Global market turmoil continues The unsettled nature of the first quarter of the year continued into the second with inflation, widespread industrial action, particularly in Europe, and against the backdrop of the continued war in Ukraine. Fuel price rises, however, started to abate, especially in Europe and the UK, towards the end of the second… Continue reading Q2 2023 Fine Wine Investment Report
PublishedCatch ‘22 ! Having just returned from three separate weeks of en primeur tastings in Bordeaux, we can confirm that the 2022 Bordeaux vintage is a truly excellent one. The best since 2016 (although warmer and richer than that) and equal, if not superior, to the stellar pair of 2009 and 2010. It was a… Continue reading En-Primeur 2022: Post Tasting Report
PublishedEach spring, usually towards the end of April, the Châteaux put together their blends from the previous vintage. These wines are shown to the customers (‘brokers’) and the press and is sold as ‘futures’ via the En Primeur system. So, what can the happy investor expect from En Primeur 2022? Prices are released a few… Continue reading En Primeur 2022 : What to Expect?
PublishedAs the rest of the world recovered more or less successfully from the aftermath of Covid, there was one industry that did not fare so well. The Bordeaux en-primeur wine season 2021 was difficult. At best. It was a meteorological nightmare – almost every scenario of a producer’s nightmare was present. Severe frost? Check. Mildew?… Continue reading Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur: A Controversial Campaign
PublishedIt’s the most wonderful time of the year. No – we don’t mean Christmas, although we love that too, we actually mean En Primeur week. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of EP, or Futures as it is sometimes called, then let us fill you in. Every spring after the autumn harvest, the grand… Continue reading What to Expect from Bordeaux 2021?
PublishedIt was meant to be the year that was going to save us. It was going to be the year of jetpacks, hoverboards and walking on Mars. Of shoes that tied themselves. According to academics, futurists and government agencies, by 2020 we would all be wearing silver spacesuits, carrying disintergrator rays and relying on self-driving… Continue reading En Primeur 2020 Overview
PublishedTwo words sum up 2020. The pandemic. Or, even better – Covid-19. The virus that held us hostage for much of last year seems finally (finally!) to be under control and only now, over a full year later, are we beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The pandemic has had… Continue reading What to Expect From Wine Vintage 2020?
PublishedPredicting the future has always held us in thrall. From Nostradamus to Paul the octopus to fairground fortune tellers, certain psychics have managed to foresee what’s coming next with stunning accuracy. Who can forget Nikola Tesla’s interview with The New York Times in 1909 (almost a full century before mobile phones were commonplace) where he… Continue reading What Is En Primeur – The Ultimate Guide
PublishedWhen the Unions des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UCGB) announced that it would push its en-primeur tasting week back by a month, critics and producers all generally agreed that it was an excellent idea. The optimistically cautious decision to taste a month later than usual (bar the 2019 en primeur tastings that took place almost… Continue reading En Primeur 2020: How Is This Year Different?
PublishedRod Smith of Riviera Wine Academy introduces 2020 En Primeur – The story so far I am now about 50 wines into my tastings for the Bordeaux 2020 En Primeur campaign. These are samples that were sent to me by properties which will not – for social distancing reasons – be receiving guests during the… Continue reading Rod Smith Master of Wine Presents: 2020 En Primeur
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