Do you get
better scores in the wine magazines if you advertise?
Johan Reuter, a member of the Association of American Wine Economists,
wondered if advertisers in the wine magazines get a “kinder” treatment than
those who don’t advertise. Or in other words: do advertisers get better
scores? So he decided to investigate. The result is a paper published by the
AAWE called
"Does Advertising Bias Product Reviews? An Analysis of Wine Ratings"
(the full report can also be downloaded). The conclusion is essentially that
no, advertising does not bias the review. It is also interesting to read
the response from Wine Spectator to the paper. So everything is fine. On
the other hand, the problem might be different: Perhaps advertisers get
reviewed and those who don’t advertise have a more difficult time to get
reviewed. One wine producer we talked to said that when they stopped
advertising the suddenly no longer appeared in the reviews. Perhaps a
subject for a second paper?
Call for papers for wine
economists
The American Association of Wine Economists has launched a call for papers
for their yearly conference in 2010. So if you have some good idea on a
micro or macro economic subject on wine you can send them a proposal. More
info
www.wine-economics.org
So, how was it, the European
Wine Bloggers Conference?
You
cannot have missed that there were a European Wine Bloggers Conference
(#EWBC) in Lisbon recently (we’ve written so much about it). BKWine was
there of course. We were for example on the panel that debated
“monetization” of wine blogs. And we took the occasion to make a number of
videos. Here’s one of the videos where we interview some participants and
ask what they thought about it: “European
Wine Bloggers Conference: How was it for you?" Perhaps it can inspire
you to participate next year!
Italy, Portugal and cork –
new videos on BKWine TV
We’ve
published several new videos on BKWine TV:
- Part two of the
interview with Piero Lanza at Fattoria Poggerino in Chianti , Tuscany
where he talks about their bio-dynamic farming.
-
The winemaker at Niepoort (the famous port wine producer), Luis Seabra,
explains how he works and what he thinks that the wine producers in the
Douro valley need to do to be successful – part one. And here is the
second part of the interview with the Niepoort winemaker.
-
Cork or not cork? That’s a major debate. But in reality there is not one
single answer to the question. (It’s definitely not so easy as to say that
screw cap is simply best.) We talked to
Carlos de Jesus, marketing director at Amorim, the world’s biggest cork
producer, who explained what his views are on the issue.
-
Charles Metcalfe is (a rather well known) British wine journalist and
author. He’s a great lover of Portugal and a connoisseur of all (good)
things Portuguese. He has also written, together with his wife Kathryn, a
book on Portugal. BKWine TV sat down and talked to Charles after a nice
dinner at the Restaurant Eleven in Lisbon and asked him
why Portugal is such an interesting wine country. Here’s the first part of
the interview. The second is coming soon.
- And of course the two videos
on the Wine Bloggers Conference in Lisbon:
the full length video on the #EWBC and
the short version on #EWBC
(Most of these videos were made
at the occasion of the European Wine Bloggers Conference #EWBC.)
”Bu sur le web” – a (-n
amusing) wine talker on the web
It does require a bit of French, but
”Bu sur le web”, a series of short wine videos, is worth discovering. We
are certainly not big enthusiasts of the type of wine videos where you have
a wine “guru” who tastes a wine (or several) and tells you what it tastes
like. (You might have noticed from our own videos – we prefer letting the
winemakers talk.) But Aurélia, who makes “Bu sur le web” is something we
like. Short clips, good speed and punch, a incredibly wonderful accent
(she’s Canadian – are we a bit too chauvinist here?), sometimes even too
fast (“avec quoi on mange ce vin?”…). A female (thank god) Gary Waynerchuk?
In any case, she’s definitely more entertaining. A minute and a half is
about as much as you can take with that level of energy! Definitely worth a
taste: Bu sur le web.
http://busurleweb.com/
Wine-filled chocolate,
wine-flavoured salt…
Christmas time is often when we indulge (more than usual) in sweets and
other goodies. Is chocolate filled with wine the perfect Christmas present
for the wine lover? 80% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon, 72 % cocoa, and 1.2%
alcohol (that makes for 173.2% in total!). Indeed, it sounds very
interesting but unfortunately we have not yet tasted it. Or what about sea
salt flavoured with the lees from wine barrels (again cabernet and merlot)?
