Tony's Diary

Fizz bang!

2012-01-30T11:27:00.000Z

Saturday, Barbara gave me a bottle of Wyfold Sparkling 2009 … been quietly fermenting away in a corner of Will's brewery (he doesn't charge his mother rent) … to try before all the rest went to be disgorged by the Roberts at Ridgeview. This meant the bottle had to be left outside, upside down overnight because it was still full of sediment from the fizzing-up process.

So then I had to go outside with a bottle opener and flick the cap off with the bottle still upside down … let the sediment out with the first spurt. Just one thing; if you don't then get your thumb over the top v. quickly everything sprays bloody everywhere like you’re some bloody racing driver. Note to self: next time wear your anorak not your new sweater.

But the aroma filled the night air, there was enough left to drink and I couldn't wait to get back inside and drink it.

The wife was nervous. Winemakers always are when they get to try their wine for the first time. It’s worse for sparkling winemakers; this is two and half years old and she - well, no-one - has tasted it yet.

Great first impression; it’s really surging with fine bubbles; wave after wave of creamy froth. No-one's going to complain this baby doesn't bubble enough. And it’s got a lovely fine tinge of colour. The palest possible hint of grey-pink; what the French used to call 'partridge eye'.

Then that rich aroma still … clean fruit. This is a young wine so it’s mostly crisp apple sort of thing. That'll mellow soon and get more complex.

Clean in the mouth. But full. Not a thin wine. Just right weight, I'd say. Anyway the bottle is all soon gone … far too fast. That's its problem; much too drinkable. But having a wife that can make stuff like this … no problem.

After the ball

2012-01-23T10:10:00.000Z

Leaving the basement dressing room we could hear a distant roaring. Like a wild sea. But it was only our fellow Laithwaites people after two hours at the bar. We knew how gladiators must have felt. We were going to be torn to pieces. It was REALLY scary.

But it went off well. Very well. There is nothing more enjoyable than seeing your bosses make prats of themselves after all.

So a good night was had by all. Much time since has been spent trying to stop images leaking onto the net.

Then what. A backlog of writing.

Big session Monday as one by one the buyers have to come before the great panel of writers designers planners and such. They pour their wines and tell their tales. Must be a bit nerve-wracking for them. But everything was greeted enthusiastically. And many notes were scribbled. Though by late afternoon I'm not sure how much sense we were making. Straight tastings are much easier. You sip and spit automatically. But at these things there's so much chat, so much composing I find I forget to spit. Then I need a taxi to get home.

I joined the Company yoga class on Tuesday. With Sam Rao. Sam's my age. But everyone else is half my age. I've sort of done yoga for years but not at Sam's level. It's a challenge. The loud clicking noises coming from their Chairman as he tries to impersonate a corkscrew must have worried a few.

Then up to London for two days in a hotel for the Great Global Marketing Meet when everyone involved in buying or selling wine for us around the world gets together to present their successes and admit their failures. Four years we've been doing this and the quality of the wine 'finds', and ways of communicating them well goes up almost exponentially every time. This meeting was a blur. Very exciting. And again it's great for someone no longer young to be allowed to spend so much time surrounded by all that youthful energy.

Of which there was even more when Glenn and I finally raced out of the meeting and shot down the M4 to get to the Gloucester Cellar annual party on time. At Cheltenham Racecourse. Now they really are young; those who answer the phones and pack the cases. We don't have to dress up for Panto this time. Just say our words, have a few drinks and get out before it all gets too wild for us.

Good week.

Tony

Panto Time!

2012-01-16T09:33:00.002Z

Glenn announced great December results for us this morning. Everyone happy. But all overshadowed by this week's big event.

Just before I get my false eyelashes and wig, must jot a few words. The effort going into this Panto production – which will never be seen outside Laithwaites itself – is amazing. Reading Town Hall has never seen such a production. They've been over from the Hexagon theatre to gawp our gorgeous set apparently.

Anna (ex-Wine Advisor, now part of the events team) had this idea: 'Vinderella.' And she is a VERY persuasive girl. So the Managing Directors, I, Gary and other fools said yes.

Anna wrote it and set about directing the motley bunch, some of whom are tone deaf and cannot dance. Shelly and she have made all the costumes and my dress is a wonder!

Anna laughs a lot and dances about but she can be quite steely. We turn up when she says and go through it again and again and again.

All in secret. After hours in a secret room in the warehouse. Nobody knew anything about it until posters appeared just before Xmas with me in a frock. 'See Tony as the Fairy Godmother'. Anna said that would pull them in. But they still don't know who else is in it.

Lots of in-jokes, wine jokes eg. Ugly Sisters Botrytis and Phylloxera. And crudery. All the usual panto elements. Oh Yes There Are!

The fear is beginning to grip. But if I drink any more I'll never manage those stairs in my Big Frock. Would be a hilarious Entrance … but then Exit Stage Left to A & E.

Time to get dressed. Break a Leg. Do many distinguished old wine merchants do this sort of thing.

'You SHALL go to the Ball.'

Winter nights rambling on

2012-01-10T10:01:00.000Z

Back home, as night falls, from dog walking past the church, round the great turnip field, through the eerie woods where the two French stunt pilots fell to earth last year.

Pale full moon and just enough light to put the birds to bed. The old geese still in foul mood. They know we just murdered their kids. And will again next year. Hens already asleep. Understandable; their light comes on at 3.30am and eggs must be laid, even in winter. The daft ducks still have to be coaxed off the pond and still don't know where their safe place is after all these years.

Dogs fed and unconscious by the stove. Wife asleep over sudoku. Me figuring what to do with the rack of venison and that basket of fresh, damp and dirty garden veg. Despite hours watching the cooking shows, just bung everything in a roasting pan.

Gives me more time to go rummaging in my cellar-chaos.

There's those who have Cellar Books and who range everything in neat order. And then there's us who just lob new bottles in wherever there's space. True, we can rarely find what we are looking for but this is compensated for by finding something else completely different and exciting which we had no idea we still had. So it’s like a gift. From the gods.

Tonight some deep mining finds us a bottle of our very own Château La Clarière Laith. From 1990. Made with my own hands.

Dusted off. Decanted away from its considerable sediment. It was a delight. Old wine is so gentle. Kind to you. Quiet. But just sit with it and listen. It has a lot to say.

In truth, I had always been a little disappointed with this vintage. It produced some marvellous wines around us on the 'Right Bank'. I will never forget the Château Angelus which was so immediately scrummy - hugely fat black and fruity - that I drank the case within 12 months. Greedy boy. But my own wine came out much lighter and not so ripe at all. It was hard to love. And people told me so. But now … time has worked its wonders. It’s a lovely wine today.

Clearly I should say a lovely little wine. It is a much lighter wine than we make today. Understandable because back then we produced the same amount of wine as now … but from half the acreage. Our vines were under ten years old and very vigorous. And we hadn't yet started thinning the crop to concentrate our wine.

But back then all wines from Castillon and 90% of Saint-Emilion were similarly 'little'. And everybody loved them because that's the way they were and always had been.

There is no doubt that the great influx of Big Strong New World wines in the '90s and the way that – to stay in contention – European wines all had to go on bodybuilding courses, changed wine drinking forever. Or perhaps not forever. Perhaps just for a while.

Happy New Year

2012-01-09T11:43:00.000Z

Big switch off and chill down over the festive period. Blackberry confiscated. Hence no diaries. Hope I was missed.

2012 began with us blown south down the M6 on Tuesday. Lots of work to catch up. Wed, Thurs, Fri so just scribble scribble - at home to avoid interruption. Very quiet; Barbara out at first light, all wrapped up, electric pruners charged, to spend her mornings freezing in Wyfold vineyard.

So belated Happy New Year …

... but not much news just yet. Just that Jancis R (Goddess of Wine) tweeted that Joe Gargery, blacksmith in Great Expectations reminded her of me. So flattered … but better send her a more recent photo.

As we had such good Christmas sales I was worried the Jan Sale might be down, but no, dead on target, thankfully.

Am also busy learning my lines and little dance for the Laithwaites Wine Christmas 'Pantowine' later this week, Reading Town Hall. I am to be the Fairy Godmother in 'Vinderella'. Currently New Aquitaine House is plastered with posters showing me in a frock. The things you have to do, eh? I want to be a serious wine merchant. But it’s Joe Gargery in drag.

Should I attach the poster? I prob look smarter in that than I will on the night.

Birthday!

2011-12-22T16:44:00.001Z

Just starting to wind down. Night shift working is over. It’s been an interesting Christmas here. We had five ‘million-bottle days'. That's enough wine to cause major road chaos! Record sales are lovely but do produce stresses. However, people rise to the occasion. Running out of Black Stump could have been a disaster but Arnold and Stuart worked through the night, got the wine out of the docks in record time and disaster was avoided.

Justin MW rowed a marathon and raised thousands for Prostate Cancer. Anne Linder raised £24,000 for the Princes Trust by all sorts of things.

And Len Sexon is Man of the Month for getting so many people through WSET wine courses. Now he's done just about everyone at Laithwaites he's started on the customers. Four just passed the test. Don't worry, we are not going to make it compulsory.

These and other very encouraging tales were the gist of Glenn (UK CEO)'s Christmas update which played to several packed houses in the canteen.

Giorgio Flessati dropped in on his way between Chile and Moldova … just a day. He's like that. So we took him to Myalcarte, our great little restaurant in Caversham. Opened a few bottles. Including the last of the 2002 Alta Tierra – Giorgio's first Chilean, which won a trophy and introduced the whole world to the amazing Elqui Valley.

Today I celebrate!! My 66th birthday started at the gym 7.30. Lovely Louise attempting to repair the damage. Then over to Will's brewery to pick up the delivery for Theale Shop. Then root canal work at the dentist. Finally out here on the empty golf course walking Max and Snoop who are wondering why I'm tapping a blackberry when we should be chasing rabbits.

Party tonight.

New Aquitaine House and Gloucester

2011-12-20T13:51:00.001Z

Cellars are all covered in glitter, Christmas Trees (the postroom alone has six and there are only five of them working there) holly, mistletoe and the rest. There are elves and appalling sweaters. Competition between every part of the building was intense. Amazing what some will do to win a tin of sweeties.

My thanks to Gaurav Gupta for the picture of us with a curiously slimline Santa. I wanted him to meet Laithwaites’ dynamic young CEO Glenn, but couldn't find him anywhere. The I.T. guys took lots of pics. Could be embarrassing one day. There was a brief drink and a pig roast but it all had to be quick as the phones are still hot.

Lunches with Glenn and Simon calmed me down considerably. I get very agitated this time of year. Will Christmas come?

Well, it always does and has again. (Won't stop me worrying next year.) We are doing well abroad and in the UK. I think we deserve to, knowing just how hard people have been working. Nonetheless, to be able to say this, in the current economic situation does seem just a bit miraculous.

The Magic of Christmas? Or the Best Customers in the World and a great deal of hard work?

London

2011-12-16T11:36:00.000Z

Dave Petley down from Durham to update us on landslides. It’s what we do on the side. Professor Dave runs the Institute of Hazard Risk and Resilience which we and he sort of started many years ago when we funded his work trying to stop people being killed by landslides. (It was partly me atoning for my under-performance as geography undergraduate).

Anyway, it’s grown into a sizeable thing funded by far more than just us, with a fancy new eco-friendly building and looks at all sorts of things that might do us in.

Useful when planning trips. We are off to New Zealand soon. But yesterday Nelson apparently had humungous rain. Best check it out.

Lunched at the RAC with a nice Montagny Château de Saule from crazy Alain Roy. Saw a nice play about the problems of having three difficult sons; 'The Lion in Winter'. Joanna Lumley wonderful. (Sigh).

Finished off with raw fish at Nobu with Wine-Buying young cousin Iain. Got a bottle of Smith and Shaw Chardonnay by Martin Shaw, our most famous Flying Winemaker from the early days. His style is still unmistakeable – super-clean, crisp, very minerally. Perfect match.

Here and there

2011-12-12T13:12:00.000Z

Got back from SA Sunday.

Monday it’s back to writing. Starting on April! Hard to think Springtime in December but it’s what you have to do what with shipping times and print. I am very glad we are moving to web … the speed with which you can do things is intoxicating.

There's also a meeting to discuss long-term aims with our boys who are gearing up to take over in a few years.

Then Hugh J invites us to the Garrick for a terrific dinner with another of my heroes, Miguel Torres. He says he is about to give up the reins to the next generation. (We have some years to go yet!) Hugh pours us a couple of superb DRC Burgundies.

Tues is a drive up the M6 to meet friends from Lytham we've not been able to see for months. Idea is to meet halfway. We end up together at the top of the odd looking high-rise you see from the M6 Toll at Cannock. Aerial views of Cannock and Brownhills in the rain. Well, that's another lifetime 'must do' ticked off.

Wed I pass my annual MOT. Phew.

Thurs fly to Bordeaux meet up with the Chai crowd and see the results of this year's labours.

Fri meet with Stéphane Derencourt and Stefan De Nieppurg and others at Anne Marie's Comptoir to discuss if there's a better way to get more people to realise Castillon is not in Spain but in Bordeaux and is a heaven-blessed limestone ridge on which you can, if you try very hard and invest a lot of money, make brilliant wines.

B and I spend the evening quiet in Ste Colombe. We admire the church lights in the rain then dry off in front of our huge log fire, reading. Wunnerful!

Saturday morning she has me climbing trees to harvest misletoe! Quite mad. Then lunch with Dan (Snook) and Jo in their fabulous house. (From the outside it’s a standard Bx terrace house. Inside with all walls and floors knocked away, masses of glass wall and a bright blue pool in a jungle courtyard you could be in the Caribbean!) The wee girls put on a show for us.

And so here we are back at the Bx airport watching the sun go down. How often have I done this?

Back to Gatwick Mon Amour.

Constantia

2011-12-06T11:25:00.000Z

Dawn in South Africa is 5am. And I have seen a few this trip. It’s what happens when you are working with a perfectionist photographer. 9am just will not do; the light is too harsh. Dinners in South Africa tend to go on a bit and winemakers are very liberal with their creations. Hence I'm now, at the airport, not at my creative best. But I have to write my report now. I really have to.

Vibrant. Multicolourful. Original. Optimistic. Joyous. Successful; South African Wine. Get a box of it. Light up a dark British Winter. Wines that sing. And maybe do a little dance.

Yesterday we left Cape Town very early to drive around Table Mountain to Constantia and taste a wine that was in huge demand when the Médoc was still undrained marsh. (That's the sort of thing the Dutch tell you. They do draining. Did the Médoc. Like they did Norfolk.) They planted the Constantia vineyard in 1695 I believe. And harvested a sweet white wine. With little effort. In Constantia the constant dry wind quickly dries grapes to raisins right on the vine. Odd really, when you think that Sauternes is made by its damp air.

Went to Klein Constantia Estate to meet the lovely Adam Mason. Dear old Adam who, fresh out of college here, got a place on Jean-Marc's Flying Winemakers' team and did so well we got him back for four more vintages. Then, still young he got the Winemakers job at Klein which could be considered the most illustrious estate here. I remember Barbara and I visited him just before he took up the post.

It’s taken me 16 years to get back here and guess what? He left the job two days ago. Owner 'Lol' has sold the Estate (much against his will) so Adam decided to plunge into some wild new ventures. But this morning he came back to show us round the lovely place whilst telling us about his plans. Becca and I immediately keen to back him in pretty much whatever he does. What else are friends for?

We saw a baboon in their vineyard. Thought it was a dog at first, running straight at us. Changed its mind, thank God.

