Bordeaux on course for a “great vintage” after ideal growing conditions

The 2016 Bordeaux harvest has been described as “a great vintage in the making” by the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB).

Several factors conspired to create the ideal growing conditions, including uniform flowering, a dry sunny summer, evenly occurring veraison and the Indian summer which led to optimal ripeness in each plot and grape variety.

And the CIVB has estimated that this year's harvest should amount to over 5.5m hectoliters, up on last year’s 5.3m, and 5.27m in 2014.

But the growing season  wasn’t without its difficulties. In the first six months of the year the region experienced 722mm of rain, 62% more than usual, and 18% less sunshine than average.

In April, temperatures were close to normal, and rainfall was 25% lower than the 30-year average, while May saw several storms hit the region, particularly in the last ten days of the month. Vine leaves and branches of some vineyards were damaged, particularly those  along the Dordogne River. The Graves de Vayres AOC, for example, suffered damage of between 20 – 60%.

The following month there was little sun, and more rain than average.   However, the weather picked up in the next three months, with July, August and September receiving 53% less rainfall than on average, and 17% more sunshine that usual. In addition the daytime temperature in these three months was between half to two degrees Celsius higher than normal.

August was dry, warm and sunny, with only two days of rain instead of the usual seven. Veraison was late, starting on August 10th, while in September the first 13 days of the moth were in keeping with August – warm, dry and sunny. After weeks of drought, rain finally fell on September 13th with 30 – 60 mm of rain falling.

Harvest for the dry whites, described as “aromatic and lively", started on September 5th with the Sauvignon grapes and continued with the Muscadelle and Semillon varieties.

The red wine harvest is just drawing to a close, and wine producers are celebrating the “outstanding quality” of the grapes, with “intense aromas and colour, and a high concentration of anthocyanins.”

Source here: Bordeaux on course for a “great vintage” after ideal growing conditions

Barullo – Argentinean Wine

Forty Argentinian wine producers turned up in London this week to promote BARULLO – a celebration of food, wine, art and music in a dusty warehouse in trendy Hoxton in East London. The uncomfortable seating and the balancing of glass and plastic plates didn’t detract from the delicious tit-bits of food produced by Mauro Colagreco and his team who run a two Michelin star Argentinian restaurant in Menton in the Côte d’Azure in France and was brought over specially for the event. Nor did it detract from the quality of the wines on display from Argentina’s “most revolutionary producers” (as they say) although many of them have been long in the tooth established in the UK market.

 

There were certainly some big players there – Trapiche, who produce 30 million litres of wine each year and other giants such as Bodegas Bianchi, Rutini, Norton, Nieto Sentiner, Alamos, Catena and Argento, each producing in excess of 7 million litres.

 

I decided to focus on the little guys and found three producers making 100,000 litres or less just to see how beautiful small really is. It’s no surprise then that two of the three are biodynamic/organic, promoting the extra care and attention they give to their vines and winemaking procedures.

 

Bodegas Krontiras was the first 100% certified biodynamic project in Mendoza and apart from the ubiquitous Malbec produces biodynamic Petit Verdot, Tempranillo and Aglianico. The Doña Silvana Aglanico 2014 is decidedly a New World version of the varietal in the same sense that Argentinian Malbec has taken all the rough edges off its European counterpart. Maybe this will become the new trendy Argentinian wine. It was certainly a lot smoother than many of the Italian ones that I have tasted and the 12 months in oak assisted with the roundness of the wine. 3 stars. The blend (70% Merlot/30% Aglianico) is just a step up in smoothness. 3.5 stars. Fresh Malbec 2015 is unoaked and perhaps a little hollow. 2.5 stars. The regular Malbec 2014, 12 months in oak certainly has more body. 3 stars. Malbec Reserva 2009 is in a quite different league, with real complexity and a long finish. 4 stars. Finally, a Malbec Rosado 2015 is fresh and fruity without any overt sweetness on the finish. 2 stars

 

Angulo Innocenti is a small family vineyard making wine only in 2010 from vines planted in 2004. Located in the Uco Valley in Medoza, the two “Nonni” entry level wines , Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec 2014 are perfectly quaffable wines although the Malbec is a bit leafy. 2.5 stars for the Cab. Sauv. and 2 stars for the Malbec are perhaps just a little bit pricey at £15. Better value, for only £3 more are the wines under the Angulo Innocenti label. Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 has much more depth and the Malbec 2014 is a bit of a blockbuster although in both cases only half the wine has been in oak for just 7/8 months. 3.5 stars each. Top of their range is Unisono 2013 – 66% Malbec, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc – 18 months in oak and a step up again in complexity and fullness. 4 stars. £25.

