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     Decanter - wine magazine

2013
New bond pays more in wine than in cash
City investors in a new bond are being tempted with the offer of a more generous return in drink instead of cash. Naked Wines, which funds independent winemakers from around the world, said it will pay an annual interest rate of 7 per cent in cash or 10 per cent in wine credits. The three-year bond is designed to raise £3m to support wine-makers as they develop new fine wines. [independent.co.uk]



Bordeaux 2013 harvest set for 20% drop
A difficult spring, a wet early summer and a series of devastating hailstorms have reduced the Bordeaux 2013 crop by around 20% versus 2012, which came in at 5.25m hectolitres, the Bureau said. Ripening is still around two weeks behind an average year, although a hot and sunny July and August has helped to minimise diseases such as mildew or oidium. Across France, this year’s harvest could be the lowest for 40 years with an estimated 43.5m hectolitres for 2013, against a ten-year average of 45.4m. [decanter.com]



Wine lovers offered tipple tip cash
Wine-loving holidaymakers are being given the chance to earn enough money for next year's trip in the sun by recommending a tipple they discover abroad. "The Listing" enables consumers to earn money from wines they have recommended to Oddbins, which is behind the idea, if the retailer goes on to stock and sell them. Consumers will earn a commission of up to 10% on every bottle sold - potentially adding up to hundreds of pounds. [cambridge-news.co.uk]



France's president puts Elysée wine cellar under the hammer
François Hollande, the French president, is auctioning off part of the Elysée’s famous wine cellar. Though selling off one tenth of the presidential wine collection appalled certain French wine collectors, who saw it as an act of sabotage against national heritage and an affront to the palates of foreign dignitaries, the unprecedented auction has exceeded expectations. It was hoped it would make €250,000 (£214,000) over two days, but more than €300,000 was raised on the first night alone. It is part of the Elyseé's plan to replenish its stock without using money from the public purse. (guardian.co.uk)



Majority of UK adults drinking within recommended guidelines
The majority of people in the UK are drinking within their weekly guideline amounts for alcohol according to new figures released today. The research from the Office of National Statistics revealed that 64% of men drank no more than 21 units weekly, and 63% of women drank no more than 14 units weekly. (harpers.co.uk)



Heavy rains across Europe delay growth 'by three weeks'
The heavy rains that have been falling across France and much of Europe for the past few weeks have halted vine growth in many regions, jeopardising flowering at a crucial time of the year. (decanter.com)



English fizz moves into Japan
English sparkling producer Nyetimber is taking on the biggest names in Champagne by becoming the first English sparkling wine to win distribution throughout Japan – a country that loves its prestige cuvées and grower Champagnes. The West Sussex producer even took the unusual step of unveiling its 2009 Nyetimber Rosé in Japan two weeks before the wine’s UK launch. [decanter.com]



$12m in damages for billionaire buyer of fake wine
A billionaire from the state of Florida has won $12m (£7.8m) in damages awarded by a New York jury in a dispute over fake vintage wine. The lawsuit alleged Bordeaux wine had been labelled to suggest it was bottled between 1864 and 1950. Two dozen bottles of the fake wine were fraudulently sold to him at an auction in 2005, Mr Koch alleged. Eric Greenberg, a businessman from California, who sold the wine to Mr Koch, said in a statement the outcome of the trial was "a disappointment because I believed all the consigned wine to be authentic.". [bbc.co.uk]



Vandals release valuable wine
A New Zealand winery has lost 6000 litres of merlot after vandals opened a tank valve and left it to drain. Staff at Moana Park at Puketapu, near Napier, arrived to find $165,000 of wine spilled onto the ground. The police had visited the winery to look for evidence, but as they explained, "The problem is we couldn't tell if there were vehicle tracks because the merlot had washed away anything that was left." [nzherald.co.nz]



What’s the difference?
Over a third of sparkling wine consumers say there is "little difference" between Champagne and Prosecco, according to new research. Mintel's British Lifestyles report said "sparkling wine... looks set to continue overshadowing its more illustrious cousin (Champagne) as the reputation of drinks such as Prosecco continues to grow, with over a third (36%) of Champagne and sparkling wine drinkers claiming that there is 'little difference' between the two". [harpers.com] USA is now No 1 world wine market.
U.S. residents now make up the largest wine market in the world, consuming 13 percent of global production, it was reported at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium. U.S. production increased 2 percent last year to help meet demand. But imports now account for 35 percent of sales in the United States. Major sources of imports are bulk-wine imports from Argentina, followed by Chile and Australia. New Zealand is expected to become a bigger player, especially with production of sauvignon blanc.



