Wine ChroniclesHedonism and hard work
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 30 May 2019 I started reflecting on these two words while in Bordeaux during the famous Vinexpo event earlier this month. Every two years, this massive wine and spirits trade fair for professionals includes many fine lunches and dinners. I usually stay for the entire gig, but I was only […]
An elitist wine snob should know where to draw the line
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 1 September 2018 Greetings readers, writing to you from lovely Neustadt an der Weinstrasse in Germany, where the harvest has begun earlier than usual given the hot summer. I am here for yet another series of tastings of Mundus Vini, one of the most important wine competitions in the world. […]
Croatia (wine) Journal, Part I
Wine under the Cavtat sun 13 August 2018 By Panos Kakaviatos for Wine-Chronicles.com Cavtat sunsets bring out your inner Monet: you feel compelled to take variations of the similar sun setting theme on your smart phone. Cavtat – pronounced “tsavtat” – is perfect for a summer break. Clean, friendly and not too bon marché, with prices […]
Madeira Magic
Nearly 175-year-old wine and more By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 24 January 2018 Get set for a story about a special tasting experience of old and rare Madeira wines. While we won’t be boarding a 17th century sailing ship, the journey enters a wine time machine. Historical wine expert Aaron Nix-Gomez proposed a master class tasting of […]
Venice: not so hidden secret
Restaurant review By Panos Kakaviatos in Venice 11 December 2017 Browsing through wine oriented Facebook posts you are bound to see boastful images of ultra expensive wines. “Just check out the great, very expensive wines I have been drinking,” etc… Well, it is great to drink loads of great, expensive wine. But while in Venice […]
Wine sales expected to make further gains in 2017: Live-Ex
Industry report via Live-Ex 11 March 2017 Merchants are predicting further gains for the industry benchmark Liv-ex 100 index, which gained 25% in 2016. Liv-ex members are expecting the fine wine market to rise further in 2017, according to the results of a survey conducted in February. On average, respondents expect the industry benchmark Liv-ex […]
Petrus for over $30k a bottle
Prestige fine wine market is alive and kicking, especially driven by American and Asian buyers From Sotheby’s 25 February 2017 A Wednesday fine wine sale in London featuring a private collection totalled £1,716,922 (over $2.1m), exceeding the £1.5 million top estimate. Lots found buyers across 21 countries, led by the UK, Hong Kong and Russia. […]
Hockney graces Mouton
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 9 February 2017 What is it about Mouton Rothschild that makes it so appealing? The wine in the bottle can be amazing. Sure, it is far too expensive for most of us mere mortals. At least it has become so – like the other first growths. I still recall a time […]
Too varietal? Try it in the sky.
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 8 February 2017 Yesterday, I landed in Frankfurt after flying on business with Lufthansa from Washington Dulles Airport, and the welcome lounge was terrific: well worth the price of paying business. Lufthansa offers competitive business pricing – sometimes nearly half the price of, say, Air France. And when you cross […]
Diamonds in the rough: Cru Bourgeois 2014
Heterogeneous in quality, the sprawling cru bourgeois category from Bordeaux also can mean diamonds in the rough (This is part 2 of a two-part article on affordable Bordeaux. For part 1, click here.) 22 January 2017 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com I recently visited Washington D.C.-based fine wine importer/retailer Calvert Woodley. Owner Ed Sands said that shelf space for […]