(This editorial is the executive summary of an exclusive VitaBella report)(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr) Wine market in China is growing very fast and specialized wine retail shops still need to develop all over the country. For that reason, new opportunities are considered by wineries willing to gain rapid market shares and brand awareness. An acclaimed Bordeaux Chateau, Domaine de Chevalier, understood this situation very well and decided to move forward. In a recent article, Wall Street Journal wrote that "the premium winemaker has an agreement with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. to peddle its Bordeaux in 110 stores across China, according a report by Shenzhen Special Zone Newsletter." (you can read the full article in VitaBella Wine Gossip, Edition December 15th)
Can this move be a success in a short term? in the long term? With a strong distribution network throughout China, Sinopec is a big player in the oil industry. So partnering with them and leveraging on a large daily traffic at the pump could make sense for any company that wants to develop sales rapidly in a huge market. Moreover, with the increasing problem of counterfeit wines, Domaine de Chevalier can propose its bottles in some "reliable" shops that chinese fine wine lovers are looking for. In terms of brand image, success will be guaranteed if Domaine de chevalier makes sure that labels are effectively seen and promoted nicely. The impact will not be the same if wine cases stay between oil bottles and car washing products, or if they are displayed in a nice way that would immediately attract eyeballs.
A concern for Domaine de Chevalier may be the professional qualifications of the people working in the gas stations. Does this workforce know about wine or do they need to be trained to talk about wine and more particularly about Domaine de Chevalier? Or do we consider that buying a bottle of Domaine de Chevalier can become an "impulse buy". Knowing that we talk here about wines that cost in the range of 600 yuan to 700 yuan (US$90 to $105), I am not sure that the "impulse buy" effect has much to do in this category level but the Chinese market is so unpredictable...In fact, as Wall Street Journal mentions it, this won’t be the first wine sold at Sinopec. Their gas stations have already displayed and sold Great Wall wines, one of the country’s leading labels.
As a conclusion, this new venture for Sinopec (they have been selling products other than fuel for two years now), seems to develop well. And going high end is a way to answer demands from a chinese market that develops rapidly in fine wines. If, on a long term, Domaine de Chevalier should be aware that its wines may be referred as "the gas station wine" (in fact, this may have a negative impact if communication is not properly handled), selecting a limited number of gas stations (110 stores in China) is a first good step for the wine estate. This may open new opportunities in the future, with a broader distribution. It will also give time to both partners to know each other better. And if today only 15% of Sinopec's 95,000 stations sell nonfuel products, such as wine, we can easily figure out the huge potential for such a deal if China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. decided to implement this approach throughout their network. China is full of opportunities for fine wines and Olivier Bernard, owner of Domaine de Chevalier, understood it very well at an early stage.(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
12.15.2010
12.10.2010
Luxury wine: Piper Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck on Sale...After Remy Cointreau, could a chinese company be the next owner of both Champagne brands?
For wine professionals, this is not breaking news: Remy Cointreau, world's second-largest producer of cognac behind the Hennessy brand of French luxury products group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, has put its Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck Champagne brands up for sale in a deal which could raise as much as €450m. According to the UK wine magazine Decanter: "The news has provoked intense speculation over who will acquire the brands, with Diageo and Pernod Ricard named as possible bidders – although analysts believe a private equity group is the most likely buyer." What should we think about these speculations and what other names could be evoked? With the current strong interest for wine in Hong Kong, a big chinese name could make the deal.
Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck are on sale. Right but what should the buyer be aware of?
1) On the financial side: Sales dropped to 6.9m bottles in the year to March 2010 (of which Piper accounted for 5.6m and Charles 0.8m bottles). Bottom line: It is understood that Piper has never been profitable in the 20 years that Rémy Cointreau has owned it.
2) On the Human Resources side: Cost-cutting measures have included the announcement of 45 job losses (one quarter of the workforce) in February 2010, which prompted strike action at the company’s headquarters on the outskirts of Reims. Full measures were not applied.
3) Distribution: Buyer's major objective will be to develop sales internationally. Distribution of Charles and Piper Heidsieck was supported by the strong experience of Remy Cointreau group. The buyer will ideally have its own distribution network or would have tied up strong relationships with distributors in strategic places in the world.
4) Grape resources: Charles and Piper have good long-term contracts with vine growers. The buyer should make sure to pursue these long term contracts by strengthening relationships with vine growers. Then it will guarantee the buyer to maintain quality and volume achieved in the past.
