Wine Investment, Mouton Rothschild and China

Mouton Rothschild has enjoyed significant price increases during the month of October according to Liv-ex (the Fine wine Exchange) whereas Lafite Rothschild's performance has plateaued. Over a 5 week period from the start of October, according to the Liv-ex Claret Chip Index, Mouton has increased in price by 5.3%, the highest rise among the First Growths. Up until October Mouton has had to play second fiddle to Lafite but growing interest from Asia has shown itself in Mouton’s 64% increase in activity in the first half of 2009 in comparison to 2008.

There is speculation that perhaps Mouton is about to realise its brand potential in Asia and that if this is the case then Mouton could provide a good investment opportunity in the Fine Wine market in the next 12 months. Perhaps when we are into the New Year we will have a more concise picture on whether Mouton can sustain its position.

There are a few of reasons why it seems that Mouton has started to eclipse its prodigious cousin: Lafite is expensive and high demand is putting pressure on availability, Asian fine wine consumer’s tastes are starting to broaden and mature as buyers in the East look beyond Lafite Rothschild (Chateau Latour has also shown an upwards movement recently and in some cases has over taken Lafite) and the fact that they both share the name Rothschild.

Both Lafite and Mouton are successful at branding (see Which is the Biggest Rothschild Brand?) but Lafite has been more successful in China until now. Lafite was, of course, swift to translate its website into Chinese and has clearly been visiting China from early on (1992). Lafite is also developing a vineyard in China in partnership with CITIC, China's largest state-owned investment company, on over 60 acres of vines on the peninsula of Penglai in Shandong province.

Much has been made of the fact that “Lafite” is easy for Chinese consumers to pronounce and is therefore one of the reasons for its popularity - but so is “Margaux”! Apparently the Chinese version of Lafite is 'Lai-fat' which means “come get rich”. Interestingly, one of the unofficial Chinese names for Mouton Rothschild is ‘Wu Tang King'. Wu Tang is the Hubei Province Daoist martial arts sect particularly renowned for its swordsmanship.

The Chinese translation for Chateau Beychevelle (Longchuan, meaning ‘dragon boat’) has helped that property’s wines do particularly well there. Chateau La Lagune is known as LangLihu (the beautiful lake) which also seems a smart move. The Chinese Bordeaux Guide announced in 2008 that the 10th Edition of Chinese Bordeaux Guide 2009 will publish the official Chinese names of the 1855 Medoc Classification, it was with a view to standardizing the Chinese names of the 61 châteaux.

While every château has the same name in French and English, it has an average five to 10 different Chinese names. This is because a journalist in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan or China will translate, for example, Chateau Mouton Rothschild differently. However the Chinese Bordeaux Guide is dependent on the châteaux re co-operation in this and only 14 châteaux have confirmed their official Chinese names. Chateau Latour and Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou have also confirmed they will only use their original names. It will be interesting to see how this situation develops and whether a brand name in Chinese will affect the wine's visibility and it's price.

Discovering Chateau Grand Rousseau

Chateau Grand Rousseau lies near Sauveterre de Guyenne in the Entre Deux Mers and is one of several chateaux owned by the renowned Lumeau family who have been wine makers for 4 generations, establishing Vignobles Lumeau in 1840. Grand Rousseau is a charming deep ruby coloured claret which is a round, smooth, well balanced wine with integrated tannins and a classical bouquet. It has subtle red fruit flavours with notes of blackcurrant, blueberry, tobacco, violets, earth and vanilla.

The Entre Deux Mers is sandwiched between the tidal waters of the Rivers Dordogne and Garonne and the land is bordered by the vineyards of Saint Emilion in the north and by those of the sweet wines of Sauternes to the south. The landscape is softened by limestone valleys, with small hills above crowned with pine or oak and their slopes cultivated with vines.

Sauveterre de Guyenne is a medieval Bastide town and was actually built by the English, in the time of Edward I. It still has part of its fortifications with its typical arcaded central square and four gates to the town. The shops radiate out from the centre of town, and it is a pleasure to browse, taking refuge from the midday sun under the age old arches that form the arcades.

The vineyards of Grand Rousseau cover 275 acres and are 21 miles from Saint Emilion and lie on clay and limestone. The grape varieties planted are 40% Merlot which makes a full bodied and round wine. It ripens early so it is the first variety gathered. Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 45% of the estate. It brings the wine its structure from tannins but also a delicate and refined flavour profile. It grows well here but it ripens very slowly, so it is the last variety harvested. It needs years to reach its full maturation. The remainder of vines are 15% Cabernet Franc which makes a supple and fine wine, less colour than the Cabernet Sauvignon but with a more intense bouquet. Its ageing is more rapid. Grand Rousseau id the result of a skilful combination of these varieties of grapes, with ancestral traditions of wine-making and the techniques of modern oenology.

