Naked Wines Share Discussion Threads

[relishing] 19/12/2007 15:00

EU clinches deal on wine sector reform UPDATE




(Updates with quotes, details)
BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - EU farm ministers agreed a compromise
allowing the bloc to go ahead with controversial plans to shake up Europe's
struggling wine sector, the European Commission said.
The reform, due to enter into force in August 2008, is to help the wine
industry win back market share from foreign competitors such as Australia and
Argentina, while also sopping up chronic overproduction.
But the package has been significantly watered down since it was first
proposed by the European Commission in July, after some of Europe's biggest
wine-making nations found it too hard to swallow.
Despite the dilution of her plans, EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann
Fischer Boel voiced satisfaction that the ministers, meeting in Brussels, had
hammered out a "well-balanced" compromise.
"Instead of spending much of our budget getting rid of unwanted surpluses,
we can now concentrate on taking on our competitors and winning back market
share," she said.
"We didn't get everything we wanted, but we have ended up with a
well-balanced agreement," Fischer Boel added. "I hope the member states will
make good use of the new tools available."
The package includes plans to encourage farmers to uproot 175,000 hectares
of the least competitive vines through an incentive programme, down sharply from
the European Commission original proposal of 400,000 hectares.
The plans will also phase out currently complicated planting rights that
dictate where farmers can plant what type of vines, a move which many small
producers fear will run them out of business.
The shake-up also calls for costly subsidies for distilling surplus wine to
be gradually diverted to marketing blitzes in countries outside the European
Union in hope of regaining lost market share.
As Germany had demanded, the compromise will allow wine-makers to continue
to add sugar, a practice common in northern countries where there is not always
enough sun to make natural sugars for potent wines.
However, there will be limits on how much sugar can be added, although they
can be lifted if crops suffer a particularly serious lack of sunlight.
The EU's executive arm argues that root-and-branch reform is necessary to
make Europe's wine industry more competitive against rival products from
Australia, the Americas and South Africa.
In Europe, wine heavyweights such as France, Italy and Spain are
increasingly struggling to cope with falling consumption at home and dwindling
market share in traditionally large markets like Britain and Germany in the face
of growing New World imports.
[e-mail]
afp/jlc

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[loverat] 17/12/2007 06:39

spawny

I think that is worth quite alot these days. I had some Taylors 45 which
I sold about 20 years ago and I think I got at least £200 per bottle.

[spawny100] 16/12/2007 21:04

I've got a bottle of 1945 Croft's port and, to hell with it, I believe I will open it this Christmas!

[mrba5hir i] 16/12/2007 20:59

Does anyone invest in wine on this thread?

I used to collect first growths i.e Rothschild, Lafite, Margaux etc and had
some 1982s a while back. I am thinking of getting back in the game again but
am a bit out of touch.

Nowadays, all the vintages seem to be good, unlike when I invested when it was
just a case of selecting the above wines from the best years...e.g 1961, 1982, 1986...

[bionicdog] 23/11/2007 12:51

Try the Rulebreaker red if you are in Tesco. Very drinkable and only £3.75 from £7 if you buy 6 at the moment.

[isis] 20/11/2007 16:45

These offers are great, my last dealings with Tesco's got me around 40% off on around 80 bottles of Red and I still have 35 left.
I honestly don't know how they make a profit on some of these deals.

[realcooltrader] 20/11/2007 16:32

Yes, I know it's only c.7.5% more than the current offer, but the 40% off Thresher is back, you have to sign up this time:

[waldron] 06/11/2007 11:54

EU gives 510 mln eur indicative budget for restructuring vineyards in 2007-08
Date : 06/11/2007 @ 11:44
Source : TFN


EU gives 510 mln eur indicative budget for restructuring vineyards in 2007-08




BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - The European Commission said it has an
indicative budget of 510 mln eur for the restructuring and conversion of
vineyards in the 2007/2008 marketing year.
The funding can be used for varietal conversion, relocation of vineyards and
improvements to vineyard management techniques.
The system does not cover the normal renewal of vineyards which have come to
the end of their natural life.
EU agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said: "Improving the
quality of the wine we produce is a top priority if we are to fend off the
challenge posed by New World wine producers".
She said the measures were useful but a major overhaul of the sector was
still needed, which is why the EU is carrying out a full reform of the wine
sector.
[e-mail]
fr/ajb

[bluebelle] 10/10/2007 06:50

Thanks chutes.

