Bernard Magrez
makes wine in Japan
Bernard Magrez is one of the most successful wine “industrialists” in
recent times. He has amassed a wine empire including some 35 wine estates.
He has recently established a joint venture with Yuji Aruga of Katsunuma
Winery. The wine that they will make together will be sold on the
international market (outside of Japan) through the Magrez distribution
organisation.
decanter.comAOC
Coteaux du Languedoc Pézenas defined
A new official publication has defined the requirements for adding
Pézenas to the AOC Coteaux du Languedoc. The wine must come from the
communes Adissan, Aspiran, Caux, Fontès, Fouzilhon, Gabian,
Lieuran-Cabrières, Montesquieu, Neffiès, Nizas, Paulhan, Péret, Pézenas,
Roujan, and Vailhan, all in the department l’Herault. Permitted grape
varieties are Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault. The
denomination may be used from the 2006 harvest.
journee-vinicole.com
Laroche increases turnover
with 17%
The Laroche Group, led by Michel Laroche, increased sales for the year
ended on March 31 from 26.1 M euro to 30.7 M euro, an increase with 17%.
Laroche is best known for it’s Chablis wines but are today also making wines
across the globe – in the Languedoc, in South Africa and in Chile.
EU spends 415 M euro on wine
support – 159 M euro goes to Spain
The EU has a relatively substantial budget to support and develop the
wine sector. Primarily it is targeted at decreasing the surplus of cheap,
low quality wine, e.g. by grubbing up vines, by changing grape varieties,
and in other ways improve wine production. For the budget year ’06-’07 some
425 million euro will be spent on this program. 159 of those millions will
go to Spain which is the country with the biggest land surface planted for
wine production: 1.2 million hectares. This is one of the things that you
can learn from the recently published “Spain Food and Drink Report Q1 2007”
from Research and Markets.
researchandmarkets.com
Prices rise on Australian
wine?
There’s been exceptionally dry weather in Australia, and coupled with
spring frosts this has reduced this year’s harvest. Now, trade sources
estimate that the reduces volumes will lead to price increases for the
consumer of between $2 and $8 per bottle. This might be a relief for the
Australian wine industry that has suffered from over-production, sometimes
to the extent that grapes have been left hanging on the vine or tanks have
been emptied from unsold wine to make room for the new vintage.
brisbanetimes.com.au
South Africa feels the pinch
of the world wide wine glut
South Africa is arguably one of the most successful “new” wine countries
in recent times, coming from virtually nowhere to now commanding a
substantial market share, at least on some markets. But now even South
Africa is starting to feel the pain of the word wide wine surplus. Exports
are down for the first time in 12 years. Prices are also down (13%) and
wineries come up for sale. Read more:
iol.co.za
Californian grape acreage
increases
The acreage for grapes in California grew in 2006 to 350,000 hectares
(860,000 acres). That is about the same size as Bordeaux (100’) and
Languedoc (250’) together. But only 60% of that is used for producing wine:
213,000 hectares (527,000 acres), up 1% from previous year – so roughly,
California wine land is about twice the size of Bordeaux. Most widely
planted grapes were Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
capitalpress.info
Record year for Spanish wine
exports
2006 was a record year for wine exports from Spain: they reached 1.64 bn
euro which is up 3.9% from previous year. Looking further back, over ten
years, since 1995, the Spanish exports have doubled.
wine-business-international.com
What will happen with Tocai
Friuliano?
Since April 1 it is no longer permitted to use the name Tocai (in Italy) or
Tokay (d’Alsace, in France) following an EU agreement that reserves that
name for wines from Hungary. The Italian government has, however, decided
that Tocai Friuliano can be used for at least one more year, contrary to the
EU ruling. This is the result of an Italian court ruling that decided that
‘Friuliano’ will not be permitted as the new name for the grape. In Veneto,
on the other hand, they have already started to use another name for Tocai:
Tai… (It may be worth noting that Tokay d’Alsace and Tocai Friuliano are
entirely different grape varieties: Tokay d’Alsace is Pinot Gris (or
Ruländer in German) and Tocai Friuliano is Sauvignonasse. In addition, Tocai
(now Tai) in Veneto is a third, unrelated grape.)
wine-business-international.com
New American AVA: Outer
Coastal Plain, NJ
The latest addition to the list of AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) is
Outer Coastal Plain in New Jersey. The region covers almost half of the
state: 2.25 million acres (0,9 million hectares) – all are not planted with
wine though. There are 20 wine producers growing a variety of grapes, e.g.
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Riesling,
and Sauvignon Blanc.
appellationamerica.com
Champagne Thiénot buys into
Dourthe
The Champagne house Thiénot (Thiénot, Canard-Duchène, Joseph Perrier,
Marie Stuart, Malard) has bought a stake in the Bordeaux négociant CVBG
Dourthe Kressmann. Dourthe is a major négociant in Bordeaux and also owns
(or manages) several estates: Château Belgrave, Ch La Garde, Ch Pey La Tour.
