June 2011

The Association “Femmes de Vin” at Vinexpo

For the second year the “Femmes de Vin” Association was present at Vinexpo showcasing their wines.

The Circle of “Femmes de Vin” was created in 2009 by two passionate wine producers: Chantal Pégaz from Beaujolais and Marie-Laurence Saladin from Côtes du Rhône.

The Circle of “Femmes de Vin” brings together regional associations of female wine producers, who have common passions for defending, on a daily basis, the land, countryside, environment, wine production and the flavours of the French appellations. The regional associations consist of:

• Les Aliénor du Vin de Bordeaux www.bordeaux-lesalienor.fr
• Les DiVINes d’Alsace www.divinesdalsace.com
• Les Eléonores de Provence,www.leseleonoresdeprovence.blog4ever.com
• Les Etoiles en Beaujolais, www.etoiles-enbeaujolais.com
• Les Femmes et Vins de Bourgogne, www.fevb.net
• Femmes Vignes Rhône, www.femmesvignesrhone.com
• Les Vinifilles en Languedoc-Roussillon, www.vinifilles.fr

“Divided, but not against”, the men, fathers, brothers, husbands, friends… they won’t be far away! Each of these women, who are content and blossoming in their work, has a story and a clear career path. “Girls of”, “women of” or “business women from elsewhere” are all “creators of wine” fulfilling their dreams!

Champagne Jacquart Seeks Best UK Sommelier and Chef

Champagne Jacquart is calling for entries to its Rising Stars Trophy competition to find the finest young chef and sommelier duo in the UK.

The 2011 competition is open to teams comprised of sommeliers and chefs, under the age of 35, and offers them the opportunity to take part in one of the industry’s leading event.

The competition now in its fourth year, pays testament to the brand’s ambition to support the stars of tomorrow within the hospitality industry.

It has been previously presided by personalities such as Gérard Basset MS MW and judged by some of the leading names in the wine trade, including wine writers Susy Atkins, John Radford, Hotel du Vin’s Ronan Sayburn MS and St John and HG Wines’ Jade Koch.

Susy Atkins says: “The competition is a must for the UK on-trade as it puts both the sommelier and the chef together”. Gerard Basset MS MW also praises the competition by saying that, “entering is a great opportunity to bring the industry to life. This is an aspirational award and it encourages people who work in restaurants to raise their game.”

After the initial round of paper judging, eight teams will be invited to compete at the grand finale, hosted in the Competition Theatre of The Restaurant Show, in London on October 10.

Applicants can find out more online at www.enotria.co.uk/risingstars – closing date for entries is July 22, 2011

The Mystery is Solved: The Most Expensive Champagne in the World was Purchased by “Buyan” a Singapore Russian Restaurant

History was made when Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine & Caviar Bar located in the Republic of Singapore, won the world’s most expensive Champagne in a fierce bidding war. Buyan, which offers both inexpensive traditional Russian fare as well as Russian haute cuisine meant for the Tsars, has paid €30,000 (SGD 43,630) for a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, which is estimated to be 170 years old.

All 145 bottles discovered in the shipwreck were opened, tasted and re-corked with the best two bottles acquired by Buyan. These historical bottles which still have bubbles – indicative of their fine quality – will indeed be drunk one day, but not in the very near future. The Veuve Clicquot Champagne itself is said to have “notes of linden blossoms and lime peels” and was pronounced by world renowned Champagne expert Richard Juhlin, who tasted some of the bottles last year as, “…great… wonderful… with an intense aroma…”

Buyan also paid €24,000 for Juglar, a now-defunct house of champagne that used to be one of the favourites of Napoleon I. He awarded a gold medal to the House of Juglar in 1810, 19 years before the estate was bought over by Jacquesson.
These two bottles will be added to Buyan’s existing collection of seven bottles of 1907 Charles Heidsieck & Monopole Champagnes found in another shipwreck in the Baltic Sea. These were part of a Swedish cargo sunk by a German U-boat during World War I in 1916. These bottles were also on their way to the court of the last Tsar Nicholas II, great grandson of Nicholas I.

Another historical wine in Buyan’s possession is the oldest drinkable wine in Asia, a Vin Jaune from 1821, which will not be put up for sale. Buyan currently also owns 20 bottles of the world’s most rare vintage wines – some of which pre-date the two world wars and are actually available on their wine list including a 1877 Chateau Margaux, a 1883 Lafite Rotschild and a 1859 Mouton Rothschild.