5) Brand assets: Experts praise quality of Charles Heidsieck champagnes. From Brut Non Vintage to Blanc des Millénaires, the quality is very high but low volume makes it a little known brand worldwide compared to Piper Heidsieck. With over 5 million bottles and a new delicious top cuvee called Rare, Piper is a strong brand. But a major issue arises when it comes to branding: Confusing names. In fact, Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck are two labels along with the Heidsieck Monopole. If the name confuses the champagne connoisseur a little, most of occasional champagne buyers may be confused. This could unfortunatley have direct impact on brand image.
So Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck are now on sale. But who could buy them?
We can hear and read some rumors. Recently in Dow Jones : "Laurent-Perrier is "watching closely" Remy Cointreau's champagne unit sale process, Etienne Auriau, Laurent-Perrier's Chief Financial Officer said Wednesday. Even though Laurent-Perrier may not be interested for all the assets put on for sale, the company might be interested in the contracts to supply the wine producers, Auriau added."
Ok, very good point! But, in that sense, we can easily imagine that some other champagne brands might be interested in these contracts. So, next! A private equity group? It would make sense in fact but Champagne is a very specific industry and this fund must have a good experience in the Champagne industry. Or this private equity group would partner with a renowned champagne name to make this deal successful. An american company? With euro-dollar parity and economic uncertainty, it may not be the right timing for a US based company to make such an investment. Pernod Ricard? They currently make a great work to develop internationally Mumm and Perrier Jouet and enhance both brand images. So at this period, they are on hard work and they may not think about investing in new brands...
I may suggest 3 other directions. None is french!
First, the spanish Freixenet group: they already know about the champagne market (they own Abele) and have a strong and efficient distribution network. Freixenet is one of the most renowned and largest cava houses in Spain, similar in size and importance to France's Moet & Chandon. Going high-end may be an interesting strategy for them.
Second, the german Henkell & Co: One of the leading sparkling wine, they export to more than 70 countries worldwide. The Group is represented by owned subsidiaries in twelve countries. It has leader position for sparkling wine in seven countries and boasts a turnover of €628.6 million. Moreover they know about the specificities of the champagne market as they own Alfred Gratien and they built up a nice brand.
Finally, with the strong interest for chinese in wine, a chinese company could be interested in acquiring these 2 brands. Many names could come up and I won't make the full list but I would suggest one name: AS Watson. Watson's Wine Cellar opened its first store in Central Hong Kong and is now the largest specialist wine store chain in the region with 15 stores. A distinctive feature of each Cellar is the Fine Wine Room containing over 300 different vintages ranging from the top Chateaux from Bordeaux to emerging New World Classics from around the world. Watson's Wine Wholesale has grown significantly since its launch in 2000 and is now one of the top suppliers of wine to the food and beverage industry in Hong Kong. With a history dating back to 1828, the A.S. Watson Group has evolved into an international retail and manufacturing business with operations in 34 markets worldwide. Today, the Group operates over 8,900 retail stores running the gamut from health & beauty, luxury perfumeries & cosmetics to food, electronics, fine wine and airport retail arms. Also an established player in the beverage industry, ASW provides a full range of beverages from bottled water, fruit juices, soft drinks and tea products to the world's finest wine labels via its international wine wholesaler and distributor. ASW employs 87,000 staff and is a member of the world renowned Hong Kong-based conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Limited, which has five core businesses (ports and related services; property and hotels; retail; energy, infrastructure, investments and others; and telecommunications) in 54 countries. So this HK based group is in the fine wine business, in the Manufacturing business with Water, fruit juices and soft drink, and also in the retailing. Moreover 350 - 450 million euros is an "affordable amount" for this giant company. In fact they would just need to sell Marionnaud business (perfume retailing) to get this money and invest it in Champagne!
Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck are on sale. Right but what should the buyer be aware of?
1) On the financial side: Sales dropped to 6.9m bottles in the year to March 2010 (of which Piper accounted for 5.6m and Charles 0.8m bottles). Bottom line: It is understood that Piper has never been profitable in the 20 years that Rémy Cointreau has owned it.
2) On the Human Resources side: Cost-cutting measures have included the announcement of 45 job losses (one quarter of the workforce) in February 2010, which prompted strike action at the company’s headquarters on the outskirts of Reims. Full measures were not applied.