After a nice lunch by Adam’s partner in his new venture (who is a top chef but I've lost his name) we were collected by Bruce Jack and driven far east over the hills into the cool Overberg. This bit of what looks like Scotland (+baboons) is still mostly all wheat but Bruce has planted new vineyards. Because it’s cool. Certainly is! Sweaters on chaps. And the rain! Scottish-style horizontal. But then it suddenly stops. Sun comes out and it looks stunning. Yves over the moon. Thanks for the braii, Bruce. Does everyone pour an 1890 South African wine at their barbecues here. I think not.

Running out of time. Flight called.

The dirt-track drive down to Hermanus on the coast was, er … gripping. My bum is still numb. But well-worth it. The final visit to Newton Johnson winery, gorgeous winemaker Nadia and bro-in-law Bevan who runs the show. Fantastic place views, space age winery, cool climate wines and top food right by the top resort. I could’ve stayed. But no; Percy the London taxi driver brings us to the airport and gives us his views on life and South Africa.

And that's it.

So much more to write and tell. But that's next week’s job. Along with the rest. I hear they just broke their sales record yet again! Time to get home.

Paarl with Charles Back

2011-12-05T09:30:00.000Z

In South Africa I only know the wine lands which means just The Western Cape. Not a vast wine area compared to other countries. The vineyards are tightly hemmed in between the steep mountains and the sea. They only thrive where there is rain or water for irrigation.

Originally on the valley floors, the vineyards have lately grown up the valley walls for better soils and cooler, cleaner air. There's an onshore wind called 'The Cape Doctor' that has always kept people healthy. It does the same for vines. The best wines are grown high … that's where we look. And believe me its certainly cool.

Today Charles Back took us to a new Grenache vineyard high above his winery, shop, tasting room restaurants, glassworks, chocolate factory, distillery, olive oil mill, bakery etc.etc. Up there we found fifteen of his keenest young winemakers, viticulturalists, one goat manager, three goats, lots and lots of jagged rocks he calls 'soil', bright sun, stunning views and a fierce wind.

The goats were eating any vine they could reach but Charles didn't seem to mind.

Yves had asked for all the elements to make a powerful cover shot; 'Charles Back's South African Dream'. Hence the goats, a bunch of delightful, happy young people, tables laden with wonderful wines, cheeses, breads and bunches of the herbs he encourages between his vines as a corridor home for all the hard-working little bugs who keep down the aphids and such. Vineyards used to be such sterile places. People like Charles are leading us away from that mistake.

I had to give a talk up there in the vineyard to the young people, about starting out in wine. From the look of them they will do very well!

Charles Back impresses the hell out of me. Funny, irreverent, throwing himself into wild new ventures with an energy that is exhausting just to observe. Other people can do that. But thing with Charles is … his ventures work!

From the family farm he is now up to 500 hectares of vineyards. Spread across the Cape. More important is he employs 500 people. He has given jobs to everyone in his district and people from the city too. When he needs more jobs he just starts a new venture, often a joint venture that will give people nice employment skills to be proud of.

Wine is the basis of everything but he's also now the outstanding cheese maker of South Africa. That started with his goats which have sort of become his symbol. He's had a crest done for the Company, features a goat and a vineyard worker. His helter-skelter style goat tower is known around the world.

If you are in The Cape you must go to his place. Enjoy the wines, food and meet the goats.

We met also the Fair Trade people from another new venture. The wine is called Six Hats. The stories of how a little extra money is completely changing people’s lives and prospects is very heart-warming.

Tonight back to Cape Town for v early start tomorrow.

PS Charles, I was glad to learn, has given up on supermarkets and now only supplies firms like us and restaurants … lots of restaurants all round the world. More and more producers are doing this. Makes me very happy.

In Robertson and the Breede River

2011-12-01T10:06:00.000Z

It was 35 degrees in Robertson yesterday. Today, thankfully, it’s 20 and delightful.

Been 16 years since I first came here with the man Dan. They say Dan was the first buyer ever to get here. It was pretty remote then. Still is, tho' they have tourists. But not by the coach load like in Stellenbosch. Just 'Fifty somethings' who like to wander around discovering things. Staying at guesthouses like the Excelsior Estate Manor House where we stayed last night. Delightful.

I'd never heard of the region when I first came, but Robertson is now second only to Stellenbosch in production – impressive growth. How come? Maybe their curious climate; the morning are usually cloudy and cool. The sun burns off the cloud by noon when it can certainly get hot. But at 3 or 4pm the wind starts up. A cool wind that takes the temperature down again. This explains how a region that would be desert were it not for the river water to irrigate can produce screamingly fresh whites like ever- popular 'Gooseberry Bush'. And they irrigate very sparsely now. Which not only saves the planet but also makes much better wine.

Dan opened up South Africa for us. Since then buyers Peter, Clare, Thomas, Nick, Helen. Now Becca has the SA baton – which she always desperately wanted. Previously in her career she had worked here a fair bit and really fallen for the Cape wine people. It must help that her partner is also very big in South African wine. Becca intends we should all drink more South African. And we are here with Yves 'Le Photo' to capture for the customers images of what inspires Becca...and me.

So that, with son Tom as Minder; keeping us in line and on time, is the team.

He's shouting again.

So off to Bon Courage Estate and André and sons Jacques and Peter. André is about my age and started in the same year I did. Had to take over the farm very young when his Dad died. Back then they were doing bulk wine for the Stellenbosch Farmers co-op. It was only when we poled up that they started bottling their own and have not looked back since. They won't do supermarkets, don't do 'entry level' – just good wine for a lot of merchants around the world. A very 'family' affair with various members running the shop and restaurant. Do go!

Then an hour or so to Bergsig Estate and arrive to a HUGE reception. Becca had called yesterday saying Yves likes lots of noise and colour for his shots. What we got was thunderous African drums, colourful singers and a red carpet. With De Wet and Deirdre proffering the glasses of fizz. This was a first for me. After fomalities and business chat DeWet took us to see his beloved White River. It is so pure, and he is set on keeping it that way.

He says he drinks the water all year round. We stuck to White River Chenin … sitting beside the river watching for the leopard and eating the crayfish. Bit of an eco paradise here. We met vineyard workers and their children later in their crêche. And we found the old bulldozer responsible for the wine label. Sorry to leave. Off to Paarl.

Tasting party at Hidden Valley

2011-11-30T10:17:00.002Z

After my first ever helicopter ride – I'd had a few drinks to steady the nerves – we joined the party. It seemed to impress the wine producers that we invited them to a little party we arranged high up above Stellenbosch at Hidden Valley (next to Ernie Els' vineyard).

They all brought their wines and we tasted through. Ken Forrester, Oliver 'The Grinder' Kirsten, Zakkie (Riebeek), Wilhelm Pienaar from Nederburg, Samantha and dancing Ernie from Mont Destin, Conrad and Caroline from First Sighting and others. Everyone commenting on each others wines. Very friendly competitive spirit. No fights. A buffet. By one of the best chefs in the Cape; Bertus Basson, and some lovely singing (Amazink). Got all the gossip. Learnt of good things. Nice crowd. They left saying they were going to go and cut down "thet blurdy Austrillian Blue Gum tree" which was dominating the view from the terrace. Don't think they were serious. But to wind up South African winemakers just praise Aussie wines.

This morning up early on Helderberg Mountain with the formidable Alfrieda (after whom Spier have named their new Fair Trade wines) and her troops. Vineyards are being planted higher and higher but this is I think the highest. Gives more fruit character on the old granite. Terrific views of Table Mountain right down to Cape Point

After photos and discussions we got to meet the cheetahs they are trying to save at Spier. Then set off through the spectacular mountains and across the desert for a couple hours to Robertson.

To South Africa

2011-11-29T09:56:00.001Z

Constantia Vineyards

Got the last three seats on plane to Cape Town. Good old BA.

Arrive to blue skies. 20 min drive to meet Eve at Spier estate. Eve Jell has showed up for every London Vintage show for as long as I can remember. Every year she makes me promise to visit. And I promise. Then I break my promise. Spend too much time with the Aussies, I do. Anyway, I'm here.

It’s really grown. The Estate is almost back to its original impressive size; about 1,000 hectares. It’s the perfect place to stay for a wine holiday and has a small village of cool, spacious villas to stay in. Half an hour south is Cape Town. All the major wine estates are in easy reach.

Meeting a dozen producers today. Busy.

Hectic

2011-11-28T09:21:00.001Z

Continues busy. Or hectic. Which is lovely. And thanks, customers, thanks.

I have been on the road doing my old tasting act. The events at Locksbottom and Virginia Water shops were especially memorable. I met Helen who remembers coming to the old Arch in Windsor – she must have been under-age! – and says I seem to be doing the same routine I was, forty years ago. Yep, caught me out, there, Helen. But it works, so I'll not fix it.

Marein beat me again (we each propose and present five wines and customers are the jury). But he's dead jealous I'm off to his beloved South Africa on Sunday.

VW looks lovely after its refurb so do go see (it’s right beside the Main Entrance to Wentworth – where my Dad so loved to play … his cronies gave me my first ever orders!) Talking of refurbs …

In case anyone is planning a trip south to Bordeaux or just happens to live there, here's a message from our 'Chai au Quai' in dear old Castillon-la-Bataille:

"Please come and fill your stockings, boots, fridges and cellars with Le Chai wines in time for the season’s festivities.

The beautiful Chai au Quai will open its doors and its wine boxes from 9am to 6pm Friday 2nd, Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th December.

For those of you who have not yet visited us since the refurbishment was completed a year ago, PLEASE DO. It is a truly magnificent building on the banks of the Dordogne in Castillon-la-Bataille. We are offering a 10% discount on our vast range of over 80 different wines from the Chai-born range as well as a selection of Laithwaites UK Customer Favourites from around the world.

And if that wasn’t enough to tempt you, we will be introducing the moreish, elegant, subtle, bespoke and devastatingly delicious Chai-colat chocolates made with the Chai’s Maury AOC by master Bordeaux Chocolatier M. Laroze.

I do hope to see you and do please tell your friends and family.

Bonnes Fêtes

Clare, Mark, Libby, Fraser, Brigitte and all at Le Chai."

There's masses more to tell. When I remember. And when there's a moment. Why do phones always ring all at once? It is just so hectic.

BUSY

2011-11-18T15:45:00.000Z

Mid November is the busiest it ever gets here. It’s also the time I'm at my twitchiest. "Usually we strap Tony down around now", says Simon our Global CEO to Glenn our new UK CEO.

For forty years I have worried every year that Christmas won't happen. Christmas is just so important to us. If it didn't come it would be a disaster.

So as usual I've been crossing fingers, holding breath and pestering everyone for news. But I just heard what I so wanted to hear and now I'm almost back to normal, and can write again.

From Mark Capon:
"Just a wee update on this – yesterday was an absolutely AMAZING day for the Reading team. Outside of Bordeaux EP this was our biggest day ever – with sales of just over £141k.”

Christmas has certainly arrived, it would seem. Our previous best day was £115.6k – so we’ve shown a massive 22% lift in sales.

Certainly worth a sprig of holly, I thought … Mark, I will go cut down all my holly bushes and deck your halls! Thank you and your lovely lot SO much.

But mostly … CUSTOMERS I adore you!

This comes on top of email from buyer Becca Reeves:
"Fantastic news! Spier have been awarded South African Wine Producer of the Year by the IWSC! This is wonderful news for them and so well deserved and I’m thrilled that Tony, Tom and I will be visiting them when we go to South Africa in a couple of weeks’ time. We will come back with some lovely photography, so we can really make a feature of one of our top producers."

Followed up by one from buyer Helen McAvoy:
"Further to Becca’s note, I have looked in more detail at the IWSC winners from last night and found out that we have more to celebrate!

Trapiche were awarded the Argentinean Wine Producer of the Year award
Cono Sur were given the Chilean Wine Producer of the Year award
Lustau were given the Spanish Wine Producer of the Year award
Ridgeview were given the UK Wine Producer of the Year award"

Not a bad week, not bad at all!

We just had a Board Meeting. We had updates on all our campaigns. UK and abroad. Battles … we certainly have. Plenty. But we do seem to be winning a tough old war. More in next diary.

And Christmas begins ...

2011-11-11T15:16:00.000Z

Watching Barbara making Christmas Cake – giving it a stir and making my wish. Postman delivering the latest Laithwaites Wine missive. Hearing from Laithwaites MD Glenn in the Gloucester DC (Distribution Centre).

He says: "first day of Christmas (November catalogue) and I’m in Gloucester serving bucks fizz and mulled wine to the call centre team; the marketing team are on the phones taking orders; everyone is dressed up in some amazing outfits (occasionally I don’t know where to look!); the phones are buzzing; the orders are flowing in; the new Christmas cases are flowing off the packing lines; ........brilliant."

Getting excited tweets from sons. Tom: "if this day were to be my last I don't think I would mind." And Henry: "no tweet can explain how happy I am now." They’re in Rioja on a trip with 'TonTon' (Jean-Marc) who feels their wine experience needs broadening. Cannot help reminding them how SOOO boring they found wine trips when they were young!

And they've been at that notorious 'Poire' distillery in the Pyrenees. Affects the mind, that stuff.

Anne is just off to north-east Italy, having just returned from Argentina whilst collecting some amazingly rich new Portuguese reds on the way home.

The other buyers are similarly out and about – now's the post-harvest moment to get there first and grab the best.

Len 'the Professor' Sexton emails about the WSET wine exam results: "last year we had two entrants in the Top 30 (Cat Lomax taking away the top Scholarship).This year we also had two members of staff selected - Tim Bayley (one of the Bounders) and Arnaud Rubin (from the Swiss German Customer Service team). Both won a scholarship. No mean feat!"

And all credit to you, Len.

I like this time of year. Of course, normally I'd be running around everywhere like a mad thing myself. But actually, sitting in front of the fire tapping away on the machine isn't bad at all. It’s grey out there.

The geese are making a racket. They may as well have their fun … not long now!

Wine, Art and the Christmas Rush

2011-11-04T10:45:00.000Z

Went to the Affordable Art Fairs in Battersea Park and on Hampstead Heath. We had put up a Laithwaites wine bar in the centre … and had ensured it looked suitably arty. I saw Vic Reeves and Ricky Gervais drinking our wine.

Was very inspired by the show. Didn't actually buy anything. Instead, got inspired to go out and buy some paint and canvas. Results so far … no-one should hold breath. I'll stick with the wine writing job. But I think we'll try more wine/art events.

Apart that, it has been just meetings and writing. Everything here is ramping up for the Christmas thing. The office car park is double-parked throughout. The Bounders room is getting noisy. It’s that time of year.

About Tokay

2011-10-28T12:08:00.000+01:00

When the Iron Curtain came down, never mind anything else, the wine possibilities were very exciting. We'd been going to Bulgaria for many years (rather nervously). Though, pathetically, I never did get honey-trapped. But when the barbed wire and gun towers were removed, buying in the east became much more relaxed.

We arranged the first big tasting in Budapest and invited all Hungarian producers who fancied a crack at the British market. We flew half Laithwaites and STWC staff over plus and some customers/members. The event's importance was highlighted by Hugh when he spoke to the assembled winemakers about how Hungary could now work to reclaim her old place in the pre-war ‘Top Three Seriously Fine Wine Countries’: France, Germany, Hungary.

We all gawped at that but HJ knows his history – as his BBC TV series proved. He was talking about before the southern European countries had got into doing 'Fine' … ie posh estates, posh bottles, posh labels – vintages, laying-down, all that mularky. Commonplace, but all relatively recent concepts in Italy, Spain and Portugal … just don't tell them I said that … they don't like it mentioned.

After that first tasting we went off to visit various places and I remember HJ gawping and suggesting we pick up the odd castle or mansion + vines for derisory sums.

I thought he was joking. But no, he only went and bought some prime Tokay vineyards with his mate Peter Vinding-Diers. I thought they were mad. But "Ho! Ho!" said H, "Truly Mad; Mad is the name of the place we've bought into."

