PROWEIN 2016: Country Focus Canada

ProWein press release 

4 February 2016

Canada’s area under vine currently measures about 12,000 hectares. Every year, some 550 vintners produce nearly one million hectoliters of wine. This is more than half of what is produced in California’s Napa Valley. Canada is no longer known for just its Eiswein. The Canadians now also produce expressive red wines, delicate whites, rosé and even sparkling wine – despite their harsh climate and long winters.

For the third time this relatively young wine country will be represented at ProWein 2016, International Trade Fair for Wines and Spirits, with a joint stand. Exports of Canadian winemakers are continuing to rise: in 2014 Canada exported some 1.8 million liters of premium wine. A total of 26 countries are supplied with Canadian wine, including the U.S., China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Great Britain.

With 22 wineries, the “Wines of Canada” joint stand in Hall 9 at ProWein 2016 will be larger than ever before. In addition, two Canadian exhibitors will showcase their products in their individual stands in Hall 12:  La Face Cachee de la Pomme (apple Eiswein from Quebec) and Kruger Wines & Spirits (whiskey). Read More

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Casual elegance, refined wine comfort at Château Le Pape

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 

4 February 2016

As most of us #winelovers plan for better weather this spring and summer for trips to wine regions, we seek great places to stay, that combine comfort, elegance and wine nirvana.

So if you are going to Bordeaux, I finally focus on a stay at Château Le Pape, which was included in my recent article published in Meininger’s Wine Business International about Bordeaux wine tourism.

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Pastoral deliciousness

Back in September 2015, I had the honor of being the first-ever guest at this luxurious bed and breakfast – and wine producing château – whose owners took three painstaking years to renovate the 18th-century chartreuse, so as to create an as authentic “in the vineyard” experience as possible. And very conveniently located from both Bordeaux’s main train station and airport.

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When Robert G Wilmers, owner of the famous Château Haut Bailly, purchased Château Le Pape in Léognan back in 2012, he hired 15 local craftsmen, among others, to renovate the estate and replant vines, including a seamless recreation of a second tower that looks just about as old as the original.

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Take a placid dip

A landscape artist redesigned the grounds with an elaborate garden and swimming pool.

It is like a charming five-star hotel in a pastoral vineyard, and prices – starting at €220 per night – are hardly heart stopping for such an amazing setting and comfort. Only four comfortable, well-lit bedrooms and single suite (419 to 753 sq.ft) are located on the upper level, offering great views of the grounds.

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The gorgeous entrance space

They are tastefully designed with slight variations in style, but all with keen attention to detail – from leather bound room keys to a decor that is always graceful and comfortable, reflecting the refined elegance of the owner’s main wine, Haut Bailly.

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Attention to details

Speaking of wine, there is also a really cool mini wine tasting room! And it is hard to beat having your meal outside if the weather is good.

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Vineyard view

Want to while away the time on a warmer day? Just jump in the classy pool or admire the garden’s wide variety of flowers and herbs, again very tastefully arranged.

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At your service

Greeting guests and managing the estate is the super friendly Hervé Audibert, who had managed the personal kitchen staff of Château Margaux and previously worked at Michelin-rated restaurants throughout France.

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Freshly brewed coffee, fresh squeezed OJ and soft boiled egg

After many rewarding years, Le Pape has become Audibert’s home, as he lives on the ground level and is at the beck and call for guests.

As a journalist, I was very lucky to get some special treatment, such as tasting Audibert’s homemade goose terrine, even though that is not part of the regular deal…

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Fresh from the garden

But what is part of the deal is the tasty and copious breakfast – with different international newspapers from which to choose – while overlooking the lovely vineyard. I particularly enjoyed the soft boiled egg and the fresh jams and homemade coffee cake.”I am very comfortable here,” Audibert remarked to me. And he is very much a people person, so your ideal host.

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The full monty breakfast

The wines of Le Pape are getting better. Readers should note that the Wilmers’ team only started to bottle wines at the estate since the 2012 vintage, after having had to replant many vines. The 2014 vintage is so far the very best, and one should expect an excellent 2015.

More on the wines here.

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Stairway to bed and breakfast heaven in Bordeaux

Anne-Sophie Brieux, communications director at Haut-Bailly and Le Pape, says that plans by the French national railway to shorten the train ride from Paris to Bordeaux will help wine tourism – and increase visits to their respective estates.