3) Distribution: Buyer's major objective will be to develop sales internationally. Distribution of Charles and Piper Heidsieck was supported by the strong experience of Remy Cointreau group. The buyer will ideally have its own distribution network or would have tied up strong relationships with distributors in strategic places in the world.
4) Grape resources: Charles and Piper have good long-term contracts with vine growers. The buyer should make sure to pursue these long term contracts by strengthening relationships with vine growers. Then it will guarantee the buyer to maintain quality and volume achieved in the past.
5) Brand assets: Experts praise quality of Charles Heidsieck champagnes. From Brut Non Vintage to Blanc des Millénaires, the quality is very high but low volume makes it a little known brand worldwide compared to Piper Heidsieck. With over 5 million bottles and a new delicious top cuvee called Rare, Piper is a strong brand. But a major issue arises when it comes to branding: Confusing names. In fact, Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck are two labels along with the Heidsieck Monopole. If the name confuses the champagne connoisseur a little, most of occasional champagne buyers may be confused. This could unfortunatley have direct impact on brand image.
So Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck are now on sale. But who could buy them?
We can hear and read some rumors. Recently in Dow Jones : "Laurent-Perrier is "watching closely" Remy Cointreau's champagne unit sale process, Etienne Auriau, Laurent-Perrier's Chief Financial Officer said Wednesday. Even though Laurent-Perrier may not be interested for all the assets put on for sale, the company might be interested in the contracts to supply the wine producers, Auriau added."
Ok, very good point! But, in that sense, we can easily imagine that some other champagne brands might be interested in these contracts. So, next! A private equity group? It would make sense in fact but Champagne is a very specific industry and this fund must have a good experience in the Champagne industry. Or this private equity group would partner with a renowned champagne name to make this deal successful. An american company? With euro-dollar parity and economic uncertainty, it may not be the right timing for a US based company to make such an investment. Pernod Ricard? They currently make a great work to develop internationally Mumm and Perrier Jouet and enhance both brand images. So at this period, they are on hard work and they may not think about investing in new brands...
I may suggest 3 other directions. None is french!
First, the spanish Freixenet group: they already know about the champagne market (they own Abele) and have a strong and efficient distribution network. Freixenet is one of the most renowned and largest cava houses in Spain, similar in size and importance to France's Moet & Chandon. Going high-end may be an interesting strategy for them.
Second, the german Henkell & Co: One of the leading sparkling wine, they export to more than 70 countries worldwide. The Group is represented by owned subsidiaries in twelve countries. It has leader position for sparkling wine in seven countries and boasts a turnover of €628.6 million. Moreover they know about the specificities of the champagne market as they own Alfred Gratien and they built up a nice brand.
Finally, with the strong interest for chinese in wine, a chinese company could be interested in acquiring these 2 brands. Many names could come up and I won't make the full list but I would suggest one name: AS Watson. Watson's Wine Cellar opened its first store in Central Hong Kong and is now the largest specialist wine store chain in the region with 15 stores. A distinctive feature of each Cellar is the Fine Wine Room containing over 300 different vintages ranging from the top Chateaux from Bordeaux to emerging New World Classics from around the world. Watson's Wine Wholesale has grown significantly since its launch in 2000 and is now one of the top suppliers of wine to the food and beverage industry in Hong Kong. With a history dating back to 1828, the A.S. Watson Group has evolved into an international retail and manufacturing business with operations in 34 markets worldwide. Today, the Group operates over 8,900 retail stores running the gamut from health & beauty, luxury perfumeries & cosmetics to food, electronics, fine wine and airport retail arms. Also an established player in the beverage industry, ASW provides a full range of beverages from bottled water, fruit juices, soft drinks and tea products to the world's finest wine labels via its international wine wholesaler and distributor. ASW employs 87,000 staff and is a member of the world renowned Hong Kong-based conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Limited, which has five core businesses (ports and related services; property and hotels; retail; energy, infrastructure, investments and others; and telecommunications) in 54 countries. So this HK based group is in the fine wine business, in the Manufacturing business with Water, fruit juices and soft drink, and also in the retailing. Moreover 350 - 450 million euros is an "affordable amount" for this giant company. In fact they would just need to sell Marionnaud business (perfume retailing) to get this money and invest it in Champagne!
12.03.2010
Should you sell your bottles of Chateau Lafite Now as the top China economist Andy Xie would advise?
