As I head off on my festive break, I would like to wish all my readers and partners a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
Thank you all for your wonderful support, and for visiting my website to get the latest news on my wine travels, global wine and spirit news, launches and updates.
I will be offline for a few days, returning December 26.
In the meantime, check out my recent article Wine Trends: What to watch for in 2020.
Liz Palmer
Megan Starr, Travel Editor, Content Editor, and Marketing/SEO Specialist, based in Frankfurt, Germany has recommended The Ultimate Guide To Champagne as one of the ten best Champagne books to read.
“Liz Palmer’s The Ultimate Guide to Champagne is one of the best books available for those looking to learn everything about the world of Champagne. A perfect accessory for a beginner, it takes you through the history and makings of Champagne, from how to shop for it to how to store it. The book’s exquisite detail and the clear in-depth knowledge possessed by the author is easily transferred from writer to reader.
Hailing from (Toronto) Canada, the author has spent plenty of time traveling throughout the region getting to know the area in great detail that you would easily believe she spent her whole life living and working there.”
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Champagne-Liz-Palmer/dp/0991894634
Champagne Castelnau has announced its partnership with Amaury Sport Organisation, organizer of the Tour de France and other cycling events.
The annual epic cycling race will begin in Brussels today (6 July), making its way to Épernay and Reims in the Champagne region. The peloton will arrive in Epernay on Monday 8th July, departing Reims on Tuesday 9th July.
In its capacity as official Champagne of Amaury Sport Organisation, organizers of the Tour de France, Castelnau has released a limited edition of its Brut Reserve NV to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the famous Yellow Jersey. The Cuvée Siècle Jaune is a blend of 50% Pinot Meunier, 40% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, with 40% reserve wines and it comes in a black bottle with yellow writing.
Champagne Castelnau will also be served at the end of each stage of the Tour de France and hosting a series of events in celebration. The race traverses several wine regions in eastern France, including Alsace, before making its way through Provence and the Languedoc.
The race’s inaugural edition was 1903 – it has been held annually since that year, except for the period during the Two World Wars.
Last week the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) announced the exclusive Bourgogne Wines Cave de Prestige selection for 2019.
This year,1,528 samples were submitted for tasting, from vintages 2015 through to 2018. This represents a rise of 34% compared to 2018 and is perhaps not surprising given the very fine 2017 vintage from which 64% of submissions hailed. The 2017 vintage was more generous than 2016 for the majority of Bourgogne appellations, and 2018 looks to be promising.
Selected by a jury of experts 12% of the submissions were chosen, making a total of 191 wines. They will be showcased for one year, both in France and abroad, at marketing and training events for market influencers such as wine store owners, sommeliers, restaurateurs and journalists, and also for the general public through the École des Vins de Bourgogne.
There was a record number of submissions as follows: cooperative cellars 9%; négoce trade 13%; with estates making up the remaining 78%. Most of the 84 Bourgogne appellations were represented, from Régionale wines to Grand Crus.
The winning list will follow shortly.
The BIVB in Chablis has confirmed that the Chablis Winegrowers Union is to implement a new innovative methanation system that will recycle all by-products from the winemaking process. This is a breakthrough in the region’s move toward greater sustainability.
The £4.8m methanation facility is expected to be up and running by the fall of 2021. It follows a six-month study in Belgium to test the feasibility of the project using a ‘pilot’ system, with wine by-products brought over from Chablis to find the most efficient method of methanation.
Methanation is the conversion of carbon oxides and hydrogen to methane and water through hydrogenation. It can also be used as a means of producing a synthetic natural gas, and as a way to store energy produced from solar or wind power, which would allow it to serve as a potential carbon capture mechanism.
Last month the Union’s general assembly voted in favour of the project.
The methanisation processing area will be located in the south of Chablis where 700 winemakers, belonging to the Union, will be able to bring the by-products of their winemaking to be processed.
Grape pomace will be passed through a machine to separate any seeds, which research found unsuitable for the process. These will instead be set aside for alternative uses such as cosmetics.
The remaining wine pomace will then be placed in covered silos where the fermentation process begins; then finally into the methanisation machine.
The biogas (gasses) produced by the machine will be directly injected into the Gaz Réseau Distribution France (GRDF) circuits, the natural gas distribution network in France. The remaining product left in the machine will be sold as fertilizer.
Louis Moreau, president of the BIVB Chablis, said: “We are proud to be one of the first wine regions to put in place a methanation process of this kind and on this scale as well. Sustainability is a key focus for Chablis and the rest of Bourgogne so our winemakers are always looking at new innovations on both small and large scale projects.
“We believe the new system will be a success and with a younger generation of winemakers who have traveled the world for their studies and then come home to Chablis, we will work hand-in-hand with them to bring in new practices to protect the environment and our terroir.”
https://www.chablis-wines.com/what-is-the-bivb/what-is-the-bivb,1872,7709.html?
