News of interest on Bordeaux
Harvest is underway: Jane Anson has a report on the earliest harvest on record which is underway in Bordeaux. The summer has been extremely dry with 6 weeks without rain. Things are freshening up now with a bit of rain and cooler temps. Grapes began coming in August 18 in Entre deux Mers, Pessac-Léognan and Graves. Look for more updates through September.
Predictions for 2023: The harvest forecast for Bordeaux is reflective of some of the problems they’ve had in 2023. Hail followed by mildew early in the season will affect yields. However, with success in other regions, the French national agriculture minister tells Decanter that they expect the overall French harvest to be on track between 44-47 million hectolitres.
Climate and Wine: With an earlier harvest every year, climate scientists are weighing on the future of wine, or at least the future of fine wine producing regions. Michael Summerfield at World of Fine Wines has an in depth report with a climate scientist that dives into whether or not these changes can be predicted.
A Surplus of Bordeaux? I saw this piece in the Financial Times about France paying farmers to remove vines or destroy juice due to the overproduction and falling wine prices, and it struck me as a bit surprising. More searching yielded some clarity in a piece from Jane Anson about CIVB’s negotiations for vintners producing AOC Bordeaux wines. Some vines may come out but not until after harvest this year. CNBC has a more alarmist take.
Chateau Dalem: Last September, several of us scheduled appointments in Bordeaux prior to the World Congress events. One of my favorites was our morning with Brigitte Rullier-Loussert at Chateau Dalem. Even with harvest fully underway, we enjoyed seeing their new facility and tasting through these terrific wines. The Wine Doctor has a new profile of Chateau Dalem in Fronsac.
Wine Storage and Cellar Management: The Indianapolis chapter had a great round table discussion on wine cellaring, storage, tracking and overall bottle management of private cellars. Some takeaways:
*Passive cellaring can work. Many members do it with the understanding that it can shorten life a little for older wines. But for good quality drink now-10 years wine, it can be a great solution.
**For insurance, check your homeowner’s policy. One member noted theirs required them to have a separate power supply in case of power loss, so they installed a generator which will be useful for storm season, too.
**Tracking can involve spreadsheets or tracking systems (like cellar tracker). The key is to figure out what works best for you. We heard a variety of solutions.
**The Big Takeaway: Wine is more forgiving than you might think. It takes a significant amount of heat or time to truly spoil a bottle. For first growth bottles that need pristine conditions, look for temp and humidity-controlled space, but for mid-range bottles intended to drink sooner, chances are your bottles will be preserved just fine without damage in a home cellar.
Members liked the round table format which started with snacks and wines provided by members. We sat for our discussion and kept it to an hour answering questions posed by the Educateur to encourage discussion and sharing. At the end, we wrapped up, and enjoyed the rest of the snacks and wine!
121 Questions About Wine — Jancis Robinson recently answered questions from FT readers, editors, and staff for their annual wine magazine. She has some great answers on everything from her favorite wine glass (from Ikea!) to her thoughts on hybrid grapes, natural wines, and climate-friendly packaging.
Connecting. Creating. 
Leave a comment