Organic Vineyard in London expanding
The only sizeable vineyard in the Greater London area is Forty Hall community vineyard in Enfield, run entirely by volunteers from the local community. Organic at present, the team is considering biodynamics as well – including a horse for ploughing and bio-fuel for the tractors. A further 2 acres are being planted to supplement the first plantings in 2009 (mostly killed by frosts) and a second planting in 2011. Vines surviving include Bacchus vines from 2009 and later plantings of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Ortega. The vineyards hope to produce a small crop, which will be vinified at Davenport Vineyards in Sussex.



Berry Bros. & Rudd to stock wines from China
Britain's oldest wine merchant, which dates back 314 years, is giving its stamp of approval to Chinese wine by stocking four wines produced in China. The four wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend and three ice wines priced from £19 pounds to £65 ($28 to $98), are from Chateau Changyu in eastern Shandong province (China's oldest and largest winery). China is the eighth largest producer of wine in the world and is forecast to be sixth largest by 2016



Californian legend Paul Draper wins Winemakers’ Winemaker Award 2013
Paul Draper has been named as the recipient of the 2013 Winemakers’ Winemaker Award, chosen by a panel of Master of Wine winemakers from all over the world, and the previous winners of the award. This is the third annual award - previous winners were Peter Sisseck of Dominio de Pingus and Peter Gago of Penfolds. Paul Draper has been chief winemaker at Ridge Vineyards in California since 1969. Before that he spent two years in northern Italy prior to establishing a small winery in the coastal range of Chile.



World wine production down, but Bordeaux exports grow in 2012.
According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), world wine production fell 6 per cent in 2012, to a 37-year low. Smaller grape crops in Argentina, France and Spain are apparently to blame. But, bucking the trend, wine exports from Bordeaux posted record growth. The Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) trade body confirmed the equivalent of 315m bottles were exported, an increase of 9% on 2011. Sales value was €2.28bn (US$2.96bn), up by 16%.largest wine market in the world, consuming 13 percent of global production, it was reported at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium. U.S. production increased 2 percent last year to help meet demand. But imports now account for 35 percent of sales in the United States. Major sources of imports are bulk-wine imports from Argentina, followed by Chile and Australia. New Zealand is expected to become a bigger player, especially with production of sauvignon blanc.



Further fallout of sale of Wine Advocate - Antonio Galloni sued for breach of contract, fraud and defamation.
Antonio Galloni, who was contracted by the influential wine journal to cover California wines, resigned after a majority share in Wine Advocate was bought by a group of Singaporean investors. At the time he was producing a report on Sonoma wines, which was not delivered to Wine Advocate. He set up his own business, explaining to subscribers on his new website that he would not be able to do justice to the diversity of the region in time for the Wine Advocate’s February issue. The Wine Advocate is now accusing Galloni of ‘fraud, breach of contractual obligations and intentional and unjustifiable withholding of tasting notes’.



USA is now No 1 world wine market.
U.S. residents now make up the largest wine market in the world, consuming 13 percent of global production, it was reported at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium. U.S. production increased 2 percent last year to help meet demand. But imports now account for 35 percent of sales in the United States. Major sources of imports are bulk-wine imports from Argentina, followed by Chile and Australia. New Zealand is expected to become a bigger player, especially with production of sauvignon blanc.



