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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:09/06/2015

Considering the UK market

The UK wine market finally seems to be stabilising, with especially the on-trade showing signs of a revival, while the price per litre for wine has been increasing in both the on-trade and off-trade. With our head office in Paris, iDealwine has been growing its international reach by opening an office in Hong Kong in 2013 and London in 2014, focussing more time and resources on serving our clients in the UK, Western Europe, Asia and the US. Based in our London office and following the recent London Wine Fair, I decided to…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:02/06/2015

Jancis Robinson on the evolution of wine since 1985

Last week, the famous wine critic Jancis Robinson published an article on her website in which she analyses the evolution of wine and viticulture around the world since 1985. Some of the factors that emerged from this analysis include the globalisation of the wine trade, "francisation" of grapes around the world, the emergence of New World wines, the globalisation of tastes and wines, and finally, in a kind of countermovement, the promotion of identity and uniqueness of terroir. In 1985, Australia exported only 2% of its wine production (compared to 60% today). This…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:01/06/2015

Roulot | Centre stage

One white Burgundy producer has been hogging the spotlight of late, exuding the style and flair of its thespian winemaker. [embeddoc url="https://www.idealwine.info/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2017/10/2015-06-Roulot-iDealwine-The-Drinks-Business.pdf" viewer="google"] See Roulot wines currently for sale See all wines currently on sale Register here to access auctions and fixed-price sales Receive a free estimate of your cellar Read further on iDealwine Le Blog: Meursault’s Roulot impresses on auction Auction report: Meursault Premier Cru Les Perrières booming Top 20 of Burgundy wines

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Baron Stephan von Neipperg

• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:29/05/2015

Stephan von Neipperg invests in South Africa

Count Stephan von Neipperg, owner of (among others) Châteaux Canon La Gaffelière and La Mondotte, has expanded his portfolio by investing in Capaia Wines near Philadelphia in South Africa. Aside from Canon La Gaffelière (premier grand cru of Saint-Emilion) and Mondotte (premier grand cru of Saint-Emilion), Stephan von Neipperg is also the owner of Peyreau (Saint-Emilion), Aiguilhe (Côte de Castillon), Clos de l'Oratoire (grand cru of Saint-Emilion) and Clos Marsalette (Pessac-Léognan). He also has interests in Châteaux Guiraud (Sauternes) and Soleil (Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion), and is the co-owner of domaine Bessa Valley, in the Pazardjik region…

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The six wines tasted during the iDealwine blind tasting competition

• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:22/05/2015

View from the top at London Wine Fair

What an exciting few days it has been! Last week, iDealwine exhibited at the London Wine Fair for the first time, as part of the newly launched premium wine section, The View. In-between seeing old friends, making new ones and tasting some amazing wines, we also put our visitors’ taste-buds to the test with our blind tasting competition. While the jury is still out as to the exact visitor numbers, the 35th edition of this world-leading trade event can no-doubt be hailed a success. Held again at Olympia London, the fair was set…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:21/05/2015

Attractive euro boosts WineDex: 2.23% increase for April

The iDealwine indices recorded a strong performance in April, largely boosted by the weak euro. The iDealwine 100 indice rose by 2.23%, owing much of its growth to the global demand for Burgundy, which increased by 3.10%.   The prices recorded on auction in April were boosted by Burgundy, with the regional iDealwine Burgundy indice appreciating by 3.10% during this period. Some bottles recorded price jumps of 80%, both for reds – including the Chambertins of mature vintages of the 1980s – and whites, for example Meursault Perrière of Coche-Dury. In fact, Burgundy…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:19/05/2015

Grilled lobster with salted butter by Chef Olivier Roellinger

An inexpensive, yet delicious and powerful dish! Great with Champagne or white wine. Preparation time: 20 min Cooking time: 15 min Serves 8 people Ingredients: - 4 lobsters (800g each) - 150g salted butter - Juice of 2 lemons - 3 tablespoons of heavy cream - A few drops of Calvados - Ground black pepper Preparation: Pre-cook the lobsters It is best to boil the lobsters as soon as possible – this will prevent it from releasing its water and preserve the freshness of its flesh. Bring a large amount of water to…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:13/05/2015

Meet iDealwine at London Wine Fair

The 2015 London Wine Fair is around the corner and for the first time, iDealwine will be exhibiting! Taking place from Monday 18th May to Wednesday 20th May, iDealwine will showcase some delicious favourites and rare, older vintages, as well as a couple of Champagnes and large format bottles to coincide with our current sales. The London Wine Fair is a world-leading trade event – running annually since 1981, it brings together all aspects of trade for three days. Last year, the event moved back to its original Olympia location and attracted more…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:11/05/2015

Bordeaux 2011-2014 for every style and pocket

Following the 2014 En Primeur tastings last month – when the wine world quite literally descended on Bordeaux – a group of grands crus producers recently crossed the English Channel to present their 2011 to 2014 wines to London’s trade and media. A matter of price The price of Bordeaux is constantly in the limelight, from the hype surrounding the annual En Primeur campaigns, to the high auction prices often achieved by prestigious first growths. While prices of the top wines have been slowing over the last year (the iDealwine iDealwine indicefor Bordeaux…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:08/05/2015

1945 – The Victory Year

Today marks the end of the Second World War in Western Europe, when 70 years ago on the 8th of May 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered. In France, the churches rang out the end of the war and people took to the streets in joyous celebration, while General de Gaulle announced that “victory is ours”. As if to celebrate the end of the war, 1945 is also considered one of the best vintages of all time in Bordeaux! Some wine regions may claim to produce a great vintage, or even a “vintage of the…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:06/05/2015