We don’t know how lees taste or why you would flavour salt with it but it
does sound interesting so why not try it! (And it’s a clever way of using a
waste product to something useful!) Both chocolate and salt come from
Chateau La Gatte in Bordeaux:
www.winechocolate.net
The Côtes in Bordeaux now
officially married
There
have been five “côtes”-appellations in Bordeaux: Premières Côtes de Blaye,
Côtes de Francs, Côtes de Castillon, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux and Côte de
Bourg. INAO has just approved officially the merger of four of those into a
new appellation that is called, simply, Côtes de Bordeaux. The fifth Côte,
that has chosen not to be part of the new AOC is Côte de Bourg – they will
remain as an independent AOC. The other four will from the 2009 vintage use
the new name AOC Côtes de Bordeaux. They can either use only that name or
they can add a “first name” to be more specific: Blaye, Francs, Castillon,
or Cadillac (this is a new denomination). It will then look like e.g.
“Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux”.
Côtes de Bordeaux facts:
- The new appellation Côtes de Bordeaux includes 14,000 hectares, which is
about one sixth of Bordeaux
- It produces some 700,000 hl wine
- It is sold as either Côtes de Bordeaux or with one of four communal names
added in front: Blaye, Castillon, Francs or Cadillac
- New web site:
www.bordeaux-cotes.com
Côte de Bourg remains in
sole isolation?
Côte
de Bourg will not be part of the newly created Côtes de Bordeaux
appellation. It can be difficult to understand why one would choose not to
be part of the collaboration (originally they were going to be). “Bordeaux”
is a very strong in internationally well known brand with a strong quality
image. Bourg, on the contrary, is small, unknown sub-district, so why not
try and dove-tail on a strong brand and joint resources? Difficult to know.
We can only speculate. Superficially, it certainly seems to be the wrong way
to go. If you want to develop sales on an international market it should be
better to build on “Bordeaux” rather than “Bourg”. There are far too many
small and obscure appellations in France that are convinced that they must
put forward their own name and their own particularities, rather than
collaborate with others around a more marketable name (to take a few
examples: la Livinière, Fenouillèdes, Pacherenc du Vic Bilh etc. Do you know
them?). Some may of course succeed but many risk remaining in the unknown no
man’s land. And what about Côte de Bourg? Maybe it has more to do with
people and personalities than with marketing strategies. Perhaps Côte de
Bourg will be one of those that succeed. Côte de Bourg is evidently an
appellation with lots of dynamism and lots of initiative – they make things
happen. The organise things. They make noise. For example, the international
malbec meeting a few weeks ago. So one sees and hears about them quite
often. But we can’t say we see or hear much about the other Côtes… Maybe
that’s the answer to the question.
Côte de Bourg facts
- Some 500 grape growers: 259 independent producers, 171 cooperatuers
- 3900 ha vineyards with red grapes, 25 ha (!) with white grapes
- Red grape varieties: merlot 65%, cabernet sauvignon 20%, malbec 10%,
cabernet franc 5%
- White grape varieties: sauvignon 46%, colombard 23%, sémillon 23%,
muscadelle 8%
- Only 15% of sales go on export, mainly to Belgium (33%), UK (10%),
Netherlands (10%), Germany, Japan and Canada (all 9%)
- Soil: limestone with iron, sand/clay, and limestone/clay
- Wines: mainly red of a typical Bordelais character, priced at 5-15 euro
- Web site:
www.cotes-de-bourg.com
-Web shop selling (virtually) all the appellation’s wines:
www.achat-vins-bordeaux.com
Alsace Grand Cru facts
-
51 ’lieu dits’ (place names) are included in the Grand Cru denomination,
covering 1,750 hectares
- 914 ha of GC is in production (compared to a total of 11,459 ha for Alsace
and 3,162 ha for crémant)
- Grand Cru represents 4% of the production (45,000 hl of GC)
- Four grape varieties are permitted: riesling, muscat, gewurztraminer, and
pinot gris (except for GC Zotzenbert and for blends from GC Altenberg de
Bergheim where one can also use sylvaner)
- The wines must (in principle) be made from a single grape variety, except
for GC Altenberg de Bergheim and GC Kaefferkopf where grape blends are
permitted. However, in 2005 it become permitted not to specify the grape
variety on the label which opened the door to
Currently France is undergoing a major overhaul of the regulations, for
example changing AOC to AOP. This will lead to a complete review of these
and other rules, but for another few years they are still valid.
