A Look At Russian Wine

Russian Wine For Investors - Bottle Half-Full, Or Half-Empty?

If wine were an investment, like company shares, gold, or real estate, then you would expect the Russian oligarchs to put their hands into this particular till. But hobby vineyards and French chateaux aside, there haven’t been many. Still, Vadim Varshavsky’s Croizet cognac (Charente) has not proved to be as ill-fated as his steel business. Eugene Shvidler’s Chateau Thenac (Bergerac) is doing better than that with a range of wines selling for as little as £7.95, but as a business among Shvidler’s holdings it’s still small beer.

Thinking less of price than rate of return, the value of wine over the past decade has generated 15% per annum growth, according to the Liv-Ex fine Wine Index. That’s equal to gold, but much, much better than stocks. Of course, most of the contents of wine caves is drunk, not traded. So the rate of return is a nominal one. That may be why wine doesn’t meet the swift payback standard of the Russian oligarchs, and why they haven’t taken positions in the Russian wine business as they have in pigs, fish, grain, farm land and fertilizers.

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My Comment: My nationality is Russian .... so I have had my taste of Russian wine. What's my take ... the sparkling wines are OK, but the reds still have a long way to go.

What Does A$168,000 Bottle Of Wine Taste Like?

The world’s most expensive wine, Penfolds 2004 Block 42, is housed in 750-ml glass ampoules. Photo: Penfolds

Record-Breaking Wine: What Does $168,000 Taste Like? -- Wired Science

Today, the Australian winery Penfolds announced the world’s most expensive wine sold directly from a winery, eloquently dubbed “2004 Block 42.” The $168,000 wine is a produced from a single vineyard, from what the winery claims are the oldest continuously producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world. It will be sold in 12 glass ampoules (above), which look more like something you’d use to kill a vampire than to serve wine. Each holds the equivalent of a standard wine bottle.

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My Comment: This is overpriced wine .... but I must confess that I do like the design of the bottle.

French Wine Investors May Now Go Abroad

Fine wine has grown dramatically in popularity among investors after holding up well during the financial crisis and a recent boom in interest from Asian markets Photo: Alamy

French Wine Investors Should Look Overseas -- The Telegraph

When it comes to investing in fine wine, expensive and well-established French vineyards are traditionally regarded as the safest bet.

But prudent investors should consider moving into Italian, Australian or even Portuguese wine to avoid "putting all their eggs in one basket", researchers claim.

Although the history and reputation of French wine makes it the most robust player on the international fine wine market, a single year of bad weather could destroy the value of a portfolio consisting solely of Burgundy and Bordeaux.

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My Comment: The election of the Socialists will impact France's wine industry. The previous Socialist government specifically targeted wineries and their cellars with special taxes, I would not be surprised if the new French government starts to do the same thing.

Original Recipe For Jack Daniel's Found

The history of Jack Daniel's is a mystery because the distillery's early records were destroyed in a courthouse fire Photo: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Original Recipe For Jack Daniel's Found In Welsh Book Of Herbal Remedies -- The Telegraph

The original recipe for legendary American whiskey Jack Daniel's has been discovered in a book of herbal remedies in Wales, it has been claimed.

Businessman Mark Evans, 54, was researching his family history when he discovered the recipe in a book of herbal remedies.

It was written in 1853 by his great-great grandmother who was called Daniels and was a local herbalist in Llanelli, South Wales.

Her brother-in-law left the Welsh town at about the same time to move to Lynchburg Tennessee where the Jack Daniel's distillery was opened three years later.

And the Jack Daniel's website states the founder of the distillery was from Wales.

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My Comment: Ice tea spiked with Jack Daniels .... a deadly combination.

Some Wines From New Jersey Are Rated Excellent

Photo: Noah K. Murray/The Star-Ledger

Experts Deem Wines from New Jersey (!) As Good As France’s Finest -- Time

Must be that Turnpike terroir. In a recent blind taste test, wines produced in New Jersey—yes, that New Jersey, the state just east of Pennsylvania—held their own when matched up against whites and reds from France, some of which are priced at $650 per bottle.