[chutes01] 09/10/2007 22:05

It's on the Plus market, ex OFEX,

[bluebelle] 09/10/2007 21:04

chutes

Is EWG the EPIC code ? Can't find it.

[chutes01] 09/10/2007 17:04

Guys,
Recently invested in EWG, English Wines, take a look at their last few press releases, shareholders also get cheap wine, demand is outstripping the ability to supply, worth a look, happy drinking, off to open a bottle now.
p.s Some big hitters are holding a large proportion of the Company.

[bluebelle] 09/10/2007 17:00

bionicdog - 8 Oct'07 - 20:02 - 2277 of 2277

Of the ones I know, mainly Loire Valley plus some Burgundies and Clarets, there are some good choices there, the 2005 Chablis - they list several - are uniformly excellent (we've tasted quite a few) but the Loire reds of that year, although they will be superb, are only just beginning to develop and, for most tastes, will need at least another year in the bottle but the good ones will keep for 10+ years.

We have bought a lot of the 2005 Loire, Burgundy and Claret for the longer term. Not only are they absolutely superb, but the years after them, although perfectly ok, are not in the same league.

Of the ones I know, the stand out wine for me on your list is this one at Sainsbury's.

Chinon, Domaine du Colombier 2004, Loire, France 5.49

They are top quality producers and the 2004 is currently drinking really well. (Watch out for the 2005 in the next year or two, but I doubt it will be selling for £5.49 !!!)

[bionicdog] 08/10/2007 20:02

This is the new link for these updated recommendations. Don't go shopping without it.

Incidentally , the Singing Gruner Veltliner 2006, Austria from Tesco is down to £4.99 at the moment.

[ariane] 27/9/2007 19:47

cheers bluebelle.

we too buy to drink not to store.

each supermarket chain have their bargains, we will no doubt fall upom some favouites whether it be red or white and buy
a couple of 6 packs.

enjoy.

[bluebelle] 27/9/2007 19:16

Ariane

Do you have a Le Clerc near you ? If so, I suggest you head on down there for their Foire au Vins this week. They have focused on the 2005s and have some really excellent wines some for drinking now but mainly for keeping. In view of the fact that 2006 was nothing special and late rain means that 2007 will be at best average, I suspect you'll never get 2005s at these prices again - and they're absolutely superb.

We buy to drink, not to invest, but on both counts the Le Clerc Foire au Vin this year is quite exceptional.

(Will also post on the French thread)

[ariane] 22/9/2007 05:53

France's handcrafted, hidden treasures
By Jancis Robinson

Published: September 21 2007 16:51 | Last updated: September 21 2007 16:51

Charity auctions can lead to some thoroughly unsatisfactory experiences. Because of the non-commercial nature of the transaction, both donor and bidder can easily feel under-rewarded. But the talk I gave to the Jacob's Creek sales team at the group's UK headquarters near Heathrow airport the other day, all connected with a wine trade auction, was a thoroughly enriching experience – for me at any rate.

The deal was that I had to present them with a range of wines that met the following brief from the wine development director of Pernod Ricard, the French owners of Jacob's Creek: "What's hot; strategic challenges; ones to watch as challengers; what will impact buyers' decisions." I was asked to focus on South Africa, Chile, California, Italy and, especially, France. After all, there was not much point in lecturing those who sell Jacob's Creek, Montana and Campo Viejo rioja on Australia, New Zealand and Spain.

I concentrated, therefore, on some lovely 2006 Sauvignon Blancs and Italian whites that over-deliver (from as little as £4.99 a bottle – most of them already recommended on these pages), some particularly impressive Cabernets and a Pinot Noir from Chile, and three mass-market reds from the south of France packed with flavour and individuality. I chose the following three because they wrestle in the same retail arena as Pernod Ricard's brands, at similar prices, and are made from the same sort of grape varieties as Jacob's Creek Shiraz and Grenache/Shiraz: Gérard Bertrand 2003 Tautavel, Côtes du Roussillon (£4.99 Waitrose), Old Vines Grenache Noir 2006 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes (£5.59 Marks & Spencer) and Boutinot's Réserve des Hospitaliers 2004 Cairanne, Côtes du Rhône Villages (£6.99 Waitrose).

