The École des Vins de Bourgogne announce “New Immersive Tasting Workshops”

The École des Vins de Bourgogne is now offering four new workshops at the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin in Dijon.

These four innovative workshops will offer a visual, audio, and a gustatory experience.

Price ranges: €20-€29

Time: 40 minutes to one hour

Maximum number of participants: 18

All courses are open to people with mobility issues

 

  • An Introduction to wine tasting: Decode the techniques and vocabulary of wine tasting and learn how to describe a wine in terms of how it looks, smells, and tastes.

Three wines, €20 per person

  • The Impact of vintage: This workshop explores the bearing a vintage might have on a wine, and explores single varietal cultivation, typical in Bourgogne, how a wine changes over time, and aging potential.

Three wines, €20 per person

  • Bourgogne Terroir Wines: Learn about the notion of terroir in Bourgogne through grape varietals, winegrower expertise, the hierarchy of the 84 appellations, and the Climats.

Four wines, €20 per person

  • Food and Wine pairings: Explore the diversity of Bourgogne wines by pairing them with local gastronomy. Tasting of five wines with five regional specialties.

Five wines, €29 per person

For more information and to register, visit the École des Vins de Bourgogne website at https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/

If you are currently traveling through France, drop by……bookings are now open!

#VinsBourgogne #Bourgogne #Vin #Bourgognewines #Bourgogne #wine #winelovers #frenchwine #wineeducation #BourgogneTerroir #foodandwine #winetasting #gastronomy #vin #winecollectors #wineinvestors #wineknowledge

Exclusive Interview with Olivier Staub CIO Cult Wine Investment – London

Olivier Staub is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Cult Wine Investment. He has previously held senior trading and portfolio management positions at international financial institutions including JP Morgan, Barclays Capital, BBVA, and London Clearing House.

I recently interviewed Olivier to learn more about the inner workings of Cult Wine Investment and their Investment Management Team.

Liz:

It’s wonderful speaking with you today, Olivier. Why don’t you introduce yourself to my readers and tell us how you got into working with Cult Wine Investment.

Olivier:

I’ve been involved in finance for over 25 years and have held various positions across the world at international firms like JP Morgan, Bear Stearns, and Barclays Capital. I’ve spent time in Japan, Spain, the USA and the UK working for notable financial institutions primarily in asset management, as a trader and as a portfolio manager. My passion though, has always been wine. I was born in France and I studied in Burgundy [Burgundy School of Business] where I graduated with a master’s degree in Economics, Accounting and Finance before moving to UK.  Throughout my life I have been collecting wine, buying wine, selling wine, and talking about wine – it’s always been a great passion of mine.

My first professional venture with wine was co-founding a private members club in London called 67 Pall Mall with former colleagues and friends. Obviously, it is more of a hospitality business than what I am doing now; but setting it up was a very rewarding part of my life.

I had always wanted to mix my passion for wine with my professional background.  Wine is a great investment – I’ve personally profited from buying and selling wines and thought it deserved more attention. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Tom Gearing (CEO & Co-Founder of Cult Wine Investment) and discuss our various ideas of how we could work together.  I then joined Cult Wine Investment as the CIO in 2019. As CIO, I lead the complete investment function including the portfolio management and investment process for our clients.  It’s been a great adventure so far!

Liz:

Can you tell me about your Investment Management Team and their roles?

Olivier:

As the CIO, I run the research and portfolio management side of the business. The Investment Management Team has two primary objectives: we provide an investment framework ensuring that we have a structure in place to do the research and analyze and model fine wine. We are currently developing our quantitive models to assess what wines have the best potential for returns. The second part of what we do, is actively manage client’s portfolios.  We make decisions in terms of what should be done for client portfolios to deliver the performance that the clients are seeking.

We have team of portfolio managers who are responsible for constructing and managing client portfolios based on individual’s risk/return profile.  We apply a top down/bottom-up approach across AUM and at all client portfolios level including executing trades, repositioning portfolios, and taking gains or rebalance where we need to do. We apply the same care, process, and due diligence as we would if they were invested in equities, bonds or any other financial  asset.

Our portfolio managers are each based in the various regions in which we operate: Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Canada, US, and our head office in the UK.  We are the wine investment firm with the highest number of CFA charter-holders- four out of six Investment team members which is a very good ratio!

We also have two research analysts who develop models, write, and publish about wine investment, and the rationale behind what we do.  They also report on macroeconomics and advise on strategy.

Liz:

Olivier, can you give us a (general) profile of your investors, including male vs female?