I left them to their Mad struggles. And struggles they had a-plenty. I just got the odd nice bottle for my Christmas pud. I'm not a great dessert wine man. I know it’s a very great wine, and H's lot are making it better all the time. I know it should be drunk kneeling but … I only do grand pudding occasions once or twice a year.

What I really did love was the dry wine they can now make with their just-slightly Botrytis-affected Furmint grapes. Now, that for me, is a wine to drink a lot of. And I do.

All this reflection has come about because I saw this great article about HJ's Hungarian Adventures in the Wall Street Journal. (We run their Wine Club). Anyway great article by Will Lyons.

An introduction to Diam

2011-10-27T10:09:00.002+01:00

At Le Chai I was introduced to Diam. Diam is a new cork we are using which – it is claimed – removes the risk of corked bottles.

This would be a wonderful thing. Only one thing upsets me – the Wine Merchant – more than an obviously corked bottle, and that is a not-so-obviously-corked bottle. And there are quite a few of those.

It seems to take a lifetime of sniffing at wines to be able to spot very faint cork taint. Most people don't identify it as cork taint. BUT THEY DON'T LIKE THE WINE. The cork has damaged it. Hence we merchants get accused of selling not very good wine when its the fault of the cork.

I am a vocal supporter of the cork industry. I have planted cork trees. And Laithwaites is the biggest cork-recycler in Britain. The cork industry has mounted an impressive PR campaign to 'save the cork oaks'. But not quite told the full story.

Cork oaks take forty years to mature and provide a crop. So … in 1971 were they planting vast acreages of new oak forest to cope with the exponential growth to come over the next 40 years in cork-bottled wine?

No. Well I never saw it. Sure they planted some. But what they were doing mostly was finding ways of using previously large percentage of discarded cork. This involved chemical treatment which has caused us all these problems.

Finally, it seems, a better way has been found. At a price.

Anyone finding a cork marked 'Diam' (small print) in one of our bottles might be forgiven thinking we were using cheaper corks. No; more expensive. They are real, quite good cork, but it has been minced up and put back together. However it flexes well, has no bad chemicals , provides a tight fit and easy pulling.

Our winemakers like them and so far … no problemo's.

Laithwaites London Show - part two: My Wine of the Show

2011-10-25T09:48:00.000+01:00

If you were to ask what was my Wine of the Show, you would be asking the same question everyone at the show asked me.

They got various answers. It took me all three sessions to get round every stand and wine … so depending where I was at, the answer varied. On Sunday, recovering at home, I reflected on this question in between working as garden slave in the herbaceous.

There are various approaches I could take like 'Most Magnificent' or 'Best Deal'. And I could just give my usual response: "my own wine, of course; Chateau La Clarière". But the interpretation I have used is: if, at the Show, I could only have one wine …

It would be …

The Domaine Pardon Vielles Vignes 2010, Fleurie AOC.

Now it may surprise many that I should pick a Beaujolais for that region is still suffering from being 'un-cool' due to having conned too many for too long with that old teeth-stripper, Beaujolais Nouveau.

It surprises me too, because in my early days I refused to stock the stuff at all. Every newcomer to my first Arch would come in with a cheery "got a nice Beaujolais, then" and be told "NO! I've got something much better". Amazing I survived in business at all, really.

But then, things change. The region fell flat on its face and is still living through hard times. Go see. Needs a lick of paint does Beauj. Only Japan does the Nouveau thing now. But true craftsmen like the Pardon Brothers kept at it with their steep little vineyards. They just got better. And they've been very lucky with weather.

It is of course, also a mood thing. Like the Prof used to tell us: "it’s not the wine that changes, it’s you!" Right now, I'm a bit exhausted by the bright colours and flavours of harvest time. I want a quiet time until the Christmas Thrash gets here. I really just feel like a bit of plain food and a lovely, classy, gentle Fleurie. Lovely.

In few weeks my mood will change and things will be different but for now it’s Wine 13 on the Show Programme; Pardon's Fleurie. Failing that I'll take the Morgon 'Côte de Py' or the Côte de Brouilly.

The customers yesterday voted for both the Prince Courthezon Châteauneuf du Pape and Côtes du Rhône, the Field of Stones Marlborough Sauvignon, Bill Calabria's 'Boxer' (worth the journey for him) and - bit of a wild card and you have to wonder … Abingdon Bridge Ale from Will!

Crazy show!

Laithwaites London Show - part one

2011-10-24T10:30:00.000+01:00

Woke up still dressed on Saturday. Not what you're thinking; wasn't the wine, not a lot … just the partying. Partied out. And doing it all again today. Twice!

How wonderful to be able to throw massive parties under the Arches of London Bridge. All your friends there, wine producing mates from Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and and … familiar, smiling faces in animated conversations with excited customers and so many bottles to see and try. Everyone seems to know everyone. We do know everyone! By the end of the evening we certainly know everyone.

Three great, high vaults – cathedrals of wine – including our own ever-more-spectacular Arch Emporium … which just gets more and more stunning. I asked Susan - who runs our shops - to give us the finest wine place in all London. And she has. Though not finished yet apparently!

Got roundly booed when I announced the end of the show; no-one wanted to stop.
So actually we didn't. Just went down the lane and carried on in the Wine Bar. We took it over entirely. All Laithwaites was there and all the growers. Trays of food. Keeps coming. It’s an even noisier party. No speeches, just tales of the just-finished harvest and the Christmas season taking off. I took off into the cobbled streets but found hotel unaided and just thought I'd lie down before getting ready for bed … hence Saturday morning.
Then off to go do it all again.

PS the customers picked as their favourite wines of the night Henry's Chateau Verniotte, (proud fathers, him and me) Trapiche's Single Vineyard Malbec (two pricey items) and what they were now calling 'Pink Stump'; the new 'Black Stump' Rosé. Well, it was a party!

The tasting table from the show, demonstrating just a few of the flavours and aromas to be found in wine

Mark and JMS working hard

2011-10-24T10:13:00.001+01:00

When I can't be in France I love reading Mark's messages from le chai about how hard a life he and JMS have. Try this...

Into the Gers

Another early start and a very misty morning drive into the Entre-Deux-Mers to be at the bottling of the second half of little Bordeaux Château Geneau. The mist is now here every morning as the cold nights set in and the warm Dordogne releases the mist like a smoke machine! This Geneau is really lovely drinking claret; just what affordable Bordeaux used to be like. It’s a wine we have nurtured from the beginning and I can truly recommend it.

Once all was good I left to meet JMS at Le Chai and we did a tasting run through the 2011’s in the Chai. Viognier coming real good now and standing out today, think we’ll make a pure one this year. Not much of it so keep an eye on my blog for further info!

Today we were going 3hours south of Bordeaux to the department of the Gers to meet up with our friend Lionel Osmin. We’re tasting the red vats and checking the grapes for the famous moelleux wines of Gascony that are still hanging on the vine!

We made our way down through the vineyards of Côtes du Marmadais, the pine forests of the Val de Garonne-Gascogne, through the rolling hills of Armagnac and finally our destination: Viella in the tiny Appellation of Madiran. We were in real deep country now where cows for beef, geese and ducks for foie gras and black pigs share the land with the vineyards. The Gers is renowned for its amazing cuisine and the produce here is just as spectacular as the landscape.

We met up with our friend Lionel Osmin who’s born and bred in Gascogny. After studying winemaking in Toulouse he decided to return to his home region to concentrate on making, promoting and selling these rare wines. If anyone knows anyone here then its Lionel!

The people here are hardened farmers and our first stop was at Monsieur Bortolussi’s magnificent Château Viella. We started with a grand tour of the vineyards of both the red Madiran appellation and the whites of Pacherenc du Bilh.

The king of the red grapes here is Tannat; a hardy grape with thick skins to protect it from the regular rainfall. Thick skins give an abundance of tannin requiring careful vinification techniques to avoid tannins leaching into the wine. Very different methods are used here in Madiran compared to Bordeaux, but when it’s done well the result is the darkest silkiest wine ever!

The Tannat has already been harvested but the tiny Petit Manseng white grapes still hang on the vine. This rare grape makes the semi sweet wines of appellation Pacherenc du Bilh.

The name of the game here is to keep the botrytis at bay and the thick skinned tiny berries are perfectly adapted to do so as they hang in loose bunches allowing aeration around every berry. Biting into one of the berries is quite an experience as you chew through the skin the front of the tongue is hit first by an incredible sweetness followed by the most searing acidity! These wines can age for a very long time and if you can get a bottle try it, a marvellous wine!

We finally made it to the château high on the hill and entered into the barrel store at the bottom of the huge house. The barrels sit in the great kitchen that once served the entire household. As you stand there you can imagine a once-bustling kitchen of cooks, fires and servants rushing about. However, it’s very calm in here now!

The barrels tasted and satisfied with the grapes, we headed back north to see the Truau family in the heart of Armagnac. This family farm everything there is to farm here and grapes are no exception. They don’t bottle a single drop but with winemaking help they make some very fine dry and sweet wines, very aromatic Colombard being their strength. Or so we thought …

After talking, we learnt that they also distil traditional grapes of Bacho and Ugni Blanc to make their own Armagnac! We couldn’t resist asking to have a taste and a big old door was drawn aside revealing an old underground cellar full of barrels of Armagnac going back 20 years. As we entered the cellar we were nearly knocked off our feet by bats flying around in there!

The son drew some 1993 55% vol pure Bacho from a barrel and its golden colour and almond aroma was absolutely superb. Tasting Armagnac amongst flying bats was certainly a first for me!

A long day was rewarded by Lionel (and his knowledge of the people and the region) with a meal at the reputed Bernard Daubin restaurant in the tiny village of Montreal de Gers. It opened exclusively for us by the highly rated and well known French chef Bernard Daubin himself … and what an experience it was to be!

Bernard is big jolly man and his exquisite food is known throughout France. And here we were: JMS, Lionel, Damien and I sitting at Bernard’s comptoir (bar) with just Bernard and his wife Veronique about to cook for us. Although there’s an extensive cellar, there is actually no wine list or menu; you will eat and drink what you’re given. Therefore it is no place for the unadventurous, vegetarians or the diet obsessed! And so for the next 4 hours we sat in front of a mad genius chef trying to kill us with foie gras! The menu and wine matching went like this:

Oysters from Brittany / Mas Julien 2009
Fois Gras maison /
Tartare de Canard / Rive droite, rive gauche 2007 Cotes du Rhone
Red Mullet, caviar, aioli and jus / Gallinette 2010 Cotes du Rhone (cold)
Tete de veau avec homard / Le Compte a Rebours Cahors 2008
Fois gras frais avec feves / Domaine la Colombelle Lledonar Pelut 2006
Carcasse de Canard / Le Ruminant des Vigne Gros Manseng 2007
Fromage Brebis / les Pissenlit Dominique Andiran
Croustille Aux Pommes / Larressingle 21 ans Armagnac
Deutz et Drappier Champagne

I am extremely fortunate to have been there and a grand merci to Lionel, Bernard and Veronique, quell experience!!

Please visit this restaurant if you are in the area it is truly an incredible experience!

Then off to London for the Laithwaites show at the Arch in Borough Market

Which of our lists will run like Emma?

2011-10-20T14:26:00.000+01:00

Yesterday morning, 8.30, a bunch of us welcomed Emma to work. This wispy young mum was just finishing her 100 mile run. Spread over 5 days, she did 20 miles each morning before work to raise money for The Prince’s Trust. After the cheering I noticed she went straight to her desk and started tapping at her computer. I can’t keep up with this … and she is, effectively, my Boss. I do most of my writing for her. Groan. Can’t really slack, can I?

Then several of us, Emma included, went down to Gloucester to present the latest list/catalogue to all those who will be handling all the calls. Uniquely this month there are two versions; the usual and a different one done just by me. You'll know if you get my version; there are four blokes on the cover looking a bit dour. And inside there is a list in the style we used to do back in the Eighties … lots more words and info … be interesting to see which the customers prefer.

The evening was spent as guests of Hugh and Judy at an event to raise money to plant more trees in Britain. I always thought we had plenty but seemingly not. Entertained by Clive Anderson, Sandi Toksvig, some writers keen on trees and the bloke who plays Trigger.

I lost my Blackberry. Had heart failure but it was found eventually this morning

Need to lie down and recover now. Tony

Wyfold Harvest Two ... Chardonnay

2011-10-19T12:21:00.001+01:00

On a cold Sunday morn,
We start before dawn,
Us volunteer pickers,
Go at a lick, 'cos,
Barbara’s vines must be shorn.

So that FINALLY is that. The last grape of 2011 is in. Barbara and Cherry worried themselves half to death but all went tickety-boo. Nice mostly sunny, above all, dry day.

More volunteers than ever before. Sixty! Even with NZ-Aus on telly.

Semi-organised (you can't whip volunteers, we find) but enthusiasm overcomes all. Lots more grapes than ever, but the weight about the same as last year (two 3-ton truckfuls). Would've been an amazing crop if we had had a good, hot Summer – but … there y'go. It’s still very acceptable.

Immaculately clean fruit. Even if it could've been riper. But, luckily, sparkling wine doesn't need ripe grapes. Doesn't want them, in truth. The flavours that make Champagne what it is, come from the cellar process rather than vineyard work. Same here.

So the girls have high hopes for this vintage.

By noon, all done. Pile in for soup-hot sausages-chicken-ham-cheese-apple pie-and-lots-a-wine. Bit of a party. Lee and Helen take the trucks off to Uncle Mike at Southridge. Some of us then go for the Sunday afternoon nap we've been missing these last hectic weeks.

Au revoir, Castillon

2011-10-18T09:53:00.000+01:00

Last French morning for me. (Leaving Ste Colombe for UK. Harvest here is over.) Clear sky again. Full moon that was in east over church last night lit the bedroom all night, now in west over St Emilion. Still pursued by little Jupiter.

First hint of grey, first chirrup, first cough and I must struggle out for the bread. Near collision by church. Wake up PROPERLY call. Drive down to the big valley still blanketed in white. To the bakery. So warm and … bread-y. Tired baker. Big black old stove cooling noisily.

Vast truck cuts me up. Says 'CHINA LINE' … that's today's wine world for you. Who's wine is he going to fetch?

Back at house pick up a faggot of vine cuttings from shed to revive the big fire in kitchen. Set table. Coffee on. Brew Tea. Across yard Tom pumping over the Presbytere vats. In the dark. Not happy. I have promised next year they can have electric light in the old place. The candle idea was romance gone too far. The young come down, grab croissants coffee and all hurtle off; Henry is already inside his big tank at Verniotte, down the road, shovelling marc and yelling for help.

Kaye comes up with baby Eleanor who now beams when she sees her Grandad … basically I'm now entrapped, aren't I? Besotted. Smile like that … never be able to deny this child anything.

Alfiedog comes also. Bouncing off the walls … adores the freedom here. When he gets back to England he'll be confined to the garden. Here … no walls or fences and loads of other dogs to wind up!

Hugh, Judy and I breakfast more sedately … discuss trying to get Decanter to do an article on Castillon region. Maybe starring our little dynamo Anne Marie Galinaud and her Comptoir 'Resto-Caveau' which has lit up this district so! What was a derelict barn is now the heaving social centre of a large chunk of the Right Bank. People come from all over the world. Yesterday there was a big table of bankers in for lunch with Alain Vauthier of Ausone. Wine world needs more Anne-Maries.

H and J drive away narrowly missing Henry on tractor towing wine press cage of marc. That boy never happier than on a tractor. Has decided he's too old to operate his little manual press anymore so he carts his lees up to LaClariere to press there. Hydraulically.

Pack, tidy a bit, say goodbyes, Majid takes me to Bergerac. Sun still hot. Not expecting same in UK. Goodbye, Douce Aquitaine. Another vintage is over.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-10-17T16:53:00.000+01:00

The Week That Was ... Rather Busy!

