomenal price puts it above the price of other heavyweights such as Dommaine de Rommane Conti and Chateau Petrus.

So how do Krug justify such a price? Well at the risk of sounding glib, they won't have to. The fact's are it was produced from one tiny walled vineyard the Clos d'Ambonnay which is just 0.6 of a ha. In 1995 it yielded a paultry 250 cases. So it is inevitable that demand will outstrip supply - even at such an exorbitant price. One London merchant is reputed to have claimed that he could sell the whole lot with one phone call.

But never mind the price, does it taste any good? Well according to Serena Sutcliffe MW who tasted the wine last year "It is quite sensational" and more then worthy of the Krug name.

The question is "could you tell the difference between the Clos d'Ambonnay and a glass of traditional Moet et Chandon? I think the answer has to be an emphatic 'Yes!' But, could you justify the price?

Hmmmm ....... better sleep on that one!

Read more about super expensive wines http://thewineword.blogspot.com/2008/02/worlds-most-expensive-wines.html

Italian officials block shipment of Brunello di Montalcino wines

2008-04-04T15:49:00.002+01:00

Italian officials have blocked the shipment of Brunello di Montalcino's wines.

The magistrate of Siena, an appointed judicial authority, has questioned the controls exercised by the consortium of Brunello di Montalcino, which governs the stipulations of how the wine is made in both the vineyard and the cellar.

Authorities are scanning thousands of documents, including winemaker notes, harvest and bottling records, Consorzio registrations and DOCG stamps.

If the slightest discrepancy is found, even if subject to interpretation and explanation, the existing stocks of the 2003 vintage Brunello, the year in question, will be sequestered from distribution, the company said in a statement.

Stocks already on store shelves and restaurant cellars will not be affected.

"The situation has quickly become political and threatens the commerce of innumerable small businesses and the pleasure of millions of consumers around the world,” Marc Goodrich, chief operating officer of Banfi Vintners, a US importer of the wines, said.

“The promise of Brunello to the consumer remains valid and unquestioned, but has been caught in crossfire between warring factions in what amounts to a political disgrace.”

Goodrich claims the majority of Brunello producers are likely to come under scrutiny. This could lead to the sale of the 2003 vintage suspended, potentially for several months if not longer.
“We will not know what really happened until all the political dust settles and the authorities retreat,” he said. "But in the meantime, they have put at risk the commercial, social and governmental reputation of all Italy.”

Red wine kills cancer cells?

2008-03-28T08:53:00.002Z

A natural anti-oxidant in grape skins and red wine can help kill cancer cells in the pancreas by crippling the cells’ core energy source, says a new study.

Findings of the study have been published in the latest edition of the journal, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Other natural anti-oxidants include caffeine, melatonin, flavonoids, polyphenols, and vitamins C and E.

Although red wine consumption during chemotherapy or radiation treatment has not been well-studied, most physicians would not tell the patient to give it up during treatment. Perhaps a better choice, Okunieff said, would be to drink as much red or purple grape juice as desired.

Cheers!

Clarke names Maison in top list

2008-03-25T15:42:00.001Z

For the third year running Maison du Vin has been named in top wine expert Oz Clarke's list of top UK Wine Merchants!

Oz also lists our Rolle – Chateau Coujan as one of his best 250 wines in the UK.

The wine is now available on line from our shop at only £6.99 per bottle.

Wine maker insures nose for £3.9m

2008-03-19T06:25:00.005Z

A Bordeaux wine maker has insured his nose for £3.9 million, a report in the Daily Telegraph confirms.

The policy was taken out by Ilja Gort, the Dutch owner of the Chateau de la Garde in Bordeaux, France, to cover the loss of his nose and sense of smell.

Mr Gort, who produces Tulipe Wines, said his nose was his most important asset, as a good sense of smell was essential to guarantee the quality of his wines. While the tongue has only five areas of taste, the nose can distinguish millions of different scents, he added. "This certainly is an insurance policy not to be sniffed at," said Jonathan Thomas, lead underwriter at Watkins Syndicate who co-insured the policy with Allianz Nederland.

"The nose and sense of smell of a winemaker are as important as the fingers of a chef.

Has the wine bubble finally burst?

2008-03-15T16:22:00.006Z

For the last year at least the wine world has been rife with rumours of big price increases and the un sustainability of cheap wine.

Now with the huge 14p a bottle duty increase announced in the recent budget, the days of the ‘Bog off’ (buy one get one free) are definitely numbered.

Uk shoppers love a bargain but this ‘mind set’ has largely been indoctrinated by the supermarkets that much prefer to deal in high volume at the cheap and sometimes not so cheerful end of the market.