London International Wine Fair 2011 – Attendance and Feedback

The London International Wine Fair closed on Thursday, May 19th with both exhibitors and visitors reporting a very successful event. The three-day show by Brintex was praised yet again, as was the quality of the visitors attending the event.

The Timetable was full and varied filled with interesting briefings, seminars, tastings and master classes, which covered a wide range of industry topics.

The final visitor attendance figure stood at 13,754, a slight increase on the 2010 total of 13,684.

For reference 4,680 exhibitors personnel attended the LIWF.

Some of the comments:

James Murray, Event Director commented: “The feedback we have received so far about this year’s show has been overwhelmingly positive. Despite tough economic trading conditions, UK agents were out in force alongside pavilions from all the major wine producing nations, as well as exciting emerging markets. Lebanon, India and Russia reported positive business leads and gave a feeling of optimism for the coming months. Whilst we’re pleased that we have seen a slight increase in the visitor numbers this year, it is the quality of those visiting that is key to our exhibitors, and many have reported their most successful show for many years.”

Bernard de Lague, Commercial Director, Chateaux Palmer said: “There has been a great turnout at the show, and gladly at the tasting I held. It has all gone very well.”

Matthew Dickinson, Commercial Director, Thierry’s commented: “Thierry’s had a truly exciting trade fair this year in sponsoring the Access Zone. This allowed us to work on some really innovative communication projects with Vrazon and Brintex and we were delighted with both the number and quality of visitors, both real and virtual!”

Giles Cooke MW, Marketing Director, Alliance Wine said:
“As ever, there were very high quality attendees over the course of the three days. We have had plenty of very constructive meetings with lots of results in the bag.”

Su Birch, CEO, Wines of South Africa commented:
“Our new format has proved very successful and we have had a steady stream of people tasting, including media and buyers. Brintex did a great job as ever.”

Veririea Codrean, Celebrity Cruise Line said:
“I have had a terrific time! The lectures and tastings have been valuable. The Beaujolais tasting with Joe Wadsack was lively and very interesting.”

Alexandre Bonnefoy, Ex-Sommelier, Viajante commented:
“I enjoyed the Matt Stamp and Hamish Anderson tasting. Throughout the show there has been a great selection of wines.”

The 2012 event will run from 22-24 May at ExCeL, London.

LVMH HAS ANNOUNCED OCTOBER 15TH AND 16TH AS ‘BEHIND-THE-SCENES DAYS’

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy has announced ‘Behind-The-Scenes Days’ at their European artisan workshops, ateliers, and vineyards for two days in October.

WWD reports that on the 15th and 16th of October the public will be able to experience what happens behind the doors of the luxury conglomerate’s brands which include fashion houses Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Dior, jewelry maker De Beers, and Champagne labels Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Dom Pérignon.

Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH has recently stated: “Products are one thing, but how they’re made, who makes them, and where is also of interest to the public.”

LVMH is not the first luxury house to come up with this idea of “behind-the-scenes days”, last year Gucci toured the world with its Artisan Project, showcasing its production methods.

Most of events will take place in France and workshops are planned for locations in Italy, Spain, Scotland, and Poland. More information will be released later this month when bookings will go live online.

List of Participating Properties:
Christian Dior Couture, Salon de Haute Couture, Paris
Parfums Christian Dior, Siège Parfums Christian Dior, Paris
Louis Vuitton, Ateliers d’Asnières, Asnières
Berluti, Salons Berluti, Paris
Givenchy Couture, Studio de Création, Paris
Kenzo Mode et Kenzo Parfum, Showroom, Paris
Emilio Pucci, Archives, Italy
Loewe, Showroom, Madrid, Spain
Chaumet, Salons Chaumet, Paris
Guerlain, Maison Guerlain, Paris
Moët & Chandon, Résidence de Trianon, Epernay, Champagne
Dom Pérignon, Abbaye d’Hautvillers, Hautvillers, Champagne
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Hôtel du Marc et Pavillon de Muire, Reims, Champagne
Champagne cellars of Maison Krug and Maison Ruinart, Reims, Champagne
Hennessy, Château de Bagnolet, Poitou, Charentes, Cognac
Chai de la Faïencerie, Poitou, Charentes, Cognac
Quais Hennessy, Poitou, Charentes, Cognac
The Glenmorangie Company, The Glenmorangie Distillery, Scotland
Belvédère, Belvedere Distillery, Poland
Château Cheval Blanc, Aquitaine
Château d’Yquem, Aquitaine
La Grande Epicerie de Paris, Paris
Le Jardin d’Acclimatation, Maison de Kiso, Paris