 

Alpamanta wine is both biodynamic and organic and are also making some unfiltered ‘Natural” wines. The Breva Sauvignon Blanc 2015 whilst looking like a smoothie in the bottle, nevertheless has good varietal flavours and a balanced long finish. Oak aged for 4 months. 3 stars £14.95. By comparison, the Terroir Sauvignon Blanc 2015 (which I suppose you might call “unnatural”?) was equally impressive if a little bit more angular. Oak aged for 12 months. 3 stars. The unoaked Natal Malbec 2015 was subtle with some body, whilst the Estate Malbec 2013, 12 months in oak, was rounded and smooth. Both 4 star wines £19.95 and good value for the quality. Just a little behind in quality, 3.5 stars, came the Estate Cabernet Franc 2014. A little disappointing however, was the Terroir Malbec 2012, presumably the tête de cuvée wine of the Estate, but this was somewhat leafy and a little astringent. 2 stars.

 

All in all, Argentinian wines promote a good price/quality ratio and at the lower end they are excellent restaurant wines. But as these three boutique wineries show, wines can be produced at a high standard without costing the earth.

Article source here: Barullo – Argentinean Wine

World wine volumes down to four year low as bad weather hits vintages around the globe

The overall global wine production for 2016 is going to be 5% smaller after adverse weather conditions have hit most parts of the southern hemisphere.

The situation has been seen as further evidence of climate change, with South American countries, including Chile and Argentina particularly badly hit.

The estimates have been made by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). It has issued a report that said the total wine production for the year is set to decrease by 5% to 259.5m hectolitres (mhl), making it one of the lowest production years in the past two decades and the smallest since 2012.

The study has already been seized upon by wine commentators as proof that the world of wine is changing and that future vintages could also be very different to the average harvests we have seen in the last few decades.

Italy is down to have the biggest overall harvest, followed by France, despite all its problems with frost and rain which means its vintage is going to be at least 12% down on normal to 41.9mhl.

The remaining top six countries are Spain, US, Australia and China.

Argentina is set to be down 35% to 8.8 mhl and Brazil 50% down to 1.4 mhl.  Chile is also down 21%  on average, but that still makes it the seventh-biggest producer of wine.

South Africa is set to report a 19% fall, but the news is better for Australia and New Zealand, which are expected to increase production by 5% and 35% respectively.

The New Zealand figures would put it near a record it set in 2014.

Jean-Marie Aurand, chief executive of the OIV, said:  "The El Niño climate phenomenon seems to be back in Latin America, where production was affected by fairly exceptional weather, with lots of rain."

 

Read more here: World wine volumes down to four year low as bad weather hits vintages around the globe

Beaujolais leads new French export drive in to the UK and reports strong 2016 vintage

It seems the UK wine drinkers are falling back in love with French wine, which will a mixture of comfort and frustration to producers reeling from the worst vintage in the country since 2012.

Latest wine export figures from Business France show Beaujolais was up 18% in volume and 20% in value between 2014 and 2015.

Over the last 12 months its Beaujolais-Villages AOC wines have gone up by 15.7% in volume and 10% in value. Crus wines were up 53.3% in volume and a 46% in value.

Elsewhere in France there was also (at last) some good news for Burgundy, up 16.83% in volume and 13.3% in value, and Provence, up 16.2% in volume, and an impressive 30% in value. The Loire also saw a 20.24% jump in value.

There is also good news for Beaujolais winegrowers from the 2016 harvest which is going to be above the average of the last five years producing around 7- 800,000 hectolitres.  Quality is also promising thanks to a warm and sunny summer followed by almost perfect weather conditions during harvest.

Aurélie Vabre, export manager for Beaujolais Wines, said:  “The UK market is very exciting for Beaujolais at the moment – exports are steadily rising and the region is increasingly acclaimed by the trade.  We attend many consumer events around the country, and are constantly surprised at the positive reaction to our wines."