The most successful wines from the Jacob's Creek team are reds based on Australia's inland sea of irrigated vines that were planted relatively recently and are already under increasing pressure as drought threatens the very existence of this source of inexpensive grapes. The 2007 crop was short and another small harvest is predicted for 2008.

It occurred to me when describing the identifying characteristics of the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region in the south of France – vast swathes of well-established, fashionable Grenache, Syrah/Shiraz, Carignan and Mourvèdre vines, which need no irrigation and produce large crops of extremely cheap yet difficult-to-sell grapes each year – how extraordinary it is that no one has really harnessed this bounty into a successful global wine brand.

Foreigners have made some of the most obvious attempts. Australian company Hardys bought an old winery near Béziers in the 1990s and began to create a brand called La Baume but the Australians lost heart and eventually sold up – to the owners of the most successful branded wine in France, JP Chenet. But JP Chenet is famous much more for its curious lop-sided bottle than its origins, sources its grapes throughout France and has done nothing to promote Languedoc-Roussillon.

In the 1990s, American wine producers also swooped on the Languedoc, mainly to make up for grape shortages associated with the phylloxera pest outbreak in California, just as they continue to plunder Europe for varietals of which they run short for their own brands (France for Pinot Noir, Italy for Pinot Grigio, Germany for the newly-fashionable Riesling). But all this activity is about building American brands rather than the reputation for any particular place. The fruit will be sourced in California just as soon as supply and the price are right.

More recently, Gallo of California has had perhaps the most notable success with a wine sold on the basis of its southern French origins with its Red Bicyclette range of Vins de Pays d'Oc, made at the Sieur d'Arques co-op in Limoux. It is no surprise that Gallo chose a co-operative as its supplier. The co-ops dominate the vinicultural landscape of southern France, soaking up the majority of production, by guaranteeing a price to their members (even if the European Union's agricultural commissioner might like eventually to see the end of such subsidies). What has presumably hampered sales, or at least exports, of inexpensive French wine to a great extent has been the dearth of marketing expertise in the ubiquitous wine co-ops, although this is slowly changing.

Chamarré is a relatively new pan-French brand designed to draw upon some of the better co-ops all over France to produce superior branded wine. Tellingly, the Chamarré varietal Syrah, presumably sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc-Roussillon for it is bottled at the Val d'Orbieu co-op outside Narbonne, is labelled with the grape's Australian name Shiraz. I asked a representative of Chamarré why the French name Syrah had been abandoned and was told, "Because we are very modern."

The co-op at Tuchan on the border of Fitou and Corbières country has been a model of targeting well made, intensely flavoured reds that deliciously express their mountainous, dry-grown origins, not least at the British market. Gérard Bertrand is an ambitious wine producer based near Narbonne who has been steadily infiltrating foreign markets with similarly reliable wines grown all over Languedoc and Roussillon at several different price levels. Jeanjean and Cazal Viel have had some individual successes.

Paul Mas is another innovative producer to have produced an impressive range of wines from chiefly Languedoc fruit. But perhaps the name of one of his most successful brands, Arrogant Frog, provides a clue to why all this southern French fruit has been so slow to make its way in the branded wine world. It is presumably much easier for a brand owner to deal with grape growers in a free market such as those in Australia's Murray Basin than to negotiate with co-operatives more preoccupied with the latest handouts and edicts from Brussels. After all, Pernod Ricard is nothing if not French. It has enormous wine marketing expertise. And yet even it has steered clear of its own country's wines, apart from champagne – that marketeer's dream.

Fine wine lovers need not concern themselves with the conundrum of matching supply and demand in the mass market but they would be fools to ignore what the smaller domaines of the south of France have to offer. This is France's hidden treasure – handcrafted wines from an ideal Mediterranean climate but at bargain prices. A dozen of my favourite reds are listed left. I could have matched it with a similar list of ridiculously underpriced whites.