The storm clouds have been gathering for some time.

Drought, frosts and poor harvests in Australia is one factor.

Up until a few months ago a wine shortage in Oz was unthinkable. But so bad is it that even they have had to import wine to fill their wine boxes! Australia has traditionally supplied the UK with much of its bulk

Branded wines.

Cheap wine revolves around volume. Restrict that volume and producers can no longer afford to take a hit on the discounting demanded by the supermarkets. In reality the only people who have footed the bill for our cheap wine drinking habits is the producer, and the supermarkets have squeezed the life out of them!

There are also increased production costs, transport and the fact that for over a year now UK wine importers have been losing on average 10% against the Euro.

In the past the supermarkets have managed to sustain the £4.00 price slot by sourcing ever-cheaper sources of supply. Remember Bulgarian Cabernet Sauvignon? That was over twenty years ago. When that dried up they went to Chilli, Australia, Argentina. Where next?

The fact is to make cheap palatable wine from pretty poor grapes you need a lot of expertise, good infrastructure, good trade links and money to invest.

There are not to many wine producing countries left that you can trust to come up with the goods on a consistent enough basis.

So is the demise of cheap wine a bad thing? Well we think not.

If the average price of a bottle can nudge through the £5 barrier (it is currently £4) it may well encourage more people to ‘Trade up’ and throw off their ‘Price Shackles’ leaving them free to explore the wonders that await them in which quite frankly is another world!

Have you ever asked yourself ‘How much actual wine am I getting for my £4? After all you’ve paid £4 shouldn’t you get £4 worth of wine?

Sadly not.

The costs associated with making a bottle of wine can vary enormously, and have a profound effect on how the wine will behave once bottled and ultimately drunk.

Let's start by looking at the typical costs of a bottle of wine from Australia to see where the money is spent.

Retail Price

Retail Price £3.00 £5.00 £7.00 £12.00 £20.0 £25.00

Duty* + VAT £1.92 £2.35 £2.69 £3.57 £4.97 £5.85

Shipping Costs £0.20 £0.20 £0.20 £0.20 £0.20 £0.20

Retail mark-up £0.90 £1.50 £2.10 £3.60 £6.00 £7.50

Winemaking cost £0.04 £1.09 £2.15 £4.77 £8.97 £11.59

*Duty based on 2008 £1.47/bottle

You can see that for a £3 bottle of wine the winemaker has 0.04p to grow the grapes, make and bottle the wine. To produce wines on the scale required to be profitable requires a total focus on costs and producing large volumes of cheap grapes.

Your challenge here is to do the maths and try and work out the value of the wine left in the bottle after everyone has been paid. You may struggle?

It stands to reason that you really do get what you pay for and that it is an absolute certainty that the more you pay the better quality you get.

There is also the question of additives. If you find you are waking up with a nasty hangover after a glass or two of pub wine, or any cheap wine for that matter. You are probably justified in feeling unfairly treated. After all you were not drunk? Far from it. No, but you unwittingly drank a cocktail of chemicals and additives!

It stands to reason that if you start out with a poor quality base product. You are going to have to use short cuts and other tactics to cover up those short comings and turn your product into something saleable. Whether it be veneer on chipboard or additives in wine.

There are far less additives (if any) in good quality, relatively expensive wine because the producer doesn’t need to use them. Simple as that.

There is an old French saying in the vineyards

‘Great wine is the result of an exceptional climate and gifted people’

And it is rarely sold cheaply.

Kevin Griffin Interview Harpers Weekly June 2006

2008-02-15T14:15:00.002Z

The following interview with Kevin Griffin, Proprietor of Maison du Vin and The Wine Word first appeared in Harpers Weekly.

What possessed you to buy a shop on a really busy 'A' road between the two parts of a Kent village?

We were looking for a property. We wanted to add some asset to the company. John Toogood and I were looking for a farm or a building with some land where we could have maybe a wine warehouse and storage. We went up many fruitless dead ends, then this property came up. It was an old hairdresser's, with a gym in the cellar and a three-bedroomed apartment upstairs.

It was in a terrible state so it was on the market for a cheap price.

But you guys are former salesmen. I thought you did not want to open a shop?

I had always said I would never, ever run a shop. Forget it, impossible, non-starter – shoot me if I even think of it. But this property happened to come with a shop window, so we thought we'd put stock in the window and if someone comes in and buys a bottle, that's a bonus.

You obviously haven't got any hypermarkets or superstores close by.

There is a Budgens at the top of Moor Hill, but otherwise the nearest Sainsbury's are in Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, both about 15 miles away, and there's a Waitrose in Tenterden. Also, what you have to bear in mind is that this is a rural community and, by definition, they do not like supermarkets.