Olivier:

It’s interesting question.  It’s very difficult to give you “a profile” because we cover so many different people and so many different regions – we have several thousand clients in 80 different countries.  Regionally speaking there some very big differences in our client profiles. If you look at the European regions and the UK regions the investor profile would be quite different from US/Canada or Asia.  What I would say is because of the collective aspect of the asset class we are lucky that we have interest from millennials, young aspirational professionals as well as people who are well-established, in their late fifties, are wealthy and are very interested in wine.  The common thread is that most of these people have an interest in wine and alternative investments. They don’t invest in wine just as an asset, they invest in wine because they understand that it can be used as an asset, and they appreciate wine at an emotional level as well.

Liz:

What is the ratio male vs female investors?

Olivier:

In the western world, I would say, male investors probably have the higher ratio. Whereas, if you look at Asia, we have many young females investing with us.  Interestingly, I think wine in the far east, at least in Asia, is something that is embraced by young, wealthy females.  In Asia, they value wine knowledge, so they make an effort to understand wine, study wine, and as a result they are very knowledgeable about wine.

In the US and Canada, it’s harder to say as the business is still nascent – we launched in North America just under two years ago. Currently, it’s probably equal – we have a fair proportion of female investors.  Interestingly, we also have a lot of couples investing with us. In many of these cases, the women are driving the passion side and desire to gain knowledge about wine.  They often are investing as a couple, but really interested in it as an experience and product that they like and want to learn more about.

Liz:

What criteria does your team look for in finding Investment-Grade Wines?

Olivier:

Our team’s experience is key in identifying investment grade wines.  We have proprietary models that we use to analyse past performance of wines and model the future price performance. Part of what we do is to develop these models, based on pricing, on experience, and also on hard statical facts and probabilities – i.e data – as you would with any other investment.

With respect to criteria, the brand and vintage quality are both important. The producer will give you a certain guarantee in terms of brand credibility and quality over years. However, vintage variations are also quite important, so understanding variations from one vintage to another is key. We also look at weather and past history of weather patterns and what wines are trending up or down and why. Social media is also very impactful, so we are doing a lot of work in trying to read and anticipate brand awareness and collectability as more people get interested in wine.  Critic’s scores are absolutely crucial to how a wine might perform.  Finally, we pay attention to macro & local trends across the world. For example, in Asia they might be consuming more Burgundy, whereas the US might be focused on wines from the US and Bordeaux.

Liz:

What is next for Cult Wine Investment?

 Olivier:

We want to continue to develop wine as an alternative asset class, particularly in North America where the category is not as well-known as in Europe and Asia. Beyond performance, a big part of what we do is providing unique experiences for clients alongside the pursuit of good returns on the asset class. We know our customers love wine, so it makes sense to take our community on a journey of wine discovery, connecting them with like-minded wine enthusiasts and providing a plenitude of exclusive experiences.

We believe that investing in wine should be as simple and enjoyable as drinking it. And to that end we have several exciting developments and products coming later this year that address key areas of friction for consumers in investing in wine as an asset class.

The key to our success is our unique blend of wine and financial investment knowledge, the expert guidance of our relationship managers, the powerful technology underpinning the portfolio management, and the human expertise from our investment committee and portfolio managers.

Liz:

This is my final question – what is your favorite Wine?

Olivier:

I really love that question.  It depends on three factors:  the time of the day, who you are with, and where.  If I had to take a bottle of wine and it’s my last one forever.  It would be a Musigny from a producer called de Vogue, which is in Burgundy.

#wine #finewine #wineinvestment #alternativeinvestment #alternativeasset #winenews #winelovers #winecollectors #champagne #bordeaux #burgundy #finewinelovers  #winebusiness #vin #frenchwine #vintagewine #wineinvestors #cultwines #cultwinesamericas #cultwinesUSA #cultwinescanada #cultcru #bourgogne #mycultcollection #winewednesday #WW

 

New Zealand Winegrowers Join the Flight for a “White Wine Emoji”

There are currently only three symbols available on devices to denote wine currently are a glass of red, two clinking champagne flutes, and a bottle of sparkling wine.

The US failed in their bid for a white wine emoji — perhaps New Zealand will have better luck.

New Zealand Winegrowers is throwing its weight behind a petition requesting the Unicode Consortium, the body approving new emoji on phones, to add the ‘long missing’ white wine symbol.

