Wine ChroniclesHeady joys of vin chaud
Posted on December 3, 2015
France’s oldest Christmas market and … mulled wine
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
3 December 2015
Here in the heart of Alsace, Strasbourg is known as the Christmas capital. With little wonder. Founded in 1570, the well-known Christkindelsmärik in Place Broglie is considered to be the oldest Christmas market in France.
Starting in late November, through to Christmas, the old town turns into a mecca for all things Christmasy. Throughout the city, including Place Broglie, emblematic wooden huts line up along cosy streets and feature local arts and crafts, gifts, foods and beverages for all visitors and city dwellers.
As I did last year, I plan to purchase some excellent foie gras from the Maison Kammerzell stand near the Cathedral.
But one of the most famous offerings is mulled wine known as vin chaud or – in German – Glühwein. Read More
Gevrey Chambertin and the 2014 vintage
Posted on November 30, 2015
With improved dollar-to-euro and pound-to-euro exchange rates, savvy buyers should check out 2014 Burgundy
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
30 November 2015
Gevrey Chambertin is one of the most famous wine appellations in the world, full of famous grands crus. The appellation dates from September 1936, but its glory predates the 1930s. Vineyards can be dated back to 7th century AD, evidence of a long and intimate involvement in the history of Bourgogne’s wine industry.
Excellent exposures vary from east, to south-east. The premiers crus occupy the upper portion of the Côte at heights of between 280 and 380 meters (brown limestone soils, rather shallow). Below are the appellation village vines on brown calcic or limey soils. The vines reap the benefit of marls covered with screes and red silt washed down from the plateau. These stony mixtures confer elegance and delicacy on the wine while the clayey marls, which contain rich deposits of fossil shell-fish, add body and firmness.
Gevrey-Chambertin includes a fabulous set of grands crus with the top of the pyramid being Chambertin and Clos de Bèze. Pinot Noir can be at its peak performance here. Read More
A Virginia wine chronicle in the heart of Alsace
Posted on November 28, 2015
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
28 November 2015
My wine loving pal Dave McIntyre should have been there. Well, at least it will make him smile.
It was an ironic evening. I had gone to the recently revamped wine bar, the Hotel Hannong’s “Black and Wine” with a couple of friends: journalists based in Strasbourg, France.
Javier Aguilar prolifically reports on all sorts of stories for EFE, the Spanish news agency. He had just gone to an annual international art show in Strasbourg. Read More
2014 master class, then dinner at Bouchard Père & Fils
Posted on November 23, 2015
Good to magnificent 2014s, and fabulous dining with older wines
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
This was an amazing event on Saturday 14 November, over the 2015 Hospices de Beaune weekend, even though the ambiance was bittersweet. It was a gathering to highlight the 2014 vintage and celebrate this grand maison, which was founded in 1731 in Beaune by Michel Bouchard. Bouchard Père & Fils is one of the oldest wine estates in Burgundy, perpetuating tradition for over 280 years and nine generations. You can read more about the history of this estate here.
The ambiance was bittersweet because the evening before, terrorists struck Paris with bullets and bombs: attacks that killed 130 people. The Hospices de Beaune auction was almost canceled, and you can read more about that here, which includes a video of auction participants singing the French national anthem La Marseillaise.
Master class on 2014s
The evening began in the Orangerie of Bouchard’s gorgeous château, with a master class on the the 2014 vintage. 2014 is under-estimated, as it comes just before much coverage over the 2015 vintage. I had published a story about that in Harpers Wine & Spirit this week, but it is only for subscribers – a version of that story will soon be here in these pages.
Read More
In praise of 2015 Burgundy: mainly the reds
Posted on November 22, 2015
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
22 November 2015
The 155th Hospices de Beaune auction began movingly with both a minute of silence and a somber rendition of the French national anthem La Marseillaise, as you can see in the video that friend and fellow wine writer Michael Apstein of Wine Review Online took – see end of this article.
One day before we assessed the wines from cask that went under the hammer last week, and we found ourselves full of glowing adjectives for the reds, although the malolactic fermentation had not begun.
“There is clearly impressive density and concentration to these,” remarked Berry Bros. & Rudd Burgundy buyer Jasper Morris.
Apstein praised the ripeness of fruit, the finesse of the tannins and lift from the acidity. As did fellow taster and friend Amanda Regan, who contributed to this article on the auction.
Indeed, most had bright red fruit, depth, intensity of flavor and long finishes. The only concern? Retaining acidity. Read More
Recent Comments