There have been busy weeks and there has been last week! Not only were the last of the reds being harvested in Bordeaux, but the first reds in the Midi were being pressed off. That meant a couple of dashes down and back to the Midi to start the week off, setting the pace that would continue for the next seven days.

The desired malo-lactic fermentation (MLF) was kicking off in the Chai, too and all but one wine had finished the alcoholic fermentation; a crucial time for the wines where careful monitoring is required. The last ferment, the dry botrytis project is now fully underway and Tony Laithwaite was in the Chai regularly to taste his idea and check how it was progressing.

The dry botrytis wine, now dubbed the ‘DB’ by the Chai winemakers, is something very experimental. It’s a blend of two very different styles of the Sémillon grape. The first is an early harvested Bordeaux Sémillon to make a crisp dry wine and the second is a Botrytis Sémillon from Loupiac to make a sweet desert style. The objective is to have a dry wine but with the marmalade aromas and taste of the botrytis, simple eh?

No.

The first problem is that the two styles must be blended and fermented together as the sweet juice of the Loupiac alone will never ferment dry and therefore be too sweet to blend later on. The second is that these styles are harvested four weeks apart from each other!

So how do we do it? Luckily at the Chai we have wonderful modern equipment and our cooling system is one of the best. It allowed us to pick the first Sémillon at the very beginning of September and hold it at 4°C to avoid a wild fermentation for three weeks until the harvest in Loupiac was ready to start. The juices were then blended at Le Chai and we raised the temperature kicking off the fermentation! It’s very exciting and so far so very good!

Everyone was in town too, the Laithwaite clan and friends for the harvest along with a stream of various important visitors. First to visit the Chai and taste our wines was winemaking legend Dr Tony Jordon (responsible for wines at Moet-Chandon, Cloudy Bay and many more) followed by wine legend Hugh Johnson … no pressure there then!! The tastings went well and the wines were given the thumbs by Tony and Hugh!

We had a lovely end-of-harvest meal cooked once again by Bernadette at Chateau La Clarière-Laithwaite … special guests included Hugh Johnson and Edouard Mouiex. The chicken stuffed with cepes was excellent along with the 2005 and 2009 Chateau La Clariere.

The outbounders were also busy at Le Chai and it was the group’s turn to do a wine blending with the winemaker in our lab and tasting room. It’s hard work and a great deal of concentration is required but great fun … and they get to see just how difficult it is to blend wine.

On the Saturday I gave a mixed staff group from the UK and USA a full Chai tour and they were lucky to be the first to taste some of the now-dry wines. We had a lovely meal up at Le Comptoir and tasted Henry’s 2008 La Verniotte.

Next up for a visit was our team of global directors including Simon, Andrew, Glenn, Adrian, Rachel, Mike, Justin, Gary, Jay, Alex, Tanya, Lyn and Steve who were here at the Chai for a winemaking weekend organised by JMS, James and I. Everyone got stuck into some hard cellar work and learnt some important wine making techniques. In the evening Libby and Clare organised a wonderful meal in the Grand Chai cellar and JMS cooked some of the biggest steaks ever seen on the BBQ. Thank you and well done everyone.

We have also been very busy bottling some of our little treasures of Bordeaux 2010 Chateaux, including Chateau Grand Billard from Monsegur, Chateau Geneau from Blaye and Chateau Le Coin from Rauzan!

So apart from a hell of a lot of winemaking it feels like there has also been a hell lot of eating!

JMS and I are off to the South West regions tomorrow to visit Cahors, Madiran, Gascogne and Fronton to re-check the wines we make with Lionel Osman. Will it slow down?

A bientot!

Hugh Johnson at La Clarière ... with his collection

2011-10-17T13:21:00.001+01:00

Breakfasted, we walked down in the sun to Verniotte where they were emptying the first small vat. Containing wine of Henry's 'vigne' that sits right on top of the ridge, and did the best of all his plots this year. This tank - first to finish - is at 14.5%! Smells almost brandy-ish at this stage. Young Scott was swaying about a bit when he came out.

Then put Hugh and Judy in the car and take them into town - the pretty way, of course, along the river. Dazzling reflected low sun.

Get Hugh to do a Presidential visit. Meeting everyone upstairs and down. Long chat with the 'Bounders' on the phones to their customers.

Mark had opened the big doors wide for a tasting bathed in light. We tried all our Castillons from separate properties - about half the price of those we tried yesterday. Is what Le Chai is for. Then we went though almost everything else. Which is a lot, just now.

Up to Le Comptoir for a lunch, outside. Then more wandering about with map in hand for Hugh. It’s what he does. Likes to get a feel for landscape.

Barbara had to catch a plane home to prepare for our final bit of harvesting; her Oxfordshire Chardonnay at the weekend. She has 52 volunteers despite the rugby. Just praying weather holds. The remaining nine sat down to supper with three Verniotte vintages. Of course I think my boy makes the best Castillon of all.

Then we opened the box of 'Hugh Johnson Collection' that had been delivered specially. Looks nice, tastes better. Comes in a carton like a large briefcase with the six bottles cushioned carefully against shock.

Hugh selects these wines (3x2) with Justin MW and Abi. He looks for really special bottles. In this case a big Sancerre from Alphonse Mellot, the Chateauneuf that won this year's Wine Challenge Trophy … NB AFTER Hugh picked it, and a so-gentle 2001 St Emilion; Tertre Daugay. Wonderful stuff. HJ will be picking a case like this every 3 months. Limited Edition (very).

You want the benefit of a long lifetime travelling, tasting, writing? Hugh doesn't like to reduce wines to a numeric score. Too simplistic. He likes to write words. And what words! No-one ever did it better. But that is a hell of a lotta words.

Never mind the Wine Atlas and other big books, his Pocket Book is now in its 35th year, has up to the minute information on 6000 wines - completely revised every year. It’s written in his own-invented shorthand that pre-dated Tweets and Twitter by three decades, and is just dense, dense data. Notwithstanding, it has now sold over 11 million copies. Boggles your mind!

Far simpler, now, to sign up for his little selections; £150 for six bottles - not for everyone - but it is amazing what good deals wine-growers will offer just to get in Hugh's box … so it’s certainly good value. He really does choose them himself; they reflect the man himself.

Get the case and try for yourself.

Operation Castillon

2011-10-14T14:02:00.003+01:00

Today we are going to show Hugh the real Castillon. So maybe he'll add a new page to the next Wine Atlas! An initiative by Justin Howard-Sneyd MW our Wine Director and Clare Tooley who runs our Chai here.

I have spent the best part of my life fighting the battle of Castillon. Not the old 1453 one against the English but the modern one started in 1922 when Castillon was unfairly chopped out of the new St Emilion AOC by the sort of committee that now decides where World Cups get played.

That dodgy lot swapped our noble limestone hills (same as the hills of St Emilion) for a swathe of cattle pasture on the wet floodplain of the Dordogne. Unjust! We was robbed!

So, next day, with the J's and Clare, first do a circumnavigation of the district. Show the site of the ancient Battle of Castillon – a sad English defeat, plus the site where they re-play the battle every summer – and as many medieval châteaux and fortresses as I can fit in an hour. (More castles per square mile here than anywhere on earth).

To Silvio's Chateau Faugeres (our next door neighbour). He just had to build a new winery because the boundary between Castillon and St Emilion runs slap through the middle of his château. So he has a Castillon winery on one side and a St Emilion winery on the other. Both by famous architects. Clean, efficient, new … like Silvio.

I love his Castillons more than his St Emilions but might be biased.

Super lunch by new local Flying Chef. Jean-Baptiste Depons (nb. we should use him). Fine service meal; attractive menu with print of Chateau from original painting done with the Chateau wine.

Their white wine is DELICIOUS, Sémillon with a Sauvignon Gris component which they prize highly. Grown on the top of their hill. St Emilion white! Of course, it can only be labelled 'Bordeaux'.

Then to Château d'Aiguille to meet Count Stefan de Niepperg and Patrick, the winemaker. Do so admire what has been done here. Probably the most successful château in Castillon. Now 60 hectares – BIG! – but delicious and selling well all around the world. Used to be the château of the Counts of Castillon but burnt down, now a picturesque ruin.

As we drive out of the woods, in the water meadows below the castle, a shepherd is driving his flock of sheep and goats across the lane. What century are we in?

The vast place has plenty serviceable outbuildings plus the modern, circular winery. German-Swiss efficiency does a great job here. Gentle, gentle, gentle. Pigeage, no crushing, full berry fermentation. Even after punching process berries are unbroken and seeds remain within. Inspired by Burgundian delicate Pinot Noir handling. Very gentle.

Production: 60% first wine, 35% of second wine (Seigneurs d’Aiguilhe) – 150,000 to 180,000 bottles – 60ha, but not all in production

Clare’s tasting notes:

‘10 – deep dark colour, full violet scented, big bodied but v strongly structured - for the long term (Nb very late malolactic, not completely finished, same as at La Clarière - don't worry, Henry !!)

‘09 – just bottled, lovely sweetness to this, really crystal clear fruit, v great wine, lovely freshness

‘08 – less profound but playful fruit, stoney palate, tighter

‘05 – dark honey and treacle, spice on this gingerbread and jam, structured, a baby still

‘01 – lovely fresh smooth drinking now, really more-ish drink

Patrick, Stefan and Hugh at Aguille

Then on to Stéphane Derenoncourt at Domaine de l'A. This is right next door to us at La Clarière. A tired Stéphane had just got back from California and was due to fly out again the next day. Tough game, winemaking on different continents.

Has a neat little Burgundian-style cellar he built himself. It was in full swing, pressing. He took us off for another very impressive tasting. During which he did tell Hugh that the reason he – maybe the most celebrated wine consultant today – decided to set up here (rather than somewhere like Fronsac which he knew better) was partly due to tasting our La Clarière wines and seeing what we were doing here. He's an old friend of our Jean-Marc.

Count Stefan had said something similar.

So it was all worth it!

Back in the Eighties, no one in our district could contemplate making the investments in vineyards and chai that would lift their winemaking to St Emilion standards. Castillon wine sold for peanuts. Pay peanuts; get plonk, as we could say.

Then in 1980, monsieur Cassin and I started thinking we could maybe get our trusting customers to pay a more realistic price if we made a better wine. So we replanted with good vines, built a new cellar of stainless steel and fine oak barrels. We started to sort our harvest, throwing away poor quality grapes. (Neighbours convinced we were mad).

But the customers; our lovely Confrères loved it. So we kept modernising/improving. And people like Stéphane and Stefan noticed!!! Now there's a group of us. We WILL get Castillon the Recognition it deserves.

Stefan believes you always need a few characters to push an appellation. ‘Make the music’ and others will follow … we are making our music.

Hugh Johnson has heard it and likes it. We need to get more writers over here.

That's the next move.

The Bordeaux Commute

2011-10-13T17:39:00.002+01:00

Been a bit out of contact. Blackberry's playing up so may have lost a diary entry. And have been SO busy.

I left you last Friday night. Saturday I had the visiting Staff group over to La Clarière and, as usual, bored them with the ancient history of my arrival in the village in '65 and how it went from there. I saw eyes closing but that could have been hangovers.

Took them for a nice lunch at Le Comptoir. Then caught late plane home to UK. Quiet Oxfordshire Sunday, wife, dogs, walks. Monday: meetings, then inspiring lunch with CEO Simon in country pub (reputed to be haunt of the Middletons of Stanford Dingley ). Very good food. Just can't remember the name. Big tasting in afternoon (which tends to wipe the memory)!

Following morning B and I take the Southampton Bergerac flight back here. Hugh and Judy Johnson coming to stay.

'Un staff' in Bordeaux

2011-10-12T09:43:00.001+01:00

We had 'un staff' over Friday. People from Gloucester DC mostly, plus some from Theale and several over from Connecticut. Now THAT is dedication: flying from the US for just two days in Bordeaux, then back. Those will be tired people by now!

Nobody sleeps much on 'un staff' you see … Just 36 hours in Bordeaux, Médoc, St Emilion, Castillon, lots of wines to try... what's the point of sleeping?

Anne who leads these (they were her idea) took them first to visit Labegorce in Margaux. It’s right next door to/contiguous with Château Margaux but got left out over some wrangle when they were dishing out Classifications: a real Laithwaite-type producer. Then Rauzan-Segla with John Kolasa; a Brit who first came to Bordeaux – St Emilion – the same year I did. Our paths didn't cross till much later. He stayed fulltime. Ran Latour at one point.

Tom and I were to join the group but we got a visit from Tony Jordan instead. The Doc was staying at Cheval Blanc (for whom he is working on something exciting in China), so he and Michelle popped over. He'd had a look at our UK vineyards; Windsor, Marlow, Wyfold earlier in the week. Gave us a good mark – not something The Doc gives lightly.

Anyway, we showed them around La Clarière, Le Presbytere and Verniotte, plus a new vineyard we are buying just down the road. Then a visit to Le Chai where they ran into James; winemaker of Hunters of Marlborough who is working his second vintage with us. Tony is consultant to Hunters so they know each other well.

They joined in Bernadette's last Harvest Lunch (steak Bordeaux style with shallots and cooked over vine embers... Oh! OH!) … and then flew off. (Tony is the original Flying Winemaker and still lives the role). He wants me to go to these remote Chinese mountains with him, says I'll be amazed.

So that evening I finally caught up with Le Staff at L'Envers du Décor in St Emilion for a noisy evening. We took over the place except for one table and that was our NZ flyer at Le Chai James and his grandparents visiting from Italy where they now live. I apologised for the racket but doubt they heard.

A reply from England

2011-10-07T10:42:00.000+01:00

Hello Tony,

7:30, no bread run, but a Martin Campion run for me.

Got to Wyfold, Barbara and Cherry just in time, so by 8. Did not want to get told off by the boss. The kettle was on, coffee, home-made choc biscuits and flapjacks were a great welcome.

Instructions and training clear, so with lovely gloves on, we commenced. Good fun, mixed rows, mixed crops.

Barbara keeping an eye on the weighing scales to make sure all well.

Had to leave for NAH and back to fun at the desk.

Hope grape juice good and all goes well.

Kind regards,

Arnold Meenderink, Wine Supply

La Clarière

2011-10-06T14:42:00.000+01:00

8.00am. Dawn bread run, road up on high ridge is clear, cold, vines going golden. Huge red sun half over horizon, but valleys filled with mist. Harvesters not looking happy, coughing, flapping arms to get warm. They don't have warm clothes! Why? We are picking La Clariere Cab Franc this morning. Cab Sauv this PM.

Nearly run down little Maitena (Flying Winemaker) come up from Midi to taste what the grapes she harvested for us have turned into at Le Chai.

Breakfast to sound of Tom and Scott doing Presbytere morning pump overs. Barely awake. (It was a good evening). Me then writing stuff for my Boss Emma. Send message to wife back home; today she's picking Pinots at Wyfold. No response of course. It'll be mayhem.

Go down to Chai. River is full of boats, men fishing. Warm water + cold air = more fish, apparently. Mark and James give me my first taste through their 2011 whites. Mostly finished ferment.

Highlights
From St Radegonde:
Tank 1 Sauvignon Blanc (Laithwaite) done with J-MS’ traditional yeast
Tank 2 Sauvignon Blanc done with James' NZ yeast. Worlds apart. Blending the two will give complexity.
Barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc … richer, longer … rather more expensive, though!
Sauvignon Gris … big tank. Glad of that. Is a cracker.
Dry Bordeaux White with Botrytis Sémillon. My little mad idea for this year. Not dry yet but the 'Marmalade' flavour is there and Mark is happy.
Viognier from Limoux. The one in cask is nice. Tank stuff WILL be fine … but not at the moment it isn’t. Not worried because Mark is very happy with.
Carignan Blanc. Every year now, I ask Mark to do a rare new grape. This one looks very promising. Using a trial yeast no-one else has. Characterful.
Hyper-oxidated Chardonnay. It’s a little trick they use to make a very different wine that blends in for complexity. But it doesn't taste oxidised or "à la Espiet" as they say. Sarcastically. (We've had wine makers in that cellar since '86 … doing cracking stuff. But the cellar's own wines have not changed a jot. Very Traditional. Very yellow.)

