In a recent feature for the drinks business Tim Atkin MW asserted that South Africa’s best wines are its white blends. In what is a strengthening category, South Africa’s blended white wine is a flagship for the country’s overall offering, underscored by the release of Cartology’s 2011 Alheit. Described by winemaker Chris Alheit as “an exploration of the … Continue reading
As the autumn auction season draws to a close Jeff Zacharia, president of Zachy’s auction house, speaks to db revealing his insights on the future of Bordeaux. “Our clients have both comfort and confidence with Bordeaux as it has been the mainstay of the wine auction market. Many of our buyers are now looking at Bordeaux as … Continue reading
The surge of excitement as en primeur approaches followed by dashed hopes has been a familiar pattern with the Liv-ex 100, but are things changing? “It’s history repeating itself,” Liv-ex director Justin Gibbs told the drinks business, referring to the fall-out from the last bull market of the 1990s. “”With these cycles what happens is they [the top … Continue reading
Marlon Abela, owner of two Michelin-starred London restaurant The Greenhouse, has acquired a controlling stake in UK independent wine merchant OW Loeb. The news was confirmed this week by the merchant’s chairman, Chris Davey, who is due to continue as chairman for the company. Patrick Headham of Abela’s fine wine division, Marc Fine Wines, will … Continue reading
Two magnums of 1961 Pétrus topped Sotheby’s New York sale last weekend, while the ex-cellar consignment of Paul Jaboulet was 100% sold. The auction, preceded by the sale of the world’s largest white truffle, realised over US$4.4 million and saw many top lots far exceed their estimates. The two magnums of Pétrus for example were valued … Continue reading
Simon Staples, Berry Bros. & Rudd’s sales director for Asia, moved from Hong Kong to Japan two months ago and claims his “size 14s haven’t touched the ground” since. Interrupting “a constant whirl of meetings, tastings and dinners”, the drinks business finally caught up with him. What has struck you the most in all the differences to … Continue reading
A new Food Crime Unit is setting itself against rising levels of wine fraud, as some experts claim drinks companies aren’t doing enough to help prevent crime. Launching next month, the investigative arm of the UK Food Standards Authority is gearing up to tackle wine fraud that is reportedly costing the country’s drinks industry £11.2 billion per … Continue reading
Despite its challenges, the 2013 Burgundy vintage offers wines with “beautiful definition” that are “very precise on terroir”, according to Veronique Drouhin of Joseph Drouhin. Introducing the Beaune-based producer’s portfolio of wines from 2013, Drouhin highlighted some of the major challenges faced by winemakers during this year. “The conditions were not easy,” she reported, recalling … Continue reading
Champagne Charlie is alive and well and living in Washington, as this snapshot of one of the city’s leading wine shops reveals. Formed by a merger of two wine shops in Washington DC, Calvert Woodley threw open its doors in 1982. Described by Lettie Teague of the Wall Street Journal as “an old-fashioned wine shop – teeming with … Continue reading
Gulf airline Emirates has announced it has spent US$500 million in “long-term investment” in its fine wine programme over the last decade. The carrier has said it been buying wines en primeur and keeping them up to a decade before they are ready to be consumed in a cellar it owns in Burgundy – which apparently … Continue reading
If you haven’t written to Santa yet, text him to get down to Bonhams this Thursday. The London auction house’s next sale has all you could possibly want for Christmas. “Absolutely. There’s Champagne, claret or Burgundy, and Port with bit of Tokaj thrown in,” said Richard Harvey MW, Bonham’s director of fine & rare wines. … Continue reading
The Liv-ex 100 index showed a rise for the fourth month in a row in November, with Champagne top of the movers as Christmas approaches. The Fine Wine 100 index, which follows the 100 most sought after wines in the secondary market, rose 0.3% in November, as the market continues to edge slowly upwards after 17 months … Continue reading
Thomas Duroux of Château Palmer, Xavier Sanchez of Pichon Baron, Veronique Sanders of Haut-Bailly and merchant François Thienpont give their views on en primeur and next year’s campaign. En primeur finds itself at something of a crossroads, with Liv-ex director James Miles warning Bordeaux they will “kill the golden goose”if the 2014 campaign goes awry because of … Continue reading