The 2004 vintage is a blend of 52% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc and is fermented in stainless steel tanks and is thermo-regulated to maintain a constant temperature during the fermentation. This wine will age very well for several years to come and will pair well with roasted fowl, red meat or game and hard cheeses. The recommended temperature of serving is 14 to 16ºC.

This is a super claret to enjoy with your Christmas turkey and Dindes aux Truffes is an old recipe that was a favourite of the epicurean French statesman Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838) – and one time owner of the First Growth Chateau Haut Brion. Talleyrand employed Mariè-Antoine Câreme, one of the first celebrity chefs who was an early practitioner of haute cuisine. Carême created dishes for Napoléon and also served as chef de cuisine in London to the Prince Regent, later George IV. He was invited by Tsar Alexander I to come to St. Petersburg, where he lived so briefly he never prepared a meal for the Tsar before returning to Paris, where he was chef to banker James Mayer Rothschild. Talleyrand has another link to Turkey – albeit not a culinary one. His wife, Catherine Worlée Grand's child-like beauty did not totally make up for the naivety of her public utterances. She tried to tell someone she was born in India and (instead of “Je suis des Indes”) replied “Je suis d’Inde”, which sounds like “Je suis dinde” (I am a turkey).

Dindes Aux Truffes

2 1-inch-diameter black truffles
1 16 lb turkey, neck reserved
8 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh parsley sprigs
6 bay leaves
12 large shallots, peeled, cut in half
3 cups (or more) chicken stock
½ cup Cognac
3 tbsp flour
3 jars whole roasted peeled chestnuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Coarsely chop 1 ½ truffles; place in a food processor. Add the butter; process mixture until well blended and truffles are finely chopped. Season the truffle butter with salt and pepper. Thinly slice the remaining ½ truffle; cover and chill.

Sprinkle the main cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Starting at the neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen the skin. Rub the truffle butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, over breast meat under skin. Rub any truffle butter that remains on your hands all over outside of turkey. Place turkey on small rack set in large roasting pan. Using kitchen string, tie 4 thyme sprigs, 2 parsley sprigs, and 3 bay leaves together. Repeat with remaining 4 thyme sprigs, 2 parsley sprigs, and 3 bay leaves. Place 1 herb bouquet in the main cavity of turkey and 1 in the neck cavity. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape. Cover turkey with cling film and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Tuck turkey wings under. Place shallots and turkey neck around turkey in the pan. Sprinkle turkey, shallots, and neck with salt and pepper. Roast until turkey and shallots are golden brown. Gently stir shallots. Pour 1 cup of stock over the turkey. Roast for 30 minutes. Pour 1 cup of stock over the turkey. Cover turkey breast and legs loosely with foil. Roast for about an hour, basting with pan drippings and adding 1 cup of stock if necessary. Transfer turkey to platter; tent loosely with foil. Let stand 30 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shallots to bowl. Discard turkey neck.

Pour pan juices into a jug. Spoon off fat from top of pan juices, reserving 6 tablespoons fat. Discard remaining fat. Pour Cognac into roasting pan; place over low heat and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add to pan juices. Melt 2 tablespoons reserved turkey fat in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in pan juices. Boil until sauce thickens very slightly, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes (gravy will be thin). Stir reserved sliced ½ truffle into gravy. Season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Melt 4 tablespoons fat in frying pan and add chestnuts and sauté until heated through. Add roasted shallots and chopped parsley; sauté until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Surround turkey with chestnut-shallot mixture. Serve with gravy.

Enjoy!

Red Wine and Fish

The debate over whether it is sacrilegious to pair red wine with fish has long been argued over but now researchers have pinpointed why some reds just don't go – and why some do! Researchers in Fujisawa, Japan noted that wine connoisseurs established the rule of thumb because of the flavour clash between red wine and fish. They point out, however, that there are exceptions to the rule, with some red wines actually going well with seafood. Until now, nobody could consistently predict which wines might trigger a fishy after-taste because of the lack of knowledge about its cause. The study is in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The scientists asked wine tasters to sample 38 red wines and 26 white wines while dining on scallops. Some of the wines contained small amounts of iron, which varied by country of origin, variety, and vintage. They found that wines with high amounts of iron had a more intensely fishy after-taste. This fishy taste diminished, on the other hand, when the researchers added a substance that binds up iron. The findings indicate that iron is the key factor in the fishy after-taste of wine-seafood pairings, the researchers say, suggesting that low-iron red wines might be a good match with seafood.

When the iron content rose above 2 milligrams per litre or so, the seafood-dining experience turned sour. The team double-checked their results by soaking pieces of dried scallops in samples of wine. Scallops dunked in wine with low iron content smelled normal, but pieces soaked in samples with high iron content reeked of fish.