There is more good news for Beaujolais from the 2016 vintage where it is reporting a harvest of around 750,000 to 800,000 hectolitres, 40% higher than average.

This is despite the difficulties that producers have had to contend with this year, including a relatively late start to the growing season, combined with fickle weather during the spring. But this appears to have had no negative impact on the quality of the 2016 vintage, which is being described as “promising”.

The unreliable spring weather caused difficult conditions for winegrowers in the region, who had to contend with heavy hailstorms which decimated harvests in the second quarter with some 2,200 hectares being affected.

However, the good summer more than compensated for these setbacks, creating ideal ripening conditions, and in the weeks leading up to harvest, the vineyards benefited from the hot, dry weather.

The combination of hot sunny days and cooler nights enabled the grapes to attain optimum maturity, which augurs well for a good vintage.

“The 2016 vintage has a focus on elegance rather than power and maintains perfect balance between acidity, fruit and structure – a combination of freshness and gourmandise,” said Bertrade Chatelet, director of the Sicarex ( the Institute for viticultural and oenological research in Beaujolais).

Learn more here: Beaujolais leads new French export drive in to the UK and reports strong 2016 vintage

Wine in the UK could go up by 29p a bottle because of sterling’s fall

The cost of a bottle of wine made in the EU in the UK could go up by 29p on average, according to the latest figures released by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.

It calculates that the average bottle of wine coming from the EU could go up by 29p and by 22p for wine from outside of the EU because of the adverse ongoing trading conditions as a result of the plumetting pound.

Whilst on paper this appears a problem for the UK trade, particularly considering it imports 99% of the 1.8 billion bottles drunk in the country. But such huge prices will have a big knock-on effect around the world when you consider one in seven bottles exported globally is destined for the UK.

Patrick McGrath, managing director of UK wine distributors, Hatch Mansfield, said: “It is not well understood that the UK is the global hub of the international wine trade. The fall in the value of sterling is having a serious and immediate impact on importers. While currency fluctuations are an accepted risk for importers, three months on there appears to be little prospect of a return to pre-referendum values."

He added: "The importers are having to meet the increased costs, which is already having a significant impact on profitability. In the immediate aftermath of the referendum we were covered forward for foreign currency. However this “cushion” has now run out. This will mean that we will be forced to increase our selling prices.”

The WSTA has analysed how the dramatic fall in sterling has already impacted on the wine industry since the referendum. Its figures show that because of the overall 15% drop in sterling’s value since June 23, the day of the referendum, the cost of importing EU wine could go up £225m per annum.

The cost of importing wine from outside the EU could increase by £188m per year.

If the situation continues then the cost the to the UK wine industry will be £413m the equivalent to a 10% hike in total alcohol duty. Whilst some of this may get passed on to the consumer, a large proportion will have to be swallowed up by the trade, warned the WSTA.

The figures are further ammunition in the WSTA's bid to convince the UK government that wine should be treated more fairly in next year's budget and should not have to face another duty rise in face of such increased costs and losses in profit.

Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA (pictured), explained: “We should be under no illusions that wine prices are likely to increase, which in the current climate could lead to a bottle of wine going up by 29p.

"This is of grave concern to the wine industry and it is vital that government come out in support of the trade which generates £17.3bn in economic activity.

"We are just weeks away from the autumn statement. Any increase in duty, on top of the post-Brexit Sterling devaluation, would have dire consequences on Britain’s wine trade.

"It is not only consumers who will feel the impact of price rises, but also by more than a quarter of million employees in the world leading UK wine industry.”

The UK wine industry directly employs 170,000 people and further 100,000 through its supply chain.

The UK is the 2nd largest trader in wine by volume (behind Germany) and by value (behind USA), cementing its role as a key international player, said the WSTA.

The UK wine and spirits industry in 2015 contributed £15.6bn to the Treasury.

Wine is also now the UK's favourite choice of alcoholic drink, with 71% of adults drinking wine, the equivalent of 39m people.

Original post here: Wine in the UK could go up by 29p a bottle because of sterling’s fall

Huge demand for Spanish wine exports driven by bulk wine

The huge demand for Spanish wine, driven by an average value of only €1.10 a litre, has seen an enormous increase its exports during 2015.

