Recent Posts

• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:6 March 2018

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…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:5 March 2018

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…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:1 March 2018

3 Must Haves to kick start your cellar

Looking for the perfect trio to kick start your cellar? We’ve selected three classic and cellar worthy bottles for you from our Must Haves selection. Clos Puy Arnaud, Côtes de Castillon, Bordeaux A rising star from Bordeaux and one of the iDealwine’s team’s favourite finds in recent years. Thierry Valette comes from a family of globe trotting winemakers. In 2000, he decided to quit his occupation as an artist to go back to his roots, taking over 12 hectares in the little known Côtes de Castillon appellation that looks out over the Dordogne…

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• 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…

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• 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…

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• 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…

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• 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…

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• 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…

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• 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.…

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• 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.…

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• 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…

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• 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…

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• 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…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:6 February 2018

What do you and Churchill have in common?

If you’re an oenophile, you might find that you have more in common than you think with the late Prime Minister… What with the release of Joe Wright’s latest film Darkest Hour (a must see!), we thought we’d spare a moment to reflect upon that true love of Sir Winston Churchill: no, not Mrs Churchill, but rather Champagne. In our favourite scene of the film, Churchill is asked what he is going to do now that he has been elected. His response?  “Drink a glass of Pol Roger”. Quite right too Prime Minister!…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:5 February 2018

America leads the way in wine consumption

The latest study from Vinexpo/ International Wine and Spirit Research is out, and it makes for interesting reading. According to this research our friends across the pond are buying more wine than ever, and they’re spending more on it too. America has dominated the market for quite some time: it has been the largest wine consuming nation for the past 23 years and has shown consistent growth. Not only are American wine drinkers buying more wine than ever, they are also spending more than ever, with the average price spent on a bottle…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:26 January 2018

Mixed case of 2010 Romanée-Conti goes for €36,723 at auction

A case of Romanée-Conti Grands Crus sold for €36,723 at auction at iDealwine on 18th January, a sale that sees a price increase of 30% for each wine. This case included some of the most sought-after wines from the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Vosne-Romanée. This lot started the New Year off in style and sets the tone for 2018 auctions. No doubt the vintage of these wines affected the price enormously as 2010 is now being considered one of the strongest in France, especially in Burgundy. 2010 produced high quality wines…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:26 January 2018

The 2016 vintage in France (part 1)

It’s here! The long awaited 2016 vintage is starting to appear on the shelves and, apart from having to endure a few freaks of nature, it was another good year in keeping with the excellent 2015 This week we are focusing on how the northern French regions fared from Alsace, Jura, Savoy and Burgundy to Beaujolais, Champagne and the Loire Valley. Alsace Dry whites: 16/20 Sweet wines: 14/20 Reds: 15/20 2016 will go down in history as an as unusual year, particularly concerning the staggering of the harvest from mid-September until the beginning…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:24 January 2018

New auction lots: Grands Crus for your cellar and exceptional magnums

The new auction has now opened! Once again some of the finest wines are up for sale here at iDealwine but, perhaps more excitingly, many of your favourite wines are also available in magnum format. The Great Classics From Bordeaux there is an incredible selection to choose from and includes some of the biggest names in the winemaking world. This auction brings together many fine examples from Petrus as well as plenty of extraordinary bottles of Château d’Yquem. The range from Pessac-Léognan provides many old and intriguing bottles, perhaps a 1945 Chateau De…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:22 January 2018

New Crus Bourgeois classification finalised

It's official: the new Crus Bourgeois classification was adopted at the end of 2017. And the outcome is… the reinstatement of the three former categories – Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Superiors and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel – along with the reintroduction of the five-year ranking in line with the organisation's wishes. The Crus Bourgeois had been talking about it for long enough, and now it's happened. On January 4th, the decree of December 29th was published in the Journal officiel, confirming the change to the Crus Bourgeois classification. The headline news: a return to…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:19 January 2018

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: a first-class second cru

"A First-Class Second Cru"... it's hard to improve on Wine Spectator magazine's description of Château Pichon Lalande! The estate, which is now in the hands of the Rouzaud family (Roederer group), has benefited from the efforts of a succession of owners whose passionate efforts have gradually elevated it to "super second" status. Consistency and reputation: it takes a woman's touch The estate can trace its origins back to 1694.  In 1850, following the death of the Baron de Pichon Longueville, his Pauillac estate was split between his two children. His daughter, Virginie de…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:10 January 2018

Bordeaux wines now contain three times fewer pesticides than less than 4 years ago

The topic of pesticides in wine and particularly in the wines of Bordeaux has become a recurring topic in the news and specialised media over the past several years. A UFC Que Choisir study has recently given a rather positive assessment of the changes in pesticide residues in Bordeaux wines, showing that they have been reduced threefold over four years. The consumer protection magazine UFC Que Choisir published a survey of pesticides and Bordeaux wines at the end of December (No. 565, January 2018). The consumer association looked at the pesticide residue content…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:9 January 2018

Auction Report: Rayas & Bonneau

Rare wines and collectors’ bottles from former estates or from producers who have left the stage: iDealwine’s auction catalogues were full of these in the final auctions of 2017. Among them, two giants clashed in Châteauneuf: Domaine Henri Bonneau and the wines of Château Rayas. Two styles and two personalities to which wine lovers simply cannot remain indifferent. Here is a spotlight on the fine auctions of this sale. Jacques Reynaud, Henri Bonneau ... the memory of these two cult figures of Châteauneuf du Pape continues through their wines. The bottles produced by…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:22 December 2017

Champagne & sparkling: still highly seasonal wines!