The researchers report that they haven't yet isolated the compound in the scallops that reacts with the wine, but they suspect it's an unsaturated fatty acid, which could be breaking down rapidly and releasing the decaying fish smell when exposed to iron. How much iron a wine contains depends on the amount in the soil where the grapes were grown, as well as other factors such as how the grapes are harvested and processed. Red wine tends to have a higher iron content, hence the admonition against mixing it with seafood.

"We were surprised in our finding," said research chemist and lead author Takayuki Tamura, "because we thought that polyphenols or sulphur dioxide [produced] the unpleasant sensation." These components represent a larger percentage of wine content than does iron. He explains that because iron does not "induce colour change, accelerated oxidation, or cloudiness," vintners tend to ignore its potential role as a meal-spoiler. But the new findings, he says, offer winemakers the opportunity to reconsider the downside of iron contamination.

I would recommend lighter styles of red wine with a low alcohol content as a good match with fish such as tuna or salmon. Brissonet Tinto (£3.08) is 11.5% and this Spanish red is a fresh and aromatic wine, concentrated with no acidity and its cherry red colour with violet bloom are typical of its youth. Prince de Prieur (£3.18) is also 11.5% and if this wine was from any other region or country it would come with a higher Classification other than a table wine. It is a supple wine and has a very pronounced nose with lots of good ripe fruit.

Rosé wines also go well with fish – Chateau Lamothe Vincent (£4.94) is 12.5% and is a fabulous dry, deep, dark pomegranate pink, bursting with fruit and is one of the 3 best Bordeaux Rosés in 2006 TOP VINS, silver medal winner both at the Challenge International du Vin 2006 and Concours des Vins d'Aquitaine 2006. It is made with two grapes - Cabernet Sauvignon which gives tannic backbone and structure. This grape is very aromatic in young wines with heady aromas of blackcurrant. Cabernet Franc is the other grape used and this provides acidity, fragrance and strawberry-like fruit qualities. Once the fruit has hit your taste buds the dryness follows through and the wine is elegant and refreshing. Chateau Roques du Mauriac (£6.40) is 12.5% and is made from Merlot 60%, Cabernet Franc 40% . Produced right in the heart of the region this lovely mouth-watering, crisp, slightly dry, smooth Rose is a delight. On the nose it produces light, fruity aromas of soft fruits and in the mouth it is fresh, well balanced and has a long after taste.

I would try these two rosés with white fish and shell fish as they are a lighter style than the Bordeaux Clairets which will stand up to mackerel and tuna very well.

Champagne Bubbles Are the Key to its Flavour

A new report by Dr Gerard Liger-Belair of Reims University, France has discovered that it's the bubbles that give Champagne its flavour. This confirms the long-held view that Champagnes with a fine and persistent mousse, or stream of bubbles, are of a higher quality. In research at the University of Reims its been found that the bubbles can contain up to 30 times more flavour than the champagne itself and have a very different chemical fingerprint. The mousse acts as a flavour delivery system with the rising and collapsing bubbles releasing aroma compounds on a continuous cycle.

Dr Liger-Belair said in the PNAS report that: "It's the very first time that we have been able to detect the fine chemistry of champagne aerosols which are really the essence of champagne." Dr Liger-Belair admits to having been "obsessed" with bubbles all his life. He used an ultra-high resolution mass spectrometer to study the detailed chemical composition of the aerosols emerging from sparkling wine and champagne.

Dr Liger-Belair and his colleague Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, of the Institute for Ecological Chemistry and Molecular BioGeochemistry in Neuherberg, have studied five champagnes and high-quality sparkling wines so far. They discovered that in all cases the bubbles were very much richer in the essential flavours of the wine.

This may help to explain why sparkling wines made by the same techniques as Champagne ie the Méthode Champenoise (or Méthode Traditionnelle), taste so much better than those which are not. There are around 49 million bubbles in a 750ml bottle of champagne (calculated by scientist Bill Lembeck, based on 5.5 atmospheres of pressure, when stored at 20ºC) and the pressure in a bottle of champagne is 90 pounds per square inch, about three times that in a car tyre!

The best glass to drink Champagne from is not the saucer shaped Champagne Coupe but a Champagne flute. Legend has it that the shape of the Champagne Coupe was modelled on the breast of Marie Antoinette but as a glass to drink from it is too wide and too shallow - the bubbles can’t make long beaded streams, the mousse dissipates instantly and the Champagne goes lifeless in a few minutes because there’s a very large surface area to volume.

