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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.…

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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.…

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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…

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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…

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Bordeaux: Cos d’Estournel buys back Château Pomys in Saint-Estèphe

Château Cos d'Estournel’s owner has just acquired the neighbouring Château Pomys, once owned by Louis Gaspard d'Estournel. The acquisition is part of a vision to recreate the original complex. Businessman Michel Reybier, owner of Château Cos d'Estournel, a number of hotels and spas, and other vineyards in Champagne and Hungary (Tokaji), has just bought a new property- Château Pomys in Saint-Estèphe. The chateau lies a few hundred metres from the Cos d'Estournel estate and its acquisition is part of   "Cos d’Estournel’s heritage plans. The purchase of Château Pomys pays tribute to the…

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Invest into wine: a few tips

Evidently, visitors to iDealwine are first and foremost devoted connoisseurs who have come to find some really great wines. Even so – and this is entirely understandable – they'd like some reassurance when buying that they can at least resell their wines, should they fall upon straightened circumstances... or need to make room for other wines! This article, therefore, will deal with some common questions we often hear from our customers. Although it isn't iDealwine's usual philosophy to encourage our customers to invest in wine, we are nonetheless in a privileged position from…

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Read more about the article Are expensive wines really better?
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Are expensive wines really better?

When it comes to selecting a wine we’ve never tasted before, we’ve all asked ourselves this question: can we be certain (or at least stand a greater chance) of getting a top quality wine if we pay a higher price? In theory this is a hard question to answer … However, it would seem that scientific experience from blind tastings can give us some valuable insight into this matter … François Lévêque (Professor of Economics at Mines-Paristech) has written a fascinating article on this topic for lesechos.fr and iDealwine, so we decided it…

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NEW: find organic wines on iDealwine in just one click

iDealwine has introduced another new function - there is, after all, a reason why we won an award for innovation! From now on, to raise the status of estates that care about the environment and our health, we are listing our wines according to production approach. You can find them in just one click - here's how… Astute iDealwine users that you are, you must have noticed that, for a few days now, our search function has included a filter for production criteria. So, if you want to find wines from organic, biodynamic or…

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Rhone wines stand by their strategy to move up-market

The Inter Rhône professional association has set its sights firmly on the “premiumisation” of its wines, targeting the mid to high-end market. It is proud of the potential of its terroirs and appellations, and is convinced that this process is crucial to securing the future of the vineyards. At its latest press conferences (on 24 March in Tain-l’Hermitage and 31 March in Avignon), the Interprofession des vins AOC de la vallée du Rhône, confirmed its strategy to move up-market in the next few years. This could already be seen in action with the…

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