How did you and John meet and come to work together?

We were both regional sales managers for Pieroth, the company that owns Hallgarten. John left in 1995 and I did not get on with the new German sales director, so I left in 1997. I had not seen John for two years, so I rang him and he said: 'Come and join me.'

We both had loyal customers so we just continued buying wine from the likes of Enotria, Alliance and Wine Services, and picking up bin ends from the likes of Corney & Barrow and Bibendum, and then selling them on. John has customers predominately in Surrey and London, whereas mine are in Kent and Sussex.

We do visits to homes and offices, and John still does a fair amount of selling over the phone.

That's all very well, but you're still in the middle of nowhere.

We're actually in the middle of a huge, moneyed area. All of the villages around here still have a butcher, a baker, a local store, a hairdresser and a post office.

A housewife will ask the butcher to recommend what she should cook and then she asks us what wine she should buy. A man came in and asked if we had Louis Roederer Cristal. I said: 'Yes, the 1997, at £130.' He said: 'Great, I'll take two.' We also do Dom Pérignon 1986 in a gift box for £79.99.

I see you have Penfolds Grange at £150, but what would you say is your speciality?

We are 75% French. I have a hugely wealthy stockbroker who rings me up and says: 'I have no wine and we're having a dinner party.' He orders four or five cases of claret at £40/£45 a bottle and two half-bottles of Y'Quem at £89.99 each. There aren't many shops that have magnums of Mouton (Rothschild) out in the shop.

That's all well and good, but how do you get word around?

We have visiting winemakers – Marion Giribalbi from Piedmont, Florence Guy of Château Coujan in St Chinian and Rueben Uribe Echevevria of Virgen Blanca in Navarre, Spain – who do business lunches and tutored tastings. We get 15 people to lunches and 20 or 30 people to evening tastings. We make about £500/£1,000. We also do wine safaris. Last year, we went to Beaune, the year before Bordeaux and this year the Rhône. We have a luxury coach, and we charge about £750 per person all inclusive. We also have two fine wine auctions a year.

So life seems pretty good. What gets your goat?

What p***** me off is the likes of Sainsbury's and Thresher selling things at cost or 40% off. We are one of the few independents that import our wines direct – we source about 50% direct. Unlike some, that wait and see who the medal winners are and then order them in. We are prepared to take the risk and try different things.

We may have only one Sancerre, but it is a good one.

The Maison du Vin Wine Safari to Italy

2008-02-14T11:30:00.004Z

Once again What’s On Magazine was delighted to accompany Maison du Vin and ten other lucky couples on their latest ‘Wine Safari’ to Piemonte in North West Italy.

The region is home to red wine legends such as Barbera, Barbaresco and the mighty Barolo. There are also some delightful white wines such as Gavi, Arnies and Favorita.

It’s true to say that the area does not get it fair share of tourists as it tends to get bypassed in favour of Tuscany. But we can assure you that the whole region is stunningly beautiful. Made up of a mass of rolling hills and steep vine-covered slopes. Many of the hills are topped with gorgeous ancient villages, like Sinio where we stayed in the luxurious five star Hotel Castello di Sinio.

The Northwest Italians love their food with Saturday and Sunday lunch being particularly important family gatherings. Indeed, one of the many highlights was Saturday Lunch at the ‘Nettle Vigne Trattoria.’ Now many restaurants claim to be set in a vineyard but this is literarily built on a terrace right in the middle of the vine-covered slopes. The views were amazing as was the ten-course lunch!

Every year during the first weekend in October the culinary world descends upon the town of Alba to indulge in the heady delights of its world famous ‘white truffle’ festival. These highly prized and very rare subterranean fungi were changing hands for thousand’s of euros! Needless to say we resisted the temptation. But we were treated to some white truffle shavings as part of our sumptuous eight-course dinner that evening.

The two main wineries we visited were, the internationally renowned ‘Fontanafredda’ and the legendary ‘Mario Giribaldi.’Maison du Vin is the UK’s sole shipper of Giribaldi wines. Mario and his family treated us to a superb eight-course Sunday lunch complete with a wine tasting led by Mario himself.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. Another triumph for Maison du Vin!

Piemonte is a magical, seductive part of Italy. Majestic hills, deep valleys and gentle swirling mists, a fairy tale land of plenty, with a strong sense of ‘La Dolce Vita’. Simply wonderful!

Next year … Tuscany………can’t wait!

Wine Safari to the Rhone Valley

2008-02-12T17:29:00.003Z

This article first appeared in What's On Magazine in November 2006 and is a short account of our Wine Safari to the Rhone Valley in Oct 2006.