If you are a lover of Champagne then I would recommend Seconde Collard which is made in the heart of the Champagne region, in a hamlet called Bouzy, situated between Reims and Epernay, in an area referred to Montagne de Reims. It is one of the top 17 Grand Cru vineyards and Champagne Houses Taittinger and Moet can be found just up the road.

Philippe Seconde is a 5th generation producer and is descended from the famous Champagne House of Edmond Barnaut founded in 1874. Edmond Barnaut was one of the first pioneers in Champagne to create his own brand outside of the controlling centres of Epernay and Reims.

Philippe makes both a Blanc de Noirs Brut (from 100% Pinot Noir) and a Grand Reserve Brut (67% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay). Grande Reserve Champagnes are those that have Champagne added to them from a reserved vintage which is the flagship of the House. Both retail at £16.13 and are a superb bargain. There is also a fantastic Rosé: the Authentic Rosé Brut (50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay) at £18.10 and a wonderful Vintage Champagne: Champagne Vintage Brut Millesimes 1998 (50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay) at £26.42.

These Champagnes are all on offer with Free Delivery at the Wine Shop if you fancy a little festive fizz!

Why Provenance is a Must in Wine Investment

If you are investing in wine then Provenance is essential. Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the history of your wine: where, when and by whom it was made, where it has been stored, who has owned it and where it has been shipped to. It is in effect your wine's pedigree and acts as a certification of care. Without Provenance you may find that your wine is worthless as there is no proof that it is genuine or that it has been cellared or kept in storage correctly.

In transactions of old wine with the potential of improving with age, the issue of Provenance has a large bearing on the assessment of the contents of a bottle, both in terms of quality and the risk of wine fraud. A documented history of storage conditions is valuable in estimating the quality of an older vintage due to the fragile nature of wine.

Given the value of fine Bordeaux wines there is a market for counterfeit wine and Provenance acts as a deterrent against this. In the case of the select niche market for very old bottles of wine – which often reach high sums of money - Provenance is the difference between making a fortune and losing one. The infamous case of The Billionaire's Vinegar is a good example. The Billionaire's Vinegar is a book by Benjamin Wallace centred on a true story. The book tells the story of German collector, Rodenstock who had allegedly found rare bottles of Chateau Lafite walled up in a basement in Paris. A 1787 Lafite engraved Th:J sparked worldwide interest because it was thought that Jefferson had bought the bottles when he was in Paris serving as ambassador. Three of the bottles were sold at Christie's between 1985 and 1987 including the the 1787 Lafite which was bought by Malcolm Forbes for $150,000 – making it a record holder as the world's most expensive bottle of wine.

The billionaire in the title of the book is William Koch who sued Rodenstock claiming that he was the source for four Jefferson bottles that Koch bought in 1988. Those bottles are now believed to be fake. Rodenstock has said that the bottles were genuine but has not submitted them for testing. The book sold well and a Will Smith-produced film of the story is in development.

Obviously this case only shows the upper end of collecting and investing in wine but it is a good example none the less. Veteran collectors are well aware of how important Provenance is, which explains the high prices paid for wines straight from the cellars of châteaux and négociants. The wine’s condition is just as important as its origin and poor shipping, storage or handling practices that can render a Grand Cru as worthless as if it was a cheap fake. While the wine making process is subject to great scrutiny and best practices, once bottled the levels of scrutiny and attention can vary greatly as the wine makes its way through the supply chain.

With the wine investment market today looking increasingly more mainstream more people are considering wine as an addition to their portfolios. According to Liv-ex (the Fine Wine Exchange) private collectors in the UK alone hold more than US$2bn worth of fine wine in bonded warehouses and the fine wine market is worth US$3 billion annually – a figure that has trebled since 2004. There are also new ways to invest in wine other than the traditional routes of buying via Wine Merchants with Private Cellar Plans and via Wine Funds. Under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) qualifying UK tax payers can benefit from an advantageous and tax efficient opportunity from exemptions of Capital Gains, Income Tax and Inheritance Tax. The 1855 Club is a company trading in Fine Wine which has been created under the rules of EIS and has been designed for the benefit of the shareholders. If you would like to know more about this scheme please contact me , or ask your IFA or agent to do so, at nick.stephens@interestinwine.co.uk – and as with all potential investments please seek independent financial advice!

Bordeaux Wine Tourism, Wine Holidays and Opening Doors

It has always puzzled me that Bordeaux is world famous for its wines but still has so much yet to discover. Tourists will flock to well known sites lured by the historic châteaux and superb wines secreted in their cellars but there are charming backwaters to Bordeaux that are also hiding away. Unlike California with its bustling wine routes and open house wineries much of Bordeaux – and many of its wines - lie undiscovered – unless you are French, and in the “know”.