All meet up at La Clarière for a lunch of Morue (cod). Cod and potato soup, salad, then cod 'Brandade'. So for first time ever we just serve whites at table. Ste. Colombe natives are incensed. Maitena's own Xacoli from the hanging vineyards of San Sebastian coastline is a first. Blasts the mouth clean. Not so much a taste as a sensation. Love it. By contrast the last-week-bottled La Voute is a cream dream. And last year's Baron's Roussanne!!! Makes you weep. If we've any left, grab it. Because none was made this year. Grapes rained into pulp. Sweet little Maitena was supposed to harvest it but said "Grapes were "sh**". Her English is improving. Baron probably still apoplectic.

Just writing this after lunch. Nothing to do. Emails have stopped. Has world ended now Steve (the hero) has gone?

Hello England. Knock-knock. I know you are busy. But send me some work. Eh?

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-10-05T14:21:00.000+01:00

Un Vent de Folie!

It's been the most superb weather here in Bordeaux for the last 10 days … a huge turn around from what was almost a disastrous vintage. 30-degree heat and cool, dry nights have enabled the reds to reach optimum ripeness and concentration. Those growers who played the risk game by waiting can now look forward to making some superb wines!

With another week of sun and heat forecast we will be taking in the Cabernets at the end of the week. That means I can make another dash down to the Midi to do the rounds with Maitena checking all the ferments

I have just spent the day helping Jean-Charles making our ‘Un Vent de Folie’ in his very small garage winery. We are both tall guys and in his tiny garage cellar it was like playing twister but we know each other well-enough over the last ten years to be comfortable working together!

It’s a dream team of top grower and a good winemaker; both with the passion for Grenache and the Maury terroir.

It’s hard, very hard, but with sheer graft and determination it gets better and better and better. We are so proud to have made this wine and I only wish his Great-Grandparents could have tasted it

JC’s wife Celine who was full time in the vineyard unfortunately couldn't be there to enjoy quality time with her family and me as she was back at work. However she had prepared our lunch last night when she got home from working at the supermarket in Perpignan.

Granddad (Papy) and Grandma (Mamy) were there though and arrived to enjoy a well-deserved break after they had been in the vineyard clearing up after harvest. Once again over lunch I learned even more about wine, the family and the region, and of course Grandma insisted on washing up! Papy was telling the stories and asking when Tony would return so he could redo the snail BBQ in his tool shed that he so fondly remembers!

Such a great family and you can’t get any closer to true wine growers. And we (Laithwaites) help, so important.

It all started 10 years ago when I was randomly placed as a ‘flying winemaker’ working at the cooperative in Maury. Amongst the mayhem of harvest, I spotted a trailer full of the best Grenache I had ever tasted and at the wheel was a young grower Jean-Charles ‘JC’ Duran. We hit it off straight away with our passion for the local terroir and the determination to make the best red wine from the local varietals.

After meeting a couple of times in the cooperative tractor car park he decided to take me out to his family’s remote vineyards planted in a 'soil' of scrunched up slate. But the yields were tiny and he was worried that, like many small farmers, he'd have to abandon growing.

We became mates and over beers one night in the La Placette village café we made a plan. He would go independent and convert the garage below his house into a basic two-tank winery. I would make his wine there, give it some barrel ageing elsewhere … and now ‘elsewhere’ is proudly in Le Chai Au Quai.

Now every year I haul his young wine up to Le Chai au Quai where I look after it like it was my own child. Here I give it careful ageing in new French oak barrels and the best bottling conditions which this wine would have never seen!

Ten years on our collaboration and careful work in the vineyard and in his garage winery has resulted in the ultimate grower/winemaker partnership wine ‘Un Vent de Folie’. I think together we now make a wine well worthy of his magnificent ancient vines. Try one; you won’t be disappointed.

Verniotte is done

2011-10-04T17:09:00.001+01:00

Last '11 grapes picked this morning for Verniotte, in a dense mist which did not lift until we had finished. That's more normal vintage weather than the baking sun we've had lately.

Henry getting a lot of fraternal abuse; that 'Golden Son' piece in the new Catalogue. Wasn't me who wrote that. Bound to cause trouble.

Did a trailer load of his Cab Franc from the Hill of Doom (which is actually a pretty place with commanding views – except this morning). We were able to sort this fruit before lunch despite a few mechanical failures. Sometimes I wish we were back to the old wooden sorting table and arm muscle. Less to go wrong and you worked off more of the excessive food …

Which today was veg soup, superb tomato salad, and a 'Boeuf La Clariere' that had the whole table passionately embracing Bernadette and asking if she'd come to England and cook the same. No chance, she's never left the village since she came from St Emilion to get married to old Guy. Likes it here.

No tanks have actually finished fermenting so it’s hard to judge the wine. Looks all right though. Very dark.

Still have some Cab Sauv to pick for LaClariere. Not sure when that will be. Hopefully when it’s ripe. Which means the weather has to stay good.

So … a few days enforced idleness. I say that ironically. No end of stuff to write, to mend and prams to push around.

Nearly done with the harvest

2011-10-03T09:31:00.000+01:00

First sight of the 2011 Presbytere as Henry and Scott do the 'early morning' pumpovers - a bit late today on account of the rugby and last night's party.

But there it is. You see our best wine in all its newborn glory. Frothing pink like a strawberry milkshake. Half wine/half grape juice. It is just delicious at this stage though if you drink too much it carries on fermenting inside you with dire effects.

Last night we enjoyed 'Smartley's Bar' with truly amazing cocktails, then a Celebrity Wine Tasting competition which of course I won as I had Sam Neal's NZ Pinot Noir. It trounced Sir Cliff and AC/DC, plus all the usual golfers and Formula One drivers. Ken Hom came last. Luckily the requirement we all dress up as our Celebs was cancelled. By and large, Celebs should not bother with wine making, was the general view.

Dancing went on very late. Only one in the fountain. The usual one.

Vintage 2011 is virtually over. So this morning as I collected our regular massive bread and croissants order I had to say it was the last. Most of our harvesters are off on the early plane.

Just a small field of Cabernet Franc remains but there is no rush as the weather is just lovely. So we and our grapes will grab a few last rays of sun while we still can.

Saint-Emilion

2011-09-28T15:31:00.000+01:00

Laithwaites Main Board on the Verniotte sorting table
... with 2011
... all hands to the sort!

Picking Presbytère

2011-09-27T11:19:00.000+01:00

We make so little Presbytère (our top wine) that we do vintage in a day. Henry is in charge … luckily, this year. (After yesterday when he managed to gash himself on the machinery and I had to cart him off to hospital. With my mad family I know that Robert Boulin A&E very well! He got patched up well. But took quite a few hours. Being a Sunday we'd prepared a big late lunch/early dinner cooked in the village's old wood fired oven; what a meal to miss!) Anyway today. The pickers set off at 8. Barbara and I, sister Helen, friends John and Lindsay, Kaye's family, Scott and Shane were the International Sorters.

We started at nine when the first fruit arrived. I didn't get picked as a picker or sorter. Got the solo job of shover. Stand by the vat encouraging the grapes down the chute with something like a croupier's rake. But bigger. That's all I did all day. Just me and the grapes. All the others out in the sun, laughing and carrying on harvest-style . Me, alone in the dark, talking to grapes.

But not too bad. Very sunny. It got hot out there. I was cool inside.

Then there was lunch. Bernadette did lentil soup, grated carrot/cucumber, lasagne, cheese, tarte au pommes, and we opened a Presbytère 2007 - which is lovely, the nicest '07 I've tried and the vintage to be drinking now. Also a sample of the 2009, just bottled. Biggie. Need to wait for that one.

Then communal supper. Lovely sausage and veg dish by Kaye. These simple, stress-free meals with loads of folk around a big table and wine, water, then coffee in the same tumblers. They are the best meals all year. The nicest meals aren't about food so much as friends. And wine.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-09-26T16:29:00.000+01:00

Back To The Midi

It was an absolute scorcher down in the Midi and a very different world to the fresh, misty mornings of Bordeaux! Maitena and I set off early into the warm sunshine heading the back way from Narbonne through the Corbières and into Fitou. This old road brings back many fond memories. It was here, in the small village of Albas way back in 1998, I arrived fresh faced for my first French harvest and fell in love with the Midi. I remember sitting on the banks of the river Berre, fishing, waiting for the harvest to begin; a little different to today!

Fitou is where we find our old-vine Carignan. Rare, old vines give deep, rich colour and flavour with the silkiest of tannins not found on the young Carignan from the plains. We carried on up and over the Corbières and down into the stunning l’Agly valley and to my second home of Maury.

The valley was very busy in its usual harvest chaos and I was just in time to see the first XV du President grapes arrive at the winery. The fruit is quite stunning this year with perfect ripeness in the Grenache. The harvest was coming in thick and fast all morning and by midday we had 8 vats ready for Maitena to add yeast to tonight.

The afternoon was spent with Jean-Charles harvesting the Vent de Folie vineyards. The old vine Grenache vineyard is simply ridiculous; steep, hot and half a mile from the road! I hadn’t quite found my Maury feet and nearly came a cropper sliding down the slate soil but holding the precious crate of Grenache grapes safely with dropping any! When you finally get the grapes to the van its is so satisfying, each tiny 10kg box holding about 10 vines’ worth of grapes, carefully stacked ready for the winery!

Jean-Charles and his wife Celine do an amazing job and to see their grapes fermented in their garage they are overwhelmingly proud. Vivre JC: the best Grenache grower I know of! Is there a grower’s competition we can enter him into?

Greetings from blazing Bordeaux

2011-09-26T12:36:00.000+01:00

It is hot here, it's six PM and the sun is blazing out of a clear blue sky; has done since dawn and all week. And the forecast is for days more of same. I say this not to make anyone in Britain jealous but because there's a lot of writing-off of this Bordeaux vintage going on.

Brothers and sisters of the wine-writing profession: do us a favour. You may well be p'ed off that the handful of Great Chateaux (the ones whose names people can remember) pushed their prices so high last year as to be a bit insulting. You may well wish to clobber some big egos around here. Fine.

But don't forget that most (overwhelmingly most) of us Bordeaux chateaux (those with names few remember) do not jack up our prices whenever we feel like it. We have wine to sell every year and if some of our lot don't sell they'll go bust.

Please don't make it hard for them.

This is not a 'write-off' vintage. The grapes are bloody ripe. They've been on the vine a week longer than usual. They are not swollen by rain. It doesn't work like that. Rain can advance ripening. They are not rotten. Because we have the 'atomiseur' kit these days to prevent that. True, we have to sort grapes carefully, but we have the kit for that, too. And we are prepared to stand for hours removing unripe berries. What goes in the tanks is all good. This is a vintage for the best farmer-winemakers to be able to show their skill.

We will slave and we will make lovely wines.

Love from sunny Bordeaux.

Harvesting

2011-09-23T10:48:00.001+01:00

Things some people will do to get out of grape picking!

Like having a baby.*

"You work any slower, Dad, you'll be picking next year's" says Caring Son. Laughter in the vines.

Harvesting is no holiday. Up in the dark. Quick coffee, croissant. Start as sun comes over the hill. Damp and cold. The parcelle of vines behind Jean-Pierre's sister's place. She's out feeding her hens. As always. Our Alfie and her dog exchange insults.

Deep breath and in we go. I was thinking that maybe I am Britain's oldest grape-picker. Should I contact Guiness Book of Records? My first vintage was 1965 so am approaching my half century.

I have technique. Despite all my yoga the back hurts after five minutes. So I start the routine. Some I bend; some I kneel; some I squat; some I sit. Vary it and the pain is spread all over. Better. True, my sons go faster but they spew grapes all over. I catch every 'grain'.

I do not approve of Multitasking. In this Blackberry age there I am, snipping away and still getting "Tony, should we put in a comma here?" Switch it off.

All these years we've always stopped at noon. Used to be a siren went off down in Castillon. The entire valley stopped at noon. And ate. This year my son and wife have decided we do an extra 20 mins! I knew it was a mistake introducing them to my world.

Finally up to La Clariere and it’s my favourite soup: a 'Touran Blanchi' sort of garlic soup with noodles and egg. Bottles of damaged-stock 2003 and that liquid garlic. Wonderful reviver. Hors d'oeuvres sort of stuffed chickory. Roast pork. Wine in tumblers. Cheese plate. Gateau d'ananas. Coffee in same tumblers.

This, I think is living. For this, me, I'd turn down three Michelin stars. Without slightest hesitation. The people, place, time … and the aching body (so I deserve this … I have earned it.) And the memories! Oh the memories in this place. All my harvesting has been here. All my lunches have been either here in this barn or across the road in Madame Cassin's old Barn. And always – both places – Bernadette has been cooking. Cooking and scolding. No sign of flagging. That's what good food does for you.

*Retraction … T Laithwaite would like to say that he was quite wrong and that Kaye – his lovely daughter-in-law – did turn up and pick when she'd passed the baby to an Auntie.

Tour de Vin: Stage Two – Complete!

2011-09-22T11:57:00.001+01:00

I pass you once again to Anne Linder with news of our cycling Grape Crusaders, pedalling from our British HQ to our French HQ, raising funds for The Prince’s Trust.

Bonjour one and all,

Just to say Anna and Phill arrived safely at Le Chai, having spent their last day cycling from Cognac to Blaye (short motor boat ride across the estuary to Margaux). Although they vowed not to stop for lunch given the time constraints – they cracked and had a bite to eat at Giscours. Hopped back in the boat to land at Bourg and onward once more - Chai bound. They picked up Frazer en route who had ridden out to meet them and to guide them ‘home’ to Le Chai.

They arrived to the customary welcome of a magnum of bubbly (Laithwaite Champagne, of course), local reporter, Barbara and Tom Laithwaite and Chai crew.

Huge thanks to all who were a part of this project and to all those who supported us in some way (cars, kit, back up gear, wine etc).

Anne

And a message from one of our intrepid cyclists, Anna Leach:

Morning All,

Check out www.facebook.com/TourdeVin for our quick report on the trip.

Much thanks for all your support and donations, there is still time to give.

Anna

Back to Bordeaux for the Vintage

2011-09-22T11:26:00.000+01:00

Leave wet England. Fly to Bergerac to be bawled out by immigration for stepping over the zig-zag barriers. The uniforms do so love their STRICT CONTROL!

But he let me into France in the end and the sun was shining and ripe grapes hung all around. Looks set fair too. Except – odd thing – the usually reliable weather programme on my ipad keeps saying it’s freezing fog today … and every day it says the same. This is puzzling. A glitch, obviously. Or has someone with no love for Bordeaux mounted a digital campaign of misinformation on our vintage weather? Californians?

Yesterday had a great taste-off with manager Chris and a good crowd at the Surbiton shop. I say that because me and my Old World wines won the match this time.

Let's hear it for the Oldies.

And thanks to all staff at Brookfield School (recyclers of our wooden wine boxes into lovely trays) for the visit. I meet lots of amazing people. You beat them all.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-09-21T11:07:00.000+01:00

Another beautiful morning here at Le Chai with the sun rising behind the harvest-time river mist. A perfect start to another grape-picking day here on the right bank of Bordeaux!

The river mist stays low here in Castillon and St. Emilion, safely away from the vineyards. But today I am heading into Bordeaux sweet-wine country; across the Entre-Deux-Mers to the Garonne River. The viticulture and wines are very different here and vineyards are purposely planted so that they are engulfed by the mist everyday. It is here, in and around Sauternes, where some of the most famous Chateau names can be found making the incredible noble rot sweet white wines from the Sémillon grape.