(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr) Luxury wine and Lafite prices...If there is one article to read over the week-end, that may be the well documented post that Andy Xie - an economist who left Morgan Stanley after writing an email that described Singapore as a money-laundering hub - wrote in his blog. His conclusion is unambiguous: Sell your bottles of Chateau Lafite, Now. After reading this interesting analysis, I give here some comments on a few points he makes before giving his personal conclusion.
1) "Like other assets, the force for the bubble is the low interest rate environment. Bernanke is a bigger reason for the fine wine price than 1.3 billion Chinese." Andy Xie is certainly right on a short term but on a longer term, we can imagine the Chinese market becoming a huge population of wine consumers (and not only of fine wines).
2) "In the 2000 internet bubble, a lot of companies were worthless but were trading at billions of dollars of market capitalization. Some were really good companies but were priced several times higher than their intrinsic worth. Lafite is like the later." At the time of the internet bubble, share prices for all companies (all and not only a selection of them) were skyrocketing. This is in fact what explained the burst of this bubble in 2000. Today, if there is a bubble on wine prices, it is strictly limited to a very few wines which are in fact of very high quality. For wine - which makes the comparision with internet companies a bit biased - quality is still a major focus when it comes to investment.
3) "The crash happens when the US treasury market crashes, which forces the Fed to tighten monetary policy. That is probably in 2012. Still, now is the right time to sell your Lafite." Right but in this disastrous scenario, we can easily understand that not only Lafite or luxury wines will be concerned. In fact, all assets in general will be more or less impacted by this situation.
4) "By weight Lafite is more expensive than silver even for a bad vintage, and almost ten times as expensive for a great vintage like 1982." This is a very good point and shows how Chateau Lafite created its own bubble in the luxury wine market.
5) "Wine drinkers become hoarders.(...)The top Bordeaux chateaus behave like internet companies in 2000. They sell a small proportion for each release. The shortage triggers market frenzy." At such a high price, you think twice (or even more) before opening a bottle and prefer to keep it for a very special occasion if you do not sell it. So at the end, less bottles may be drunk than in the past, even if it said that these wines are made for entertaining business relationships.
So Bubble? Yes. Burst? we do not know. In fact, due to its rapid and impressive growth, China is facing inflation problem. A fivefold increase in China's M2 supply in the past decade is part of the problem. Raising interest rate will immediately impact investment strategies. And fine wines are more or more acquired to make an investment. In that sense, Lafite prices and prices of some other top wine estates will be affected. But China is a growing market of wine consumers. When you get back to history, you always find good reasons for a specific market to have developped a large population of wine consumers. In China, a broad communication around wine has been made particularly thanks to exclusive and very expensive wines. Chinese read and learn about wine through the stories of the most famous estates and the prices of their wines. So will this bubble burst or not? Only future can tell. But what history will tell is that thanks to this huge hype around top wines, China has discovered a taste for wine and this market will develop nicely in the future to become an important business destination for any wine estate. Without this big hype around Lafite, the aspiration of a large chinese population to discover the great world of wines would have certainly developped much more slowly.(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
1) "Like other assets, the force for the bubble is the low interest rate environment. Bernanke is a bigger reason for the fine wine price than 1.3 billion Chinese." Andy Xie is certainly right on a short term but on a longer term, we can imagine the Chinese market becoming a huge population of wine consumers (and not only of fine wines).
2) "In the 2000 internet bubble, a lot of companies were worthless but were trading at billions of dollars of market capitalization. Some were really good companies but were priced several times higher than their intrinsic worth. Lafite is like the later." At the time of the internet bubble, share prices for all companies (all and not only a selection of them) were skyrocketing. This is in fact what explained the burst of this bubble in 2000. Today, if there is a bubble on wine prices, it is strictly limited to a very few wines which are in fact of very high quality. For wine - which makes the comparision with internet companies a bit biased - quality is still a major focus when it comes to investment.
3) "The crash happens when the US treasury market crashes, which forces the Fed to tighten monetary policy. That is probably in 2012. Still, now is the right time to sell your Lafite." Right but in this disastrous scenario, we can easily understand that not only Lafite or luxury wines will be concerned. In fact, all assets in general will be more or less impacted by this situation.
4) "By weight Lafite is more expensive than silver even for a bad vintage, and almost ten times as expensive for a great vintage like 1982." This is a very good point and shows how Chateau Lafite created its own bubble in the luxury wine market.