Wine Tech Galleries
We
have, as an experiment, made a few ”Wine Tech Galleries”. The idea is that
each gallery, or slide show, will illustrate a more or less technical aspect
of winemaking and that we with the photos have a better possibility to
explain what it is and how it works. We launched it partially as “additional
material” to our new book A Wine Is Born
http://ettvinblirtill.wordpress.com/english/, and partially with the
hope that it might be of some interest to wine enthusiasts who want to learn
more about wine. The first three themes that we have covered are:
-
Mechanical harvest
-
Pumping over (remontage)
-
Sorting of grapes or bunches
At the moment we publish the galleries / slide show on our wine photo blog
http://wine-pictures.blogspot.com. When the new design of our web site
is done they may get a more permanent home there. What else do you think we
should cover in the Wine Tech Galleries?
Sex sells wine
No
doubt it can contribute to the sales. The producer is called Domaine de
l’Abbaye de Saint Hilaire. The monastic style seems to have been lost a long
time ago, judging from their communications.
A semi-nude young girl in a gigantic wine glass at a launch party, videos
with barely covered ladies who let the wine flow suggestively over the mouth
and throat and down over the body… Need we say more? (And it does
not quite have the kitsch quality of the From’Girls.) They even have
paparazzi style photo galleries from the launch parties. One wonders how the
wines taste.
New issue of Fine Wine e-zine
out
The e-zine Fine Wine is now out with the fourth issue for 2009. You can
download it for free on their web site:
www.finewine.nu. This issue contains articles on sherry, wine from
Alentejo in Portugal, cork and many other things.
Sex sells cheese
Maybe
they simply thought it was worth a try. For the fifth consecutive year the
Association Fromage et Terroir publishes a calendar with cheesy photos. Each
year they have featured lightly clad ladies, but this year the go one step
further to ‘unveil’ the attraction of cheese. The From’Girls calendar
includes twelve juicy cheeses, as well as girls. Does it sell more cheese?
Perhaps. And then of course, if you can sell coffee (Lavazza) or tyres and
rubber products (no, not that kind; Pirelli), why not wine and cheese? After
all, wine and cheese seems more appropriate than rubber cables.
www.fromages-de-terroirs.com
Study wine in British
Columbia
The University of British Columbia in western Canada runs a series of wine
courses as part of their continuing studies program. In February they have a
special interest course on the wines from Okanagan, in March there’s a
course on food and wine pairing, and in April they have a more intensive
course that is part of the WSET study program. More info on:
web.ubc.ca
Vinisud 2010, 22-24 February
Vinisud
is one of the big wine shows. It is primarily focused on the professional
visitor / wine buyer. It is a very interesting wine show, not least because
there are plenty of small producers, much more than e.g. at a grand show
like Vinexpo. One of the reasons is that it is relatively cheap to have a
stand so smaller producer can afford it. They also focus on the wine regions
around the Mediterranean, where there are many small / mid-size and
interesting producers today. The Languedoc-Roussillon has the largest number
of exhibitors, not surprising since it takes place in that region. But also
for example the Rhône Valley as well as some other countries around the
Mediterranean are well represented. This year there will even be an
exhibitor from Greece. In spite of “the crisis” the numbers point towards at
least as many exhibitors as last time. It’s certainly an interesting show
for those who are looking to establish new contacts with producers. Well
worth visiting if you’re interested in this type of wines. And who’s not?
BKWine will certainly be there! Facts: 22-24 February 2010 in Montpellier.