New export figures show that Spanish wine exports were up on 2014 by 168 million litres in volume. A large proportion (58%) of this was shipped in bulk.

The average price per litre is highly competitive around the world when you consider Australian wine exports were trading for the same period averaged $2.78 a litre, according to the Key Report.

In total Spanish wine volume and value figures were in 2015:

• Spain volume: 2396 million litres
• Spain value: €2.64 billion
• The value figure would arguably be lower if it were not for the strong trading in China, Japan and the UK.
• Spanish bottled wines accounted for 33% of all Spanish wine exports in volume, and 61% in value.
• Bulk wine was 20%  in value and 58% of volume.

 

Article source here: Huge demand for Spanish wine exports driven by bulk wine

Wine behind the label 10th edition coming very soon

Wine behind the label 10^th edition coming very soon

We thought we should bring all our readers some important news. The 10^th edition of Wine behind the label, the authoritative guide to the best wine producers and their wines is now in preparation. The digital download will be ready at the end of October and the printed hard cover 1000 page book will be available in early November.

We are asking you to think Christmas. The book is an ideal present for rewarding your best clients or customers or for gifts to family and friends.

The full price of the printed book will be £65 and we can offer a discount of 20% for a delivery of 5 books or more, 35% for 10 books or more and 50% for 20 books or more. The book cover can be overprinted with your company logo for a one off fee of £100 once you have supplied the artwork.

The digital guide sells for £39 and again the same percentage quantity discounts apply.

This is a must for anybody interested in wine. Over 6,000 wine producers are written up and over 18,000 wines are rated. Look them up before you buy in a shop or restaurant. There is also a useful glossary of wine terms and a grape glossary.

Wine behind the label – everything you ever wanted to know about wine and never dared to ask.

As a quick sampler please have a look at these screen grabs of a couple of new wineries we are profiling. These are work in progress from the digital guide.

Find Vilmart on wine searcher

http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/vilmart+cie

 

 

Find Greystone wines on wine searcher

http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/greystone+wines+waipara

 

Source here: Wine behind the label 10th edition coming very soon

Wine from Bhutan?

In the never ending search for new wines around the world I find myself in Bhutan, where I have come across two. Raven Shiraz and Takin red wine. It's not certain where the grapes come from or where the wine is made although I suppose if it says Bhutanese wine on the label, it's made in Bhutan. Unfortunately my itinerary doesn't cover the area where the wine is made but they are available throughout the country, although how the distribution system works is something of a mystery. In a country where a paved road is as rare as a bottle of Screaming Eagle, the average speed along the highways is not more than 25km an hour. Nevertheless, whilst it would take far too long for me to get to the wine producing area, I have tasted (and drunk) both wines. The Raven Shiraz might be considered a little one-dimensional but with good varietal flavours, but the Takin is intriguing because whilst I have no idea of the grape varietal(s) used, it bears a remarkable resemblance to Recioto della Valpollicella or Amarone. I'm not even sure if it's made by the same method of drying the grapes for 4 months or so before pressing. It is a little on the sweet side and whilst conventional wisdom might call for this wine to be pared with chocolatey desserts, I have always liked to drink a Recioto with Game in a dark summer fruit sauce - wild duck with a black cherry sauce comes to mind - and the Takin was an excellent accompaniment to the local cuisine in Bhutan of Pork, Chicken or beef in a slightly sweet and spicy dark sauce.

Post source here: Wine from Bhutan?

Chablis 2016 vintage expected to be 50% down on average

As the full picture from the 2016 harvest becomes clearer, Chablis, the key white wine producing area of Burgundy has announced its harvest is going to be down by 50%.

But what is being picked will make good quality wines, according to the BIVB Chablis.

The harvest is so down after a near calamitious 2016 vintage which has seen a number of major weather issues, including major frosts in the spring, followed by two hail storms in May.

A damp period allowed mildew and other diseases to take the crop down futher, but some parts have been helped by a strong, warm August which means some producers will be able to produce good quality wines.

It has meant that growers and producers are having to be far more collaborative than they normally are, said Louis Moreau, vice-president of BIVB Chablis.