I am heading a little further up-river to a village called Loupiac which is also making fantastic sweet wines. The reason the mist is important is because it creates a perfect humid environment for the botrytis fungus. This fungus can be disastrous to grapes in other vineyards but here, with the thick-skinned Sémillon, the botrytis lives happily on the berry.

It feeds from the water inside causing the grape to concentrate flavours and sugars while still maintaining the high level of acidity needed to balance the wine and keep it from tasting cloyingly sweet. Although the bunches don’t look that attractive, once pressed, the clear sweet juice is released in perfect condition. The harvest is all done by hand and the selection by the pickers is quite something … and a very sticky affair indeed!

The sweet juice was in the Chai by early evening and the plan is to make a dry botrytis wine: very exciting indeed!

Plenty going on at the Chai today. The Chai team, along with Barbara and Tom Laithwaite, were here to welcome personal wine advisors Anna Leach and Phillip Sidebotham, part of the famous “grape crusaders” who have been riding around all of Laithwaites Wine stores in the name of charity.

Having started in Gloucester on the 7th Sept, travelling 287 miles around the 12 Laithwaites Wine UK shops, the group passed the baton onto Anna & Phil who covered a further 300 miles through France; finishing at Laithwaites 13th wine store here at Le Chai au Quai!

The sponsored charity cycle ride is in support of The Prince’s Trust, a charity Laithwaites works closely with. Laithwaites has high aspirations in raising at least £10,000 for the charity and to continue this support in the future.

The Prince’s Trust helps change the lives of over 40,000 disadvantaged youths who have experienced difficulties in their life by offering life changing opportunities for employment, education and training. Well done! If you’d like to help the crusaders reach their target, you can donate here.

I am now off to the Midi to check on the red harvests in the Roussillon. I will be back on Friday in time to welcome a staff trip to Le Chai and to host our International Grenache Day tasting!

Laithwaites Wine in Denmark

2011-09-21T09:33:00.000+01:00

They needed a hand pouring 250 wines for thousands of Danes over the weekend … could we help? Skovgaard import a lot of our wines; 60% of what they offer and 80% of what they sell – from Laithwaites Wine.

Young Nicolai and also young - well, almost my age - Jens have shops across Denmark including this huge one just outside Copenhagen.

I had to go to Denmark to see so many of my wines beautifully laid out in this vast hall. Valhalla! Very Viking. They were roasting large animals (outside) and quaffing big quantities inside.

They can drink can the Danes. I don't suppose we ever doubted it. Consumption per head about twice ours. Makes them the biggest wine consumers outside the big wine producing countries. The biggest consumers of appellation wines according to my new friend, the sprightly 80-year-old wine writer. Met him at a dinner they put on after where instead of a rest Jean-Marc and I had a dozen wines to present to 50 or so avid customers in the noisiest restaurant ever. The customers were so nice and kind. I mean, we were flagging but they laughed at all our jokes and some of J-MS French jokes aren't really jokes at all! We normally do 6 to 8 wines a dinner. The full dozen here and no effects whatsoever.

Didn't really see much Copenhagen. Just wine.

You have friend in Denmark? Or Sweden near the bridge? Tell them your favourite wines are at Skovgaard.

And if you ever invite a Dane to dinner, double your wine order.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-09-20T08:56:00.000+01:00

This morning really felt like the start of the Bordeaux harvest as I drove down early to Le Chai. It was still dark and misty; a chill was in the air and a bustle of harvest machines were making their way busily in and out of the vineyards. In town, groups of hand pickers were standing outside of the cafes drinking their coffee and eating croissants, getting ready for the days hard graft.

Henry up at Chateau La Clariere-Laithwaite also started this morning and we were invited to join the first harvest meal cooked brilliantly as always by Olivier’s mum Bernadette.

The winemakers at Le Chai are not the only tired things. ‘Red’ our pump was feeling the strain of the long hours and decided to go on strike … well it is a French pump after all! So I lifted ‘Red’ into the van and took him to ‘Leveque’ in town to get a look over by Dimitri the wine pump doctor. Dimitri was busy in what was like a wine pump hospital, full of old, new and different-sized pumps waiting to be fixed. The waiting area was full of worried owners waiting for the news on their wine pump!

Fortunately ‘Red’ came round after a bit of loving care and is now back at work in Le Chai.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-09-19T10:07:00.001+01:00

The Last of the Whites!

The La Voûte Chardonnay from Limoux was finally picked on Tuesday night and that ends the white harvest for the Chai! Now we can get busy in the Chai with barrel work and monitor the ferments.

The La Voûte this year is of exceptional quality and so I have decided to do ‘The Pyramid’ ferment! I have built a stack of different size oak barrels starting the foundation with 300 litre hogs heads and toping with the ‘cerise sur le gateau’ a tiny, 55-litre cask known as a ‘quart bordelaise’.

Filling the small barrels was very strange and I felt like a giant … here is JMS looking giant rolling one of the 110 litre ‘demi bordelaise’ barrels!

The ferment differences should be very interesting indeed and I will let you know how the wine progresses.

Stage Two of the Tour de Vin

2011-09-19T09:44:00.001+01:00

In Copenhagen at the moment (details to follow) but I wanted to say that our intrepid Grape Crusaders set off for Bordeaux on Friday, raising money for The Prince's Trust. If you'd like to find out more, visit www.facebook.com/TourdeVin.

And if you'd like to help them meet their £5,000 fundraising target you can visit www.justgiving.com/Grape-Crusaders-. Alternatively, you can leave donations at any of our shops or send cheques - made payable to The Grape Crusaders - to:

The Grape Crusaders c/o Tony Laithwaite
New Aquitaine House
Exeter Way
Theale
Reading
RG7 4PL

Many thanks for your support.

Went to see where Henry is planting next

2011-09-15T13:07:00.000+01:00

He's bought a piece of land next door. Plans to double his vineyard up to 8 hectares. And if the planners allow, build his winery. Brave move. Being as he hasn't made any wine yet. But … we are all convinced he has a wonderful site above Marlow town, looking due south. Not so high up the Chilterns as to be too cold. Not so low down as to be in a frost pocket. Good chalky (Champagne-y) soil.

Pic is jet-lagged Tom and Alfie Dog helping Henry measure up and put in marker stakes.

Food and Wine Show at Theale HQ

2011-09-14T09:18:00.000+01:00

Busy times. We hadn't done a Wine Event at New Aquitaine House for some years - as not a few were quick to remind me at Saturdays show in our vineyard here. I say 'in our vineyard' but mean just next to it of course, in the lorry park of our warehouse. In a marquee.

Several hundred turned up to sample wines and meet producers from Portugal, New Zealand, Italy and Romania as well as lots of bottles from all over.

We had local farmers in with their produce, the local farm shop and other food fanatics including our local cider man.

For the first time ever there was a Line Up of Laithwaites. Yes, the next generation has arrived. Henry was showing his Chateau Verniotte 2009, Tom, just back from 3 years in Oz was showing a range from Red Heads where's he's spent some time. And Will was pouring his Abingdon Ale. With WAG's, Grandaughter and me that was quite a squash behind the stand. But it all seemed to work.

Long day. Sore feet. But lots of lovely customers from all over the UK.

Great fun. We must do it again soon.

Tour de Vin - how to donate

2011-09-13T14:49:00.000+01:00

The riders in the Tour de Vin are raising money for The Prince's Trust. If you'd like to find out more, visit www.facebook.com/TourdeVin.

And to help them meet their £5,000 fundraising target you can visit www.justgiving.com/Grape-Crusaders-. Alternatively, you can leave donations at any of our shops or send cheques - made payable to The Grape Crusaders - to:

The Grape Crusaders c/o Tony Laithwaite
New Aquitaine House
Exeter Way
Theale
Reading
RG7 4PL

Many thanks for your support.

Tour de Vin – Stage One: Done!

2011-09-13T10:08:00.000+01:00

I pass on this neat summary from Anne Linder who drove the Mother Van around after the riders and managed to get them there safely.

Well, what a week that was. Nine riders set off from Gloucester (core crew, support team from Gloucester and a couple of customers as well) and were met by the team in Solihull early evening on Wednesday (slightly later than planned due to a pizza stop part way).

Day 2 dawned dry and clear ... but was very hilly indeed. I wonder who else has sampled the delights of Stokenchurch on two wheels? Tony, Henry and Tom very kindly offered respite in the form of a local brew in Marlow before hard-earned fish and chips from the chaps in Beaconsfield.

Day 3 looked to be the hardest start ... over halfway but still two hard days to go. First stop Hersham (a little later than planned due to roundabout confusion) then Surbiton. Central London on a bike proved to be a near death trap and much slower going than the open road but on arrival at The Savoy for a photo call Andy, Jim and Marein took a few minutes respite in 'the lounge' (at the invitation of our hosts).

Backpack of corks loaded and cheque in hand they set off for Locksbottom before finishing at Croydon. They have my undying admiration for having completed day 3. A well-earned pint in The Purley Arms (with bike) was downed very rapidly.

And so to Day 4 (final UK leg) and stocking up on gels, energy bars, liquids. At least it was a downhill start to get on the road to Windsor. Steve, our Prince's Trust Young Ambassador, joined the trio in Windsor and they set off for Virginia Water. Binfield provided much needed sustenance and catch up on the news.

And then it was the home stretch to Theale. Shortly after 4 o'clock Marein called in to say they were crossing the M4. Tony made the announcement to the guests at the Theale Food and Wine Show and in cycled the bikes ...right into the tent to cheers and applause from the admiring onlookers.

Unsaddled and helmets off they each sank a rather large glass of Will's Abingdon brew before going home clutching their Radox Muscle Soak and StarBars.

A huge well done guys for a mammoth effort and great result. And a heartfelt thank you to all of you who helped bring this all together and who provided support along the way. We were supported by Rabbits Vehicle Hire, Berkshire Cycles, Blue Door Cycle company, Cavaliers printers and Farnese Vini.

We are most grateful to them all. And now, it's over to Anna and Phil for the second leg. Do come and wave them off on Friday this week in Theale if you can … 12.30 departure. Over and out for now.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-09-12T10:36:00.000+01:00

The last 3 days have been a little manic to say the least. The Chai winemakers have been putting in very long hours to get the fruit off the vine in the South of France, up to the Chai and into barrels and vats for selected fermentations. The Grenache Gris, Chardonnay from Carcassonne, the Viognier, the all new Carignan Blanc and the Sauvignon Gris from Le Coin are now all in and we now have 22 individual fermentations underway and WOW, is the Chai alive!

Bad news in the Midi, though; a freak amount of rain has fallen. The latest vineyard to suffer severely is the Roussanne and unfortunately there will be none this year. However, the high altitude La Voute vineyards survived the rain well but knocked back the maturity by 5 days. I will leave it on the vine longer and if the weather stays warm and dry we should harvest end of next week.

Midi reds including the 2011 XV du President will start end next week.

Portuguese success at the IWC

2011-09-12T10:25:00.000+01:00

We won International Wine Challenge Direct Merchant of the Year on Tuesday but another award brought possibly more pleasure … certainly did in Portugal. Here are just a few of the goodwill messages Anne received from our friends in Portugal.

Dear Anne,

Always good waves you bring us… Great job you’re making. Thanks a lot in the name of all Portuguese!
Joaquimfielcarmo

Congratulations! You really deserve it. All your efforts are paying. Thanks for all you've been doing for Portuguese wines.
Beijinhos,
Ana Sofia Oliveira – ViniPortugal

Completely and absolutely well deserved. You have put in a great deal of effort for Portugal and we applaud you for that – and I particularly applaud you for your grasp of the language.
Judy ViniPortugal

On OUR side, you will always have all the support you need. I hope this award opens people’s minds to the world of Portuguese wines…
Mariana (Vinko)

A small recognition of the great work you do for the Portuguese wines. Portugal needs more people like you in the business, thank you.
Duarte – Casal Branco

Really awesome work you have done! And a picture with a Portuguese tan looks very adequate!
Carlos (Andresen)

We think it’s a great award because it means the recognition of the love and work you Anne have by the wine, history, tradition and the good things of Portugal. This is a great example of someone who really help Portugal to develop its work and the outside recognition.
LUÍS GOUVEIA (DFJ Vinhos)

Keep working with your great enthusiasm and keep represented so well the Portuguese wines.
Ana Silveira - Casa Ermelinda Freitas

Thank YOU for the enormous support you give to Portuguese Wine, this award is the proof of it. Parabéns!
Jose Lobo de Vasconcellos – Quinta do Casal Branco

It´s good to see that Laithwaites bet in Portugal is giving good results, recognized by everybody. When few importers were paying attention to our little country, Tony Laithwaite and his team, once again took a risk and made a bet in our wines and people, and I think the result has been showing throughout the years.
José Luís Casa Santos Lima

They love our girl Anne (Forrest) in Portugal!

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-09-07T16:35:00.000+01:00

Chardonnay and Viognier

After spending another few worrying nights in Carcassonne, visiting the vineyard who knows how many times, I finally decided to harvest the Chardonnay last night!

Unfortunately there is quite a lot of hidden bunch rot on the lower vineyards and I have made the decision not to make any Chai wine from these vineyards this year. Fortunately however, the fruit from the high, well-drained and wind-aired Cailloux vineyard (always the best performer in wet vintages) is very good indeed. So for the first time we will make a single-vineyard Carcassonne Chardonnay at Le Chai.

The Viognier was next and a very different scene here. The Viognier has loved the wet weather and resisted all threats of bunch rot, resulting in some excellent typical violet aromas!

Meanwhile, back in the Chai the cooling is running 24/7 and the vats are ice cold keeping all the ferments nice and slow to preserve aroma. All the vats are controlled individually by a flick of the switch on the computer board.

Cellar master Denis is also having fun and filling barrels left right and centre in a very acrobatic manner indeed!

It’s coming thick and fast now … Maury for the GG tomorrow!

Bon Voyage to The Grape Crusaders

2011-09-07T15:14:00.001+01:00

All in a good cause: The Prince’s Trust. Laithwaites have cyclists who are riding all the way from Theale to Castillon and others are setting off from Gloucester to cycle round all our shops … starting today.

Mad young things, I hope they know how far Bordeaux is. Still, it’s all downhill.

I learned of all this in Croydon shop last week at one of my wine tasting fights … with Marein the big South African who runs the place. He beat me actually. But I don't hold a grudge for long. So I do hope he manages to stay on his bike all the way round.

And I'll happily sponsor. I hope lots of others do, too.

Over to Marein …

Hurricane Road, Gloucester

After the gales and rain of yesterday, the weather’s looking … well, better than yesterday. A good crowd’s gathering to see us off, including Glenn, our MD and Simon, our CEO.

Nine of us are setting off on Stage One of our Tour de Vin, cycling round all eleven of our UK shops. Over the next four days we’ll be joined by different members of the ‘Grape Crusaders’ fundraising team who aim to raise £5,000 for the Prince’s Trust.

Stage Two – Theale to Castillon – starts next week when a crowd of cyclists will join Anna and Phil as they cycle to the ferry in Portsmouth. One of the many things they’ll carry is a presentation cricket ball. It’s a gift to Château Giscours Cricket Team from Windsor Castle’s Royal Household Cricket Club – part of the build-up to a rematch to the game in July. (So it’s a cycle for the Prince’s Trust and Her Majesty’s household!)

You can follow our progress on Facebook where you’ll also find our itinerary. And if you’d like to help us along with a donation you’re welcome to do so here.

Best get on. We’ve a 51-mile hike to Solihull ahead of us. Keep an eye out for updates and if you’re in the area when we're passing through, we’d love to see you.