VinoVision Paris – an international trade show for wines from northern France – has published a fascinating analysis which overturns the received wisdom on the consumption of sparkling wines in France... and makes sobering reading for all the champagne lovers here at iDealwine. In the run-up to its 2nd edition, which is to be held from 12-14 February 2018, VInovision Paris has released a number of interesting statistics on sparkling wine consumption, generated by a study conducted by the Kantar Worldpanel institute. Lovers of champagne or other effervescent wines may find this next…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:19 December 2017

Obituary: Robert Wilmers from Haut-Bailly

The proprietor of Château Haut-Bailly, a classified cru vineyard in Graves, died at his home in New York on Saturday, 16th December. The world of wine has paid tribute to this businessman who was CEO of the American M&T Bank Corporation and also a great lover of wine and art and supporter of many French and American cultural institutions. An entrepreneur, Mr Wilmers was both a financier and a wine connoisseur. He was Chief Executive of the American M&T Bank Corporation and acquired Château Haut-Bailly in 1998 and Château Le Pape in 2012.…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:8 December 2017

iDealwine’s Tour in Asia

iDealwine has put a strong emphasis in the past few years on developing the Asian market and this strategy is proving very successful. The mature market of Hong Kong, where we opened a representative office in 2013, has been clearly leading the way, followed by mainland China, Japan, Singapore and more recently South Korea. Arthur de Lencquesaing and Alix Rodarie, from iDealwine’s international team recently travelled around the region for a series of meetings, wine fairs, tastings and masterclasses. Debrief! Overall perspective China's economic growth during first half of 2017, was nearly 7%,…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:5 December 2017

Bichot: when Burgundy comes to London

Monday 27th November, in the iconic wine member’s club 67 Pall Mall in London, the spotlight is on the Albert Bichot house. Arthur de Lencquesaing and Léa Fallourd, from the international team based in London, experienced a preview tasting of the 2016 vintage. A unique opportunity to taste and compare their great diversity of wines spread across all Burgundy. 2016 is a vintage which you can acquire with much confidence. When talking with Albéric Bichot, we understand that this vintage is characterized by fully matured grapes, although 2016 was not a relaxing year…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:3 December 2017

Romanée-Conti 2000: new auction record on iDealwine at €17,146

During the online auction that ended online on 15th November 2017 on iDealwine, a bottle of Romanée-Conti 2000 was auctioned €17,146 to a French amateur. This iconic bottle from La Romanée-Conti is setting the new record for the most expensive wine sold on iDealwine since its foundation! The new most expensive wine in the history of iDealwine auctions since its creation in 2000 is, without much surprise, Grand Cru Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2000. For once, a French amateur purchased this wonderful bottle that is undeniably at the top of fine wines, with…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:1 December 2017

Cornas: soaring auctions at the last moment

Cornas appellation has once again been in the spotlight in recent days, with a 1988 vintage from Marcel Judge reaching €572 during the auction of 15th November on iDealwine. Let's focus on the signatures that are currently making the buzz. The Rhône is definitely a region to follow closely. To the North, the appellations Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie offer immense red wines with long ageing potentials, but also treasures in the production areas surrounding them. This is why Cornas continues to see its prices climb. This appellation, which has been booming since the beginning…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:28 November 2017

Wine Symposium at the Lake Como and a vertical tasting of Armand Rousseau, time stopped for a moment

Spend time on the shores of Lake Como, taste incredible wines, meet great wine figures, passionate connoisseurs and talented tasters, equally humble and smart... the story of 3 days suspended at the Villa d'Este between conferences, tastings and haute cuisine. The world of fine wines is fascinating because it is sometimes associated to the elegance of great moments in life. The Villa d'Este offers an incomparable setting, and welcomes each year since 2008 what insiders call the VDEWS (for Villa d'Este Wine Symposium). An almost intimidating name, heralding a high level programme concocted…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:24 November 2017

Grand Tasting 2017: come and meet us!

iDealwine has been a longstanding partner of Bettane+Desseauve, and of the Grand Tasting, the leading wine event they organise. This year, it will take place on the 1st and 2nd of December, in the Carrousel du Louvre, in Paris. We will have several occasions of meeting our customers during this exceptional wine fair that connoisseurs know as unmissable! A few indications on this event and the masterclasses available, for you to get ready! 11 years ago, Bettane+Desseauve created this fair, which gathers the most renowned names from the French vineyard and from the…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:22 November 2017

Hospices de Beaune: new records, a raise of €13.5 million

On Sunday 19th November, the 157th charity auction of the Hospices de Beaune was held. A sale that reached the record level of €13.5 million collected, reflecting the frenzy of connoisseurs for great Burgundy wines. An enthusiasm reinforced in recent weeks by the purchase of Clos de Tart by the businessman François Pinault. Last Sunday (3rd Sunday of November), the traditional charity auction of the Hospices de Beaune was held. This hospital institution was founded in 1443 and owns 60 hectares, mostly in Premier Cru and Grand Cru, from legacies and donations. In…

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