By DEAN TUDOR

The Time and Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2009  10AM to 2 PM
The Event: the launch of Osoyoos Larose 2005 Le Grand Vin.
The Venue: St Andrew’s Club & Conference Centre 150 King Street West 27th Floor, Toronto, (416) 366-4228
The Target Audience: wine media.
The Availability/Catalogue: 1000 cases are coming to Vintages on February 28, 2009, $45 a bottle.
The Quote/Background: Osoyoos Larose is a partnership between Bordeaux’s Groupe Taillan and Vincor in Canada; this is its tenth anniversary. It is sited by Lake Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. « Larose » refers to Château Gruaud-Larose, one of the wineries owned by Taillan. Their goal is to create a Bordeaux-inspired wine based on the classic grape varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The first vintage (2001) was released in Spring 2004. 32 hectares produce grapes in the range of 67% merlot, 23% cabernet sauvignon, and the remaining 10% spread around the other three grape varietals.
Petales, the second wine, was first made in 2004, and this is its second vintage. 15% of Le Grand Vin is sold outside Canada. Read More »

On l’a échappé belle ! La loi santé de Roselyne Bachelot « Hôpitaux, etc. » n’a pas retenu les restrictions sur le vin que le projet initial contenait : plus d’interdiction de dégustations chez les vignerons ou dans les salons, ni d’information ou de publicité sur Internet, etc. Mais… Restons vigilants ! clame le blogger iconoclaste Jacques Berthomeau (photo) qui crée une Amicale des Bons Vivants. Voici le texte de son annonce.

LEVONS-NOUS EN MASSE pour créer le grand réseau citoyen de l’AMICALE des BONS VIVANTS ! Read More »

CHRISTIAN MARTEL

Marie-Odile et moi faisons un petit tour de l’hémisphère sud (que j’ai organisé forcément aussi bien qu’un voyage-dégustation Mmmm… ton vin! avec Daniel Berger) : Buenos Aires, Santiago, Valparaiso, l’Ile de Pâques, Tahiti et Mooréa, Auckland, Sydney, Ayers Rock, Perth, Johannesburg, les chutes Victoria, le cap de Bonne-Espérance, Le Cap, et retour via Londres. Voici la relation de notre voyage et des bons coups bus du 23 février au 4 avril.

24.02.09 — Buenos Aires, très grande ville, 14 millions d’habitants, mais un centre réduit quoique des quartiers chic comme Palermo fassent plusieurs fois Neuilly. Guidés le premier jour par Susanna et sa fille Isabelle, amis d’ami (qui se reconnaitront). Nous logeons dans le quartier de San Telmo, central, touristique, mais pauvre : sommes allés y danser le tango, prendre des pots… Des musées, des églises, des rétables baroques, la tombe d’Evita (Peron). Des gens très sympa partout (…). Read More »

By LINCOLN SILIAKUS

Last year, the value of AUSTRALIAN WINE EXPORTS fell by 18% in value, and 11% in volume. The fall in value to the UK was 18% and to the US 26%.
It’s not just the crisis. Oversupply of grapes has held down prices, and quality was affected by heatwaves and drought. The Aussies are also suffering from their image as makers of easy drinking, predictable plummy varietal wines. Some are even talking up the glories of their soils. Having sneered at it for years, are they now going to use the dreaded “T” word?

Meanwhile, I have been judging for the Wine Producers Association for the NORTHERN GREEK VINEYARD in Thessaloniki. Although the Greeks have been making wine for quite a while — they introduced it to the French Read More »

LUIS VICENTE ELIAS PASTOR

Les vins d’Espagne de la colección Grappes & Millésimes es una obra imprescindible para los amantes de la cultura del vino, ofrando la mirada del viajero de fuera, unido a la tierra de España.
Alain Huetz de Lemps es el primer autor que publicó un libro sobre vinos de varias regiones españolas desde un punto de vista histórico, geográfico y antropológico.

Era la tesis doctoral del profesor Huetz de Lemps en 1967. En aquellos años recorrió los archivos y viñedos del Norte de España, y fue la primera persona que nos dio una visión completa y evolutiva de nuestras viñas más septentrionales.

Ahora más de cuarenta años después y con el cariño que le profesa a la vitivinicultura española, nos vuelve a sorprender con una obra que aúna la tradición histórica con los datos estadísticos, económicos y sociales, más modernos, y amplia la descripción a todo el territorio. Read More »

By DEAN TUDOR

The Time and Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 3 Pm to 4PM
The Event: a tasting of Chateau Musar White and Red, conducted by Stephen Marentette of Whitehall Agencies.
The Venue: Oasi — 99 Sudbury Street, corner Lisgard, Toronto Downtown, Tel. 416 849 6567
The Target Audience: wine media
The Availability/Catalogue: we tasted six wines, all available through vintagesonline.com on February 4, 2009, as part of what the LCBO bills « Internet Release »
The Quote/Background: we had some nice technical and descriptive notes to read over.
The Red is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cinsault, and carignan.
The White is a blend of merwah and obaideh, local grape varieties. We tasted the Whites at room temperature.
The Wines: Château Musar 1998, obviously mature colour, sophisticated balance, Read More »

By SUZANNE MUSTACICH

It’s taken nearly 80 years, but the Cru Bourgeois winegrowers of the Médoc have finally sorted themselves out.  Last Thursday, the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc announced a new era of transparency and the qualification process that will grant winegrowers the right to label their wine “Cru Bourgeois.” The new qualification begins with the 2008 vintage.

First of all, let’s be clear.  This is NOT a classification.  A classification typically grants a wine estate a certain ranking, and it’s assumed that the wine estate will continue to produce wines of the same quality. The “Recognition Cru Bourgeois” project will test each new vintage and attest to the quality of that vintage only.  A wine may well receive the recognition one year and not the next. Read More »