 | France | Germany | Other |  Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux - A tasting of the 2014 vintage
By Xavier Auerbach
On 6 March 2017, I attended the evening session of the Amsterdam UGCB tasting, which featured wines from the 2014 vintage. Below you will find my notes on the wines I tasted. Just like last year, there was too little time, there were many friends and we were very busy exchanging opinions. By consequence, I have only 40 notes and they are relatively brief. The overall pict... Category: Wine - Subcategory France - 08-03-2017READ MORE  Krug Clos du Mesnil - A Comprehensive Tasting 1979-2003
By Xavier Auerbach
"To those of us gazing in from the outside in wide-eyed wonder, Krug is to Champagne as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is to Burgundy and Pétrus is to Bordeaux. It possesses a grandeur, an otherwordliness, an amplitude that is as lofty as its mesospheric price. Krug's grand hierarchy of prestige begins at a higher price than any other in Champagne and ... Category: Wine - Subcategory France - 10-04-2016READ MORE  Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux - A Comparative Tasting of 2011 and 2013
By Xavier Auerbach
On 7 March 2016, I attended the evening session of the Amsterdam UGC tasting this year, which featured wines from both the 2013 and 2011 vintages. Below you will find my notes on the wines I tasted. There was little time, there were many friends and discussions were lively. By consequence, I have only some 40 notes and they are relatively brief. The overall picture th... Category: Wine - 15-03-2016READ MORE  Vintage Port 1994 - a mixed bag?!
The 1970's and 1980's will not go down in history as a particularly glorious era for vintage port. This is not the place to analyse the root causes in detail, but it is likely that the use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides (which increased dramatically with the construction of the patamares) and poor handling and hygiene are collectively to blame. The 1970 vintage was excellent, pro... Category: Wine - Subcategory Other - 09-03-2014READ MORE  Wine Prices - some historical notes
Prices for the finest wines have exploded in recent years and there has been much talk about this. There is certainly little joy in witnessing the 'en primeur' price for Château Lafite increase by some 450% from 2008 to 2009 and when Messrs Rothschild see fit to add another 50% for the 2010, it becomes only too clear that wines like these are now only destined ... Category: Wine - Subcategory Other - 29-09-2011READ MORE  Camel Valley Vineyards - a Passion for Cornish Wine
It is a confession I am not at all ashamed to make: ElizabethOnFood and I are great fans of the wines of Camel Valley Vineyards in Nanstallon in Cornwall. To our minds, nothing beats a Camel Valley Bacchus Dry with some shellfish on a warm summer's day and when we serve the Pinot Noir Rosé Brut to guests at home blind, they are invariably as impressed with its quality as th... Category: Wine - Subcategory Other - 29-05-2011READ MORE  Bibendum Bordeaux 2010 "En Primeur" tasting
On 4 May 2011 Bibendum Wines Ltd. held its sixth annual Bordeaux "En Primeur" tasting in the Nursery Pavillion at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. Not having been to the "En Primeur" tastings in Bordeaux in April, I was very glad that I happened to be in London at the time and I seized upon the opportunity to attend.
If I have counted correctly, s... Category: Wine - Subcategory France - 08-05-2011READ MORE  Books about Burgundy
I started collecting and drinking wine more than 25 years ago. My journey into the world of fine wine has taken me to many countries and conversely bottles have found their way to my cellar and table from all over the world. Among all these regions and bottles, Burgundy for me long remained the most impenetrable of all. In my experience occasional revelations have been alter... Category: Books,Wine - Subcategories: France, Reviews - 22-03-2011READ MORE  Panache! My favourite Burgundies
In July 2010, the great Burgundy connoisseur Allen Meadows (also known as Burghound) published his excellent book "The Pearl of the Côte" about the wines of Vosne-Romanée. His encyclopedic knowledge of these vineyards and wines is awe-inspiring. His tasting experience inspires equal awe and just the slightest bit of envy - imagine a three-day tasting of La Roman... Category: Wine - Subcategory France - 14-11-2010READ MORE  The perfect wine
Does the perfect wine exist? It is a question that seems to be vexing wine lovers all over the world. Many people take Robert Parker's judgement as a benchmark - if he awards a wine 100 points, it must be considered perfect. And by consequence, when they get to (finally) taste such a wine, they expect the Holy Spirit to descend on them. Very rarely however, epiphany will happen when you tas... Category: Wine - Subcategory Other - 31-10-2010READ MORE  Quinta do Noval, Vintage Port at its best!Quinta do Noval, Vintage Port, Noval Nacional, Michael Broadbent, Linden Wilkie, Fine Wine Experience, Hans Jorissen, Richard Mayson, Christian Seely, Panny Loucas, Category: Wine - Subcategory Other - 19-09-2010READ MORE  Chablis, a case of identity
Chablis is a long-standing favourite of mine, A stand-by also in many ways. I love it and there was a time when Chardonnays from all over the world called themselves Chablis to gain popular acclaim. In recent times however, Chablis seems to have been experiencing an identity crisis. In this post I will try to extol its glories, discuss its difficulties and give you some tips for choosing C... Category: Wine - Subcategory France - 31-08-2010READ MORE  It's terroir, stupid!
As you will have gathered by now, my wife is the foodie in our home and I am the wino, so to speak. Elizabeth has asked me to write a post about my passion for wine. We have a 4,000+ bottle wine cellar and I guess this begs the question what makes wine so fascinating for me. Well, to put it succinctly: it's terroir! Terroir for some is quite a controversia... Category: Wine - Subcategory Other - 15-08-2010READ MORE  Champagne; is it really so special?
Good quality sparkling wine is not only made in France these days, but all over the world. From New Zealand and Australia, via California to Italy and Spain. Champagne however is easily the most expensive of the lot. So why would you want to buy Champagne?
Obviously, it all depends on the occasion. If a large group of friends have come to visit, the temperature... Category: Wine - Subcategory France - 05-08-2010READ MORE  German wine: back with a vengeance!
In 1909, Berry Bros & Rudd in London charged 200 shillings for a case of 1893 Schloss Johannisberg Cabinet. In those days, BBR would sell you a case of the undoubtedly magnificent Château Lafite-Rothschild 1899 for 72 shillings. That was a century ago - but only very recently we mostly associated German wine with inexcusable plonk like Blue Nun and Black Tower. Non-wine... Category: Wine - Subcategory Germany - 02-08-2010READ MORE  Gluhwein in summer?!
Well, here it is, my first guest's post on my wife's blog. It's about wine temperatures. I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to temperatures. It's not about being fussy or pedantic however. Serving wine at the right temperature is essential for enjoying your wine. A red wine at room temperature is usually far too warm; the wine loses its freshness and... Category: Wine - Subcategory Other - 21-07-2010READ MORE |
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