More info:
www.vinisud.com
World’s first malbec
competition
It’s
very popular with varietal wine competitions so for the first time in world
history (!) there was recently an International Malbec Competition. Malbec
perhaps not the world’s most wide-spread variety but you can find it in
several different countries. These are the plantings:
- Argentina 24,310 ha
- France 6,630 ha
- Chile 1,020 ha
- USA 680 ha
- South Africa 408 ha
- Italy 340 ha
- New Zealand 170 ha
- Total: 34 000 ha
(Source: P Fegan, Chicago Wine School)
Argentine, and specifically the Mendoza, dominates in terms of acreage. In
France the variety is best known for the wines it produces in the Cahors,
but it is also planted in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley (under the name
cot). Ce de Bourg, who co-organised the competition, is the sub-district in
Bordeaux with the highest percentage of malbec: 10%. So what was the result
of the competition? Well, there were two categories: northern hemisphere and
southern hemisphere, but in the southern category there was a draw so three
wines won trophies:
- Northern hemisphere: Cahors, Chateau du Cèdre "GC" 2007
- Southern hemisphere: Dolium Gran Reserva 2006 (Argentina, Mendoza) and
Malbec Single Vineyard San Carlos 2005 (Chile, Valle de Colchagua)
Mer info :
www.malbec-competition.com
South Africa experiments
with genetically modified vines
In August the University of Stellenbosch was given permission to plant en
experimental plot with 1 ha of genetically modified vines. This touches a
very infected debate. Some say that such trials must not be done. The had a
small planting of GM vines in Alsace until recently. They were allowed to
plant the vines under condition that they produced no grapes, in other
words, that all flowers were removed. They had this trial until recently –
it was vandalised and destroyed. But now there is a new trial in South
Africa. Those who say that it should be done are afraid of unpredictable
consequences that might lead to a catastrophe. Those who are in favour say
that the experiments may lead to plants that are resistant against some
diseases. That could lead to substantial reductions of vineyard spraying,
and thus less poison spread in nature. It will be interesting to see what
happens. Read more: The Genetically Modified Grape Storm in a Desert Wine
Glass.
The Genetically Modified Grape
Storm in a Desert Wine Glass. http://vnl.co.za
So what does Worcester Sauce
has to do with wine?
We don’t know. But it’s the name of a new wine blog by Stuart George.
Stuart. Stuart is a journalist which perhaps explains that is blog posts are
on the long side compared to the blogger average. He writes mainly about
wine but digresses frequently into other subjects like art (his most recent
posts are on art exhibitions). But you have, as mentioned a lot of stuff on
wine, e.g. a long (very long) text on wines from Chile. And if you look
closely you can also find some “pages” (as opposed to blog posts) with more
info, e.g. a chateau profile on Chateau Haut-Bailly in Bordeaux. So, why
Worcester Sauce? Suggestions, anyone?
http://worcestersauce.wordpress.com
400 Bordeaux chateaux sold
at auction
On
December 18 a bit over 400 Bordeaux chateau were sold at auction in Paris.
It wasn’t the actual wine estates that were sold of course, but depictions
of them. In 1850 the first edition of what was to become a legendary wine
book was published: Cocks et Feret’s Bordeaux et ses vins (Bordeaux and its
wines). It was a description of all the major wine properties in Bordeaux at
the time, including an illustration of the chateau. The illustrations were
artistically designed copper plate prints. What has now been sold at auction
is the original copper plates for the 400 and some featured chateaux, 5 to
15 centimetre big copper printing plates. They were sold at auction with
price estimations ranging from 500€ to 3000€ (final prices not yet
available). Judging from the catalogue it would make for beautiful desk
decorations. More info:
www.artcurial.com
A bottle of Masa Super
Premium for $2500
A
very elegant bottle safely guarded in an elegant wooden box decorated with
stylish calligraphy. Harvest made by hand, of course, and delicately treated
to produce a unique beverage for the connoisseur. Produced in only 100
bottles. A new super-extra-special-premium wine from California? A new
champagne to rival Krug’s Clos d’Ambonnay (with an equally silly price tag)?
No. A bottle of green tea. More info on King of Green Masa Super Premium
www.apr-inc.net
The monopoly model gains
international supporters? More countries adopt monopoly?
They
are discussing a reintroduction of the monopoly model for selling alcohol in
the country. A working group is toiling to present a proposal in March 2010.
The Prime Minister, who has initiated the project, has already previously
introduced strict limitations on the sale of alcohol, e.g. by forbidding
internet sales, we read in Vitisphere.com. So, where is this country that
apparently has understood that the Swedish monopoly model is “the world’s
best way to sell alcohol” (according to the Swedish monopoly’s own
advertising)? Russia of course. More info
www.vitisphere.com
Terras do Sado becomes
Peninsula de Setubal
The Portuguese wine region Terras do Sado is located just south of Lisbon.
It Has recently been renamed Península de Setúbal in an effort to make it
better known. The new name will be uses from the 2009 harvest.
www.vitisphere.com
The magic of words: Chaume
is ‘grand cru’ or ‘premier cru’ or both?