5) "Wine drinkers become hoarders.(...)The top Bordeaux chateaus behave like internet companies in 2000. They sell a small proportion for each release. The shortage triggers market frenzy." At such a high price, you think twice (or even more) before opening a bottle and prefer to keep it for a very special occasion if you do not sell it. So at the end, less bottles may be drunk than in the past, even if it said that these wines are made for entertaining business relationships.
So Bubble? Yes. Burst? we do not know. In fact, due to its rapid and impressive growth, China is facing inflation problem. A fivefold increase in China's M2 supply in the past decade is part of the problem. Raising interest rate will immediately impact investment strategies. And fine wines are more or more acquired to make an investment. In that sense, Lafite prices and prices of some other top wine estates will be affected. But China is a growing market of wine consumers. When you get back to history, you always find good reasons for a specific market to have developped a large population of wine consumers. In China, a broad communication around wine has been made particularly thanks to exclusive and very expensive wines. Chinese read and learn about wine through the stories of the most famous estates and the prices of their wines. So will this bubble burst or not? Only future can tell. But what history will tell is that thanks to this huge hype around top wines, China has discovered a taste for wine and this market will develop nicely in the future to become an important business destination for any wine estate. Without this big hype around Lafite, the aspiration of a large chinese population to discover the great world of wines would have certainly developped much more slowly.(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
11.30.2010
Luxury Wine and Second Wine: Do You remember the Bordeaux Prices of September?
(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr) When I look these days at the prices of second wines of Bordeaux First growths, it reminds me of a music from Earth Wind and Fire which said "Do You remember...the Bordeaux prices... of September?". In fact, most of the time we read about the big hype around Bordeaux prices, comments are made on 2009 En Primeur Bordeaux First Growths. And the best example is the bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild which was proposed at the price of 1000 euros and which now trades around 1800 euros.
In fact, what could be even more spectacular is what happens now on the second wines of Bordeaux first growths. Do You remember the Bordeaux prices of September? Le Clarence de Haut Brion 2007, second wine of Chateau Haut Brion, priced now at 135 euros when it was 65 euros in September. September again with Pavillon Rouge 2007, second wine of Chateau Margaux, at 50 euros. Now 180 euros. Petit Mouton 2007, second wine of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, now 150 euros while it was 60 euros in...September. In a discussion about these prices with wine merchant Benjamin Gabin, from La Maison Gabin based in Bordeaux, he mentionned that most of those wines were now heading to Asia. "China puts more pressure on Lafite Rothschild prices - and the rest of the production of the entire group - than on any other famous estate like Chateau Latour or Margaux. Two particular trends can be noticed. First, pressure on the 2008s with the "Number 8 effect": Lafite 2008 launched at 180 euros and now available at 1600 euros. For the same vintage, Chateau Latour looks ridiculously cheap at 450 euros... And the second trend is the price pressure on "less generous vintages" such as 1972, 1973, 1974 or 1979, 1980 and 1981. One year and a half ago, Lafite bottles were priced at 200 euros for these vintages and now trade around 700 euros."
Bordeaux First growths' prices are skyrocketing...Prices of their second wines are exploding...Where are these prices going to in a near term? On a longer term? In fact the positive trend looks very strong for those wines. But we should also remember that Caruades de Lafite which traded at 130 euros before 2008 crisis went down to 60 euros during the toughest period of the depression. Then it went up again and prices are now reaching their pick since September. Oh Yes September...Ba Ba Ba de Ya say do you remember...Ba de Ya pricing in september...Ba de Ya Golden dreams were shiny days...(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
In fact, what could be even more spectacular is what happens now on the second wines of Bordeaux first growths. Do You remember the Bordeaux prices of September? Le Clarence de Haut Brion 2007, second wine of Chateau Haut Brion, priced now at 135 euros when it was 65 euros in September. September again with Pavillon Rouge 2007, second wine of Chateau Margaux, at 50 euros. Now 180 euros. Petit Mouton 2007, second wine of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, now 150 euros while it was 60 euros in...September. In a discussion about these prices with wine merchant Benjamin Gabin, from La Maison Gabin based in Bordeaux, he mentionned that most of those wines were now heading to Asia. "China puts more pressure on Lafite Rothschild prices - and the rest of the production of the entire group - than on any other famous estate like Chateau Latour or Margaux. Two particular trends can be noticed. First, pressure on the 2008s with the "Number 8 effect": Lafite 2008 launched at 180 euros and now available at 1600 euros. For the same vintage, Chateau Latour looks ridiculously cheap at 450 euros... And the second trend is the price pressure on "less generous vintages" such as 1972, 1973, 1974 or 1979, 1980 and 1981. One year and a half ago, Lafite bottles were priced at 200 euros for these vintages and now trade around 700 euros."