This is one of the reasons I covered the lesser known appellations of Bordeaux in a series of Blogs recently – to show you a peep of the Bordeaux that can be discovered if you have a questing spirit and like finding wonderful wines in sleepy villages. I have noticed that some of the appellations are starting to set up websites to promote their wines and will add a set of links to them on the Blog and Wine Site for you.

Now that the prohibitionist Evin Law is more relaxed about advertising alcohol on the internet the châteaux and co-operatives have a vast platform from which to promote their goods. Until recently those that did have websites were concerned that they would be forced to remove their sites – many of which are informative and give a cultural and historical background to the wines and their producers. This law was outrageously severe in a country where the “passion” for wine is intense. (see France To Ban Wine On The Internet). As the nature of French wine production is that it is smaller, lead by terroir and more individualistic, many wine makers don't have the money or the clout to broadcast their wares outside France.

I hope that we will see more syndicats de viticole and châteaux starting up websites as it's a fantastic way of opening a door into the world of wine. Talking of opening doors I have also noticed that many more châteaux are opening theirs to the public – which is another great step forward. Some of Bordeaux's prestigious Châteaux are starting to appear in Travel Agencies offering wine orientated holidays such as Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Leognan. Smith Haut Laffitte is not only famous for the fabulous wines it produces but it also has a luxury hotel, a Michelin star restaurant and the Caudalie wine therapy institute at the château. Also last year Chateau Cantenac Brown in Margaux received preliminary permission to turn part of the château into a luxury hotel.

The Telegraph has reported on two leading Bordeaux wine makers – Jean-Francois Janoueix and Jean-Michel Cazes – who are leading the way in reviving tourism in Bordeaux by rejuvenating the past. Rather than let the abandoned hamlets around the châteaux die they are breathing new life into them to encourage visitors.

The family of Jean-Francois Janoueix is one of the great household names of the Libourne area; they are as well known for making wine as for being wine merchants. They own the Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé Chateau Haut Sharpe as well as 16 other châteaux spangled across Pomerol and the Côtes de Castillon. It's Jean-Francois' belief that the villages and hamlets that cluster round the châteaux need to be reborn:

"The great wine estates don't care about these modest homes, but they are the markers of the past. When we demolish them, we gain a few vines but lose a whole piece of the past."

Determined to keep the rural heritage alive, he's personally financing the renovation of the rustic hamlet of Sarpe at the gates of his estate. True to his vision, the village steps back in time - guests can visit an 18th century windmill and the 1950's "night club" built for the pickers. In Haut Sarpe's cellars, Jean-Francois offers wine tastings amidst a collection of antique tools and equipment. A few steps away, a farmhouse provides room and board to modern-day pilgrims walking the historic St. Jacques de Compostella pilgrim route, and soon, an old-fashioned bakery will open on the square.

Banking on another winning combination - wine and art – Jean-Francois also restored the winegrowers' cottages in his vineyards. Soon, artists will take up short-term residencies and sell their work in a gallery in the village. Inspired by Napa's savvy approach to wine tourism, he hopes to draw tourists to Sarpe, where he can introduce them to a slice of wine history, art and his wines.

In Pauillac, the owner of Chateau Lynch Bages, Jean Michel Cazes, has also encouraged tourism to the region. In addition to several wine estates, the Cazes family owns a luxury hotel, two Michelin-starred restaurants, a wine estate bed & breakfast, a wine school and a wine tour agency.

In 2003, when Cazes needed to enlarge his cellars and the architect proposed demolishing the abandoned hamlet of Bages, located on his back doorstep, Cazes refused: "I didn't want to see the village disappear, I didn't want to be remembered as the man who knocked down a village to stock my wine."

Instead, he hired craftsmen to restore the historical limestone buildings with the goal of creating a modern village that would attract both locals and tourists. Cazes' vision has taken shape: a pretty village square, a bakery, a stylish bistro, a refined boutique, a master basket-weaver, an annex to a luxury hotel, a butcher and soon, an upscale wine bar and cigar lounge. A cheerful playground attracts mothers and toddlers. Free, open-air movie nights bring in the locals. And the buildings retain the names of the original owners.
For information on other Bordeaux châteaux that cater for tourists click here.

The Origins of French Wine

A new study by Professor Paul Cartledge from the University of Cambridge claims that the world's biggest wine industry might never have developed had it not been for a “band of pioneering Greek explorers” who settled in southern France around 600 BC. His study appears to dispel the theory that it was the Romans who were responsible for bringing viticulture to France. However it took a little French style and a couple of thousand years to transform it into a European tipple of choice. The study is just one of a number covered in the book with which Professor Cartledge hopes to make a much more serious and wider-ranging point about where the boundaries of Ancient Greece really began and ended.