Organic Vineyard in London expanding
The only sizeable vineyard in the Greater London area is Forty Hall community vineyard in Enfield, run entirely by volunteers from the local community. Organic at present, the team is considering biodynamics as well – including a horse for ploughing and bio-fuel for the tractors. A further 2 acres are being planted to supplement the first plantings in 2009 (mostly killed by frosts) and a second planting in 2011. Vines surviving include Bacchus vines from 2009 and later plantings of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Ortega. The vineyards hope to produce a small crop, which will be vinified at Davenport Vineyards in Sussex.



New Zealand wine glut feared after outstanding grape-growing summer
Fears of a wine gluthave been sparked after one of the driest summers on record with outstanding grape-growing conditions. The 2013 vintage is expected to be considerably bigger than the 269,000-tonne harvest in 2012. New Zealand has had overproduction previously when the bumper 2008 harvest caused a 27-million-litre glut, slashing wine, land and grape prices. The overproduction also led to an increase in exports of cheaper bulk wine shipped in giant plastic bladders to key export markets.



Maltese viticulture research centre opens
Maltese wine may not be high on your pick list, but maybe that is going to change. A €500,000 viticulture and oenology research centre was opened in Buskett in South West Malta in March. The centre has been co-financed by the inter-regional Pro-Med Italia/Malta programme and the EU.



30 cases of wine stolen from Château Palmer recovered by police
318 bottles of Château Palmer stolen from the estate’s cellars recently were recovered by the local gendarmerie. The wine, worth €72,000 was stolen by a gang of burglars who seemed well-informed of the château layout They broke into the cellars having used the roofs to gain entry – exactly the method used in the other break-ins. Seven suspected perpetrators were arrested at a house in Montussan (near Bordeaux).



Ch. Pontet-Canet adopts amphorae maturation for 2012
Fifth growth Pauillac estate Ch. Pontet-Canet will be the first Bordeaux estate to embrace amphora maturation - around 15% of the 2012 vintage will be matured in amphorae. The biodynamic based estate has spent the last three years experimenting with different sizes and shapes of amphorae manufactured by the estate. The concrete vessels are intended to provide a more neutral flavour effect than oak allowing better fruit expression. For more local terroir expression, amphorae of Cabernet Sauvignon contain gravel from the vineyard, while the Merlot amphorae incorporate a small amount of limestone and clay.
Under Alfred Tesseron’s ownership for 20 years, Pontet-Canet embraced biodynamic viticulture a decade ago and has seen glowing reviews and price hikes. Another initiative has been introducing horse power – his team of five horses is now used across 40% of the 81 hectares of vineyards.



Babycham vs Cath Kidston
Babycham may not be a wine in the classic sense of the word, but the owners are Accolade Wines. Accolade has now issued a High Court writ to protect copyright of the Babycham mascot against retro style homeware company Cath Kidston. Accolade believes that Cath Kidston used a "similar" deer design on its 2012 Christmas wear range.



Underwater ageing experiment in Charleston Harbour, South Carolina
Mira Winery in Napa Valley will be the first American winery to try aging wine in the ocean, with a pilot experiment of four cases of 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon in specially designed cages in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina for three months. The objective is to understand the difference between wine aged on the ocean floor versus wine aged in the warehouse. Salvage specialists have recovered wine from sunken ships and declared the wine to be enhanced by the underwater experience. Sub-sea ageing in Chile has been practiced for years by Cavas Submarinas, and several European wineries have also experimented with this approach.



Disappointing results at Bonhams London Fine Wine auction on Feb 14
One fourth of the lots were unsold, including a case of 12 bottles of 1988 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru. Other prestigious items sold at below the pre-sale upper estimate, like six magnums of 1996 Lafite-Rothschild (£6,900) and a 12-bottle case of Château Cheval Blanc 1982 (£4,600).



Lead critic of the Wine Advocate leaves to start his own web venture
Antonio Galloni authored 1/3rd of the reviews published by Wine Advocate in 2012, and is a particular specialist on the Piedmont region in Italy. He claims ‘a strong desire to return to my entrepreneurial roots’. The wine reviewer, once touted as heir apparent to the Parker empire, said that the move was also partly prompted by the recent sale of the Wine Advocate to a group of Asian investors.