Bordeaux First growths' prices are skyrocketing...Prices of their second wines are exploding...Where are these prices going to in a near term? On a longer term? In fact the positive trend looks very strong for those wines. But we should also remember that Caruades de Lafite which traded at 130 euros before 2008 crisis went down to 60 euros during the toughest period of the depression. Then it went up again and prices are now reaching their pick since September. Oh Yes September...Ba Ba Ba de Ya say do you remember...Ba de Ya pricing in september...Ba de Ya Golden dreams were shiny days...(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
11.24.2010
"The name of your mission is Wine and you must rescue Soldier Australian"
Name of the Mission: Wine
Name of the soldier: Australian
All the information you require is on www.allforonewine.com and will self destruct on the day after Australia Day. This may sound like a James Bond scenario which happens in beautiful Australia but this happens now for real. Pure Reality. As you can read today in VitaBella Wine Gossip, Giovanni Morelli commented in Irish Medical Times about the situation in Australia: "Australian wine has come under a lot of pressure since the great days of the 1980s and ’90s. Oddbins was a great advertisement for Australian wine, and the taste for oaked Chardonnay was undoubtedly initiated on many palates by such wines as Rosemount. Now all is not well. According to Harvey Steinman and Tyson Stelzer in the Wine Spectator in September, a number of large Australian wine producers are in receivership and face bankruptcy. I presume this is a result of overproduction of wine in Australia, competition from South America and the world economic depression."
So Stephen Pannell, Award-winning Australian wine maker, decided to launch a great initiative in Australia to rescue wineries: a new website which asks Aussies to drink only Australian wines from January 1st until Australia Day. In fact, the scenario in Australia can not get worse: the value of Australian wine imports has risen again, as Australians continue to favour foreign varieties. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for the September quarter show wine imports increased in value by 4.5 per cent during the last year. New Zealand continues to dominate imports, sales of French wine also grew...So will this initiative supported by more than 500 winemakers help? At least it is a very smart communication initiative. It will also mobilize Australians (and maybe even more particularly those living abroad, and they are numerous!). But this "rescue mission" should also bring on the table some key questions such as "What kind of wine do Australians want to drink in 2010?". Discussions with my australian friends regularly come back to (please add the australian accent to the following sentences): "I am fed up with strong alcohol", "I do not appreciate anymore too powerful red wines", "I need a balanced wine, not too strong". In fact, there are many wines adapted to this new taste in Australia. But we need more.
So YES, I will participate to this initiative and drink australian wines during this period of time. Maybe more than usual thanks to this very clever communication. But I will be very selective also and this unfortunately won't help the huge load of australian wines on the market now. Will the soldier Australian be rescued? I sincerely hope so but, like in any rescue mission, there are always huge risks of casualties on the ground...(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
Name of the soldier: Australian
All the information you require is on www.allforonewine.com and will self destruct on the day after Australia Day. This may sound like a James Bond scenario which happens in beautiful Australia but this happens now for real. Pure Reality. As you can read today in VitaBella Wine Gossip, Giovanni Morelli commented in Irish Medical Times about the situation in Australia: "Australian wine has come under a lot of pressure since the great days of the 1980s and ’90s. Oddbins was a great advertisement for Australian wine, and the taste for oaked Chardonnay was undoubtedly initiated on many palates by such wines as Rosemount. Now all is not well. According to Harvey Steinman and Tyson Stelzer in the Wine Spectator in September, a number of large Australian wine producers are in receivership and face bankruptcy. I presume this is a result of overproduction of wine in Australia, competition from South America and the world economic depression."
So Stephen Pannell, Award-winning Australian wine maker, decided to launch a great initiative in Australia to rescue wineries: a new website which asks Aussies to drink only Australian wines from January 1st until Australia Day. In fact, the scenario in Australia can not get worse: the value of Australian wine imports has risen again, as Australians continue to favour foreign varieties. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for the September quarter show wine imports increased in value by 4.5 per cent during the last year. New Zealand continues to dominate imports, sales of French wine also grew...So will this initiative supported by more than 500 winemakers help? At least it is a very smart communication initiative. It will also mobilize Australians (and maybe even more particularly those living abroad, and they are numerous!). But this "rescue mission" should also bring on the table some key questions such as "What kind of wine do Australians want to drink in 2010?". Discussions with my australian friends regularly come back to (please add the australian accent to the following sentences): "I am fed up with strong alcohol", "I do not appreciate anymore too powerful red wines", "I need a balanced wine, not too strong". In fact, there are many wines adapted to this new taste in Australia. But we need more.