It is said that the intention from Dourthe is to assure the long term
capitalisation of the company. The turn-over of the combined group is
expected to reach 275 million euro in 2007 and it will manage some 725
hectares of vines in Bordeaux, Champagne and the Languedoc.
decanter.com,
journee-vinicole.com
New-old conflict over
Margaux appellation
First it was the Cru Bourgeois classification that was annulled. Then it
was St Emilion. Is Margaux next? Philippe Raoux, owner of Ch d’Arsac, has
recently won a new step in a long running court battle against the INAO over
the borders of the Margaux appellation. He bases his argument on geological
studies that he claims shows should broaden the appellation. (Do we need to
add that it would then include d’Arsac?...) INAO, meanwhile, has defined its
own new (proposed) borders of Margaux. It would include some new land but
would exclude some of the existing properties. We can easily imagine how the
owners of that land will react… Perhaps it is time to let the consumers
decide what wine is good and what is not good, rather than giving that task
to bureaucrats? More in
wine-business-international.com
It’s official: AOC Languedoc
is born
In a text published on April 30 AOC Languedoc has been officially
announced. Technically, it is not a new appellation but a modification of
the existing AOC Coteaux du Languedoc. To create a new AC takes many years
and the growers were more impatient than that. So instead they opted to
change the existing AC Coteaux du Languedoc so that it a) changes name, and
b) includes both the Languedoc and the Roussillon. The intention is that it
will make it easier for consumers. Laudable of course. The AOC Languedoc may
be used from the 2006 harvest. The old one can still be used during a
transition period of five years.
journee-vinicole.com
Château la Roque in
Pic-St-Loup (Languedoc) changes hands
Château la Roque, one of the best known properties in the successful
appellation Pic-St-Loup in Languedoc has just changed hands. The new owner
is the ex-industrialist from Normandy, Jacques Rivette. the property covers
some 80 ha, 32 of which are planted with vines.
vitisphere.com
OIV – what is it?
In the last issue of The Brief we mentioned that Montenegro has joined
the OIV. Unfortunately we were a little bit imprecise in explaining what OIV
is. Federico Castellucci, general secretary of the OIV, has asked us to
clarify that OIV stands for Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du
Vin, or in English: International Organisation of Vine and Wine, and that
OIV is an intergovernmental organisation of a scientific and technical
nature and a recognised competence for its works concerning vines, wine,
wine-based beverages, table grapes, raisins and other vine-based products.
It is composed of 43 member countries who have an economic interest in wines
and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic products derived from grapes.
Clarification now done. More info on their site:
www.oiv.int
Soave – combining wine and
food
During Vinitaly the Consortio of Soave launched a new information
leaflet on combining Soave wine with food – specifically with Scandinavian
food. The booklet contains recommendations and recipes from famous
Scandinavian chefs and how to combine it with Soave wine. It is written by
Magnus Saccone in English with an Italian translation. To order the booklet
send an email to press (at) ilsoave.com
Next Vinisud takes place on
18-20 February 2008
Vinisud in Montpellier is a trade show focusing on wines from the
Mediterranean basin. It has grown rapidly in recent times and is today a
must for those who are interested in wines “from the South”. Many exhibitor
come from France – naturally – but all the countries around the
Mediterranean are represented. The next edition will take place on February
18-20, 2007. To note in the agenda!
www.vinisud.org
Bring you own wine to the
restaurant
Sometimes one thinks that it’s a pity that one can’t afford to drink
some really nice wines in a restaurant. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to
bring with you to the restaurant that wine-candy you have in the cellar at
home? Well, in the UK that is quite possible. The ambitious wine site
Wine-Pages have now done a list of restaurant that allows you to bring your
own wine. You can find this BYO (Bring Your Own) list here
wine-pages.com. Including a few restaurants in the US.
Crowds in the vineyard –
17,000 vines per hectare
Chateau de Tracy has just launched a new cuvée called “Haute Densité”,
or simply HD. 2004 is the first vintage of the peculiar wine from one of the
best estates in Pouilly-Fumé. The wine comes from a 1 ha vineyard on
Kimmeridge soil. It is planted with a density of 17,000 vines per ha! Quite
extraordinarily dense; generally, vineyards are considered to be densely
planted with “just” 8-10,000 vines per ha. Why plant so densely? The
winemaker Laurent Pataille answers: “It increases the competition between
the vines and gives the wine more concentration since we only have two
bunches of grapes per vine”. The result? An elegant wine with flowery
aromas, very mineral, and a long and powerful taste (45 euro at the estate).
Impressive for vines that are only a few years old.
chateau-de-tracy.com
Laroche opens boutique hotel
in Chablis
A year or two ago Laroche opened a wine bar and restaurant in an old
renovated mill and now (after quite a long wait) it’s time for the hotel. It
is a very small and luxurious hotel above the restaurant. Seven rooms (two
suites, one with a large terrasse) await the guests. Almost minimalist
design, very low-key and elegant with a discrete African theme (perhaps
inspired by Laroche’s new vineyard in South Africa). Goes well with a Grand
Cru in front of the fire place in the hotel living room.
Go for good or great
Gigondas
Gigondas is a small appellation in the southern Rhône valley that has
almost become a little bit forgotten. For a while it has perhaps not been
among the most dynamic of wine regions but more recently it has seen
something you could almost call a renaissance. Today there are several
interesting producers in Gigondas. Raspail-Ay is probably the best known but
there are many others. If you are curious to find out a bit more about them
(plus a few truths about the 2003 vintage) you should read
Mark Williamson’s (Willi’s Wine Bar) commentary here
Have a news
item you'd like to see here or have a news tip? Send me an email:
winebrief@bkwine.com
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