In 1976, TIME reported on the “Judgment of Paris,” a blind-test showdown pitting wines from France against those produced in the U.S.’s most celebrated wine-producing state, California. The results at the time were shocking, with experts giving top honors to California.

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My Comment: New Jersey as a top wine producer .... I am surprise.

The Future Of Wine In China

Emma Gao (高源), chief winemaker at Silver Heights (Image: Silver Heights)

The Future Of Wine In China (Part 1) -- Jing Daily

Despite some headline-catching news, China’s wine market remains at an early stage of development. While this gives market participants an unprecedented opportunity to shape it to their advantage, it also increases the level of uncertainty under which key decisions must be made.

In this column, I highlight some of the key factors shaping China’s wine market, as well as its domestic wine industry. Some of these are global in nature; i.e., they have been influencing the industry in other markets and are likely to be felt in China, although potentially in a different way and at a different pace. Others are more local, rooted in China’s particular stage of market evolution and relationship with wine.

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Editor: Part two is here.

Courting Chinese Wine Buyers

US Winemakers Court Chinese Buyers -- McClatchy News

LODI, Calif — With bottles ready for tasting, a group of Lodi wine producers waited anxiously last week for a delegation of monied business people they hoped to impress. The vintners burst into applause when the group finally arrived, over an hour late.

These honored guests weren't Hollywood moguls or Silicon Valley venture capitalists. They were potential customers and investors from the city of Shenyang in northern China, coming to check out Lodi as a potential source of affordable wine to supply China's rapidly growing market.

The rising middle class in China and other Asian-Pacific countries is fueling one of the wine world's fastest growing markets. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, China is expected to add 235 million consumers by 2020 and will account for 20 percent of the global luxury market by 2015.

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My Comment: The Chinese have the wine bug .... and they will need to satisfy their wine cravings.

Massive Wine Fraud Uncovered In France

Photo: Police said bottles of Nuits St George were filled up with cheaper wine as part of a scam to defraud connoisseurs (stock image)

Top Wine Trading Company 'Filled Vintage Bottles With Cheap Alcohol As Part Of Multimillion Pound Fraud' -- -- Daily Mail

* Labouré-Roi took expensive bottles of Nuits St George and put cheap supermarket wine in them
* Nuits St George was not in on the scam
* Scam is believed to have defrauded several hundred million pounds from wine connoisseurs
* Two former executives - brothers aged 82 and 83 - were arrested but later released

Thousand of British wine connoisseurs have unwittingly been drinking vintage burgundy topped up with cheap table wine under a scam operated by one of France’s most prestigious traders, prosecutors have claimed.

Following an 18-month investigation, police say that merchants Labouré-Roi took bottles of Nuits St George and topped them up with supermarket wines.

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My Comment: This is not the first time something like this has been done .... nor will it be the last.

Canadians Will Soon Be Able To Buy Wines From Other Provinces

The Long And Winding Road Too Free Canadian Grapes -- National Post

Federal-provincial jurisdictional issues are not usually on the minds of most Canadians while they savour a glass of wine. However, over the past few months, wine commentary has been intermingled with discussions on the right to sell and ship wine across provincial boundaries by Canadian wineries and consumers alike. Domestic, international and social media have been aflutter with comments about Bill C 311, An Act to amend the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act (interprovincial importation of wine for personal use).

There has been much speculation as to what, when and how Bill C 311 will alter both a winery’s right to ship wine to consumers in another province, as well as the ability of consumers to legally transport wine inter-provincially.

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My Comment: As a Canadian .... I say this is long overdue and welcomed by almost everyone.

Can Drinking Moonshine Really Make Me Go Blind?

Moonshining Former moonshiner John Bowman (right), explaining the ins and outs of a proper moonshine still. via Wikimedia

FYI: Can Drinking Moonshine Really Make Me Go Blind? -- Popular Science

The short answer: yes, it’s possible to go blind from drinking moonshine. But it’s also possible to go blind staring at the sun. When consuming alcoholic beverages of the DIY variety, the important thing is to let common sense be your guide.