So YES, I will participate to this initiative and drink australian wines during this period of time. Maybe more than usual thanks to this very clever communication. But I will be very selective also and this unfortunately won't help the huge load of australian wines on the market now. Will the soldier Australian be rescued? I sincerely hope so but, like in any rescue mission, there are always huge risks of casualties on the ground...(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
11.23.2010
Celebrities at "Les Vendanges de l'Avenue Montaigne", the most glamorous and luxurious Harvest in the World
(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr) Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada...Chateau Gruaud Larose, Antinori, Champagne Roederer, Chateau Latour...One night every two years, these luxury brands meet and make the most delicious show on one of the most beautiful avenue in Paris: L'Avenue Montaigne.
Luxury, Glamour, Art, Lifestyle...You name it. "Les Vendanges de L'Avenue Montaigne" that will take place today in Paris is one of the sexyiest event which brings together Haute Couture, Fashion, Haute Joaillerie and Fine Wine. Don't let you mislead by the word "Vendanges" which means Harvest in French: you won't find harvesters dressed as they were going to pick grapes in Champagne, Bordeaux or Tuscany vineyards. For the dress code, you would better rely on the rest of the name of this event organized by Comite Montaigne: "de L'Avenue Montaigne". Which means nice women with their newest and sexiest dresses together with men dressed in a very classic and chic way. All these people have received in advance private invitations to enter the party. They will be served luxury wines and will celebrate this 2010' harvest with older vintages from renowned estates. A good opportunity to celebrate 2010 which, in fact, appears to be a nice to very nice vintage depending on the regions. Nearly one week after the popular celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau, this unique event gives to luxury wines a great exposition to luxury brands' lovers and medias in Paris.
For this 20th edition, "Les Vendanges de l'Avenue Montaigne" will certainly be a great success, again. So what should be the next step to make it even more succesful? Why not make this event a worldwide celebration to Fine wines and Haute Couture/ Haute Joaillerie brand names. Why not having this event in New Delhi, Shanghai and other places in the world where luxury brands become more and more popular. Chateau Gruaud Larose, Antinori, Champagne Roederer, Chateau Latour...These wines are now available all over th world like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton or Prada are. I am sure I am not the only one to dream about it at the time when I am putting on my Dior suit, Armani shirt and Gucci tie before heading to the harvest...(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
Luxury, Glamour, Art, Lifestyle...You name it. "Les Vendanges de L'Avenue Montaigne" that will take place today in Paris is one of the sexyiest event which brings together Haute Couture, Fashion, Haute Joaillerie and Fine Wine. Don't let you mislead by the word "Vendanges" which means Harvest in French: you won't find harvesters dressed as they were going to pick grapes in Champagne, Bordeaux or Tuscany vineyards. For the dress code, you would better rely on the rest of the name of this event organized by Comite Montaigne: "de L'Avenue Montaigne". Which means nice women with their newest and sexiest dresses together with men dressed in a very classic and chic way. All these people have received in advance private invitations to enter the party. They will be served luxury wines and will celebrate this 2010' harvest with older vintages from renowned estates. A good opportunity to celebrate 2010 which, in fact, appears to be a nice to very nice vintage depending on the regions. Nearly one week after the popular celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau, this unique event gives to luxury wines a great exposition to luxury brands' lovers and medias in Paris.
For this 20th edition, "Les Vendanges de l'Avenue Montaigne" will certainly be a great success, again. So what should be the next step to make it even more succesful? Why not make this event a worldwide celebration to Fine wines and Haute Couture/ Haute Joaillerie brand names. Why not having this event in New Delhi, Shanghai and other places in the world where luxury brands become more and more popular. Chateau Gruaud Larose, Antinori, Champagne Roederer, Chateau Latour...These wines are now available all over th world like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton or Prada are. I am sure I am not the only one to dream about it at the time when I am putting on my Dior suit, Armani shirt and Gucci tie before heading to the harvest...(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
11.20.2010
The Fabulous Destiny (or DesTeany) of Hospices de Beaune Sale and Great Burgundy Wines
(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr) Beaune, 8 o'clock on this saturday morning, streets start to live again. You already feel the agitation that will come in the next few hours brought by the long expected Week end of the Hospice de Beaune Sale. It's cold outside and the only drink you dream about now is a great tea. A delicate and unique tea that will remind you of the rare and great bottles tasted last night. Yes, Burgundy is right when they started communicating recently that great Burgundy wines are like great teas from China, Japan, India or other fabulous tea regions in the world.
