Tag: French Wine

Petrus 2000 – the first bottle of wine ‘aged in space’ is up for sale

Twelve bottles of Petrus 2000 spent 14 months aboard the International Space Station — and allegedly tastes ‘several years older’ than it is.

This “space wine” left earth November 2019 and was launched into space. The twelve bottles valued at about $6,000 each spent 438 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where a team of disciplined astronauts refrained from drinking them. The wine circled Earth many times, subject to the uncertain effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation, before finally returning to land aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule on Jan. 14, 2021.

In a statement published May 4, Christie’s auction house announced it will sell a single bottle of the space aged Pétrus 2000 through its Private Sales website (a brokerage service that connects private buyers and sellers outside of the auction house – https://www.christies.com/privatesales/index). The bottle is expected to fetch about $1 million.  It comes packaged in a custom trunk that includes a bottle of terrestrial Pétrus 2000.

Proceeds from this sale will help fund future space-wine research by Space Cargo Unlimited, the private company that sent the bottles to the ISS in 2019. The company has five more wine-related experiments in the works, including a study of the effects of microgravity on grapevine shoots and a plan to study the fermentation process in space, according to Live Science sister site Space.com.

Does space wine taste different?

“I found there was a difference in both color and aromatics and also in taste,” panelist and wine writer Jane Anson told CNN.com.

She added that the space wine tasted “a bit more evolved” than the wine that had remained on Earth, as if it had aged an extra two to three years while in space.

Source:  Space.com

 

 

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More Bordeaux Vineyards Converting to Organic

Increasing numbers of vineyards in Bordeaux are switching to organic methods of production, after lagging behind other French winemaking regions.

According to Patrick Vasseur, vice president of the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture, there are up to date figures available, but anecdotal evidence indicates that around 300 vineyards a year are converting to organic.

 

“It’s quite simple, everyone is switching over” winegrower Philippe Carrille told Vitisphere. His 23-hectare Château Poupille in Castillon Côte de Bordeaux has been certified since 2008.   This surge of new converts, “can only be cause for rejoicing”, added Gwénaëlle le Guillou, director of the New Aquitaine organic wine producers’ organisation (SVBNA). She pointed out that until recently, Bordeaux had trailed well behind other regions, with only 11% of vineyards committed to organic, compared to a national average of 14%.

 

“There are currently significant price differences between organic and conventional, but this will not last,” said Phillipe Cazaux, director of the co-operative group Bordeaux Families.  “Well-deserved added value will remain, though, due to the technical commitments and the risk incurred by the supply side. This year the group has 105 hectares certified organic and 551 hectares in the conversion phase. “Initially, small areas entered the process, but then gradually the larger areas followed suit”, said Cazaux, who plans to convert a fifth of acreage to organic within five years, with a longer-term goal of 1,000 hectares by 2027.

 

Éric Hénaux, director of the Tutiac co-operative group, is adopting a more cautious approach and waiting for the current 620 hectares to be converted by 2022 before making any further plans. “We will see how the market stabilizes,” he said. “A lot of organic wines came on-stream, and prices fell. We have to be careful not to produce more volumes than we have the capacity to sell. The objective is not to sell on the spot market, but to focus on bottles and three-year contracts”.

 

#Bordeaux #Bordeauxvineyards #organicwine #vineyards #frenchwine
#wine #redwine #whitewine #bordeauxwinelovers #winelovers #instawine

What’s in a name? The Bourgogne family explains…

In 2012, on the request of its elected representatives, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) decided to stop translating the word “Bourgogne”, whatever the country. The aim is to help consumers find their way by ensuring coherence between our wine labels and the name of the region where the wines were created.

Bourgogne wines enjoy a strong global reputation with half of all Bourgogne wines produced being sold at export to around 170 territories. However, the farther the consumer lives from France, the more they struggle to understand our appellation system. They can get their bearings thanks to the wine’s origins, which is the name of this winegrowing region. It is therefore essential to use only one powerful name, a synonym for excellence and the respect for origins: Bourgogne.

Historically, Bourgogne is the only wine-producing region in France whose name is translated into different languages: “Burgundy” for English speakers, “Burgund” for Germans, “Borgogna” in Italian, to name but a few. This dates back to ancient times when the region was established as a crossroads for trade between the north and south and the east and west of Europe, as it still is today.

As such, Bourgogne wine producers and fans find themselves caught up in something of a paradox. The 200 million bottles of Bourgogne wine sold every year have the word “Bourgogne” on their label, either due to their appellation, which might be Bourgogne, Crémant de Bourgogne, Bourgogne Aligoté, and so on, or because they are a “Vin de Bourgogne” or a “Grand Vin de Bourgogne”. But consumers can find them amongst a range referred to Burgundy, Burgund, or Borgogna… Confusing, to say the least.

