Page 12 - Blog

Andrew Jefford delves back three decades to find out if Châteauneuf du Pape both needs and merits age. How much Châteauneuf du Pape do you have in your cellar? In the 1997 revision of his outstanding book on the Rhône (Wines of the Rhône Valley), Robert Parker said he drank “more Châteauneuf du Pape than […]

Sotheby’s claims to have set ‘a new benchmark’ for wine auctions after its sale from billionaire collector Bill Koch’s cellar hit nearly $22m. All 2,730 lots were sold in the New York auction, named Wines from the Cellar of William I Koch, which lasted for 27 hours over three days. Total sales hit $21.9m for […]

Krug’s chef de cave Eric Lebel has said he is fully in favour of writing the flute out of Champagne drinking history, and he hinted that the house may launch a new glass for its rosé. Eric Lebel told Decanter.com during the Krug World Festival that the LVMH-owned producer may launch a rosé Champagne glass […]

The MD of the Antique Wine Company has said the firm is set to enter liquidation after efforts to revitalise its finances have failed. Antique Wine Co (AWC) has been left in an untenable position following a drop-off in Bordeaux trading and in the aftermath of a failed lawsuit against the group over alleged fake […]

Investment Calculator I like to use all kinds of investment calculators when I’m looking for wines to invest. Now you may be wondering what has an investment calculator got to do with wine investing?  Well, wine investment is a great deal about finding the right wine to invest at the right price. But one important […]

Rudy Kurniawan film Sour Grapes gets first airing A film charting the rise and deceit of imprisoned wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan – and starring many of the key characters in the story – has debuted at a festival in North America. Sour Grapes delves into the murky world of fine wine fraud, dealing in particular […]

Liv-ex 1000 gains 0.5% in April The Liv-ex 1000 Index gained 0.5% in April to close on 254.78. The Bordeaux 500 index gained 1.1% to close on 251.79. It now looks comfortably stronger than the other sub-indices over one year, having gained 5.5% over this period. The majority of the sub-indices also gained in April. […]

Château Palmer to auction barrel of 2015 wine Palmer and Sotheby’s will auction the 225-litre barrel of Château Palmer 2015 wine in Hong Kong on 4 June. The Margaux based estate has not yet released a price for its Bordeaux 2015 en primeur wine. But, Sotheby’s said the barrel at auction is expected to fetch […]

Neal Martin on Bordeaux 2015: “A narrow pyramid” Neal Martin’s Bordeaux 2015 report was released on The Wine Advocate this afternoon. Like many other reviewers, Martin suggests that 2015 is an “excellent” vintage in general – but currently lacks the across the board consistency of great vintages such as 2009 and 2010. In terms of […]

Burgundy hit by ‘worst frost since 1981’ A severe frost swept across Burgundy vineyards on the night of 26 April, causing a ‘great deal of stress’ for winemakers, according to the Burgundy wine bureau (BIVB). A spring freeze affected much of Europe this week, with April snow briefly seen in Champagne. There are concerns in […]

Chateaux Haut Brion 2000 BUY Recommendation   Dear Friends and Clients,   Ok I have some very good news! I’ve managed to secure a handful of cases of a wine that I’ve been on the lookout for quite a few months now. I bargained a really good price with a merchant who has a chain […]

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2003 BUY Recommendation Dear Friends and Clients,   I have found a very special parcel of wine for you, this is something that is very exclusive. I don’t often get the opportunity to recommend this kind of wine to you. In fact I am restricted to only 15 cases with this offer […]

Is China’s new luxury wine worth $250 a bottle? The makers of a new red blend from China are aiming to lure luxury wine connoisseurs from such established regions as Napa and Bordeaux, betting they’ll spend $250 a bottle on something novel and adventurous I got a sneak preview of the first vintage of the […]

World wine trade buoyed by rebound in China demand Wine exporters toasted an upturn in Chinese wine consumption in 2015 after a two-year decline, as a growing taste there for reds helped global wine trade expand, the International Vine and Wine organisation (OIV) said on Monday. Chinese imports jumped 44 percent to 5.5 million hectoliters, […]

Are you Leveraging your Fine Wine Portfolio? What makes a good investment? “Something that makes a profit!” Do you agree? Today in a fast paced world, everyone longs for that magic pill, that shortcut, that break. When you think of fine wine as an investment, do you think of it as a product? Or do […]

End of an era: Robert Parker relinquishes Bordeaux Robert M. Parker Jr is to relinquish his tasting of Bordeaux to the British-born Neal Martin as of 1 May 2016, according to his PR agency. Martin will take full responsibility for coverage of the wines of Bordeaux, in both the Wine Advocate and at erobertparker.com. The […]

Emirates ups investment in wine as part of long-term strategy Emirates continues to invest heavily in its world-class wine programme. In 2015, the airline purchased a record of over 13 million bottles of wine worth US$140 million – more than twice the value of wine purchases in the previous year. The wines are for customers […]

Jack Ma plans new Alibaba wine sales day in China Jack Ma confirmed speculation in the trade about a new, annual Alibaba wine sales day on 9 September during a public discussion with Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi at the Vinitaly show in Verona today (11 April), according to a report by Italian press agency […]

Bordeaux Cité du Vin auction offers Lafite 1945, lunch at Haut-Brion Many of Bordeaux’s most prestigious châteaux are offering a combination of exclusive tours, lunches and fine wines at a special charity auction to help raise funds for Bordeaux’s wine cultural museum, the Cité du Vin. Lunch at Haut-Brion, Lafite-Rothschild 1945, private tour of Angélus […]

What a shocker to see the UK exit from the Eurozone! Were you expecting that to happen? I thought the polls usually get it right, but not this time. Since the news broke Friday morning, the pound plummeted from 1.5 down to 1.32, then it snapped back up to 1.36. The FTSE opened down 10% and […]

The London Vintners exchange just published survey results from merchants around the globe with predictions for the Livex 100 Index for 2017 and according to this survey the bulls are in town. What the survey says -Optimists expect the market to increase 31% -Pessimists expect the market to drop 15% -On average, merchants around the globe […]

Have you ever considered wine as an investment? Have you ever thought about building a fine wine portfolio as part of your investment strategy? I have created an online wine investor course, I have told the story of my last 15 years in the fine wine investment industry and I didn’t hold anything back at […]

Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2006 BUY Recommendation Dear Friends and Clients,   I have found a very special parcel of wine for you, this is something that is very exclusive. I don’t often get the opportunity to recommend this kind of wine to you. In fact, I am restricted to only 10 cases with this offer […]

Talking Trade: 8th – 14th April The Liv-ex Fine Wine 50 has maintained its upward momentum this week, reaching 284.05 on Thursday. This is its highest level since late March 2014. Trade by value and volume on the Exchange was also higher. There has been keen interest in Bordeaux 2013 now the vintage has started […]