The Greeks founded Massalia, now known as Marseilles, which they then turned into a bustling trading site, where local tribes of Ligurian Celts undertook friendly bartering. (Liguria borders France to the west, Piedmont to the north, and Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany to the east. It lies on the Ligurian Sea and is a narrow strip of land, enclosed between the sea and the Alps and the Apennines mountains, and is one of the smallest regions in Italy.) Professor Cartledge said within a matter of generations the nearby Rhône became a major thoroughfare for vessels carrying terracotta amphorae that contained what was seen as a new, exotic Greek drink made from fermented grape juice. He argued the new drink rapidly became a hit among the tribes of Western Europe, which then contributed to the French modern love of wine.

Although some academics agree the Greeks were central to founding Europe's wine trade, others argue the Etruscans or even the later Romans were the ones responsible for bringing viticulture to France. However there is evidence that the Celts did make wines from grapes long before the Romans came – and even before the Greeks. There is archaeological evidence to suggest that the Celts first cultivated the grape vine in Gaul. Grape pips have been found throughout France, pre-dating the Greeks and Romans with some examples found near Lake Geneva being over 12,000 years old.

The extent that the Celts and Gallic tribes produced wine is not clearly known but the arrival of the Greeks near Massalia in 600 BC certainly introduced new types styles of wine making and viticulture. The limit of Greek viticulture was to plant in regions with Mediterranean climates that would also support olive and fig tree plantings. The Romans looked for regions near a river and an important town, with hillside terrain. Roman knowledge of the sciences included the tendency for cold air to travel like water down a hillside, cooling the grapes in the day, and to gather in frost pockets at the bottom. Those areas were to be avoided while a sunny hillside, even in a northerly location, could provide a climate sufficient enough to ripen grapes.

In places like Bordeaux where Roman garrisons were established, vineyards were planted to supply the needs locally and limit the cost of long distance trading. As Roman settlements were founded and populated by retired soldiers, many of whom had knowledge of Roman viticulture from their families and life before the military, would plant vineyards of their own in their new homelands. While there are possibilities that the Romans imported grapevines from Italy and Greece, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the Romans cultivated native vines in the provinces that may be the ancestors of the grapes grown there today.

In the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder mentions plantings in Bordeaux, including the Balisca vine (previously known in Spain) under the synonym of Biturica after the local Bituriges tribe. Ampelographers note that corruption of the name Biturica is Bidure or Vidure which is a French synonym of Cabernet Sauvignon and may point to the ancestry of this vine with the Cabernet family. However grape geneticist Carole Meredith, Professor Emerita at University of California, Davis, discovered that Cabernet Sauvignon is a hybrid of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc in 1996. Indeed the word "Sauvignon" is believed to be derived from the French sauvage meaning "wild" and to refer to the grape being a wild Vitis Vinifera vine native to France. Could the historians have got it wrong and Celts were making their own wine in France from native grapes before the Greeks? We do know that the Celts invented the wine barrel and that their love of wine staggered the Romans who thought them uncivilised for drinking it “neat”. I suppose we will never truly know for sure unless some archaeologist discovers the remains of an ancient Celtic vintage secreted away under the dust of millennia.

À votre santé, or should I say Sláinte!

Wine and Minerals

I spotted a story in the wine press recently that I just had to voice an opinion on – according to Scientists who met in Portland for the annual Geological Society of America Conference the belief that minerals could influence the flavour of wine is flawed. They consider that the quantity of minerals in wine is so small that it can't be detected through human taste and smell. This seems ludicrous. The belief in terroir in the Old World (how soil, weather conditions, geology and other local circumstances define the character of wine) is a long standing one and makes perfect sense to me.

Wine critics often use the French phrase, "gout de terroir", which means "taste of the soil" but the Scientists say much of that taste may be imagined. The geologists say wines may vary in levels of dissolved minerals, but those variations aren't related to the levels in vineyard soil. And they say the concentration of minerals in wine is below the threshold of human taste and smell.

"I am not saying that chemistry and geology have no effect on the wine. It may have effects that we don't understand,"

said geologist Alex Maltman.

"But whatever 'minerality' in wine is, it is not the taste of vineyard minerals," he said.

The fact that soils do affect the taste of the wine is self evident as the same grapes grown on different combinations of soils produce wines with marked differences when it comes to taste. Take Chateau La Fleur Morange for example – the 100 year old vines lie on a unique patch of soil. It is the only complex mixture known to exist in Saint Emilion and is a combination of sand, clay and chalk over an iron oxide sub soil (crasse de fer) which is 15.7 inches (40 cm) below the surface. This subsoil rests on top of limestone bedrock. Jean-François Julien, the wine maker, is convinced that this unique soil contributes to the finesse of the tannins.

The point of the argument seems to be that the minerally, flinty or earthy notes in the wine – according to the Scientists – do not come from the soil that the grapes were grown on but from some other undetermined factor.