The idea that moonshine or other home-distilled liquors can cause blindness is rooted in truth, but it’s important to separate the causes of said blindness from the alcohol distillation process itself. When homemade spirits cause damage to the optic nerve the culprit is almost always methanol, cousin to the ethanol you consume when you toss back any glass of tipple.

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My Comment: I had the unpleasant experience of drinking moonshine in China. I suffered 'white blindness' .... and it was uncomfortable.

Does Wine Kept Under Sea Taste Better Than The Stuff Stored In A Chateau?

Photo: Finished product: The 'Neptune' branded wine from Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion which was aged under the sea

The Test Proving Wine Kept Under Sea Really DOES Taste Better Than The Stuff Stored In A Chateau... After 11 Bottles Found In 200-Year-Old Shipwreck Sell For £90,000 -- Daily Mail

* French trio aged two barrels of identical wine for six months - one under sea and the other in chateau cellar
* Lab tests revealed sea wine had undergone different process of osmosis, giving it a mellower taste than traditionally aged barrel
* Comes after 11 bottles of champagne from 2010 Baltic shipwreck sold for £90,000 at auction

Bottles of wine found in shepwrecks often sell for a fortune. But does the sea hold the secret to truly great vintages?

To find out a trio of French wine lovers - a vineyard manager, a barrel maker and an oyster farmer - teamed up to test the myth, above and below water.

Barrels of a 2009 Bordeaux wine were stored in two locations - one was to be kept in chateau cellars, the other sunk among the prized oyster beds of the Bay of Arcachon, on the Atlantic coast.

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My Comment: As a wine maker, I find this news fascinating.

Thinking About Wine Can Help You Relax

Just the thought of a glass of wine could be enough to help you relax because of the power of positive thinking Photo: Alamy

Thinking About Wine Can Help You Relax, Scientists Claim -- The Telegraph

Just the thought of a glass of wine could be enough to help you relax because of the power of positive thinking, scientists have claimed.

People are so suggestive that simply believing an alcoholic drink will make us feel better or socialise more easily at a party will greatly raise the chance of making it so, researchers said.

This is because of the phenomenon of "response expectancies", or the way in which we predict how we will behave in different situations.

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My Comment: I will definitely drink to that.

Hillary Clinton Is In High Spirits During A Wine Tasting At A Beach Front Resort In Georgia

An exacting palate: Mrs Clinton participated in a wine tasting at Adjarian Wine House in the coastal resort town of Batumi near the Black Sea during her diplomatic trip which included stops in eastern Europe and Scandinavia

All In The Name Of Diplomacy: Hillary Clinton Is In High Spirits During A Wine Tasting At A Beach Front Resort In Georgia -- Daily Mail

Hillary Clinton made sure to have a little fun on her latest official trip by taking some time out to taste the best wine that Georgia had to offer.

The Secretary of State seemed to be in high spirits as she chatted with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and surveyed a variety of wine at the Adjarian Wine House in Batumi, a beach town decidedly off the beaten path of high-level political conferences.

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My Comment: I have had Georgian wine .... and it is excellent.

The Wine Market Is Stabilizing

The Wine Market Sobers Up -- Jordan Weissmann, The Atlantic

These are lush years for luxury industries, like $5,000 handbags and pricey art. But one billionaire friendly market appears to have lost its legs: fine wine. That could be a sign of trouble for all of us, even you've never paid more than $9.99 for a bottle of Cabernet.

Auction prices for high end wines have taken a 23 percent dip since peaking a year ago, according to the Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 Index, which tracks a collection of the the world's most sought after bottles. The market had previously been on a tear, rising 264 percent since December 2003. And according to today's Wall Street Journal, recent pre-sales for top bottles have been noticeably weak.

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My Comment: I personally believe that this is temporary. The market for good wine is still there .... but the steep rise in prices over the past 7 years has given everyone pause. If the economy improves within the year, the market will start to go up and price increases will be more moderate.

Wine Cellars Are Becoming The Next 'Big Thing' For Luxury Homes

Sellers With Cellars: Wine Breathes Luxury Into These Homes -- Forbes

In upper echelon homes, the list of “standard amenities” is where the wheat is separated from the chaff — and the haves from the have-nots.

