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Well, we are in Spring, sunny 23C or about 73F in my neck of the woods. Anyway, always good to bring the best of Wines news of France. By the way for the non Romans XLVIII is no 48, First ,thanks to all my readers and/or followers since November 26 2010 of my blog! Oh yeah, the wines of France are just super simply awesome and a great tradition. Often imitated, some time equaled ,but never surpass! Let me give you some news shall we. Hope you enjoy it as I.

What champagne was drank at the latest 76th Cannes Film Festival? Well, for the third year in a row, the Telmont champagne house will be the official supplier of the 76th Cannes Film Festival, which opened last Tuesday 16 May, 2023. (Oui France 2 TV saw it ) ,Telmont holds as a venerable project “In the Name of the Earth”: namely, to be the first Champagne house Climate positive from 2030, and Net positive in 2050. The Champagne house today has four investors including Bertrand LHôpital, great-grandson of the founder and representative of the family. The latter has chosen to sell the majority of the shares of the house to the Rémy Cointreau group, as well as to Ludovic du Plessis. But that’s not all: a year ago, it was Leonardo DiCaprio who made the choice to join Telmont as an investor. Since 1993, and for 28 years, it was Champagne Piper-Heidsieck, which distinguished itself as the official supplier of the Cannes Film Festival. But it’s been 3 editions that the Film Festival has set its sights on Telmont.

Georgia, Armenia, China, in which country was the first wine really born? The first traces of winemaking were found in China, in Jiahu, in Henan. A 9,000-year-old fermented wine dating back to around 7,000 BC contained, in addition to grapes, honey, hawthorn fruits and rice. With regard to grape wine, it is important to distinguish two phenomena: the domestication of the vitis vinifera vine, sometimes crossed with vitis sylvestris (the wild or lambruscan vine), and the invention of wine itself. The first dates back 11,500 years to Central and Eastern Asia, the Caucasus and the Near East. It seems to have been limited to the production of table grapes and raisins until the invention of wine, 3,000 years later. This occurred in a vast area including the Caucasus and its surroundings (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Dagestan, Armenia and Turkey) and must be attributed to the so-called Shulaveri-Shomutepe culture, which occupied this territory for part of from the Neolithic era (from 6000 to 4500 BC). For viticulture to exist, pottery first had to be invented. The oldest pottery has been found in present-day Georgia, in a group of archaeological sites located about 50 km southeast of Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. It is therefore indisputable: the oldest remains of grape wine were found in Georgia ! And in this, no other country than Georgia can boast of having vinified more than 8,000 vintages or of counting nearly four million potential winemakers with more than 500 indigenous grape varieties and a traditional kvevri winemaking method recognized as a UNESCO intangible heritage, and increasingly copied around the world. What matters, on the other hand, is the longevity and vitality of the wine traditions in a specific place, the love that an entire people shows for its wines through its festivals, its gastronomy and its traditions , and there, Georgia wins the medal hands down.

The Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne or City of climates and wines of Burgundy, intended to make known the Burgundy wine region, was launched last Tuesday May 16 2023 in Chablis (Yonne). one of the three spaces which will constitute, with Beaune (Côte d’Or) opening on June 17, and Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire), opened at the beginning of May the network of the Cité des climats. It designates a plot of vines very precisely delimited, often for centuries (the oldest was in 630), with all its characteristics: soil, altitude, sunshine, grape variety… More than 1,200 climats make up Burgundy, where the vineyard is extremely fragmented, the average size of a Burgundian estate being 6.51 hectares, compared to 17 in Bordeaux. The flagship, located in Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wines, introduces the region’s global identity while two other sites focus on their terroir: Mâcon for wines from the south of Burgundy (Mâconnais, Côte Chalonnaise and Côtes du Couchois), and Chablis for the north (Chablisien, Auxerrois, Châtillonnais). At the same time, Dijon opened its Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin or International City of Gastronomy and Wine last year, a completely independent project worth taking a look me think. The official Cité des Climats and wines of Burgundy: https://www.citeclimatsvins-bourgogne.com/

The official International City of Gastronomy and Wine:https://www.citedelagastronomie-dijon.fr/decouvrir

Let me share some guidelines on smart tips for buying your wine at the supermarket (bear in mind directed at those in France)

1- Neither too cheap (less than 5 euros), nor too expensive (more than 20 euros)
2- Avoid too old vintages
3- Learn the indicators of the French departments
4- Think outside the box: At the same price, in the same region (in the broad sense), take the lesser known appellation (Bergerac instead of Bordeaux, Saint Pourçain instead of Bourgogne, etc…)
5- Look for the mention “aged in barrels”
6- Look at the medals of known competitions
7- Look for the Demeter label: If you like originality, take the Demeter label, it indicates that the wine was produced according to the principles of biodynamics, it will not harm the environment.
8- Look for the label “Vignerons Indépendants” If so, it’s a vigneron who does everything or almost everything himself (family farm most often). The wine will not necessarily be better, but will at least have a more personal touch.
9- Look at the alcohol level: This is not the most important information, but a hint of the style. If the wine is less than 12% alcohol, it will generally be lighter, livelier, with fresh, tangy aromas. If the wine exceeds 14% it will have more structure, richness, opulence on the palate and often riper aromas.
10- If you liked it, take a picture of the bottle: This will allow you to remember the bottle and make it easier to choose for your next purchases.

