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Sparkling Tour de France

24-06-2006

There are 7 Crémant sparkling wine AOCs. Alsace (22.5 million bottles), Burgundy (7 million bottles), Loire (5.1 million bottles), Jura (2.4 million bottles), Bordeaux, Die and Limoux. Crémant is made following the same rules as Champagne.

In love with electrons

20-06-2006

The Dream Taste was invented in Savigny-lès-Beaune, the decanter that eliminates corked flavours in wine. Scientific explanation: the bunch of grapes’ surface, made from copolymer, inserted into the decanter is an electrostatic trap that attracts chloroanisoles. These 2,4,6 TCA molecules, responsible for cork taint, love electrons, unluckily for them. In just over an hour, their fate is sealed.

The real price of vineyards

20-06-2006

It’s a tempting title, but it’s difficult to give you much more than a rough idea. So here goes. In Champagne: from 400,000 to 1 million euros per hectare. Burgundy: 4600 euros for generic wine, 2.5 million for Grands Crus (the best sites). Bordeaux: 7500 for generic, 1.3 million for Pomerol. Alsace: 155,000 euros. Provence: between 40,000 and, towards the coast, at least 60,000 euros. Generic Beaujolais around 30,000 euros. The Languedoc: 11,000 euros. The Loire: between 7,500 and 11,000 euros. Which gives us an average of 83,600 euros per hectare for AOC land and 12,100 for the rest.

Reviews

19-06-2006

No point in having another look at Fino Sherries or Groenekloof’s South African Pinotage 2002! It’s already turned up in blind tasting for the Ruinart Trophy (18th June).

Totally Tokay

16-06-2006

Hungary’s Tokay comes from the Tokay variety. Alsace Tokay is made from 100% Pinot Gris. We’re not sure why it’s called Tokay. By the way, the tokay grape is better known (in Hungary) as Furmint. In fact, according to recent research, Furmint and Altesse (a Bugey variety) are extremely similar. What about Tokay du Bugey? But elsewhere, you can’t call it Tokay d'Alsace anymore; the European Union says so.

Shipwreck ahoy

07-06-2006

As any Tin-Tin fan knows, Château de Cheverny (the wings at least) is Captain Haddock’s ‘Moulinsart’ home. A permanent exhibition reminds us of this. The lively white wine from the AOC area around Cour-Cheverny was supposed to be Tin-Tin’s companion’s favourite drink. Either way it’s the only wine made from the Romorantin variety, which isn’t planted anywhere else, neither in France or worldwide! And what a wine, Brest thunder! (Having said that, the decree creating the AOC only dates from 1993.)

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