A London merchant has become the third UK business victim this month of major wine theft, after fraudsters conned the firm out of almost £50,000-worth of stock. Woolf Sung, which was founded in 2012 by ex-Rothschild employee Sebastian Woolf, is reported by the Evening Standard to have been approached by a conman pretending to be the chief … Continue reading
Christie’s latest fine wine sale in Hong Kong made in excess of HK$36 million, driven by perennial auction favourite DRC and exceptionally old and rare Yquem. A 12-bottle case of 1988 Romanée-Conti from the famous Burgundy estate was the top lot, making $1.5m and was just one of seven lots of DRC in the top … Continue reading
New figures released by Liv-ex show Haut Brion, the perennial “also-ran” among First Growths, pulling away from its rivals. “Haut Brion has never sold at a premium, at least not in the last generation or two,” said Liv-ex director Justin Gibbs. Yet over the last five years it has enjoyed “the best average score and … Continue reading
With an eye to well-healed customers this Christmas, Château d’Yquem has released a number of smart presentation cases with single bottles featuring selected vintages back to 1982. The up-market six packs come direct from the Château and are based on three different decades. At Justerini & Brooks prices range from £1,200 for the 1990s case … Continue reading
Auction house Sotheby’s is to offer the “best of the best” at its next Hong Kong auction next month with over 200 lots of the world’s finest wines up for grabs. Taking place on 12 December, the sale is expected to realise HK$20-28 million (£1.65-3m) with over 200 lots of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Spain and … Continue reading
Part two of auction house Wally’s Roy Welland Collection sale raised US$5.6 million, smashing its low estimate of $3.6m with sales driven by fine Burgundy. Roy Welland, former owner of the New York restaurant Cru, announced his intention to sell his 100,000-strong wine collection in June citing “personal reasons”. The first part of the Roy Welland Collection … Continue reading
A fixture of New York’s Greenwich Village since 1946, Astor Wines & Spirits was recently declared the city’s “best wine and liquor store 2014″ by the Village Voice. “We’re in downtown Manhattan, in the East Village, and have over 3,000 wines,” explained buyer Lorena Ascencios. The store majors on the Old World, particularly France and Italy … Continue reading
A wine merchant in the Chinese city of Shenzen has held a public destruction of several hundred bottles of fake Lafite he bought at auction. At a highly publicised media event, staff smashed over 200 bottles of Lafite and second wine Carruades de Lafite that had been identified as fake. The unidentified dealer had apparently … Continue reading
A Pinot Noir being described as Burgundian is always a bit of a double-edged sword, especially when the wine is not in fact from Burgundy. On the one hand the comparison is a compliment by acknowledging the undisputed place Pinot Noir from Burgundy holds in the world of fine wine. But on the other hand … Continue reading
A run of small harvests, strong demand for the top names and soaring vineyard prices is changing the shape of Burgundy’s entire wine model. Pointing to the recent price surge at the top end of the market, Jason Haynes, director of Burgundy specialist UK merchant Flint Wines, told the drinks business: “Established domaines such as Cathiard, Dujac … Continue reading
The CEO of Château Palmer and sales director of Pichon-Baron have tentatively hailed the 2014 vintage in Bordeaux as the best since 2010. Speaking to the drinks business, Thomas Duroux of Palmer and Xavier Sanchez of Pichon-Baron both said that, with the malolactic fermentation now finishing, the 2014 vintage certainly appears better than the 2008 but not … Continue reading
US auction house Hart Davis Hart is hoping to see out the year in style with a sale it hopes will net between US$4-$7 million. Taking place in Chicago on the 12 and 13 December, the sale will feature over 2,000 lots of rare Burgundy, Bordeaux and New World wines. The sale will start with … Continue reading