We have just returned from another wonderful Wine Safari to the Rhone Valley. Organised by Maison du Vin of Hawkhurst.

Yet again we were very warmly welcomed by all the wine growing families we visited. One of the many high lights was being taken to see a Mobile distillery in action. It was set up in a village car park in Hermitage. It is used to make Eau de vie from the left over grape skins.

The amazing thing is that local people bring their joints of meat to be poached in the hot vats of steaming alcohol and yes we were watching our own lunch being cooked!

A big thank you must go to Jean Pierre Mucyn and his lovely wife Helene of Domaine Mucyn at Tain-Hermitage for their hospitality; to take such a huge chunk out of their very long and busy day would not have been easy at such a critical time of year, yet they chose to share their lunch with 22 strangers! Memories of the few hours we spent with Jean-Pierre & Helen Mucyn and their entire family will stay with us forever.

Their generosity and the way they organised 22 people descending on their home was outstanding special mention must go to Fabrice at Chateau de Beaucastel in Chateau Neuf du Pape.

His enthusiasm commitment eloquence knowledge and delivery were fantastic. Yes, of course he had done it many times before but remember it was'nt just a sales pitch, they don't sell from the Chateau and he is not performing to groups of tourists on the hour every hour.

Again it was an absolute privilege to be there and one not available to the average touring punter! French wine is having a tough time right now so thank goodness for people like Eric Chauvin of Domaine Souverain Sablet (another great lunch by the way)! Fabrice and Jean-Pierre Mucyn. They are at the very vanguard of what still makes French wine so unique and interesting. They deserve our support for they are at the very heart of that one word so uniquely French, one small word that means almost everything. Terroir.

The hopes, dreams, ambitions, disasters, triumphs, history traditions of one place and its people translated through a product captured in a glass of wine, an expression of place. Hand in glove with everything we stand for Real wine Real places Real people.

So ends another wonderful trip. Looking back it seems like the sort of thing that only happens to travel writers, journalists and TV personalities, but it happened to us our happy little band one glorious sunny day in early Autumn, lost somewhere beneath the vine covered slopes of the Northern Rhone - How wonderful!

Special thanks to Kevin and Beverley Griffin of Maison du Vin for organising such a superb weekend and we can't wait for next years Wine Safaris to Italy!

How much would you pay for your wine?

2008-02-11T20:02:00.002Z

OK - so you can buy a bottle of wine for under £3.00 per bottle, but you can pay a whole lot more!

Take these beauties for instance:

Chateau Margaux 1787 £112.500
Chateau Lafite 1787 £80.000
Chateau d'yquem 1784 £28,294
Massandra Sherry 1775 £21,750
Domiane de Rommane Conti 1985 £14,055
Le Montrachet 1978 £11,964
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945 £8,187
Screaming Eagle 1994 £1,916

Would that be one case or two sir!

The One Hundred and Fifty Two Grape Variety Wine

2008-02-02T13:07:00.004Z

Announcing the 'One hundred and fifty two grape variety wine!'

Master Italian Wine Maker Mario Giribaldi has, after ten years work, released his 'Cento Uve' - and the wine is made from 152 different grape varieties!

As you can imagine such a feat is very rarely attempted let alone perfected.

The wine is powerfully built yet has tremendous finesse with lashings of fruit and a wonderful seductive inky black colour. This will reward the patient few for at least the next ten years!

This 2004 vintage is now available in the UK exclusively from Maison du Vin at a price of £29.99 per bottle.

Don't fall into the discount trap!

2007-05-10T17:03:00.002+01:00

It seems that more and more people are sleep walking into the discount trap. The big brands spend obscene amounts of money to get us to believe that there really is a Jacobs Creek, a Blossom Hill, and that their purely generic blend that just happens to be made in South Africa is actually representative of the countries indigenous wines!

65% of wine sold in the UK is on discount. Some of the price-cutting is so deep that most of us must question whether quality can be maintained at such a level. Indeed to quote Oz Clarke in his 2007 wine buying guide. “ The big brands are doing too well out of bribing all of us to drink their wines with deep discounts and half price offers.” Yet despite that the quality has been ebbing away for years. Old world wines, France, Italy, and Spain struggle because they take a bit of effort to understand, most supermarkets admit that they are not in the education business.The truth is that many wines from these Countries offer endless fascination. A fascination that can be enjoyed alone in solitary bliss. Or with groups of friends.

But I guess that it is endemic of today's Society that wine joins the endless list of products that deliver shallow gratification instantly at a rock bottom price. It's up to the individual to decide what they are really buying? But surely it can't be as simple as “How do you want your alcohol and at what cost?