“New Zealand white wine makes up 93 5 of its global exports, New Zealand Winegrowers general manager Charlotte Read states and further says “We hope that by requesting the white wine emoji it will shine a spotlight on the breadth of high-quality white wine that New Zealand produces, as well securing the emoji that has long been missing from the keyboards of digital devices since their creation in the late 1990s.”

A movement emerged to get a specific white wine emoji in 2019 with California-based winery Kendall-Jackson submitting a 19-page proposal for review by authorities.  [link to the proposal: https://www.kj.com/blog/white-wine-emoji-update]

This proposal failed to get approval; the Unicode Consortium that counts Google, Facebook, Microsoft and IBM executives among its board members said it would “continue to consider emoji for future addition.”

NZ Winegrowers marketing committee member and Te Whare Ra co-owner and winemaker Anna Flowerday said it made sense for New Zealand to take over efforts to add a white wine emoji.

“It was great timing with our ‘Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand’ theme focus next month.

“Three of our white wine we make have their wine day in May, so it was just a right time to push for it again.

NZ Winegrowers marketing committee member and Te Whare Ra co-owner and winemaker Anna Flowerday said New Zealand has a strong case, given that the country produces majority of white wines.

#whitewine #wine #winelovers #newzelandwine #nzwine #wineemoji #whitewineemoji #winenews #whitewinelovers #winemarketing #socialmediamarketing #digitalmarketing #instagram #facebookmarketing #instagrammarketing #influencermarketing #contentmarketing

CHIANTI CLASSICO COLLECTION, AN ASSESSMENT OF ONE OF THE OF MOST CHARMING WINE TERRITORIES IN ITALY  – FILIPPO MAGNANI

Chianti Classico is a land of such versatility and richness that could be confusing, that’s why the Consortium has an important role in spreading awareness and territorial promotion. The Chianti Classico Collection is the yearly flagship event of the “Anteprime Toscana”, long-awaited days dedicated to one of the most fascinating wine areas in the world.  Last March the Collection moved back to its original location, the beautiful Leopolda station in Florence. This was the 29th edition of the flagship Black Rooster celebration and it was a pleasure to see my international colleagues back in the beautiful scenario of Florence, to evaluate the wonderful works of the Chianti Classico DOCG producers after these hard and struggling years. On the stage, the 2020 Annata, 2019 Riserva, and 2018 Gran Selezione, all close to getting access to the world market, and of course many other tasting proposals.

At the 2022 Collection 180 wineries presented 650 wines of which 161 Chianti Classico Riserva, 125 Gran Selezione and also 39-barrel samples from the 2021 vintage.

Chianti Classico Moves Ahead

The Black rooster is an identifying symbol of one of the most interesting wine areas in Italy and it is a wine district that is always evolving. The main topic of the two days of the Collection was the subdivision of Chianti Classico into Geographical Units called with the acronyms UGA. The Additional Geographical Units marked a step towards a deeper knowledge and a greater appreciation of the peculiarities of Chianti Classico. In this way the Consortium has tried to emphasize the specific microclimatic characteristics even more of narrower areas, in order to underline the many differences existing within the areas. The 11 UGA (San Casciano, Greve, Montefioralle, Lamole, Panzano, Radda, Gaiole, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Vagliagli, Castellina, San Donato in Poggio) are today labelled singularly with the name of the specific village of origin. This was introduced last year and dedicated exclusively, for the moment, to the Gran Selezione category.

The other intervention on the chart of regulations for the DOCG was the 90% minimum percentage of Sangiovese in the blends for the Gran Selezione and the remaining 10% was left to other native varieties of the region such as Canaiolo, Colorino and Black Malvasia. Clear indicators of the path taken by the Gallo Nero producers towards an increasingly and more understandable regional identity. Showing the name of the municipal or village on the label will both spark and satisfy the curiosity of the increasingly high numbers of consumers who would like to improve their understanding of the relationship between the Black Rooster wines and their micro territory of production.

Chianti Classico Passport

Chianti Classico is offered in three different types that represent its qualitative pyramid: Chianti Classico ‘Annata’, Chianti Classico ‘Riserva‘ and Chianti Classico ‘Gran Selezione’.

Chianti Classico the Ultimate Wine Territory 

The Chianti Classico region has for centuries been one of the most popular destinations for wine enthusiasts. A wine paradise held in the arms of its two historical capitals: Florence and Siena. This area is mainly covered with woodlands, principally oak, chestnut and pine as well as cypress, situated on a plateau at altitudes between 200 and 800 meters. The highest altitude for growing grapes for Chianti Classico wine is 700 metres a.s.l. The local climate is continental with significant day-night temperature variation, generally low winter temperatures – below 4-5°C – and hot, dry summers, often reaching temperatures of over 35°. Geologically the land is a shield of clayey schists (marl), with layers of scaly clay, alberese and fine limestone sandstone.