Marein

www.facebook.com/TourdeVin

www.justgiving.com/grape-crusaders-

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-09-06T09:21:00.000+01:00

A nerve-wracking weekend as rain and hot, humid weather darted about France, becoming increasingly impossible to forecast. However we stuck to our guns through several sleepless nights and the vineyard fortunately survived most of the localised downpours. We hung in there until the Vermentino ripeness felt right for this year.

We picked very quickly in the early hours on Monday morning and now the juice has settled, Maitena will rack off the heavy sediment into the tanker whilst I make my way up to Bordeaux to make the weeks picking and cellar plan with the Chai cellar team.

So the Vermentino is this year’s first Midi juice into the Chai taking the crown from the GG; winner for the three previous years! JMS and I are very pleased with the juice. It IS different to last year but then, so was this year’s weather. And so it is every year. I believe we have managed to capture some exceptional aromas and fruit characters unique to the vintage.

Vintages can be similar but NEVER identical and how amazing it is to taste a wine that represents the last 12 months’ weather and is therefore unique in history!

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-09-02T10:53:00.001+01:00

The Harvest Weather Game

This is a game for up to 1,000,000 players for ages 0-125yrs old

To play you need:

• 1 winemaker (or more to make even more interesting!)
• an almost-ripe vineyard
• very erratic weather
• pair of Blundstone boots
• patience
• a bit of luck

Then the fun begins!

We have been watching the forecast carefully and been up and down every row of each vineyard. But just when we decided to play the risk card and wait another couple of days the wind picked up and in swept the most brutal storm; very heavy rain, hot air and a Med wind!

The whole of the last 48-hours’ vineyard assessment was thrown back into the centre card pile. We were right there and literally watching the storm – quicker than any weather report.

Maitena and I made straight for the most fragile vineyard: the Vermentino, where the storm took its full force over Beziers. The bottom half was flooded so last night we picked all the lower part before the vines could drink up, creating berry-swelling and instant skin split and botrytis (fruit mould).

Play starts again tomorrow with the top half of the vineyard!

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-09-01T09:35:00.001+01:00

Limoux

Started to rain in Bordeaux when I left but four hours later I was through the gates of the Midi and into the beautiful sunshine. However, West-Midi sunshine also comes with the very strong Tramotane wind!

I met up with Madame F, Maitena and viticulturist Regis to do a tour of the Vin de France-trophy-winning La Voute vineyards to see what the maturity is like. Limoux is a fascinating wine-growing area and the La Voute vineyards are in what's called the Oceanique terroir.

The Oceanique terroir to the west of Limoux is completely protected from the Med sea and is one of the four terroirs each with their own micro climate. Here the grapes are fresher and hold higher acid … great for balance and longevity. The extreme corner of the Oceanique borders the highest of the four terroirs – the Haut Valee – and I couldn't resist having a look. WOW, one parcel was so stunning I just have to have it as it will be a perfect component to go with the existing vineyards in the final blend!

The Midi is still waiting to be discovered and even when you think you have seen everything the smallest of areas still excite and surprise and I am very excited. THIS is certainly something, so look out for the 2011 La Voute blend next year!

Windy it was in Limoux but another wind was blowing into Bordeaux in the form of the whirlwind of our chief winemaker JMS! Back on the road again to meet him in Bordeaux at lunch time to tell him the news of my discovery!

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-08-31T09:40:00.001+01:00

30th August

Back in Bordeaux and our Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Semillon have all been harvested in the Entre Deux Mers. The first to come in was the Sauvignon Blanc and some really explosive asparagus and grassy flavours already obvious in the juice. James had cooled the juice down to 5 degrees and settled out the large sediment what they call ‘gros lies’ in French. This morning, we racked carefully the cold juice under a blanket of protective CO2 into the insulated stainless steel tanker headed for the Chai. Back in the Chai, cellar master Denis had prepared the vats and had them ice cold and full of more CO2.

It’s such a fantastic feeling to have the first juice entering the Chai – rather like the opening ceremony of the harvest – and everyone was eager to be the first to taste! Meanwhile James was back out to check the Semillon and Sauvignon Gris and whilst the sediment settles out, which will take 36 hours, I am going to make another dash down to the Midi to meet Maitena and select this years La Voute Chardonnay in Limoux.

Vintage 2011 reports from Mark Hoddy in Bordeaux and the Midi

2011-08-30T09:18:00.001+01:00

August 29th

It’s fast and furious in the Midi and apparently in Bordeaux too!

We have been watching the Pinot Noir very closely over the weekend and noticed some slight ‘shanking’ in the vineyard. This is where the berry starts to lose berry weight and fall to the ground and at this exact moment it is perfect for harvesting. If not picked immediately the results could be disastrous with loss in juice volume, fruit flavour becoming over ripe and potential alcohol levels too high.

So with no time to waste, the harvesting machines were called on and we were soon in the vineyard harvesting the first block last night. This particular sloping vineyard and the vintage weather this year has led to the north, south, east and west ripening differently so the winemaking decisions must be adapted to each area harvested. I worked on the processing and presses with another New Zealander also called James thorough the night.

The colour from the west side of the vineyard was leaching colour from skins into juice so quickly that we made a quick decision to do some short skin maceration (the sign of perfect maturity) and pressed off for a Clairet-style cold ferment without the skins to get maximum red berry freshness and low tannin which will be a useful blending tool later on for palate suppleness.

Our James then called early morning from Bordeaux saying perfect maturity in the Sauvignon vineyards and forecasting rain in Entre Deux Mers! I left Maitena to survey the Pinot Noir and I was soon back on the road up to Bordeaux to give James a hand to bring the first juice of 2011 into the Chai before the rain.

Sorry no photo as blackberry was covered in grape juice!

Tony adds: the Pinot Noir that Mark just harvested is what goes to make our 'Le Champ des Etoiles'. A 'Field of Stars' indeed, this is a wine of which I am very proud. Because our winemakers put in such efforts over so many years to get it right … and eventually succeeded.

You get a sense from Mark's blog just how critical it is to find those incredibly rare vineyards outside Burgundy that can successfully produce the flavours PN has to have to be really worth drinking. And also how timing the harvest of this unforgiving, awkward bloody grape is a matter of hours if not minutes.

Pinot Noir is unlike almost all other red grapes. With the others if you can't quite catch subtlety and finesse, then you can always just cut back your crop, concentrate the flavour power and make a blockbuster. Blockbusters win medals, score high marks. Which will do very nicely, thanks.

With Pinot Noir you can't do that. Either you find the elusive subtle flavours that say 'magic!' Or you don't. This is what makes PN such an obsession for the dedicated (or just plain mad) winemaker. It’s why they have PN conferences all the time.

It’s why I'm proud of what Jean-Marc's Flying Winemakers first attempted 20 years ago and which Mark is still perfecting. And keeping my fingers crossed.

And drinking. I'm enjoying a glass of the '08 as I write. It keeps getting better. The '09 is looking particularly great too, we feel.

Vintage has started in Bordeaux and the Midi!

2011-08-26T11:02:00.000+01:00

The whites are being harvested; Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle. Very early, of course, but then the vines started growing very early.

Aromatics are strong. But maybe alcohols won't be so strong.

Anyway, our winemakers are on the move. Today, Mark comes back from checking his Midi vineyards and gets the Sauvignon Blanc moving here. He has James from Hunters NZ back again, Maitena from San Sebastian again and new-girl Lauren, fresh out of Plumpton the UK wine college. Jean-Marc is flying about all over the place.

As I am due to go back to the UK for routine stuff you probably don't want to read about I will, for now, hand my diary slot over to Mark and his Blog so you get a real first hand feel for the addictive madness we call 'Vintage'.

Here he is ...

And harvest madness begins ...

Heard a few rumours about rain in the Midi and I had mixed conversations with local growers over the phone; most of them in over-exaggerating farmer mode! So only one thing to do: get down to the Midi, which is exactly where I have been for the last two days. And of course, it’s not as bad as they make out, just them being farmers!

I started early in Carcassonne at Domaine Lalande to check the Chardonnay. My mate and Lalande winemaker Richard 'Ozzy' Osbourne was there to greet me and raring to go for his now-20th vintage here!

The Cailloux Chardonnay vineyard is in great shape. No mould and small bunches made up of clean crisp berries. Needs another 7 days I reckon, but I'll keep a close eye on it.

Viognier for the VC also clean, but a little behind in maturity. So this year, patience and risk will be the name of the game here I think!

Next was a bit of a drive across the Languedoc to deepest Bezier wine country. I had to check firstly Roussane with the Baron de Bertier, then Vermentino with no other than Madame F herself!

All looking very good indeed as long as any rain stays away for the next week.

With the panic over, I went back to the winemakers’ 2011 Midi base – a gite in beautiful Peyriac Sur Mer – to freshen up before heading back into vineyards for the Pinot Noir harvest tonight! Back to Bordeaux early tomorrow as the Sauvignon Blanc comes in. And so the harvest madness starts!

A stormy night in Ste Colombe

2011-08-25T09:26:00.000+01:00

We were up at the Comptoir de St Genes for dinner. The heat was heavy. Luckily the Comptoir is air conditioned. It was full of Brits. Which is new. Drove up but walked back (too much good Castillon wine) … about 50 mins in the pitch dark.

For the first time this Summer it was a clear moonless night and the Milky Way was brilliant.

When you can't see much I guess your other senses heighten. It was like walking through a Turkish bath most of the way. Just one 20m stretch was deliciously cool. Must've been a 'river' of cold air running down a side valley. It was so distinctive. Such a thing gives you a clue as to why two apparently identical side-by-side vineyards can produce different results.

Over to the east we saw great clouds lit by lightning flashes. Close Encounters. Getting closer. We sat out a bit. With a beer. They got still closer. But it was still an airless, hot and heavy night.

We went to bed. Five minutes later a tornado hit us. Shook the house. Broke the pole of my ancient tent. Moved the garden furniture. So violent yet oddly … no rain. And still heavy in the morning.

The weather behaving like a teenager this year.

Drinks with M. Derenocourt, Ste Colombe

2011-08-24T09:25:00.000+01:00

Had drinks with our neighbour Stephane Derenoncourt who they say is now the most in-demand winemaking consultant of all. Funny he should come to set up his own winery, vineyard and offices right bang next to our place. I think the village is very lucky. But seems he thinks he is quite unappreciated locally. Many apparently think he is crazy to aim at making great wine here in Ste Colombe.

The same people think the same about me.

So I think we should get together with a few other quality nutters and put on a journalist's blind tasting of our Castillon wines versus Saint Emilion 'Grand Crus' to find out just who comes out top. Then we'll see.

Stephane does everything with such extreme care … such a delicate … actually a very 'kind' touch. He loves the earth, the vines and the grapes. I'm certain he'd prefer to just stay around here and get his hands dirty. Instead of which, when vintage kicks off he'll be racing right around the northern hemisphere … from California to Syria of all places! Now Syria … I ask you … that's brave. But I tried the wine he makes there – on sale at Le Comptoir de Genes here – and it’s good.

Stephan's favourite tipple? A good dry fino sherry! I keep saying; sherry will make a comeback!

Car boot sales - popular in Castillon, too!

2011-08-23T10:31:00.000+01:00

Sunday there was a Vide Grenier (car boot) all along the quayside in front of Le Chai au Quai. So Libby, Brigitte and Fraser decided to open up. Brilliant idea. The heat outside was like an iron bar on the head. So folk flocked in to the cool, cool cellars and sales were brisk.

There's an art exhibition upstairs. Local lady. Elderly nudes. Not really my thing but good technique.

Went home for cold showers and a roast chicken dinner with le Revelation du Baron, GG, Le Coin and the wine from a neighbouring chateau that interests us greatly.

Libby came to teach us synchronised swimming in the dark. My hopes of late-dawning Olympic glory dashed when thrown out of the class for not floating properly.

Monday she brings me a ton of proofs to correct. That's hols over then.

The shooting star

2011-08-22T09:22:00.000+01:00

"Twinkle twinkle little st… Whoosh, Burn, Ooh! Aaah!" ... everybody shrieks. Sets off every dog in the valley. That's a Lively Night Out in Ste Colombe!

Ever since we've come to Bordeaux in the Summer – forty years, almost – stargazing has been a feature. There's still not a lot else to do. Originally, the clarity of the night sky here astounded us who had grown up in murky England. Could actually see the Milky Way. Then in Ste Colombe, there were no street lights. Not needed. The locals went to sleep at dusk because they would be up at dawn to work before the heat. So no light pollution.

We had no other diversions after dark being as we'd have drunk too much so anything intellectual was out of the question. So we would lie on the ground and look up, saying "beam me up" and "warp drive Mr Sulu" etc.

We'd spot satellites – or sputniks as they were then – and cry out "seven o'clock, heading to two". There were not as many planes as now. We are on the main holiday flightpath to Spain. Just little stars that moved jerkily across the sky. They do still.

But a shooting star … now that would MAKE our evening. If we ALL saw it. Tonight, we all saw a cracker. Three seconds. And a fiery break up at the end. Really does make everyone yell and set the dogs barking.

Which reminds me of the very special night, long ago, up at La Clariere (where we no longer live because its now home to winemakers and outbounders) when my mate Parkin fell asleep starwatching and stayed out all night … comatose … to wake at dawn … with a small dog trying to eat him.

We laughed! Still has the marks.

Happy days.

My first work-free day of the summer

2011-08-17T11:24:00.000+01:00

Little white clouds in the blue today; means the weather will stay nice. Clear blue here means there will be storms … that can wreck vineyards. So we like the white puff balls up there. The gentle breeze is good too. Cleansing for grapes and vines.

Very little sound. Tractors spraying but vine rows act as baffles on sound. The odd car. Dogs barking to each other across the valley. Flies. Church bells on the hour.

We lie here on the first work-free day of the Summer. (Half our office follows us here nowadays which makes it nice and lively but, like everyone, we crave a break before the autumn rigours).

Sipping a cold dry Chenin from Montlouis. Suburbs of Tours. Valley of the Cher. Been years since I was there but I asked Charles and Flipper Sydney to send some bottles from their patch – the Loire – for our summer. Good one, Charles.

Yesterday's hit was a fantastic St Chinian white courtesy Andrée Ferrandiz in the Midi. Very nice one, that. I've also some Burgundies chosen by Bernard Derain. Our friends have done us proud. But it’s not just pure pleasure. We will report back to Justin and Abi and who knows, they may be on our list soon.

All these, plus the latest delights from Le Chai au Quai and the choice of 100 Castillons up at Le Comptoir St Genes ... We are spoilt.

Bordeaux 2011 - my thoughts on the vintage so far ...

2011-08-15T16:33:00.000+01:00

The weather pattern this year in Bordeaux is different. But, you might say, it always is; that's what makes this region's wines so fascinating.

Well, yes. But this year is a different kind of different.

A seven-month drought culminating in scorching June heat is unusual. Then a very wet July is most unusual. One unfortunate set of our 'Wine Advisors' or 'Bounders' came for two weeks’ work here in July and had rain every day.

Châteaux here have detailed weather records going back one or even two centuries, but I don't believe they've seen that combination before.

But the one balanced the other; that rain cancelled out the early start.

So when I got here beginning of August, things looked about normal.

August, so far, has been mixed. About 50/50 sunny/cloudy-with-showers.

What this means for the vintage is still impossible to call, though some writers are already dismissing the vintage. (They really should think about the livelihoods of us small growers before they do that).

It’s not THAT bad. The early fine weather kicked growth off a month ahead of usual, so grapes are well-ripened. The subsequent wet weather, which in the past would have caused outbreaks of rot, is now easily manageable. We have the techniques, these days.

So as of now, it’s all to play for. At La Clarière we won't have a big crop, but some of our neighbours will. Not fair, really. But there you go.

The top châteaux, with all their techniques and all that money at their disposal will, if the weather stays reasonable, probably make great wines. They'll likely make less of their Premier Vin and more of their Deuxieme. But that's how they keep their prices up.

