Non classé – Page 18 – Le blog iDealwine

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:23 April 2015

Petrus, Krug and wines from Chambertin, Cornas and Alsace in the spotlight

The latest Online Auction that closed on the 15th of April attracted nearly 500 buyers from 30 different countries. All regions garnered interest, in particular wines from Chambertin, Cornas and Alsace, while Petrus and Krug were also stand-out performers. Among the great wines of Bordeaux, Petrus is clearly distinguished, with prices on the rise for all vintages, from the classic years, to the highly sought-after 2000, which sold for €3,360 (+6%). The 2011 Petrus that recently started to appear at sales, already registered good growth compared to the iDealwine estimate, reaching €1,680 (+17%).…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:22 April 2015

Women and wine

As a woman working in the wine industry, I wanted to focus on Wine and Women. When I started working in the wine sector, my friends thought that it was a great idea, but a very male-dominated industry. Even today, they question whether it is difficult to work in a traditionally male industry. While men still make up the majority, figures show that the grape game is becoming more and more feminine. It is not uncommon to see women working as winemakers or wine merchants, sommeliers or public relations officers. Ophélie Neiman, a…

Read more about the article Biodynamic, organic, sustainable?

Credit: Pontet-Canet

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:10 April 2015

Biodynamic, organic, sustainable?

An introduction to sustainability Impossible to miss, this yearly “grande messe” of the En Primeur, where about 5,000 wine trade and press gather talking, gossiping, swirling, spitting, bashing or praising the new releases. For my second year of this tasting, I was glad to discover a better vintage than 2013. Part of the iDealwine team of four visiting this year, we tasted hundreds of extremely (often too) young juices full of tannins and anthocyanins, all the way from the left to the right bank. We finished our two-day visit with obviously black teeth,…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:9 April 2015

High bids on Clair-Daü, Chave and Clos Rougeard

The latest Online Auction that closed on the 1st of April attracted nearly 600 buyers from around the world, who battled it out for some rare bottles, including a collection of Chave from Hermitage and different vintages of Clos Rougeard, red as well as white. In Bordeaux, it was primarily vintages older than 10 years that pushed the prices up, with one exception: the year 2009. This vintage generated impressive results for Château Pichon Longueville Baron, sold for €172 a bottle, up 10% on the iDealwine estimate, and Château Beychevelle, sold for €83…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:8 April 2015

Bordeaux 2014: a question of price

In the aftermath of the 2014 Bordeaux En Primeur tastings, the question on everyone's mind is what prices will these wines be sold for? Every year, the En Primeur tastings draw the world’s media to Bordeaux, who evaluate and rate the wines, trying to identify specific strengths and flaws. Stakeholders unanimously hold their breath until the publication of tasting notes, which award some wines as “excellent”, while others "could improve" and some are even ”banished to the corner...”. Until a few years ago, the most awaited report was that of Robert Parker. But…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:30 March 2015

Meursault and Marsannay return to the forefront

All French appellations have their "sleeping beauties", those who lack in fame despite their exceptional heritage. Until “Prince Charming” (an investor) comes along, making every effort to produce wines worthy of the pedigree. This has been happening to the châteaux of Meursault and Marsannay since 2012. One such Prince Charming is Olivier Halley, heir to a family shareholder of Carrefour and head of "H Partners" (owner of brands including "Du Pareil au Même" and "Tout Compte Fait"), who bought Château de Marsannay (35 hectares of vineyards in Marsannay and Côte de Nuits) and…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:25 March 2015

Are “old vines” really old?

Chances are, you’ve bought a wine with the term “old vines”, or "vieilles vignes", on the label. But when can a vineyard really be considered “old”? A vine is not unlike a human being. When it is young, between four and eight years old, it has the charms of childhood and the wines are usually mild and full of freshness. Between eight and 14, it reaches adolescence: it grows in all directions and is difficult to control. The viticulturist needs to tame the vineyard to prevent it from producing weak grapes without personality.…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:25 March 2015

High bids for Clos de Tart, Côte-Rôtie and Champagne

One of the February Online Auctions at iDealwine attracted particularly active buyers from outside of France. Representing 30 different countries, these buyers bought nearly 50% of the lots sold, with Côte de Nuits, the Rhône Valley and Champagne all reaping impressive results. While Bordeaux’s prices remained mostly stable, there was renewed interest by Asian buyers in Lafite Rothschild, Haut Brion, La Mission Haut Brion, Palmer and Léoville Las Cases. The wines from Pontet Canet were also sought-after and their conversion to biodynamic practices has been particularly instrumental in the rise of prices for…

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:24 March 2015

Selecting the right glass

The shape and size of a wine glass is very important and while experts believe that a wine shows best in a larger glass, is bigger always better? When tasting (and drinking) wine, it is better to hold the glass by its base, not the body, which will warm the wine and make the flavours too volatile. It is a well-known fact that the tulip shape of a wine glass concentrates the aromas, making them more detectable. The type of material used (crystal compared to “cristallin”, which contains less lead) won’t significantly influence…

Read more about the article How to age champagne

Photo of golden champagne bottle, two wine glasses on black stone background

Post author:iDealwine
Post published:20 March 2015

How to age champagne

Similar to other wines, certain champagne styles will benefit from time in the bottle. Vintage champagnes in particular are well-suited to ageing, while the brut style is generally intended for immediate consumption. When ageing champagne, the bottle format (such as magnum or jeroboam) plays an important role, as well as the storage conditions (humidity, cellar temperature). While vintage wines available after three, five or even 10 years of cellaring, are usually ready to drink, it is not uncommon to keep some for even longer. Producing champagne takes time. It spends a minimum of…