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And I bring you back to my latests series of wines news of France. This is my hobby and do drink everyday in moderation.. with the meals. I could not think of myself eating without wine!! Let me tell you the latest to keep warm as a cold front is coming down to 3C or 37F…We still call it a cold front lol!

The exports of Bordeaux wines are on the rise again in 2021 with a “spectacular recovery” in marketing with the United States, according to the Bordeaux Wine Interprofessional Council (CIVB). With 33 million bottles exported and a 67% increase in turnover or 349 million euros , sales in the United States had never reached such a high level since 1985 !. Overall, despite a health crisis , persistently, exports from Bordeaux (45% of sales) increased by 30% in 2021, to 2.3 billion euros. Good health due to historical customers: China, Belgium, Japan, which is now ahead of Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Switzerland. But “less traditional destinations such as the Ivory Coast or South Korea are also showing interest in our wines,” the CIVB pointed out in its annual report. Official CIVB webpage: https://www.bordeaux.com/us

The various representatives of the 48 Member States of the International Organization of Vine and Wine met this Monday at Dijon City Hall for an extraordinary general meeting. At the end of this extraordinary general meeting and after a unanimous vote of the protagonists, Dijon will host the new headquarters of the OIV in 2024. A reality that will be set in the Hôtel Bouchu d’Esterno, a building built in the middle of the 17C, located in the historic heart of Dijon. As a reminder, the soap opera started last spring with France’s desire to find a new headquarters for the OIV, more commonly known as the “wine UN”. An intergovernmental organization created in 1924, made up of 48 States which represent 85% of world wine production (and 80% of consumption) and whose objectives are to inform, assist, harmonize, standardize and provide support to the wine sector. Webpage : https://www.oiv.int/en/the-international-organisation-of-vine-and-wine

This is a first in the history of the Burgundy wine industry. In 2021, it recorded record turnover of 1.3 billion euros, an increase of 28% compared to 2020. Results that far exceed those of before the crisis and definitively erase the Covid effect since, compared to 2019, export sales recorded a growth of 27% ! According to the Federation of Traders-Breeders of Greater Burgundy (FNEB), all the main geographical areas are on the rise, and particularly the United States, with an increase of 45%. Burgundy wine houses will, however, be wary of over-enthusiasm due to the poor 2021 harvest , hard hit by last spring’s frost, and ever-lower stock levels. Well aware that commercial activity will automatically be calmer in 2022, houses have already entered into a logic of managing the shortage. FNEB webpage: https://www.fneb.org/fr/les-maisons

The specifications of the Crémant de Bourgogne appellation, validated by the INAO (National Institute of Appellations of Origin), have come into force. The Gamay grape variety is now authorized up to 30%. Three production techniques are validated: maceration, bleeding and blending. The size, the planting density, the height of the trellised foliage, the storage temperature of the bottles are now supervised… Behind these measures which could seem anecdotal, the will of the Union of producers and elaborators of Crémant de Bourgogne (UPECB) to retain producers located in 84 appellations from Yonne to Beaujolais, around much clearer and more precise specifications! 22 million bottles were sold in 2021, including 46% for export. INAO webpage: https://www.inao.gouv.fr/eng/The-National-Institute-of-origin-and-quality-Institut-national-de-l-origine-et-de-la-qualite-INAO

At Château Lafon-Rochet, the imminent arrival of a director from a Premier Grand Cru Classé reflects the desire to improve the quality of the cuvées from the 2022 vintage. Passing through the Médoc, the traveler first spots this fourth grand cru classé of 1855 from Saint-Estèphe with its saffron yellow walls , Today, the property’s production oscillates around 180,000 bottles (110,000 bottles for the first wine and 70,000 for the second). The estate, located a stone’s throw from Château Cos d’Estournel, Château Montrose and Château Calon Ségur, is getting a fresh start with the imminent arrival of a director from a Premier Grand Cru Classé, who will work under the leadership of Emmanuel Cruse. A recruitment that reflects the desire to improve the quality of the cuvées from the 2022 vintage. Webpage : https://www.lafon-rochet.com/en

We knew Leonardo DiCaprio’s environmental commitments. It is therefore now in Champagne that the American actor is investing in the Champagne house Telmont, known for its commitment to eco-responsibility. Telmont has thus set itself the objective of converting its entire vineyard to organic by 2025, and to support its winegrower partners in the total conversion of their vines by 2031. But the house also intends to act on all fronts in order to reduce its environmental footprint, in particular by abandoning cases and boxes, by using only bottles produced from 85% recycled glass, by excluding air transport for its supplies and distribution, and finally by using only renewable electricity ,webpage : https://champagne-telmont.com/