2012 California harvest is a record for both grapes crushed and the prices paid
The 2012 Grape Crush Report (Preliminary) reveals 2012 to be a record year. The total wine grape crush (4.77m tonnes) was up 13% overall from 2011 and average prices paid for those grapes rising 20% to US$772.09 per ton. Red wine grape yields was up 19% from the previous year. Chardonnay was the largest single varietal (16%) followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (11.3%) and Zinfandel (10.3%).



Duchess of Cornwall praises English wines
The Duchess is president of the United Kingdom Vineyards Association. She attended a social event with members at Vintner’s Hall in London this month, joining leading lights from the industry including Oz Clarke and Michael Cox. After tasting a range of homegrown sparklings, whites and reds at the English Wine Producers event, she declared English wines will one day rival their French counterparts.



$2M worth of wine mislaid in New York storage facility
Nearly 1,600 cases of top quality wine valued at over $2M belonging to two New York restaurants, Minetta Tavern and Morandi, have been trapped in a wine storage facility called WineCare since Hurricane Sandy struck last October. The storage operators had to hurridly shift the entire contents to avoid flooding, and have difficulty now in identifying who owns what. The storage owner is "95 percent (because I can't be 100 percent) sure that the wine is fine". Meanwhile, lawyers are having a field day trying to get release of the stocks.



Ban on wine advertising in Russia
Provoked partly by a rising tide of youthful beer binge drinking, the Russian government is cracking down on what it sees as an important public health issue with a sweeping ban on all alcohol advertising. The law, which took effect Jan. 1, makes no distinction between beer, wine and spirits. All advertisements are banned in both traditional and online media. State authorities have warned the ban may be applied to the editorial content of wine publications and newspaper wine columns.



Decanter wine awards competition in Asia
Decanter has been holding World Wine Awards in London since 2004. Now it has run a separate competition to test the notion of a distinct “Asian palate”. 2,249 wines were tasted in Hong Kong. Of the 13 trophies, France won three, with Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne 2004 taking the Sparkling Wine category, Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes Bordeaux 2005 the Sweet Trophy and the Red Rhone Varietal Trophy going to Cave de Roquebrun, Seigneur d’Aupenac, St. Chinian-Roquebrun Languedoc Roussillon 2009. 2010 Fox Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale, South Australia won the Red Bordeaux Varietal International Trophy.



Return of Georgian wine to Russia predicted
Wine and water from Georgia should soon begin flowing back to Russia, after Moscow agreed in principle to lift an embargo in a step towards rebuilding relations shattered by their August 2008 war. Imports of Georgian mineral water and wine could resume this spring, seven years after Russia banned two of its small southern neighbor's prized products when tension mounted before a five-day war.



First single chateau AOC designation sought in Bordeaux
The owners of Chateau Le Puy, in AOC Francs Côtes de Bordeaux (on the right bank of the Dordogne), have asked appellations body INAO for a tiny AOC. A geological study identified a small plot of 5.6ha with a distinct limestone composition within the 50ha estate. It is this section that would become AOC Le Puy. The Le Puy Cahier (charter) says it would be a certified-biodynamic AOC, with one hectare of wild flowers, hedgerow or forest for every hectare of vines. There would be no chaptilisation or mechanical harvesting, no green harvesting and only natural yeasts.
This would be a first for Bordeaux to have a single chateau AOC. There are only seven single-vineyard AOCs in France.



Price hike for Two Buck Chuck
Two Buck Chuck (formally known as Charles Shaw), is a wine made in Stanislaus County, California that took the industry by storm. Launched in 2002 at $1.99 by a store chain called Trader Joe's, it created a sensation from the start: Who would have thought that decent-tasting, single-varietal wines, sealed with cork, could sell for so little? About 700 million bottles have sold over 11 years, And in case you were worried about quality, the judges at the 2007 California State Fair gave the top prize for chardonnays to Charles Shaw, which beat about 350 other entries from the state's commercial wineries. The price has just risen to $2.49, driven by inflation and a shortage of grapes.

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