South Africa’s blended white wine is a flagship for the country’s overall offering. Tim Atkin MW takes us through this strengthening category. THERE AREN’T many first releases that send wine writers into a lather, especially if they are made by relative unknowns. But the 2011 Alheit Cartology, described by Chris Alheit as “an exploration of the Cape’s heritage”, … Continue reading
Having helped compile this year’s Liv-ex Power 100 list of the world’s top-performing fine wines, Liv-ex director Justin Gibbs gives his insights, particularly on Bordeaux. The days when speculation in First Growths drove the trade almost exclusively appear over. “When the market is in decline people are buying wine for other reasons. If they are speculating … Continue reading
Sauvignon Blanc is undoubtedly one of the biggest success stories for the wine industry in recent years. While Sancerre has long been a staple of fridges and wine lists around the world, the vivacious, aromatic expressions unleashed by the New World in particular have catapulted this grape variety to a whole new level of consumer … Continue reading
Gaja, Giacosa and Conterno all scored groundbreaking prices at the recent James Clark sale, reports Sotheby’s Jamie Ritchie. Speaking to the drinks business, Ritchie said: “We very rarely get to see this quality of Italian or Rhône wines coming up for sale, and without doubt it’s the greatest collection we’ve ever offered,” said Ritchie, Sotheby’s Wine CEO & … Continue reading
Bordeaux en primeur prices could drop by up to 30% compared to last year if one takes into account a newly weakened euro, believes Allan Sichel. Sichel, who is vice president of the Bordeaux Wines Council (CIVB); president of the négociants union, and managing director of Maison Sichel, told db that exchange rates could positively influence next year’s campaign … Continue reading
Sotheby’s New York sale featuring the collection of entrepreneur James Clark made over US$2.5 million last weekend with Rhône and Italian wines achieving “groundbreaking” new prices. Six bottles of Paul Jaboulet Aîné’s 1961 Hermitage la Chapelle constituted the biggest selling lot, the hammer coming down at $49,000, while a magnum of the same made $30,625 … Continue reading
The 154th Hospices de Beaune charity wine auction realised sales of €8,887,888 ($11.1m) over the weekend, an increase of 28% on 2013 and its highest total since the annual sale began in 1859. According to auction house Christie’s, auctioneers sold off 534 barrels of 47 different wines on Sunday with the average price per piece (barrel) reaching … Continue reading
One Tokaji producers thinks that the Hungarian region’s wines, particularly the famous sweet Aszú, should be finding space among the cellars of knowledgeable Asian collectors. Pascal Demko, owner of the Holdvölgy winery in the famous region, told the drinks business that, as a one of the world’s great wine styles, Tokaji deserves to be getting more attention … Continue reading
One of the world’s largest luxury travel retailer, DFS Group, is exhibiting some of the best wines and spirits at Singapore’s Changi airport. Launched on 10 November and lasting until 28 February next year, the retailer is offering visitors to its store at Terminal 1 the chance to buy wines from Ausone, Mouton Rothschild, Palmer, … Continue reading
Champagne Pol Roger has chosen the highly acclaimed 2002 vintage to launch a collection of three expressions from this year. Continue This Article with The Drinks Business Just 100 cases have been released of the Pol Roger Vintage 2002 Collection, which features two bottles each of the house’s blanc de blancs 2002, brut vintage 2002 … Continue reading
Commanding the status of celebrity chefs and acting as subjects for popular cinema, sommeliers have shaken off their dour image and are instead being viewed as increasingly influential figures in the industry, writes Elin McCoy. WHEN WINEMAKER Ted Lemon of Sonoma’s Littorai winery hosted a retrospective tasting of his brilliant Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays at Per Se restaurant … Continue reading
With a month’s business under its belt, Rare Whisky 101 report a surge in trading volumes, but increasing polarisation between the best and worst performing whiskies. Continue This Article with The Drinks Business By the end of October, over 26,000 bottles of whisky had been sold this year on the open market. “That’s already almost … Continue reading
London-based Wilkinson Vintners are selling over 700 cases of first growths with vintages stretching back to a 1945 Château Haut Brion. The wines come from the firm’s own stocks, and highlights include 10 bottles of Pétrus 1981 (£48,000), a double magnum of Lafite 1982 (£11,000) and, most expensive of all, six magnums of Latour 1961 … Continue reading