I find it quite strange that there is little research into the way that soil affects the taste of the wine – maybe it is such a foregone conclusion that people have not bothered to look into it. Just because no relationship has been demonstrated between natural soil chemistry, as derived from different rocks, and wine type or quality doesn't mean that there isn't one. Any gardener – let alone grape grower or farmer – will tell you that soil type can affect the taste of your fruit and veg! Have you ever compared the taste of a tomato grown by hydroponics to one from your well manured vegetable plot?

Taste is such a subjective thing – one man's meat is another man's poison. If I can taste a certain minerality in my glass of wine it doesn't necessarily mean that the person standing next to me can. Can Science answer that?

Back in May European researchers discovered that even 10 years after bottling, wine still holds the chemical signature of the forest from which the barrel used to age it was made – would this be reflected in the taste I wonder? To me its all part of the magical mystery of wine and even if Science managed to unravel the “whys” and the “wherefores” I would still like to think that the wine I am enjoying holds the essence of the soil, sun and rain that went into its making.

Fine Time to Invest in Wine?

It is often said that the market for wines is the last to feel the impact of any economic upheaval and the first to show recovery. In the wake of the financial meltdown wine has started to figure more prominently in investment portfolios and is no longer regarded a niche market today as it was a few years ago. Over the past 2 decades wine has shown consistent returns and is continuing to out perform the FTSE 100. According to Liv-ex (the Fine Wine Index) the Index is now only 14% off its all time high, set in June 2008. Prices fell by up to 25% after the collapse of Lehman brothers, but have since partially rebounded. In the past 5 years the index has increased 133%, a performance bettered by none of the major share indices or gold. What's more prices for the world's top wines rose by 4.6% in August - the biggest monthly increase for more than 2 years.

So what is keeping the fine wine market buoyant? In short, Asia - particularly Hong Kong and China. Hong Kong has established itself as the world's second largest market (behind New York) for the sales of fine wines since all wine duties were abolished early in 2008 Hong Kong is increasingly the place to buy (and sell) expensive wine. One American wine merchant, the firm Acker Merral & Condit, told Reuters that Hong Kong was arguably the fine wine world's most important market. According to Serena Sutcliffe, Sotheby's wine director, Asian buyers represented 99% at their recent auction. In addition to the Hong Kong government's pro-active decision to scrap duties the market really began to boom with the government also scrapping most of the paperwork related to wine imports- importers were allowed to have customs inspection inside the wine warehouses.

The balance of power in the wine world is now shifting from West to East - this seems to be the common refrain and not only in Hong Kong which pipped Singapore, another financial centre in the South East Asia that did not give enough thought to the impact of duty waiver and still has a duty structure that does not find favour with the locals.

Hong Kong collectors have been buying fine wine earlier too but they were storing it outside the country due to heavy (80%!!) taxation. Now, they have been buying and bringing back their stocks to the temperature controlled cellars. Hong Kong being a part of China but with free administrative powers, is also attracting unprecedented interest in the parent market, along with many other smaller Asian nations; over 98% of the bids at the Sotheby's are reported to be from Asians.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is expecting big things over the remainder of 2009 too with the inaugural three-day Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival leading the way October 30th - November 1st and the 2009 Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair opens 4th-6th November. Visitor numbers have already risen 12% this month, year on year, thanks mainly to China's extended, eight-day National Day holidays and the HKTB is still predicting 29 million visitors for the Hong Kong Food and Wine Year.

If you are interested in diversifying your investments and are considering wine as a potential asset then I would strongly recommend you seek professional advice. There are the 3 traditional ways of investing in wine: a) Use a wine merchant and buy it yourself. b) Buy through a Wine Merchant with a Private Cellar Plan and c). Invest in a Wine Fund. There is also a new route into Fine Wine investment which offers qualifying UK tax payers a advantageous and tax efficient opportunity – invest in an EIS company (Enterprise Investment Scheme). An EIS can benefit the investor from exemptions of Capital Gains, Income Tax and Inheritance Tax. Investors can also qualify for GCT refunds if they invest in this scheme as it has been created under EIS which is designed to support enterprise. EIS provides income tax relief of 20% if you hold the investment for at least 3 years. In addition if you have previously crystallised capital gains attracting a tax rate of 40%, the gain can be deferred if you invest into an EIS company within 3 years of creating the gain. You still have to pay capital gains tax on the deferred gain but only when you sell the shares in an EIS company. However under current rules this is at a reduced rate of 18% resulting in a further saving of 22% on past gains.

If you would like to learn more about wine investment click here for a comprehensive guide and if you would like to learn more about the EIS wine investment scheme visit The 1855 Club here.

