Wine News ArchiveHarvesting time in the Southern HemisphereWinemakers in the Southern Hemisphere are now surveying their recently completed 2002 harvest. In Argentina, winemakers are celebrating: the exceptional crop is probably the best in 15 years and Malbec, the main varietal of their wines is as excellent as Syrah and Tempranillo. In Chile, however, things do not look as great. Although Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from the northern wine-areas are of particularly good quality, the crop in the south was partly damaged by rot due to a particulary rainy weather. The South-African 2002 vintage is quite irregular in quality, depending on the location of each wine-area. Some wineries did quite well but others, especially in Stellenbosch, reported major crop damages, due to inconstant weather. In New Zealand, an exceptionnally abundant crop was harvested under a warm weather which allowed to pick up high quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir. Finally Australians are enjoying a very high-quality vintage whether it be for the reds or the whites, with quite reduced quantities compared to 2001. Wine was best investment of 2001! In 2001, investors who were increasingly reluctant to take risks with volatile funds and bonds turned to what proved to be one of the most stable bets in their portfolio: wine! According to recent reports, wine provided Americans with the best returns of 2001, taking the lead on modern art, photography, antiques and other alternative investments. In the wake of the highly successful Bordeaux 2000 vintage, the market is still growing and it is not too late for those who want to cash in on the boom in the fine wine market. So make the move now and check our 2001 futures selection. Champagne will use plastic According to Nukorc, an Australian-based synthetic closure producer, Champagne will be using plastic stoppers within the next three years. Their stoppers are made of compressed extruded plastic and have been tested for the past 18 months. The company's managing director says that Freixenet - famous cava producer - and several Australian sparkling winemakers are already pleased with the performance. Synthetic stoppers are much less expensive than natural cork, they prevent cork taint (TCA), they perfectly hold gas pressure and come in any colour, which enables trademarks to match them with the cap, wire or label. Although 'high quality' Champagnes are far from ready to take the move yet, most Champagne producers who do not sell vintages to keep 20 years will certainly resort to synthetic "cork" very soon. Kosher Bordeaux wines A kosher wine is a wine made according to very strict rules under the supervision of a rabby. This product, which belongs to the Jewish religion and traditions, is mostly produced in Israel and in the US, with each country selling about 30 million bottles per year. In France, 7 million bottles of Kosher wines are currently produced. 70% of this production comes from Bordeaux, the rest is mainly from Champagne and Languedoc. In Bordeaux, the market is currently significantly expanding, both for home consumption and exports: an exclusively kosher wine negociant has recently been set up in Bordeaux to meet the high demand, a team of 40 people is already in charge of the kosher winemaking supervision in Gironde, and more and more Classified Greath Growth turn a small part of their crop to kosher wines. Bordeaux is not the only one to react to this demand: Cognac should soon release a Kosher XO long-awaited by the Jewish community. Check our Kosher wines. A word on "Boutique wines" What is a boutique wine? It is a different winemaking concept, applied only to a very restricted surface area, with reduced yields, small volumes and with absolutely no mechanical aids. The first wine to be called a boutique wine ("vin de garage" in French) was Chateau Valandraud, made in Jean-Luc Thunevin's garage, in Saint-Emilion but the concept is older than that and really started some 20 years ago with Chateau Le Pin, in Pomerol. Like a scientist in his secret lab, the winemaker carries out all sorts of experiments to let the raw material -the grapes- express itself naturally and to make the most of the terroir. Of course, a terroir will never become greater than it naturally is, but the aim of those "haute couture" wines is to enhance all its qualities so as to offer consumers as much pleasure as possible. And so far, it works quite well!... Western Australian wine education project The Western Australian State Government recently announced that a new Centre for wine Excellence will sart being built in December of this year in the state's best known wine regions: Margaret River. This USD $4m project is a joint venture between local training and education bodies which should be inaugurated by 2004. The purpose of this center - unique in the region - is 2-fold: to give students the chance to achieve a broader range of wine qualifications and to increase employment in the region's wine industry. 2001: a true Bordeaux Classic After the legendary 2000 vintage, 2001 did not take a good start. July was particularly cool and rainy and delayed maturation. However, August, September and October were just amazing. This ideal weather condition allowed for a very latest harvest and thus an excellent ripeness. The result is a very interesting vintage, especially in Sauternes area which produces sweet white wines. Compared to 2000, the quality of the vintage is quite irregular. This is generally the case when poor weather during vine-growing makes it necessary to take expensive or risky sacrifices to improve the quality of the crop. The classic move is to reduce yields by harvesting 30, 40 or even more than 50% of the crop in June or July so as to increase concentration on the remaining grapes. Not all Chateaus can afford such a quality-oriented policy. However, on the whole, 2001 is a very good year and many Chateaus made better wines this year than in 1995 or 1996. The wines are very concentrated and tannic but not over-extracted and are expected to come out at lower prices than last year. So be ready for great bargains: register now! Pommery Champagne for sale The French luxury-goods group LVMH Moet-Hennessy Louis Vuitton is considering the sale of Pommery Champagne brand to Vranken Monopole, a producer and distributor of Champagne and Port for - according to local sources - 150 million to 180 million euros (about $132 million to $158 million). The deal, which should take place in a few days, would include most of Pommery's assets: the Chateau in Reims, the cellars, stocks as well as supply contracts. However, LVMH which owns Krug, Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Chateau d'Yquem, Chateau Cheval Blanc and Newton, would still keep some of the best of Pommery vineyards. Evans & Tate back in the US Although Australian wineries generally set up their own import companies in the US, Evans & Tate president rather decided to purchase Scott Street Portfolio, a San Francisco wine importer which already represents nine small Australian producers. Evans & Tate is the largest winery in Margaret River region (Western Australia), but since its withdrawal from the US market three years ago, 86% of its production was sold in Australia. The deal will allow the Australian producer to enter the US market again with its Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines as early as this summer. |
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