Clos de la Coulée de Serrant: “a fine terroir needs no artifice”
Our new Wine of the Week takes you to the iconic La Coulée de Serrant in the Loire. We spoke to biodynamic authority Nicolas Joly about what makes his wines tick.
Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen, master of the Mâconnais
Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen’s reputation precedes him. Hailed as a master of Chardonnay, Jean-Marie has been influential in elevating the reputation of Mâconnais wines. The success story of his small Vergisson domain has put this little slice of Burgundy on the map. We were fortunate enough to talk to Jean-Marie and learn more about this iconic domain. It was in the 1970s that Maine and Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen made the decision to pack up and leave their native Flanders. They headed to Burgundy in the pursuit of learning French and becoming winemakers. After a pleasant sabbatical…
The principle grape varieties of France | Part 2: Alsace
This week in our tour of the grape varieties of France we head to Alsace. Its perilous location on the German border has given this region a unique viticultural heritage and influences from both countries permeate the wines produced here today. It runs 100km in length from North to South but spans only 2 to 15km in width. With the Vosges Mountains to the West and the Black Forest to the East, this narrow and picturesque slice of France is a series of rolling hills and valleys carpeted in vines and interspersed with…
Champagne exports in 2017: a record year
The Comité Champagne (Comité interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne) has announced that Champagne has set a new record for turnover in 2017, with sales reaching €4.9 billion. This strong progression has been fuelled by a growing international market and a subsequent increase in exports. Last week the trade association Comité Champagne revealed the impressive Champagne sales figures for 2017. At €4.9 billion, 2017 has been a hugely successful year for Champagne producers. This is thanks mainly to an increase in exports which registered a 6.6% rise compared to 2016. The Comité Champagne also…
The principle grape varieties of France | Part 1: Bordeaux
Welcome to the iDealwine guide to the grape varieties of France! We’ll take you on a tour of all the finest French winemaking regions, explaining the key differences between the most commonly found grapes and their specific characteristics, with a little bit of history thrown in too. First stop, the legendary vineyards of Bordeaux. Petrus, Château Margaux, Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château d’Yquem… These domains are emblematic of this great region. Bordeaux is the second biggest winemaking region after the Languedoc-Roussillon and is divided into three different areas stretching across the Garonne and the Dordogne…
Champagne: all change at Pol Roger
The current cellar master at renowned Champagne house Pol Roger, Dominique Petit, will retire next month, his shoes being filled by former director of the Goutte d’Or cooperative, Damien Cambres. Dominique Petit’s roots are in Champagne and his father, grandfather and great grandfather were all winemakers. It’s little surprise therefore that Petit became such a talented cellar master. Since his birth in 1954, Petit has lived in the little village of Verzy in the Reims Mountain. Receiving his oenology degree at the age of 23, he then started working at Maison Krug, where…
Les Vignes de Paradis, a Savoie domain that goes against the grain
Dominique Lucas has a 7.5 hectares plot in Haute-Savoie. In an effort to keep his freedom, he has ventured into biodynamics and rid himself of the constraints that come with making appellation wine. We were itching to know more about why this Burgundian decided to call Savoie his home… The domain is a stone’s throw from Thonon-les-Bains, south of Lac Léman near the Swiss border. The vines are situated in three appellations: Crépy, Marignan and Marin. Dominique Lucas made the decision to downgrade to the ‘IGP’ (Indication géographique protégée) ‘Vin des Allobroges’, a…
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…
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…
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…