Of Goblins and Fairies for Halloween

Halloween brings all sorts of wee folk to your door and you may find some Goblins amongst them. They have been a part of European folklore for over 800 years and one myth places their origins in Britain, where they sneaked aboard Viking ships and sailed to France. One fabled Goblin haunt is in France, in a cleft of the Pyrenees: The Gap of Goeblin.

The name Goblin is derived from the Anglo-French gobelin (which was rendered, in Medieval Latin, as gobelinus). Goblins have no actual homes, for although they may infest mossy clefts in rocks or roots in old trees, they are too capricious to settle down for long, and travellers can often hear their squeals and titters as they plot some fresh mischief. They are also partialled to wine! (So keep an eye on your claret this Halloween!)

Goblins are mischievous tricksters and lore has it that a Goblin smile will curdle the blood, his laugh sours milk and causes fruit to fall from trees. Their works of mischief are luck spoiling and weaving nightmares to be inserted in people's ears. They also enjoy tipping over pails of milk, hiding hens' eggs, pestering horses making them blow and stamp, blowing soot down chimneys, extinguishing candles in haunted houses, and altering signposts. They are able to communicate with wasps, mosquitos, hornets and flies, and enjoy directing them to humans or horses and watching the results with delight.

Goblins have appeared in literature since the 1600s but probably the most famous works on them are Goblin Market, a poem by Christina Rossetti (1862) and The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (1872). Christina Rossetti's poem Goblin Market has the little men trying to trick two sisters into eating forbidden fruit:

“Come buy, come buy;
Our grapes fresh from the vine,
Pomegranates full and fine,
Dates and sharp bullaces,
Rare pears and greengages,
Damsons and bilberries,
Taste them and try:
Currants and gooseberries,
Bright-fire-like barberries,
Figs to fill your mouth,
Citrons from the South,
Sweet to tongue and sound to eye,
Come buy, come buy."

A Lutin is the French name for a Hobgoblin and in French folklore these are small household spirits, similar to the Celtic Brownie. They perform odd jobs around the house while the family is lost in sleep, like dusting and ironing. Oftentimes, the only compensation necessary in return for these was food. While Brownies are more peaceful creatures, Hobgoblins are more fond of practical jokes and a famous Hobgoblin in literature is Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The Lutin of Normandy is also called the Bon Garçon (meaning the Good Boy) and has a fondness for children, horses and young maidens. Lutins take care of horses, gallop them, and plait or twist their manes in an inexplicable manner. One French tale goes that a Lutin, upon encountering two maidens asleep in a stable, entwined their hair so that it had to be completely cut off to release the two. If the Lutin's habits become too annoying, he can be banished by scattering flax seed in the area in question. The Lutin's love of neatness and regularity will not allow him to let it lie there, and he soon gets tired of picking it up, and so departs in despair.

Fairies are called Fées in France and both words are derived from the Old French term fae which comes from the Latin fata, meaning Fate. In France they are small and handsome folk ruled by their Queen, and enjoy dancing at night in circles (or fairy rings). Anyone who sees them is irresistibly impelled to join them. He is let in, but the whirling movement increases so that he feels giddy, and finally falls to the ground exhausted. The fées may then amuse themselves by taking him and flinging him up to a great height in the air, severely bruising and sometimes even killing him.

Fées live in the hollows of rocks or barrows, and and may haunt springs, where they wash their linen, hanging it out to dry on the Druidic stones. They may make use of a farm's horses or utensils at night, but leave no trace of their work in the morning, unless they break a utensil, in which case it will have been mended good as new.

Originally nature spirits, they have the power to turn into small trees, moss or stones. They may also hold fairs on cliffs, selling marvels and magical enchantments, but if a mortal tries to buy something, they will seize him and throw him into the sea.

Charles Perrault, the French author, (1628 – 1703) is world famous for his fairy tales and you will have heard of many of them:

Cinderella
Bluebeard
Sleeping Beauty
Little Red Riding Hood
Mother Goose Tales
Puss in Boots.

Apparently there are two chateau - that you're still able to see and tour today - that fuelled Charles Perrault's inspiration for Sleeping Beauty and Puss In Boots. The Chateau d'Usse is reputedly the castle that inspired "La Belle au Bois Dormant" or "The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods" and even stages scenes throughout the castle from aspects of the story. This castle is also one of the ones that inspired Walt Disney when he was designing the castle for Disneyland. "Le Maistre Chat, ou le Chat Botté" ("The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots") was apparently inspired by the sprawling mansion-like castle estate Chateau d'Oiron.

You might be interested to know that Fairy Wine still thrives in France - Chateau Cazal Viel makes Cuvée des Fées (Blend of the Fairies) and Larmes des Fées (Tears of the Fairies)!

Cheers!