February 2018 – Le blog iDealwine

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:26 February 2018

The fabulous destiny of Château Lafite Rothschild

You don't need to be a wine buff to know that Château Lafite has quite the reputation. Once the tipple of choice of Louis XIV, this illustrious cru now welcomes in a new tandem to take over the reins in 2018. We take a look at the history of this prestigious domain... Where it all began The Lafite seigneury (in Gascony "la hite" means “mound”) dates back to the 13th century and hails originally from the north-west of Pauillac. Here the estate produced wheat and wine across their 110 hectares in Milon, Loubeyres, Anseillan and Pauillac. During…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:23 February 2018

iDealwine tasting: O brave New World!

Raphaël de Fonscolombe, head of Commercial Development at iDealwine (left) and Gaétan Turner from South World Wines (right). In anticipation of our fixed-price sale of non-French wines, the iDealwine team got together to broaden their horizons and taste some exciting bottles from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina. Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming Gaétan Turner to the Paris office who brought with him some delights for us to taste from the New World. When it comes to wine, we French usually reach for a bottle of something local (who…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:23 February 2018

Vineyards of the world: South Africa, Australia, New Zealand

Wines from South Africa Although vine cultivation has a much longer history in this country, the wines of South Africa rose to world fame thanks to Klein Constantia, the wine drunk by Napoleon during his exile on St. Helena. However, the country's vineyards have endured many hardships since then. Firstly, because of the commercial embargo as a result of apartheid; and secondly, because of a national fall in wine consumption. The wine industry has succeeded in its move upmarket, and South Africa has regained its previous status. The country's vineyards are located mainly…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:19 February 2018

Felton Road: a true expression of ‘somewhereness’

With 20 vintages now under its belt, Felton Road has made a name for itself in Central Otago. Classed as Drinks International’s 13th most admired wine brand in 2017, we take a look at why everyone is falling in love with this Kiwi domain. The Felton Road winery in New Zealand’s Central Otago has established itself as something of an institution in recent years and their biodynamic Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Rieslings have garnered them a loyal following. The northerly facing exposure of their vineyards and their contrasting soil profiles give their wines…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:19 February 2018

Vineyards of the world: US, Chile and Argentina

If there's one area where the French can't claim the grass is greener elsewhere, it has to be wine. And yet there are some fabulous wine regions all around the world. The problem is, it's always hard to know where to start. So come with us, and let iDealwine take you on a guided tour of the world. It's a simple fact that the vineyards of France are full of hidden gems, and a single lifetime isn't long enough to discover them all. So we'll have to plead guilty to not being exhaustively…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:15 February 2018

Wine tasting event: 2015 Bordeaux Grands Crus

Tuesday 15th February saw the annual tasting of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux to present the 2015 vintage. This was the perfect occasion to compare this vintage across the appellations. We sent Marie, Elsa and Raphaël down to meet the producers and, more importantly, taste the wines. Here’s the verdict… As you know, the quality of the 2015 vintage in France was universally lauded, especially in Bordeaux where it has even been described as the “vintage of the century”. We must admit the wines we tasted were thoroughly enjoyable despite their youth.…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:15 February 2018

China on course to be the world’s second largest consumer market for wine by 2020

New wine import figures released by the Chinese government give us a glimpse into China’s consumer preferences in this burgeoning market. The latest report from the Chinese government reveals that in 2017 overall imports of bottled wine in China rose by 14.6% in volume and 16.4% in value compared to 2016, putting this country on course to be the second largest market in the wine industry by 2020. The figures also show that the Chinese are still buying French: French wines remain the market leader and account for 40% of the market share.…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:12 February 2018

Interview with Jean-Michel Comme (Pontet-Canet): “the vineyard is my one true passion”

Jean-Michel Comme and his Château Pontet-Canet have been hugely influential in the world of biodynamics and his wines have earned him a loyal following. Jean-Michel was kind enough to take the time to chat to us about his biodynamic journey… iDealwine: Tell us how you went about effectuating the change to biodynamic wine production Jean-Michel: “A lot of hard work went into the move to biodynamics, hard work that started well before Pontet-Canet could actually call itself biodynamic. At the time nowhere in our region was really doing it so we went into…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:7 February 2018

The 2016 vintage in France (part 2)

Following our round up of the 2016 vintage in the northern regions of France, this week we will be focusing on the southern regions including Bordeaux, the Rhône, the Languedoc, Roussillon, Provence and Corsica. Bordeaux Left bank reds: 19/20 Right bank reds: 17/20 Dry whites: 16/20 Sweet whites: 16/20 2016 was a vintage of contrasts in Bordeaux. Many different climatic conditions came together to make this vintage all in all quite difficult. The weather in the first part of the year was (too) humid and the region saw 850mm of rainfall during this…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:6 February 2018

Domaine Pinson in Chablis rooted in Kimmeridgian terroir

The Pinson family have cultivated their vines in prestigious Chablis for nearly four centuries now. Laurent Pinson’s grandparents were, in times past, winemakers, but they were also cattle farmers and this mixed farming approach worked well in their three hectares, protecting them from Mother Nature’s occasional hijinks. After the Second World War, the Pinson family decided to devote their full attention to viticulture, and they still do to this day. Read our interview with Laurent Pinson… After completing their studies in viticulture and oenology in Beaune in the 1980s, Christophe and Laurent Pinson…