How about those primeurs prices starting to appear in my belle France, Well some more and just my favorites over the years that have come out with prices, These are the Château Beychevelle, 4th Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Julien and “star” of the Médoc, has just unveiled the price of its 2022 vintage in primeurs or Futures, released at the price of 95.40 €including tax in France, Then, Château Prieuré-Lichine (4th Grand Cru Classé – Margaux): €42 including tax, Château La Tour Carnet (4th Grand Cru Classé – Haut-Médoc): €31.10 including tax , Château du Glana (Saint-Julien): €25.20 including tax, Château Chasse-Spleen (Moulis): €33.60 including tax, and Château Fonréaud (Listrac-Médoc): €17.30 including tax.

What are the most expensive wines in the world in history? While the French spend on average between 11 and 20 euros for a bottle of wine, a few bottles have exploded the counters in terms of price, even approaching half -million euros !!! The heavy hitters are

Château Cheval Blanc 1947, In 2010, a Methuselah (6 liters) of Château Cheval Blanc 1947 broke records. This Saint-Émilion grand cru fetched $304,375, or €223,967, at an auction in Geneva, organized by Christie’s auction house. Cheval blanc is one of the most prestigious chateaux in Bordeaux. It was one of the first to become Premier Grand Cru Classé A. In addition to this, 1947 is considered one of the best vintages of the castle. The Champagne Heidsieck & Monopole C° 1907 ,This historic Champagne house saw one of its oldest bottles snapped up at auction and fell into the hands of a lucky buyer for the modest sum of €224,000. During WWI, the Swedish ship Jönköping carried 3,000 bottles of this champagne to Tsar Nicolas II in Saint Petersburg. On November 3, 1916, a German submarine torpedoed the ship and sank it. The story does not end there. In 1998, the wreck of the Jönköping was found by a Swedish submarine. On board, around 2,400 bottles of champagne were found intact. They have spent 80 years under the ocean in wooden boxes. Conditions that have proven to be optimal for their conservation. The bottles were then scattered across the globe. One of them thus becoming the most expensive after being put up for auction. The Screaming Eagle 1992 ,The second most expensive wine in the world comes from an auction, but charity this time! It was outside European borders, in the United States, that the deal was concluded in 2000, a Methuselah of Screaming Eagle 1992, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the prestigious Napa Valley soared for €424,000. The Screaming Eagle winery has established its signature in the region and is now one of the most iconic wineries in the world. Spread over approximately 20 ha, The 1992 thus became the most expensive wine in the world for 18 years, managing to dethrone the greatest French vintages, The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1945 ,It was in 2018 that the 1945 vintage from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti broke records, becoming the most expensive bottle on the planet to date. The elixir reached the stratospheric price of $558,000, or €482,000. A sale organized by the New York house Sotheby’s, one of the most famous and oldest luxury auction houses. Grand cru of the Côte de Nuit, the La Romanée-Conti estate is located in Vosne-Romanée in Burgundy. It was Prince Louis-François de Bourbon-Conti who gave up his surname to the property after having owned it for some time at the end of the 18C. Today, the estate is one of the most coveted in the world even though it only works two hectares, What will be the next record sale? It would seem that the Petrus 2000 sent into space for 14 months is already in the race. Estimated at €830,000 by Christie’s auction house, the Pomerol of the Cosmos awaits its future buyer.

What to eat with rosé wine? Now that Summer is coming up, especially. Color pairing usually works well. Try prawns with coriander with a rosé from Provence For a twist, pair prawns or lobster with a more full-bodied rosé, such as Tavel or Bandol, for an alliance of flesh and texture with finesse Clairet is a rosé from bleeding from Aquitaine. Rosé and pizza are the two pillars of summer in minimalist mode. Whether garnished with arugula, fresh mozzarella, Parma ham, chorizo or peppers, the most consumed dish in the world will naturally find a path of healthy freshness with a light Loire rosé. Seafood? Crab in jelly, spider crab, whelks, crab mayonnaise: the pleasures of a return from fishing are to be associated with a lively and salty rosé, whether from Provence, Corsica or the Loire. We drink it a lot as apéritif or in coming Summer if too hot ,refreshing indeed ! Most we have is from the Loire, then Provence and even Bordeaux.

There you go folks, another wine episode of my belle France! The wines news from France that is, superbe, sublime, wonderful, gorgeous, enjoy without moderation but accompanying a meal, family table just perfect. We are in Spring, see you in the vineyards of France

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!