When opened in 2017, the Bordeaux-Paris route is expected to take much less time, down to 2 hours and 4 minutes from 3 hours and 14 minutes.

Le Pape? Highly recommended!

To book a room:
Château Le Pape, 33850 Léognan, France – Tel. +33 (0)5 56 64 75 11
mail@chateaulepape.com / reservation@chateaulepape.com

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China and Bordeaux: how the wine bubble burst

On Suzanne Mustacich’s Thirsty Dragon China’s Lust for Bordeaux and the Threat to the World’s Best Wines

29 January 2016

Book review by Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com

I recall enjoying a 1982 and a 2003 Leoville Poyferre at the lovely Saint Julien restaurant with chateau owner Didier Cuvelier and a Chinese merchant back in April 2010. A heady time it was, as wealthy Chinese buyers – backed by the government – drove prices of elite Bordeaux chateaux to the stratosphere. Over that lunch, Cuvelier told me that “Bordeaux should enjoy the good times while it can, because history shows that market upswings are always followed by downswings.” How true.

Readers who have followed China and the wine trade no doubt already know about the infamous Chinese Bordeaux bubble bursting, tales of (still) unsold stocks of 2010 wines in negociant storage, how a Chinese ban on high-end alcohol for government officials and state-owned firms took the wind out of China’s Bordeaux buying, a general frustration from more traditional buyers with excessively high Bordeaux pricing – and current efforts by Bordeaux to win them back.

Friend and Wine Spectator Contributing Editor Suzanne Mustacich has written the definitive book on the China and Bordeaux story entitled Thirsty Dragon: China’s Lust for Bordeaux and the Threat to the World’s Best Wines, which recently won the prestigious André Simon Memorial Fund 2015 Drinks Book Award. Read More

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Bordeaux 1966, fifty years on (and other surprises)

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 

13 January 2016

I have to thank my lucky stars for the great wine loving friends I have in Washington D.C. Since I am turning … 50 in December this year, I wanted to organize a 1966 dinner. And so six of us gathered at the famous wine friendly restaurant Ripple in Washington DC to pop some corks from many half-century old bottles. One participant, Laurent Lee, had just celebrated his 50th birthday. The result? A great time.

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One of two great Beatles albums from 1966

1966 was an Indian Summer vintage, it is said. While the summer was not optimal, sunny September weather helped ripen grapes enough to make some excellent wines – especially in the Medoc.

Of course winemaking was different back then, with less selection in the vineyard, and earlier picking times, so alcohol levels sometimes did not even reach 12%. You want to talk about old school? This is it.

Several factors had to be taken into account. First and foremost, such old wine means that you have to rely on the quality of the cork over time. Second, the producer. Even a great terroir cannot result in a great wine if the producer is negligent. Kevin Shin, Ken Brown, Laurent Lee, Chris Bublitz, David Zimmerman and I had brought top notch classified growths, including Latour, Margaux, Ducru Beaucaillou, Montrose, Pichon Baron and Haut Bailly. The wines were well matched with the excellent cuisine at Ripple. The duck breast I ordered for example was perfectly seared, with really tasty spaghetti shaped squash. Others enjoyed roasted venison loin, or the restaurant’s perfect roseda farms new york strip and a yummy potato-parsnip gratin, which I have ordered in the past. Read on for the notes : when in bold, I liked particularly; in red and bold even more. If underlined, too, wine nirvana.

Please be sure to read the excellent notes from this 1966 dinner by my friend Kevin Shin, who is a world class wine taster:

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DC winos ring in 2016 with fabulous wines

By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com

9 January 2016

Welcome 2016! And a very special holiday dinner.

Like minded wine loving friends from my hometown of Washington D.C. get together to appreciate great wines, simply, with fine food.

It turned out to be almost too fast paced, as we could have taken a bit more time with each of the wines, but the idea was to have a festive time, which was very much the case.

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Fine menu at Ripple

Indeed I look forward to what has become an annual early January event in the past few years when I visit home. Ken Brown takes the initiative to organize our gathering, as we each bring two or three bottles to be paired with a multi course dinner at a fine restaurant. Read More

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