Bordeaux 1990, Rousseau, Rayas and old Armagnac in the spotlight

Attracting more than 550 buyers, the Online Auction that closed on the 29th of April recorded a surge in prices of certain Bordeaux and Burgundy wines. Krug Champagne and aged spirits also garnered good results. Bidders from 25 countries, from all four corners of the world, competed for the great wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône and Champagne, not forgetting the Loire, as well as some rare and aged spirits. In Bordeaux, Petrus remained the top performer. Even lesser vintages, such as the 2007 (€1,680), or classic years like 2004 (€1,620), recorded price increases.…

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© Michel Joly

• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:06/05/2015

Champagne legend Joseph Henriot dies

The world of Champagne is in mourning with the passing of Joseph Henriot last week, the man who directed – among others – this eponymous Champagne house since 1962. Joseph Henriot can be described as a visionary and great entrepreneur. Training as an agricultural engineer, he joined the family Champagne house in 1957, at only 21 years old, before taking over the reins after his father’s death in 1962. He guided this house with great skill, bringing a renewed energy and further improving its good reputation. He was also in charge of Charles-Heidsieck…

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Trade and press gather at the Sud de France tasting in London.

• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:04/05/2015

Exploring the South

The South of France, and particularly Languedoc-Roussillon, is known for its mild, Mediterranean climate, modern production techniques and good value for money wines. A recent showcase by Sud de France in London highlighted this region’s diverse offering, from easy-drinking and fruit-forward sippers to the more serious and individual wines. Languedoc-Roussillon is the world’s largest vineyard and in 2013, more than 453 million bottles were exported. Germany remains its most important market, while sales in the US have doubled over the last five years. Of the 20,000 growers in the area, around 1,000 have…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:01/05/2015

Meursault’s Roulot impresses on auction

Roulot may be less renowned than other Coche-Dury or Auvenay producers, but has emerged as a sought-after success during the recent auction sales of white Burgundy. A key reason for this is that Jean-Marc Roulot’s Meursault wines are not only of exceptional quality, but also with a strong personality and style which is becoming more and more popular. Many Meursault producers have gained a reputation for creating big and opulent Chardonnay that is rich and concentrated, often marked by a “smoky or toasty” character, wrongly suggesting that this is the only style of…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:23/04/2015

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%).…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:22/04/2015

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…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:20/04/2015

A thirst for Rhône

While Bordeaux and Burgundy remain synonymous with fine wine investment, the Rhône Valley is growing in popularity, with renewed interest in top wines particularly from Côte Rôtie and Hermitage. In addition, the entire Côtes du Rhône AOC experienced a 27% value growth in the UK over the last decade. iDealwine’s iDealwine Rhône indice registered an increase of 6.95% for the first quarter of 2015 – more than either Burgundy (+5.49%) or Bordeaux (-1.23%). Angélique de Lencquesaing, co-founder of iDealwine, explains that the Rhône Valley has become one of the most praised regions over…

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Credit: Pontet-Canet

• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:10/04/2015

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,…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:09/04/2015

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…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:08/04/2015

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…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:30/03/2015

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…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:30/03/2015

What are the (true) vintages of the century?

Some wine regions claim to produce a great vintage, or even “vintage of the century”, every other year! But despite these commercial declarations, there are still some truly great vintages – those that entice fine wine buyers, especially at auction. But what is a great vintage? Think about it: a winemaker is able to produce an average wine from top quality grapes, but not a top quality wine from average grapes. A great vintage is therefore one that allows a winery to harvest ‘perfect’, top quality grapes. A vineyard can produce ‘perfect’ grapes…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:25/03/2015

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.…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:25/03/2015

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…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:24/03/2015

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…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:24/03/2015

How much is a vertical of Mouton Rothschild worth?

Château Mouton Rothschild’s labels are annually illustrated by a renowned artist, making it particularly suited to be sold as a vertical. This type of lot, which is highly prized by wealthy buyers, can reach record prices on auction. A vintage vertical of the same wine is a rare and sought-after collection item. Many collectors will therefore patiently collect different vintages of the same wine, hoping to eventually profit from the resale of the batch as a whole. However, not all wines are suited to be sold as a vertical. Mouton Rothschild and Yquem…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:24/03/2015

When to sell your wine

Knowing when to sell a wine is just as important as knowing which wine to sell. Our criteria guide below offers some tips on when to sell a particular bottle at an iDealwine Online Auction. 1. The “peak” effect An important consideration when selling a wine is the time frame during which it will taste the best. Auction buyers are generally looking for ready-to-drink vintages and buyers are, for example, more interested in 1990 Bordeaux at the moment than 2010. With a few exceptions, a wide range of vintages – eg. 1995 to…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:20/03/2015

WineDex® decreases, but older vintages still on the rise

March 2015 The iDealwine indices, which measure the evolution of fine wine prices over the past 10 years, saw a decrease of 1.14% for February, while the demand for older vintages grew. The year kicked off with very dynamic Online Auctions, which continued to draw international interest. Nearly 50% of purchases at the most recent iDealwine auction were made by buyers throughout Europe (excluding France), Asia and the United States. These buyers favoured older vintages, while prices of more recent ones remained stable. The iDealwine Bordeaux displays the auction price evolution of the…

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• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:20/03/2015

Rhône wines attract buyers from around the world

The price evolution of top Rhône Valley wines should be closely monitored. While these wines represent less than 10% of iDealwine’s Online Auction sales, they recently experienced a surge in popularity, some registering record sales. The latest iDealwine auction focused on Rhône Valley wines, with the northern part of the region taking the lead. The wines of Côte-Rôtie dominated the auction, instead of the usual Guigal, with its famous trilogy LA-LA-LA (Landonne, Turque, Mouline). These flagship wines are on the rise again and Jamet in particular captured the buyers’ attention, with a classic…

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

• Post author:iDealwine
• Post published:20/03/2015

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…

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