A dozen delicious reds

• Dom Bertrand Bergé, Les Mégalithes 2005 Fitou

• Ch Camplazens Syrah 2005 Vin de Pays d'Oc

• Dom Le Cazal, Le Pas de Zarat 2003 Minervois

• Les Clos Perdus, L'Extreme 2005 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes

• Clos du Gravillas, Vous en Voulez en Voila 2004 Vin de Pays des Côtes de Brian

• Dom Gayda, L'Archet Cuvée Occitane Rouge 2005 Vin de Pays d'Oc

• Hecht & Bannier 2005 St Chinian

• Dom Eric Laguerre, Le Ciste Rouge 2004 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes

• Mas Champart, Côte d'Arbo 2004 St-Chinian

• Mas Conscience, L'As 2005 Coteaux du Languedoc

• Mas Jullien 2000 and 2004 Coteaux du Languedoc

• Dom Sainte Rose, Le Pinacle Syrah 2005 Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thongue

For stockists, see www.winesearcher.com and for many more tasting notes and scores on southern French reds, whites and pinks, see purple pages of www.jancisrobinson.com

More columns at www.ft.com/robinson

[ariane] 17/9/2007 07:08

Majestic Wine Wine Merchant of the Year


RNS Number:9189D
Majestic Wine PLC
17 September 2007



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17 September 2007



Majestic Wine PLC



Majestic Wine win top accolade, Wine Merchant of the Year 2007


Majestic Wine PLC ("Majestic"), the UK's largest wine warehouse chain, is
pleased to announce that for the third year running they have been awarded the
International Wine Challenge ("IWC") High Street Chain of the Year 2007.

In addition, Majestic Wine received the overall award for Merchant of the Year
2007. Majestic fought off stiff competition from other merchant category winners
to this prestigious award. The merchant awards were judged by a distinguished
panel including the IWC co-chairmen Tim Atkin MW, Sam Harrop MW, Charles
Metcalfe and Derek Smedley MW and they were joined by Michael Cox - Wines of
Chile, Robin Copestick - Copestick Murray, David Williams - Wine & Spirit Editor
and Angela Mount - Wine Intelligence.



Enquiries to:


For further information, please contact:
Tim How / Sally Barlow Tel: [phone]
Majestic Wine PLC

Tim Thompson / Nicola Cronk/ Tel: [phone]
Susanna Gale
Buchanan Communications







This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END
NRAOKQKBOBKDNCD

[isis] 05/9/2007 21:27

As I've always suspected!:-

'Sub-standard' famous French wines
Daily Mail
5 September 2007, 9:12am

Britons buying big-name French wines were yesterday warned that up to a third were of ' substandard' quality.


Many of the most famous - including Bordeaux, Sancerre and Saint-Emilion - might not even be from the regions claimed.

The scandal was blamed partly on local inspectors who are said to be allowing inferior wines a prestigious AOC marking in the face of rising competition from Australian, US and Chilean wines.

The Appellation d'Origine Controlee is a classification system, awarded to wines from 470 regions of France, which has become the industry's gold standard-According to the French consumer rights group UFC-Que Choisir, slack controls saw 99 per cent of all candidate wines awarded their AOC label in 2005.

It said up to a third did not merit the stamp, either because of sub-standard quality or because they are insufficiently linked to the relevant region.

Between 2001 and 2005, French wine imports to Britain fell by 8%, while imports of Australian wines rose by 51%.

At the same time imports of wine from the US more than doubled, while those from South Africa rose by more than 50%. Such figures have plunged the French wine industry into crisis.

Other stories:
Investing in wine makes a case for profit
Fine wine supplier in liquidation
Wine prices set to rise
Top restaurants rip off diners for wines
Mineral water is top restaurant rip-off
Top restaurants rip off diners for wines
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[isis] 06/8/2007 08:41

funnily enough a friend of mine says this about his girlfriends:-

I go for three things:
1. Full bodied
2. New world
3. Half price
It's served me well so far.
Sue, London