Liv-ex director James Miles has delivered a stark warning to Château-owners in the run-up to next year’s en primeur. Will the region see sense in 2014, or kill the golden goose? Continue This Article with The Drinks Business “A well-priced 2014 vintage is a vital precursor to any kind of sustained recovery,” Miles, told delegates … Continue reading
This year’s competition showed that efforts to create the upmost in luxurious sparkling wine stretched beyond the top-end offerings and into categories that previously didn’t fare well. Continue This Article with The Drinks Business Bearing in mind the high price of Champagne, particularly grandes marques, one should expect a large collection of medal-winners in any … Continue reading
Although Piper Heidsieck did make a brut vintage expression in 2004, a year that attracted widespread acclaim in Champagne, Camus noted that the hot growing season during 2003 forced the house to draw on more reserve stock than usual that year in order to maintain a consistent style for its non vintage. Continue This Article … Continue reading
Speaking to the drinks business at the merchant’s portfolio tasting this week (5 November) in Hong Kong, Delaney said that Justerini & Brooks’ presence in Singapore, which stretches back to 1976, was beginning to open doors in the rest of South-East Asia. Continue This Article with The Drinks Business “There’s growth now in Taiwan and Indonesia,” he … Continue reading
“It’s an incredible moment in the Port trade,” remarked David Guimaraens on a visit to London this week. “Port and other fortified wines are at the moment being tremendously appreciated for what they are.” Having studied at Roseworthy in Australia during the 1980s, Guimaraens credited the influence of the New World in helping to push … Continue reading
The world’s oldest wine club was founded in 1874 and lists around 1000 wines priced from just over a fiver to £2,950 for a bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild 1982. The Society’s 120,000 active members are discouraged from wine investment, and the rules state they shouldn’t buy with the intention of re-selling. “We understand people sometimes … Continue reading
October saw the highest number of transactions since Liv-ex began, though prices are still a long way off their high. “The record number of units and transactions in October tells you the activity is there,” said Liv-ex director Anthony Maxwell. “But the prices aren’t by any means back at the levels they were in their … Continue reading
Californian wines were the focus of buyers’ attention at Wally’s and Crush auction in New York last week with Harlan and Screaming Eagle achieving huge premiums on their estimates and setting new records. The sale made US$2.6 million in total with a 94.4% sell-through rate. One section of the auction entitled “A Cult Collection”, featuring … Continue reading
Live-ex MD James Miles, will tell this week’s Wine Industry Conference in Hong Kong why speculation is, and always has been, part of fine wine. “In my experience so many commentators and château-owners find it rather vulgar that wines are speculated in at all,” Miles told the drinks business. “But wine, and particularly Bordeaux, has such … Continue reading
Speaking to the drinks business, Stopford Sackville said that Burgundy sales in Hong Kong remained strong and the merchant was selling the region’s wines from both “our fine wine list and our everyday list.” Admitting that Goedhuis’ position as a Burgundy specialist made this somewhat unsurprising, he added that he was also seeing, “an interest in … Continue reading
The offer from 1855’s parent company – Héraclès, is likely to enrage the firm’s 10,000 customers owed money. They claim the total including 1855’s sister company, ChateauOnline, comes to €42 million, most of which is owed for wines bought en primeur that never arrived. The company puts the amount at €8m. For aggrieved creditors, the … Continue reading
Speaking to the drinks business, Suckling said that his business was focused on Hong Kong, Mainland China and Thailand for the moment, but that the latter market was particularly intriguing. His son, Jack, is currently in the country and is organising a tasting for 50 Italian producers at the Grand Hyatt in Bangkok this December. “I’m excited about … Continue reading
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