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european fine wine magazine – a critique
Photo: Blatantly stolen from the publisher’s website | Copyright, them… Let me first say that issue number 1 of ‘European Fine Wine Magazine’ is quite a coffee-table magazine, the photography is really something – not just the composition but the saturated, slightly underexposed processing too – never-mind black and white, even in colour it looks almost Gothic! Whilst I’m far from an expert in this area, the photographer (Pekka Nuikki) seems to be carving-out his own genre. In the end though I must come clean – it’s not a magazine for me. I am an egalitarian when it comes to wine; there was a time when even a modest pocket-book could accommodate an occasional bottle of the grandest of burgundian grand crus – Armand Rousseau’s [....]
burgundy wine school programme
Except where stated otherwise, all courses take place in Beaune Tel. +33 (0)3 80 26 35 10 – www.ecoledesvins-bourgogne.com January 25-27: Saint-Vincent tour weekend in Saint-Romain, combining specific training and participation in the Saint-Vincent festivities. From January 31 1 class every 2 weeks, (6 sessions): Evening class strengthening the ‘basics’ and tasting sessions. March 1st & 2nd, March 22 & 23: Introductory weekend. February 2 and 16, March 1st, 8, 15 and 22: ‘The basics’ lecture and tasting session. (1/2 day) and tasting day. From February 2: ‘From Vine to Cellar’. 5 days in 2008 to learn by practising the main steps in wine-making. March 11 – 14: Grands Jours de Bourgogne training course. This course, for wine professionals and specifiers, combines tasting sessions in [....]
en-primeur 2006 – london’s awash with burgundy wine
The hype has started – see above. I think there are at least 7 major tastings in London this week. On the positive side it’s the perfect opportunity to get a broad-brush impression of the vintage, on the negative side there’s a trend for people to arrive early, drink all the top table wines and leave – this will require a little more ‘policing’. Plus, one word of warning – if people (read ‘critics’) present ‘definitive’ scores and notes to you on a per-wine basis – don’t believe a word. They are doing you and themselves a disservice! Whites are typically less of an issue, but the majority of reds are; far from finished, far from being bottled, and far from consistent – if you [....]
saint vincent 2008 in saint romain
The start of the year in Burgundy heralds, amongst other things, the Burgundy Saint Vincent festivals. Each year there is a touring one which brings together over 80 villages – this year it’s in Saint Romain on the 26th and 27th January. From the BIVB: “Founded on the initiative of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin in 1938, the Saint Vincent tour brings together wine-growers from mutual support societies from all over Burgundy. First and foremost it is a wine-growers’ festival, which over the years has attracted a wide audience. The general public is granted access to the tasting cellars on purchase of a glass (10€) and a tasting logbook.” Saint Romain is a relatively pretty Côte de Beaune village set on the hillside above [....]
outing
A story I picked up on Lyle Fass’ Rocks and Fruits, Vinotas is mad too – here’s the full story on Vinography. Do we think the director of communications at wine.com is going to have an easy day in the office tomorrow?
vintage charts – why?
An enforced moratorium on opening bottles (long-term head-cold plus recent antibiotics) gives me the chance to dust off various things I’d been working on over the last weeks, things that had just been lying around, half forgotten. Part 1: DRINKING OR TASTING(?) Whilst there is a place for both, clearly wine is for drinking – whatever the vogue for hoarding of ‘trophy Wines’. Tasting infers the appraisal of a wine or wines, either alone or with its peers. Tasting is important as a discipline and the more you do it the easier it is – particularly if you’ve a good memory for time, place, aroma and taste – e.g. like remembering next time not to have that sandwich with mustard just before the Domaine de [....]
limekilns
Calera’s limekiln
the beaune appellation on the web
From the BIVB: “The producers of the Beaune appellation have just launched a site dedicated to the vineyard of the capital of Burgundy wines. A true wealth of information about this appellation, which is little-known (compared to neighbouring Pommard and Volnay) despite covering the most surface area in the Côte de Beaune. The site features domaines, maisons, an explanatory map of the terroirs, tasting tips and wine tourism: it would be difficult to be more exhaustive.” www.beaune-vin.org Everything seems to be ‘en Français’ right now, but even the nonspeakers/readers can have fun with a lovely interactive map of the appellation here. Plenty of links to Beaune-based négoce and domaines amongst vintage info and historical notes. Worth a peek…
holiday cheer
I’m back from the time of celebration, a time that entailed being bunged up with a head-cold from the 20th December that’s still clinging on today! I’m also taking antibiotics following a visit to my dentist. All-told I think about 4 glasses of wine have passed my lips over the festive season – none of which actually tasted of anything – though one was (once more H.Boillot’s 2001 Charlemagne) a darker colour than it should have been. Hopefully by next week I will once more be reaching for the Beaune, but I anyway trust that you will all have had a great start to 2008…