With the arrival of Artémis Domaines in the capital of Maison Jacquesson in Dizy, the Pinault family, owners of the second largest luxury group in the world, entered the appellation. Artemis via its subsidiary Kering now ranks second in the world and notably owns Yves Saint Laurent, and recently open the art contemporary museum in the Bourse de Commerce of Paris. The Pinault family has also long invested in the world of wine. It all started with Château Latour in Pauillac in 1993. The acquisition of a stake in Maison Jacquesson announced today is therefore a historic event. Admittedly, Artémis Domaines (a subsidiary of Artémis) remains a minority shareholder in the capital of the company, which remains the property of the Chiquet family. We will also note the modest size of this house which markets 250,000 bottles a year, a volume very far from that of the big Champagne houses. On the other hand, this small trader from Dizy is positioned in an ultra-luxury niche position completely in line with the values ​​of the group. Sales are thus exclusively reserved for wine merchants and restaurateurs. By launching the principle of 700s cuvées, the house had distinguished itself from 1999 by revolutionizing the principle of bruts without years. While little thought was given to differentiating the base year, and it was considered that the blend made it possible to obtain exactly the same result regardless of the majority vintage, Jacquesson, on the contrary, chose to distinguish each new edition by numbering them. Its desire was to emphasize that the addition of reserve wine must always respect and serve the spirit of the vintage. To better appreciate the effect of aging on great champagnes, the house also offers these cuvées on two different ages. The partnership that is opening up between the Chiquet family and Artemis Domaines should therefore prove to be rich in synergies, including in terms of distribution. Webpage : https://champagnejacquesson.com/

There are two main families of yeasts, these unicellular fungi which transform sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide during alcoholic fermentation. Those that the winemaker adds and the others, called indigenous… Indigenous yeasts are found on the surface of the grapes. Their cuticle, this impermeable membrane, is made of small scales invisible to the naked eye. They form the bloom, from the Latin pruina (frost), the small powdery envelope, clearly visible on the surface of the berry. This is where native yeasts nestle. In winter, for example, where are these yeasts found? Answer: in the digestive tract of social pollinating insects (including bees and fruit flies) where they hibernate. They are released in the spring when insects forage Since Louis Pasteur, we know that yeasts, like microbes, are everywhere in the environment. There are, for example, cellar yeasts, which can be projected during fizzing, during fermentation, and proliferate. This is why the winegrowers who use indigenous yeasts are very strict about the cleanliness of the cellar. If the Saccharomyces cerevisiae do not take over quickly to start the fermentation, or if the fermentation stops, other yeasts, such as the Brettamonyces can come into action and give rise to a deviant wine with a mouse taste…

Adopting vines to receive your own wine, soon a new trend? Less than four years after its launch, a Champagne start-up has 20,000 “customer-adopters” and around twenty partner winegrowers. The concept: to offer amateurs the possibility of “adopting” an emblematic plot from a “favorite” producer. Among the partner producers, there is in particular Champagne Forget-Chemin, which proposes to adopt plots of Premier Cru from the Montagne de Reims, or a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, the Château de la Cour. For their part, the partner winegrowers , who all work in sustainable, organic or biodynamic viticulture , undertake to offer regular visits to the estate, workshops and tastings.

Ahead of the exhibition “Picasso, the effervescence of Shapes”, scheduled soon at the Cité du vin de Bordeaux, a gala dinner orchestrated by Guy Savoy is offered to great amateurs on March 14 2022. On the program: seven exceptional wines to accompany a six-step surprise menu by Guy Savoy. All within the framework of the Hôtel de la Monnaie, again ranked best restaurant in the world 2022. The wine list is already salivating: Krug La Grande Cuvée 161st – Jeroboam; Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett Alte Reben 2015; Domaine de Chevalier 2016; Vega Sicilia-Unico 1996; Chateau Latour 2004 – Magnum; Château d’Yquem 2007 and Mas Amiel – 1969, This will be held at the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux from April 15 to August 28, 2022. The profits will indeed be used to finance the Foundation for Wine Culture and Civilizations, the body that manages the Bordeaux museum dedicated to wine. it is necessary to count 1200 € per person. A totally tax-deductible amount. This means that after deduction, the real cost of a place is €480 for a company (60% tax reduction) and €408 for an individual (66% tax reduction). At this price, we can speak of a very good deal! Cité event webpage : https://www.laciteduvin.com/en/agenda/picasso-the-effervescence-of-shapes

Cité dinner info : https://www.laciteduvin.com/en/picasso-dinner-restaurant-guy-savoy

there you go folks, another dandy wine review from yours truly. Hope you enjoy the series and share along the joys of wines with me. Stay warm and safe. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!!