Wine Tour Booking (www.winetourbooking.com) came on line in early April and, like all enterprises starting up, we awaited first reactions with heavily disguised trepidation tinged with not a little hope. Wine tourism earns lots of praise and is recognised as a major marketing tool. But a one-stop booking platform?...
For the first time ever, the great Chateau Latour – one of only five Premiers Crus to be classified back in 1855 – will not be offering futures sales on its 2012 vintage ! This is hot news among traders in Place de Bordeaux, but buyers seem to be taking it in their stride. A look at the comments on...
Did you know that the Saint-Emilion vineyard is registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO ? It’s an honour that very few landscapes achieve, let alone vineyards ! Philippe MARGOT, top wine journalist, has studied the subject in depth and could only find 9 out of the 936 sites so distinguished worldwide....
During the first week of last April, wine experts from all over the world flocked to Bordeaux to taste “les primeurs 2011”. The whole “primeurs” operation is unique to the region and it’s all about selling the wine while it’s still in course of preparation, at a much lower price...
This weekend I went to an independent wine-growers fair. What a surprise to see such a wealth of visitors and all showing such enthusiasm! I had supposed in advance that, because of the delicious Spring sun, the 250 exhibitors would be stuck in a sparsely attended exhibition hall. Big mistake on my part! It could have...
David Gissen suggested this subway-style map of the French vineyards and we think it’s a great idea! Just as it’s difficult to find your way around Paris, it’s hard to have an overall view of the wine growing regions. In this map, each line is a wine region and each label is represented by a station....
Bernard Magrez, proprietor of 37 vineyards – many renowned such as La Tour Carnet, Fombrauge or Pape Clément – wrote last month: « Many wine-growers have long been searching for a commercial tool beyond those traditionally used. Being able to promote your vineyard commercially brings two benefits:...
