The Wine Cellar Blog

Welcome to the Wine Cellar Blog! The world of wine is always changing, why not read about it here? Whether it's information on this site's most recent webpage or the wine industry's latest product innovations, you'll find wine news you can use.

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And Remember,

"A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine."

Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste (1825)

Storing Wine in Davy Jones Locker

Is the wine cellar passe? Some French wine buffs believe there's a better place for storing wine, at the bottom of the sea (OMG!). A couple years ago, French winemakers began submerging hundreds of bottles of wine at a depth of 30ft in Saint-Malo Bay off the coast of Normandy. After being "massaged by the sea" for a year, it is said that "underwater whites" have more obvious wood aromas, and "submerged reds" evolve more slowly than cellared wine. Recently, Champagne house, Louis Roederer, sent divers to place several dozen bottles of its Brut Premier at a depth of 50ft in Saint-Malo bay (hidden of course). In a year's time experts will assess if they have matured with a different or better taste than in the traditional cellars of the Champagne region. The sea may be the ideal wine cellar (i.e. constant temperatures, high humidity, no UV light), but it seems more like bored winemakers playing "Pirates of the Caribbean".

Bordeaux's Big Little Wines

Reviews of the just-bottled 2005 Bordeaux are coming in. This much vaunted vintage has everybody in the wine trade drooling. But to their chagrin, the less prestigious, lower-priced wines are getting all the praise. Influencial wine critic Robert Parker called wine from the famous chateaux "museum pieces" because their prices are so astonishingly high. And in what many consider a political statement, he gave out only two perfect scores (100 points), none of them to Medoc 1st growths. Just two points, (i.e. the difference between 98 and 100) can double the price of the wine, these developments may cost the wine trade hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales. Similarly at Decanter magazine's tasting of 2005 Medoc wines, 25 were awarded 5-star status, only two were 1st growths. The star of the show was 5th growth Chateau Pedesclaux. Is this the shape of things to come?

The Over-Heated Wine Market

European wine prices have jumped approximately 25 percent this year. The prices for Champagne and Burgundy have never been higher. Given the astonishing prices of premium wine these days, you would think it would be babied like the first-born you traded to buy it. However, fine wine is often shipped in worse conditions than ice cream or lettuce, sometimes sitting in the blazing sun for hours. The damage done to a wine's taste, smell and color by extreme heat is something that can go unnoticed until opened, despite having paid perhaps $800 to 1600 for it. Eric Vogt, Harvard professor, wine lover and high-tech start-up entrepreneur hopes to remedy the situation. Vogt's eProvenance system includes a tamper-proof seal, a hidden code and an electronic tag for each wine bottle, but it's the temperature tracking element that's getting the most interest.

Brits and Bollinger

Bollinger is a major Champagne house in France. They produce several labels of Champagne under the Bollinger name, including the vintage Vieille Vignes Francaises, Grand Annee and R.D. as well as the non-vintage Special Cuvee. Ever a favorite of the British, Bollinger became the official supplier to the British court in 1884, receiving a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria. It's even the choice of James Bond (i.e. Bollinger Grand Annee Champagne 1988, in "Golden Eye"). Well, it’s not often that a major Champagne house releases a new champagne but Bollinger has done just that with the release in London of Bollinger Rose. The creation of this non-vintage rose has been long in the making and a dream of the House for almost a decade. This Special Cuvee is 60 percent Pinot Noir, 25 percent Chardonnay, 15 percent Pinot Meunier, and will be widely available May 1st.

Green Wine: The Impact of Global Warming on the Wine Industry

Green wine is nothing new. But, with the emergence of carbon-neutral wine. Wine lovers should be prepared for drastic changes in the wine industry.

Hanni's Theory

Ever have a 90+ rated wine that you thought was truly disgusting? If so, you probably think the discrepancy is due to your untrained palate. Well according to Tim Hanni, it may be your lack of taste buds, not simply your lack of taste. Tim Hanni is one of the first two Americans to pass England's prestigious Master of Wine exam. He recently put his theory to the test at the first-ever Lodi International Wine Awards. The results didn't always follow Hanni's hypothesis, but he certainly created an interesting, new way to judge competitions. The irony of Hanni's theory is that the big, bold, high-alcohol reds and oaked whites made popular by one highly-influential, American critic are the preferences of "tolerant tasters" or those with the least amount of taste buds. Maybe, Hanni's hypothesis is more social commentary than theory.

Amazon to Enter the Jungle of Online Wine Sales

At least according to speculation by the Financial Times. A recent advertisement posted on Amazon.com says that the company's consumables division is seeking a Senior Wine Buyer for its speciality foods group. Selling wine online is hard as Amazon found out in 1999 when it bought wineshopper.com which went belly-up a year later. Such endeavors are difficult because you have to deal with the complex laws and regulations of individual states, the majority of which do not allow direct shipment of wine to residents from out-of-state retailers. And the environment is getting tougher, a dispute is raging between protectionist wholesalers and free-trade retailers. But, the presence of Amazon in the online wine market may help to grow and legitimize online wine sales.

Not So Buoyant Bordeaux

There was a time when excess Champagne was dumped into French rivers. As a matter of fact, wine-growers from Bordeaux and Burgundy used to say that the reason Champagne had bubbles was because the wine was no good. This may have been true at one time, but today, Champagne sales are experiencing significant growth. Recent figures show that worldwide sales hit a record high in 2007 with 338.7 million bottles sold, up 5.3 percent. Demand is outstripping supply to the point that 40 new towns will be added to Champagne's AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee) in an effort to keep up with the world's thirst for the legendary tipple. Sales of Bordeaux on the other hand are hampered by overproduction, overpricing and what's anticipated to be a disappointing 2007 vintage.

It's Not Easy Being Green

The recent Climate Change and Wine conference in Barcelona helped to shine a light on the effects of global warming on the world wine map. For example, traditional wine-growing regions like Bordeaux may soon be too warm to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, the mainstay of the Medoc. However, in what may turn out to be another case of French winegrowers with rose-colored glasses, many feel this warming trend presents an opportunity. According to Bruno Prats, former owner of Cos d'Estournel a 2nd growth chateau, the last 10 vintages have been the best ever. One of the advantages of warmer weather is higher sugar levels in the grapes and thus no need to chaptalize (add sugar to) the wine. However, this assumes that climate conditions will stay the same. Hopefully, the French don't mind producing California wine in Bordeaux.

Much Maligned Merlot

"If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving." Remember that line from "Sideways"? Called the "Sideways Effect" it made one of America's favorite wines uncool while significantly boosting the sales of Pinot Noir. Well apparently the disdain has worn off. After years of plummeting sales Merlot is recovering. During the 12-month period ending December 7, 2007, dollar sales of domestically produced Merlots rose 6 percent, led by category leader Blackstone Winery, whose benchmark Merlot jumped 11.6 percent in sales in the last four week period alone. Blackstone Merlot is the best-selling Merlot and the single best-selling domestic red wine in the United States. Despite Pinot Noir's recent growth in popularity, sales of the variety are less than half those of Merlot.