He said: “This year has been a trying time for the producers and vignerons in Chablis. But we will not let this bring us down. It’s not the first time this has happened in the region, and we are a hardy and positive thinking group of people.

“If anything the appalling weather conditions have brought our community together even more. Neighbours have been working side by side helping each other during the harvest; and we have even been sharing our picking teams, as many of the vines have required hand picking in several passes to ensure that we harvest the grapes at optimum ripeness.”

Drinks Business looks back over the years and finds that in May 1945 a severe frost hit damaged every vineyard in the region. In 1951 just 32 hectolitres of Chablis grand cru were produced after a terrible year and just one hectolitre of grand cru was declared in 1957.

Article source here: Chablis 2016 vintage expected to be 50% down on average

Bordeaux on the cusp of an “exceptional” vintage

This year’s Bordeaux harvest is being hailed as potentially an "exceptional" vintage providing the weather holds over the next few vital picking weeks for its reds wines.

But whilst some winemakers are cautiously positive there are those who fear the vintage could lack staying  power, particularly on the white wines.

While the year didn’t start well for winemakers in the region, it has certainly ended on a high. The early summer was plagued by cold and wet weather, but then went in to Bordeaux's hottest August on record. Temperatures in Bordeaux were into the mid 30 degree celsius for up to 15 days in August and didn’t start dropping until well into last month, which by then had winemakers crossing their fingers for rain as vines simply shut down as they could not cope with the heat.

But their prayers were answered with a big downpour on September 13, which saw up to 30mm of rain drop in some areas of Bordeaux with all regions enjoying a welcome rest bite from the heat and sun. The lower temperatures have helped significantly with the vintage and have since been followed by 10 days or so of sun, helping grapes to mature at just the right time.

"It's been much easier to harvest than to grow," said Frédéric Bonnaffous, estates manager at Château Angélus's talking to Wine-Searcher. "It's nice to be able to choose when to pick."

The Merlot in Saint-Émilion, he says, is surprisingly good. "It's a nice colour, the acidity is normal, the grapes are a good size, there is a good skin-to-juice ratio."   At Château Angélus they went so far as suggest the vintage "is bound to be great and surprising".

"The older vines, notably on clay and/or limestone soil, resisted [the drought] magnificently well. Limestone and clay work like a sponge, which captures water in wet periods and releases water during dry periods."

[caption id="attachment_14525" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Jean-Christophe Mau of Chateau Brown[/caption]

Meanwhile, chief winemaker at Chateau Brown, Jean Christophe Mau told The Buyer that he thought that Bordeaux could potentially be “on the cusp of an exceptional harvest.”   For that to materialise, will depend on the weather over the next two weeks or so.   Whilst it would normally start picking its white grapes, Sauvignon and Semillon, at the beginning of September, that had to be pushed back to help the vines recover from the searing heat, said Mau.

However, all of this has helped to produce a crop that is 20% larger than last year’s harvest, with grapes showing “good acidity, with nice floral notes and that are well balanced”.

“I have not seen these kind of volumes since I started at Château Brown in 2005,” he added.

Meanwhile, over in Entre-deux Mers, Gavin Quinney, owner of Château Bauduc, is more than happy with the quantity of his whites though he admitted he's "a bit concerned" about the acidity levels.

"It's not a great year for whites," he added.

Like Bonnaffous, he has high hopes for his merlot, especially in Saint-Émilion where the quality is good, and volumes are very high

Quinney added that as long as vignerons are patient and wait for full ripeness before harvesting, the vintage could be "spectacular".

In Pessac-Léognan, Olivier Bernard at Domaine de Chevalier was even more upbeat. "It's difficult to imagine anything better than what we have," he told Wine-Searcher. "We have a quantity that we haven't seen since 2004, and the quality of the Merlot is exceptional."

Wioth the vintage being at least a week away, its difficult to predict the quality of the cabernet sauvignons. However, Mau at Chateau Brown reported that the reds are well placed and he predicts volumes will be up by 10-15% on last year, and is confident it is going to be a “good vintage for Merlot” in particular.

“If we get 10 more days of good weather then it could also be good for Cabernet Sauvignon,” he added. “It is a good year for maturity and we have got nice thick skins.

Source here: Bordeaux on the cusp of an “exceptional” vintage