We’re talking indoor pools, gourmet kitchens and master suites that occupy entire floors. If you have to ask how much, you’re in the wrong place. That’s especially the case in homes that come with an entire room dedicated to one sweet, singular task: Wine storage.

For the aficionado and collector, a full-blown wine cellar is a dream come true. And even for those who don’t imbibe, or are too young, that does not preclude the luxury appeal of a wine cellar.

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My Comment: I guess a wine cellar will soon be the next "must thing" for all luxury homes.

Knowing The Yeast Genome May Eventually Produce Better Wines

Knowing Yeast Genome Produces Better Wine -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (June 4, 2012) — The yeast Dekkera bruxellensis plays an important role in the production of wine, as it can have either a positive or a negative impact on the taste. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden, among others, have analyzed the yeast's genome sequenced by the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, giving wine producers the possibility to take control of the flavour development of the wine.

Yeasts are an important ingredient in the production of various types of food, for example wine, and they make a major contribution to the taste.

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My Comment: I completely agree .... a better yeast will not necessarily produce a better wine .... but it will certainly produce a different one.

Dr. Ruth Launches Low-Alcohol Wines To Help Couples Loosen Up

Fitting: Dr Ruth Westheimer, the sex therapist, has created her own range of wine called Dr Ruth's Vin d'Amour (above photo features unknown wine)

Geriatric Sex Guru Dr Ruth To Release Low-Alcohol Wine So Couples Can Drink Without Risk Of 'Falling Asleep' In The Bedroom -- Daily Mail

She gained fame through offering sex advice so it only makes sense that Dr Ruth Westheimer is now producing her own form of aphrodisiac.

The 83-year-old sex therapist, who had her own NBC radio program in the Eighties, has created a range of low-alcohol wine called Dr Ruth's Vin d'Amour.

Set to hit shelves in early July, the Californian range, which will feature her face on its label, has an alcohol content of just six per cent - in order to stop couples from falling asleep before or during sex.

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My Comment: She is having fun .... and yes .... there is a market for low alcohol wine.

How Global Economic Shifts Changed the Wine Industry

How Global Economic Shifts Changed the Wine Industry — For Better and For Worse -- Time

The international wine market was a favorite subject for classical economists in the 18th and 19th centuries to help explain the benefits of free trade. Adam Smith advocated free trade in his opus, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. He wrote against the backdrop of mercantilism, which urged countries to export products to accumulate gold and import as little as possible so that they could husband their yellow metal.

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My Comment: A few months old, but this article is still relevant in today's wine market.

Bordeaux Braces Itself For A heav Weekend Of Drinking

Giant bottles in Bordeaux decorate the town to celebrate The Bordeaux Wine Fair Photo: AFP

Bordeaux Braces Itself For 'Le Binge Drinking' -- The Telegraph

Bordeaux's bi-annual wine festival is bracing itself for the British curse of "le binge drinking" with frogmen on standby to rescue drunken revellers from its Garonne River.

Since Thursday, France's wine capital has been celebrating the eighth edition of the festival along a 1.2-mile "wine road" on the banks of the Garonne. Around 500,000 are expected to turn up by Sunday to taste 80 appellations from Bordeaux and Aquitaine and attend nightly concerts and firework displays.

This year, however, authorities have taken extra, draconian security steps after a spate of alcohol-related drownings in the river running through its centre.

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My Comment: Wish I was there.

The Bubbles In Guinness Really DO Sink

Generations of beer drinkers have argued over whether the bubbles in Guinness sink while the beer is settling - now scientists have proved it

The Bubbles In Guinness Really DO Sink - And The Discovery Could Lead To Pints Of Stout That Pour Far Faster -- Daily Mail

* Bubbles circulate down at outside of glass
* Happens as pint settles
* Discovery could lead to new shapes of pint that allow stouts to settle faster

Generations of beer drinkers have argued over whether the bubbles in Guinness sink while the beer is settling - now scientists have proved it.

It might seem counterintuitive that bubbles might sink, but it's due to the way stouts 'settle' in the glass.

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My Comment: Hmmmm .... why do I want to drink a beer right now?