Wine Escape Chianti Classico 

Tuscany is the most popular destination for wine enthusiasts from all over the world, and few other places stimulate a traveler’s thoughts and imagination as much as the Chianti Classico. Along with the other leading wine production areas in Tuscany today, Chianti Classico is an extraordinary gateway to a deep and intimate knowledge of the roots of our culture and lifestyle. A destination that represents an ecosystem of services focused on wine, some tangible, and others less so, but all of them engaging. Today’s “wine tourists” decide to visit this wine territory not only for its great, historic wines, but also to make memories, experience the flavours of a local osteria, the aromas of the cellars and the smiles of grandmothers on their doorsteps. Journeys that are more immersive, making intimate and personal contact with traditions, culture, and people. In this respect, the concept of terroir expands to “winescape” to better express its connection to the region.  Along the beautiful, winding roads of Chianti Classico, the winery doors are always open for visits and tastings. This is an area with a high density of wineries, a true oenological paradise, full of castles, ancient abbeys, where fine wines are matured, world-famous wineries alongside small and no less prestigious family-run estates, traditional cellars, and architectural masterpieces. A setting in which hospitality and associated experiences take on various forms, with all kinds of proposals and wine tourism activities. The producers understand the importance of hospitality: it has great economic value in terms of diversifying income, as well as being an effective means of communicating values and enhancing distribution of their wines. From curious wine enthusiasts to collectors, guests always want to visit the famous winemaking names of Chianti or discover hidden gems of the highest quality. From groups belonging to private wine clubs and sommelier associations to restaurateurs, wine tourism in the Chianti Classico region embraces an increasingly varied public. It is therefore increasingly important for the wineries to work together with the tourism sector, creating targeted and authentic wine and food trips.

My Tasting at the C.C.C 2022

I have reviewed almost 220 wines, from Annata Chianti Classico 2020, well as Riserva 2019 and Gran Selezione 2018. The Chianti Classico 2020 Annata showed beautiful lively coloured, ripe fruit with great aromatic intensity. An appropriate level of natural acidity guarantees good fragrance. Most wines I tasted were graceful with slightly lower alcohol content than average previous vintages. The Chianti Classico 2019 Riserva, in general, turned out to be soft, fruity with good structure and balance. I found a wide range of great wines, showing high intensity and complexity of aromas in the Gran Selezione 2018.

On My Radar : Chianti Classico Docg Annata 2020

Winery: Montebernardi
Wine: Chianti Classico Docg Retromarcia 2020
Intense ruby red with paler reflections. Distinctly rose floral nose mixed with hints of cherry. Full-bodied with pleasant red notes developing on the palate. Medium tannic structure. Long and fresh aftertaste. Charming wine.

Winery: Rocca di Montegrossi
Wine: Chianti Classico Docg Rocca di Montegrossi 2020
Medium ruby-red. Intense flavour of red plum and notes of violet. Medium acidity with discreet alcohol level. Fruity and spicy. Quite a long finish.  I like it.

Winery: Bibbiano
Wine:  Chianti Classico Docg Bibbiano 2020
Clean, ruby red with a paler tinge. Lovely aromas of strawberry and cherry with a touch of roses. Full body with round, sweet tannins. Fresh and harmonious finish. Very good wine.

Winery: Cigliano di Sopra
Wine: Chianti Classico Docg Cigliano di Sopra 2020
Ruby core with light purple rim. The nose is fruity and dynamic with a hint of spiciness. Well-structured body with medium alcohol and soft tannins.  Dry and fresh, with quite long persistence. I like it very much.

Winery: Poggerino
Wine: Chianti Classico Docg Poggerino 2020
Ruby colour with paler hue towards the edge. Intense bouquet of cherry with balsamic notes. Lovely entrance, round with ripe fruit, medium body. Firm, velvety tannins with a long finish. I love it.

Winery: Castello di Querceto
Wine: Chianti Classico Docg Castello di Querceto 2020
Ruby core with light purple hue towards the edge. The nose is fruity and dynamic with a hint of pepper. The palate expresses ripe red cherry with a well-structured body, medium alcohol and soft tannin. A bit light at the end. Good wine.

Winery: Brancaia
Wine:  Chianti Classico Docg Brancaia 2020
Brillant, ruby red with compacted rim. Pronounced flavour of cassis with overtones of violet. Full-bodied with quite bright acidity. Well balanced with rich red fruit and soft tannins. Harmonious end. Great wine.