I dream about this wonderful Wu Yi Rougui tasted a few years ago with two old men who were taking care of their tea plantations like Roumier or other great "vignerons" would take care of their estate vineyard. They were complaining about the incredible extension of this "appellation" in Northern Fujian of China over the last 20 years. Demand is high for this oolong tea which is highly regarded thanks to great names such as Bai Ji Guan, Tie Luo Han, Shui Jin Gui and of course the famous Da Hong Pao. Red fruits and floral notes of this tea immediately evoke a great wine from "Cotes de Nuits". The Nose is very elegant and delicate like a great red Burgundy wine with a reasonable ageing would exhibit. Then these two old guys talk about "fermentation" and say that the best "rock teas", as we name these Wu Yi teas coming from rocky mountains, are 30-40% fermented. They explain this is a "real expression" of the teas from this region and that other ways of processing the tea leaves would not make a "perfect Wu Yi Rougui". In fact, it immediately reminded me of the long discussions with great winemakers in Burgundy talking about their way to make their own wines...
Then I continue walking in these streets of a wonderful city of Beaune and I ask myself if I would not prefer, right now, an expressive and exhuberant Bi luo chun...Is it for its incredible fragrance of for its history that I would like to have it now? I don't know but this tea named Imperial Tribute Tea by the Qing Emperor has something that immediatly reminds me of the traditions and history behind Hospices de Beaune and Burgundy wines. This tea originating from the Jiang Su Province reminds me of a delicious white Chassagne Montrachet with a great refreshing palate that makes this cup (or glass) so exciting. In fact immediately you want to drink another cup and talk about it for hours. So many questions come to your mind: where are the tea plantations located? What kind of soil is it? What process did they use to make this tea so wonderful? All the questions you may ask to winemakers this week if you have the great chance to participate to one of the most fabulous week-end around wine in the world. Even if it is cold outside. Even if it rains. In fact, this will give you a good reason to enter a small bar in city center and have the choice between a terrible Earl Grey tea or a lovely white Burgundy...(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
I dream about this wonderful Wu Yi Rougui tasted a few years ago with two old men who were taking care of their tea plantations like Roumier or other great "vignerons" would take care of their estate vineyard. They were complaining about the incredible extension of this "appellation" in Northern Fujian of China over the last 20 years. Demand is high for this oolong tea which is highly regarded thanks to great names such as Bai Ji Guan, Tie Luo Han, Shui Jin Gui and of course the famous Da Hong Pao. Red fruits and floral notes of this tea immediately evoke a great wine from "Cotes de Nuits". The Nose is very elegant and delicate like a great red Burgundy wine with a reasonable ageing would exhibit. Then these two old guys talk about "fermentation" and say that the best "rock teas", as we name these Wu Yi teas coming from rocky mountains, are 30-40% fermented. They explain this is a "real expression" of the teas from this region and that other ways of processing the tea leaves would not make a "perfect Wu Yi Rougui". In fact, it immediately reminded me of the long discussions with great winemakers in Burgundy talking about their way to make their own wines...
Then I continue walking in these streets of a wonderful city of Beaune and I ask myself if I would not prefer, right now, an expressive and exhuberant Bi luo chun...Is it for its incredible fragrance of for its history that I would like to have it now? I don't know but this tea named Imperial Tribute Tea by the Qing Emperor has something that immediatly reminds me of the traditions and history behind Hospices de Beaune and Burgundy wines. This tea originating from the Jiang Su Province reminds me of a delicious white Chassagne Montrachet with a great refreshing palate that makes this cup (or glass) so exciting. In fact immediately you want to drink another cup and talk about it for hours. So many questions come to your mind: where are the tea plantations located? What kind of soil is it? What process did they use to make this tea so wonderful? All the questions you may ask to winemakers this week if you have the great chance to participate to one of the most fabulous week-end around wine in the world. Even if it is cold outside. Even if it rains. In fact, this will give you a good reason to enter a small bar in city center and have the choice between a terrible Earl Grey tea or a lovely white Burgundy...(More wine news on www.vitabella.fr)
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