 

“We felt it necessary to return to our original name, Bourgogne, in order to affirm our true identity, in a unified and collective way,” explains François Labet, President of the BIVB. “I’d say that our appellations are like our forenames, which makes Bourgogne our family name. A name that unites us all with our shared values embracing all the diversity of our wines. You don’t translate a family name!”

 

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#Beaune #Burgundy #BurgundyLovers #Wine #Vin #Bourgogne #France

The 60th Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction was an outstanding success!

The 60th Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction was an outstanding success! Driven by online marketing and an increase in first-time buyers, registrations up + 20% over 2020.

2021 established a new record with total sales of €1,923,000 and an increase of +19.11% from 2020. Standout bids included:

  • Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges Cuvée Georges Faiveley pièce sold for €32,000;
  • The “pièce de charité,” 228L of Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Les Saint-Georges, sold by subscription for €49,380, another record. Proceeds raised from the sale support the Institut Pasteur.

The sale of the 17 cuvées of the red wine made €1,869,000 (+ 17.51% up from the 2020 auction) and the sale of the cuvée of white wine Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru Les Terres Blanches – Cuvée Pierre de Pême generated €54,000, i.e. (+ 125% up from the 2020 auction).

Proceeds from the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges 2021 Wine Auction will support the new Saint Laurent Hospital.

#HospicesdeNuitsSaintGeorges #onlinewineauction #burgundywines #burgundy #Bourgogne #vinsdebourgogne #vinsdefrance #vin #winelovers #EdouardDelaunay #vindefrance #winestagram #NuitsSaintGeorges #WineAuction #auction #charityauction #winenews #winecollectors #wineinvestors #fineandrare #frenchwine

Burgundy’s Hospices De Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction Takes Place Sunday March 14th

The 60th anniversary of the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction takes place this Sunday, March 14th, in Burgundy, France.

The event will take place at 2:30 p.m. within the grand cellar of Château du Clos de Vougeot and will be streamed live.

‘The auction is strictly limited to 150 people this year, previous between 300 and 350 attended,’ explained Aymeric de Clouet, a wine expert who organizes auctions in Burgundy. ‘Entrants must be registered to attend in person. Social distancing will be required, although in Clos de Vougeot, we have plenty of space.’

Last year’s sales totaled approximately $1.9 million (€1,614,500), a 10% increase from the year before, even though the number of barrels had decreased due to Covid-19 complications. Wine is mostly sold per pièce—or per 228-liter barrel. Last year one such pièce (Premier Cru ‘Les-Saint-Georges’—Domaine Georges Faiveley) sold for a record €24,000 (approximately $28,500, at today’s conversion rate).

A total of 114 barrels are up for auction—112 of red wine and two of white, and for the first time, you can purchase bottles.

Auction proceeds are charitable. The auction is linked to the new Saint Laurent Hospital, which was completed in 2018. However, the history of this hospital spans centuries. The hospices will also donate profits from one barrel of wine—Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Les Saint-Georges—to the Pasteur Institute.

This year that particular wine is made not from the berries of both young and older vines, but exclusively from older vines of some 70 years. The 12-hectare Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges wine estate is part of the hospital, and has its own operating budget. It employs four vineyard workers full time and produces six ‘village’ appellation wines and nine Premier Crus.

‘The …estate and winery are physically linked to our hospital and, every day, they see the twin fruits of their work: the pieces of wine sold at auction and their new Saint Laurent Hospital,’ explained the Hospices director François Poher.

The event has gained popularity – last year the number of buyers had increased 50% since the previous year, and the average price per barrel increased 34% from 2019.

The auction generates local pride in a region salient throughout the world for producing quality vintages.

Overall, the 2020 vintage—which has been named the vintage of confirmation—is what is known as a grand millésime, according to Jean-Marc Moran, Technical Director for the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Estate. This means a great vintage—one where wines include complexity, notably rich aromas and well-structured and balanced tannins. According to Moran, the 2020 vintage is more structured than the 2019, and more balanced than the 2015 vintage.

‘The main difference with the 2020 vintage is its balance of acidity with alcohol,’ de Clouet added.

All wines are aged in new oak from three different barrel producers. Altogether, these Pinot Noirs are supple with low-key tannins, an excellent acidity/alcohol balance and tastes of plush, rich fruit underlain at times with subtle minerality. This is a well-structured, velvety vintage that provides a rich, creamy mouth feel.

Live Auction:

Practical information to watch the wine auction live: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85605191718?pwd=dldpWmN4bTlTZjRvdzBZQVlOMjJwdz09

Meeting ID: 856 0519 1718 –
Code : 170437

To purchase bottles:

https://boutique.edouard-delaunay.com/en/165-hospices-de-nuits-2021-en-primeur

Auction House Live:

https://magazine.interencheres.com/art-mobilier/60e-vente-des-vins-des-hospices-de-nuits-saint-georges/

www.interencheres.com

 

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#winelovers #winecollectors #instawine #wine #winetasting #winecollecting #vin #frenchwine #charityauction