The
French sometimes put too much stock in the magic of words and in the value
of appellations, as this story, just one of several about AOC and name
wrangling, shows: In 2003 a new appellation was launched in the Loire
Valley, with the blessing of the INAO of course: the AC Chaume Premier Cru,
within the Coteaux du Layon region. (It’s very difficult to understand how
the INAO could agree to it to start with.) This was a sweet white wine
appellation in a wine region close to the city of Angers. However, the
neighbours said ‘we are not amused’ since there was already since long an
appellation, and a very prestigious one (albeit virtually unknown except to
the real wine nerds) called Quart de Chaume. The producers of QdC thought
(understandably) that the name “Chaume Premier Cru” might give the
impression that ‘plain’ Quart de Chaume was something lesser (which it is
not, rather the contrary). So they took the case to court. And won. So
Chaume Premier Cru was annulled in 2005 and disappeared. Wine growers are
not ones to give up easily (if they were they probably wouldn’t be wine
growers), so the CPC growers tried again, now in 2007 with the name Coteaux
du Layon Chaume. But not with better luck. They ran into opposition and this
AOC too was annulled in May 2009. But there’s no giving up when it comes to
AOC word magic (just think of Saint Emilion’s classification that’s been
five (?) times in court and through the French parliament). The latest
proposal, as we read in Decanter, is that Quart de Chaume will become a
Grand Cru and Chaume ‘tout court’ will become a Premier Cru. It’s not yet
approved by the INAO and there’s still scope for someone not being quite
happy with it, but for the moment it looks as if it will pass. If only the
French wine growers would spend a little bit more time thinking about their
customers and less fighting each other in court and in the AOC system they’d
have more success on the international market… More in
www.decanter.com
Amarone is granted DOCG
status
The DOCs Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella in Veneto
in Italy have been promoted to DOCG status, according to Decanter.com. DOCG
is the highest classification in the Italian wine laws. The DOCG label may
be used from the 2008 harvest. Growers welcome the upgrade and say that they
hope it will improve the economy and the quality of the regions wine, and
that it may reduce the amount of fake amarone that has circulated on
international markets recently. How that will happen is unclear. More
www.decanter.com
End of good times for
Bordeaux?
One
of the most influential wholesalers of Bordeaux wine has closed down its
Bordeaux business. It’s a potentially revolutionary story that has attracted
surprisingly little attention. Diageo Chateaux and Estates has decided to
abandon all trade with top Bordeaux wine, according to a story in the AFP.
DCE has been the biggest actor on the American market for top of the range
Bordeaux (primeurs). The decision means that they will cease trading in
Bordeaux wines and that they will liquidate the stock that they have. This
means that the single biggest US customer will disappear and that there may
be an oversupply of dumped Bordeaux on the market. According to some
estimates their stock may be worth up to $200 million. A trader in New York,
quoted by the AFP, says that he has stocks of Bordeaux worth $5.5 M that is
now unsaleable since his prices would be 50% over the dumped DCE wines.
Read the original article from AFP here.
Dan Berger, writing in the Napa Valley Register, thinks it may be the start
of a crisis for Bordeaux , others don't agree, e.g.
Tyler Colman (Dr Vino) is more sanguine and does not seem to think it’s a
big issue. One can’t help wondering what impact it will have on the
Bordeaux Primeur Circus that will soon kick off for the 2009 vintage and for
the Bordeaux market as a whole. What do you think? Are we exaggerating the
possible impact? What will the consequences be?
Wine tastes better in blue
or red light
German
researchers have concluded that wine tastes better (is perceived as tasting
better? – a philosophical distinction perhaps) when tasted in light with a
red or blue colour, compared to if the lighting is neutral white or green.
They had the subjects taste wine in different coloured light and compared
reactions. The colour also had other, more specific effects: Red light made
the wine taste sweeter and fruitier. Red or green made the drinkers think
the wine was more expensive (1 euro more on average) than white or green.
Drinkers are warned of bar owners who try and manipulate guests’ perception
with the colour of the light (no we’re not joking). All according to
Telegraph.co.uk
Telegraph.co.uk
Have a news
item you'd like to see here or have a news tip? Send me an email:
winebrief@bkwine.com
En français
We
also make custom designed wine tours – on-demand tours for you and a group
of friends, for your company (maybe to scout new winegrowers?), for a
special event… We can combine winery visits and wine touring with other
activities: gastronomic workshops, visit to an oyster farm, truffles
hunting, cheese making, and more. We’ve done tours for wine clubs, for
sommelier educations, for corporate events, for wine importers, for wine
course study groups… just to mention a few. 