On My Radar: Chianti Classico Docg Riserva  2019 

Winery: Castellare di Castellina
Wine: Chianti Classico Docg Riserva Castellare 2019
Intense and brilliant garnet colour. Its bouquet is intense and ample with notes of blackcurrant and violet. The palate is rich and elegant. Full bodied with impressive freshness and velvety tannins. Long finish. Great wine.

Winery:  Le Miccine
Wine:  Chianti Classico Docg Riserva Le Miccine 2019
Ruby core with narrow rim. Lovely nose with red plum and notes of rhubarb and liquorice. Powerful structure with ripe red fruit, fresh with well integrated soft tannins. Long finish. Great wine.

Winery: Felsina
Wine: Chianti Classico Docg Riserva Rancia 2019
Clear, deep red garnet colour. Intense flavour of cherry, blueberries and violet. Spicy with notes of liquorice and mint. The mouth is dense with medium soft tannins and toasty hints. Elegant wine with long and pleasant aftertaste Charming, fine wine. This is an excellent wine.

Winery:  Riecine
Wine:  Chianti Classico Docg Riserva Riecine 2019
Deep ruby core with compact rim. Intense flavour of cherry, blueberries and violet. Spicy with notes of liquorice and mint. Full bodied wine with rich dark cherry fruit well-balanced with soft tannins. Elegant and harmonious finish. Charming, fine wine.

Winery:  Castello di Ama
Wine:  Chianti Classico Docg Riserva Montebuoni 2019
Deep ruby colour, lighter on the edge. Pronounced bouquet of cherry with overtones of blackberry and chocolate. Fragrant entrance, round with ripe fruit. Firm, velvety tannins with long length. I like it !

On My Radar: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione  2018 

Winery: Conti Capponi/Villa Calcinaia
Wine: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna La Fornace 2018
Medium ruby core, paler towards the edge. The wine displays intense flavour of wild berry with scents of new leather. Rich and powerful, good balance of body, fruit, acidity, and firm tannins. Lovely wine with great potential.

Winery: I Fabbri
Wine: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione I Fabbri 2018
Ruby colour turning slightly garnet on the rim. Beautiful aromas of ripe cherry and prune with balsamic overtones. Blackcherry in the palate with a light smoky scent. Medium body with round, fine tannins. Fresh delicious finish.

Winery: Ricasoli
Wine: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio 2018
Bright, intense ruby with garnet hue. Itt displays intense flavour of cherry and blueberry with light earthy overtones. Juicy and vibrant with medium-bodied palate, soft tannins and toasty light notes at the end.  I have really appreciated this wine.

On My Radar: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione  2017

Winery:  Castello di Monsanto
Wine: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Il Poggio 2017
Deep garnet core with ruby tinge. Complex nose with flavour of black cherry and prune with a note of rhubarb. Fragrant, juicy palate with present acidity. Discrete alcohol level and soft tannins well integrated with the fruit. Long finish. Great, fine wine.

Winery: Querciabella
Wine: Chianti Classico Docg Gran Selezione Querciabella 2017
Brilliant, deep garnet colour with a compact rim. Various and intense aromas of ripe plum, blackberry and chocolate. Full bodied wine with rich dark cherry fruit well balanced with soft tannins. Elegant and harmonious finish. Outstanding wine, clear expression of pure Sangiovese with long life.

🍷🍇@chianticlassico #ccc2022 #ChiantiClassico #GalloNero #BlackRooster #redwine #italianwine #Tuscany #TuscanWine #wine #winedrinker #winelover #winetourism #winetravels #winetasting #winenews

Wine Tourism is top priority for the Greek Tourism Ministry

This weekend Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias opened the proceedings of the third conference on wine tourism, co-organized by the Tourism Ministry, the Greek National Tourist Organisation (GNTO), and the Peloponnese Regional Authorities, ANA reports.

Wine tourism is high on the agenda of the Tourism Ministry, with the aim of attracting high-income tourists, extending the tourist season and creating unique authentic experiences for visitors, Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Saturday.

“We continue with even greater intensity and creativity the effort for the international promotion of the fine Greek wine production and the establishment of the Greek brand name in wine tourism internationally,” says Minister Vassilis Kikilias.

#greekwine #greece #greekwinetourism #winetourism #winelover #winenews #drinkgreekwine #madeingreece #winesofgreece #winetasting #winelovers #greekwinelovers #travelling #winelife