But if it rains from now to October – well then, not great. A light vintage. Not a bad one though.

Patience. We just have to wait until the fat lady sings ... in a month or so. She's on hols just now.

We are going to walk into Saint Emilion for supper, now. And see what that lot have to say.

Confounded by Nature …

2011-08-12T09:52:00.000+01:00

Does Nature always punish the uppity people? Or does she just like to play tricks?

I'm not very happy looking at my Bordeaux vineyard. About 20% of bunches have shrivelled to nothing. That's 20% crop gone already. Because 27th June, the temperature here hit 42°C and the sun whacked every bunch it could see.

Our slower neighbours didn't suffer so much because they had not, like us keenies, already stripped off leaves to expose our bunches. This is – or was – considered best practice in a region where damp is a problem. Let the drying winds in is the idea.

You try to get clever with Nature; she confounds you! Ho ho.

After the heat wave and drought we had weeks of rain. Don't know where we are. I'm obviously in farmer mode: moaning.

Best get back to writing.

It’s been a week for correspondence …

2011-08-11T10:14:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I had an email from Claire-Lou, the manager of our shop in Windsor. She was passing on a note entitled ‘That’s why we work here’ from Grisha, one of her Wine Advisors.

I love it. Of course I love it. That’s why I work, too.

Dear Tony,

This is a little story about a customer Grisha had in the store yesterday evening, and as he was asked to pass the message on to you, please see below. (Perhaps we should have a blue plaque on the wall to say this is where it started, if we are going to be getting tourists coming from California that is!)

Kind Regards

Claire-Lou

Early yesterday evening a middle-aged man came in asking the question we always love to answer: “are you Laithwaites, as in Tony Laithwaite?”

“Yes sir, that’s us” I replied, unable to contain my smile. (For those few seconds I felt famous, as we always do whenever anyone asks such a question). The man, it turns out, is a HUGE fan of ours back in the States.

While we were casually chatting away over a glass of Showstopper he explained to me how hard it was for him to find good quality wines in the States. He said everyone drinks either whiskey or beer and not much 'good' wine is sold in shops.

He read an article from (he thinks) the Wall Street Journal about this Brit called Tony who has a knack for finding really good wine. Intrigued, he signed up to the wine club straight away and was hooked after his first case.

He said he was wooed by the range of delicious wines that he received, and that having tasting notes with them was a real plus. He is in England for the first time visiting family and so he jumped at the chance to come to Windsor and see where it all began. We greeted him with open arms.

After tasting a few wines, some small talk, some serious talk (we like to take our wine talk seriously), and a few photos later (he loved Claire’s sign “you can’t buy happiness but you can buy a great bottle of wine” and absolutely had to have his picture taken with it) he left - a rather happy chappy - with a few bottles to keep him stocked up while he’s visiting.

As we were saying our goodbyes he shook my hand and said: “tell Tony one of his fans from across the pond popped in to say hello.” I assured him nothing would make Tony happier than to hear that someone from halfway across the world likes his wines, and so here I am passing on the message.

We sure like to be a part of people’s dreams here in Windsor, especially to someone who is on their first trip to the country. Just a big candy shop for 'big' kids, I always say. And everyone is always welcome!

Kind Regards

Grisha
Wine Advisor

The Infamous Rouge

2011-08-10T09:48:00.000+01:00

Laithwaites Wine has always been about providing a direct link between you, the customer at home and the winemakers in their vineyards. Normally, that link is simply the wine in your glass and a story or two from yours truly.

But that’s not to say it’s a one-way street. Our winemakers always like to hear what you have to say … many travel thousands of miles to meet you at our events. What follows is a transcript of the recent correspondence between one of our eagle-eyed customers and Aussie winemaker, Bob Berton. And it just goes to show that none of us are immune to the occasional slip-up …

28th June, 2011

Dear Director of Marketing,

As the acknowledged authority on our famous rogue Dick Turpin (in 1737 mistakenly said to have fled to Ireland) I was disturbed, in cashing all our Air Miles for wine, to discover that the character of your villainous Ned Kelly is seriously undermined by the label description of him as an “infamous rouge” on your Kelly Country Cabernet Sauvignon.

Nonetheless, rather than allow this rogue’s hirsute image to be sullied further, I thought you should have opportunity to redeem his notoriety when labelling the next lot of this very bold wine, guaranteed to put hair on your chest and sundry other parts of the masculine torso.

Should you decide to acknowledge this gesture, I would be pleased to introduce Ned Kelly to other old codgers of my acquaintance who, being somewhat past their last stand, would surely welcome some other diversion!

Sincerely,

Derek Barlow

PS please note that Turpin himself was, before he became a highwayman, a member of the Gregory aka the Essex Gang, and that those other members who were not hanged were transported to America.

PPS it also crossed my mind that commercially there might be something to be gained from completely rebranding your Ned Kelly red as “That Infamous Rouge”?

To which Bob replied:

8th July, 2011

Good morning Derek,

Firstly thank you for taking the time to write and yes this has since been corrected. I would like to say that I intentionally misspelt this to be cheeky, but in truth, I must have been having a senior moment.

The fact that we continue to admire the romanticism that surrounds the likes of Ned, speaks volumes for our tepid existence. These men were ruthless killers and not often given to the sharing and caring philosophy that we have adopted today. I’m sure they also had their moments of compassion and love, but they didn’t seem to display this when things didn’t go their way. I think today their school report would probably state “doesn’t play well with others”. But they lived their short lives to the full and bowed to no man so I guess that is very attractive when we are confronted by ever-increasing governance.

I’m not so sure that Turpin’s ideal to “rob from the rich to give to the poor” was any more than a clever marketing strategy to allow Ned to get away with blue murder and still have people afford him shelter. Whatever the rationale it worked for him and, in reality, it worked for us as well since we remember him with some fondness.

Thank you also for the comments about the wine, hirsute perhaps not, but definitely bold and masculine and I love the thought of it as “the infamous rouge”. I just need to get Tony Laithwaite to see the lighter side of this and agree.

Again thank you for your letter and if you ever attend the Sunday times Wine Club Vintage Festival in April each year, then please find me and make yourself known as it would be a pleasure to meet you.

Best regards

Bob Berton

Director of Marketing, Viticulture, Winemaking - and creative misspelling

Watch this space for a new wine, perhaps?

Too many great bottles, too little time

2011-08-09T09:43:00.000+01:00

Last night at Libby and Hoddy's he got carried away and tried to sort the above problem. He started with non-stop raving – and pouring – about Portugal where they were on hols. Our friends showed them their secrets – and we drank a couple or so.

Then Mark's latest bottling: the 2010 Clairet. That's for me, this Summer!

Then he went mad. And opened his first ever wine: called Le Nain Violet 'O3, a Grenache from Maury. Amazing. Funny how so often a winemaker's first-ever wine is one of the best he ever makes! Then a lovely Burgundy: Givry from Bernard Derain, who's sent me some Summer drinking, then a velvet melting cushion of a sweet red: the 2009 Maury by Daniel Laffite at Domaines des Soulanes. Daniel is the man Mark says inspired him to buy vines and make wine in Maury.

At least I think that was what he said, but by then things were confused. Right next door, 3000 people were roaring away at the Battle re-enactment and fireworks were going off. Libby was telling us behind-the-scenes stories as she goes and dresses up as an English soldier most nights. She poured me in a taxi when Mark fell asleep …

And today something similar happened at Anne-Marie and Vincent's, with bottles culminating in the 'O9 wine called 'Ad Francos.' He's made this gorgeous wine under Michel Roland's tutelage for his Belgian owners over at Francs – the almost-forgotten region next to Castillon.

Ye Gods! My old teachers here would never believe – were they able to come back on earth – that such a glorious wine could be made in little old Francs. The secret is – mostly – new-barrel-fermenting, apparently.

Our lot have been talking about doing this. They really, really should.

I need Barbara to get here and cut down these excesses

Castillon

2011-08-08T08:52:00.000+01:00

End of tour photo at le Presbytère after today's trip round our Castillon World. La Clarière for explanation of how it all started here; Le Comptoir for lunch of grilled duck hearts and free choice of Castillon wines from the display; Le Chai for tasting talk by Mark and Le Presbytère for a rest! They didn't want to go. Great bunch!

Little snooze then to Mark and Libby's cottage to bbq and listen to La Bataille show guns and fireworks going on next door.

The power of advertising

2011-08-04T08:49:00.002+01:00

The most interesting thing I learnt driving round Bordeaux with a busload of Laithwaites staff was about communication.

I have always thought I must be the most self-advertised man in wine. So was surprised to hear of a recent discussion at Windsor Tennis Club where all but one were of the opinion there was no Laithwaites wine shop in Windsor! Only since 1970 has there been a Laithwaites shop in Windsor!

Fair way to go on the advertising front then!

We had a sunny day driving through the great Medoc Chateaux, wining and dining at Lynch Bages before crossing on the ferry to Blaye and wandering by the backroads of Blaye, Bourg, Fronsac, Pomerol to Saint Emilion for drinks and dinner. A lovely bunch of young people (only one was born before I came to Bordeaux in '65!) Nice to have people from the US as well as UK.

Sitting on the terrace …

2011-08-03T08:56:00.001+01:00

… by my La Clarière vineyards, enjoying a glorious sunset and a beer. Just arrived. I'd normally mention the feeling of peace at getting here after another year. Except, clearly, the neighbour's boy has been given a trumpet. The noises might please a passing whale but don't promise quite such a peaceful summer this year.

However this is me back in French mode. For 46 years I have mutated into a Frenchie every summer. Zut alors! Oui, I can feel it embrassing moi.

Flying just now over the Bordeaux suburbs - unusual approach due to tarmacing the runways - got the unique sight of lots and lots of little villas - the sprawling suburbs - then suddenly, like, as it were, in the middle of Surbiton or Ruislip … this huge, immaculate vineyard and Chateau. Haut-Brion!

Bordeaux is special.

Somebody has taken the trumpet off the kid. Now it’s a cap-gun. But that's quite bearable. And over. It’s bedtime. I can hear St Etienne bell sounding 10pm in the west. Now St Magne … east . Now St Genes I think … north. Ste Colombe church doesn't have a clock. Being only about 50 feet away I'm glad of that.

Another beer, then bed. Not holidays yet. Tomorrow I've 'un staff'; 40 of our glorious young crowd to collect and show round the vineyards, banging in viticultural facts before the wine gets too far into them.

In Windsor Great Park …

2011-08-02T09:06:00.000+01:00

… to see the vineyard and discuss with Philip the fate of the decrepit old shed there that they call The Boathouse. Odd, because it’s on top of the hill. Decrepit it may be, but it is an important part of this magical place and we want to save it. Work parties need shelter. And visitors too. And I expect this place will have a lot of visitors when it’s in its full glory.

Actually, it’s not looking too bad even in its first year … three months old. The rain was a blessing and the vines have shot up. The weeds have, too … so there's a fight on. But we will win.

The geese honking away on the Great Pond appear not to have done any damage and the keeper got a few rabbits that breached our security. So though I am not uncrossing my fingers, I have raised hopes!

Now, off to Gatwick Hell.

Scribblings were thankfully abandoned …

2011-08-01T09:15:00.000+01:00

… for a while by a surprise visit from a retired Royal Marines Major bringing me a print of a painting depicting the launch of Operation Frankton in 1942. Better known by the film name of 'Cockleshell Heroes' this was an attack on shipping in Bordeaux harbour by ten Royal Marines in kayaks.

In March there was a ceremony to unveil an overdue memorial at the Pointe de la Grave; where the operation began; off the tip of the Medoc where the Gironde Estuary flows into the Bay of Biscay. We gave them some wine from Le Chai to help the ceremonials.

This visit was to thank me. For nothing at all by comparison with those young men who must've known they would not come back.

The painting shows them paddling their tiny craft away from their launch submarine, the Tuna, under the stars, December 8, 1942 a real low point in the war. Impossible to paddle against the tide or in daylight they had a gruelling journey up the estuary.

The four men who reached the target successfully crippled five merchant ships, running the allied blockade, transporting vital war supplies between Germany and Japan. Of the ten men only two survived, Hasler and Sparks. Two died at sea after a capsize in a treacherous and wholly unpredicted tide-race just hours after the launch, and the other six were later captured, as they moved overland, and faced, without any trials, German firing squads.

'Blondie' Hasler their leader and his crewman sparks only got home thanks to the French Resistance. Next year is the 70th Anniversary and I hope to be there. With some wine. As much as they want.

These men are held in some esteem in Bordeaux. The alternative to their raid was bombing and then Bordeaux would not be what it is today; beautiful, and the most Anglophile city in France.

I've been scribbling frantically ...

2011-07-27T09:40:00.000+01:00

... to get the October List to bed before I go to France. This has cut down diary time.

I taste wines, but mostly I just write. Nice break to go up to The Arch and meet real people at a little tasting. It was set up as a contest between The Arch's lovely Rachael and me. We each present wines, as persuasively as possible. Then everyone votes. She very nearly beat me. Has been doing her homework, that girl. Pretty too.

Unfair. The wines were:

Tony (triumphant old-world wines)

28123 Un Vent de Folie Vermentino 2010 (call 0845 194 7720 for details)
38402 Pagos da Tahola Reserva 2004
73112 Le Font del Bosc 2005

Rachael (pipped-at-the-post, new-world wines)

27920 Babich Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010
62639 Fairview The Back Road Carignan 2009

We had a Board Meeting – but I'll not bore you – and we had the Theale HQ End-of-Year Party in the car park. Which a few might remember. Simon did a long, excellent speech covering the world. I said two words and got much applause … they were all starving.

Anyone for cricket?

2011-07-26T10:15:00.001+01:00

Saturday 17th was the day of the Great Match between the Royal Household Cricket Club and Château Giscours Cricket Team at Windsor. Played on the lovely ground below the castle walls, alongside the Long Walk.

And the Heavens opened!

It was while Anne Linder was sorting out stuff for our Bordeaux Voyage and the completely separate Planting of Windsor Vineyard that she discovered that:

a) Bordeaux has long had a good and successful Cricket Club, (unsurprisingly in view of the number of ex-pats there in the Wine Trade) and
b) Windsor Castle has a good team which was looking for an overseas fixture.

So she sorted it. As she does.

Windsor Castle C C

The rain looked to spoil her show. But failed. Our initial dampness steamed gently away during the drinks in the lovely pavilion conservatory. More cricket pavilions should consider adding a glasshouse to beat our bloody weather, though breakages could be a problem, I suppose.

And she thought to provide a marquee. So with the rain hammering down, the teams and spectators were all able to enjoyed a lovely lunch with Laurent Breban's Provence rosé bringing artificial sun, the Dampt brothers’ Chablis representing Burgundy and Château Giscours triumphing – at the table at least – for Bordeaux. All enjoyed by The Prince’s Trust people for whom the other guests raised nearly £5,000. Thanks to all who bid in the silent auction.

At three the rain had stopped, a coin tossed and the covers removed. Giscours went in and a South African chap was soon whacking the ball all over Her Majesty's back garden.

The rain held off, mostly. And the final overs were bathed in a golden glow. Which was mostly sunshine. But it’s impressive how well some people can play cricket after wining and dining so well. W.G. Grace would certainly have been impressed.

The result was a win for the Royal Household … just. The return match at Giscours at the end of September will be interesting. If anyone’s interested in attending, contact Anne for details. She’ll sort it. As she does. anne.linder@directwines.com

Is the wine poor or is it me?

2011-07-18T10:17:00.000+01:00

Why do people suddenly seriously dislike a wine they have long loved?I watch patterns emerging in the comments posted on our website and have been puzzled.

We taste our wines regularly. Were we to find a sudden drop in quality we would not buy the wine in the first place or de-list and send it back if something developed later. Except it never does. Well, I can't remember when it last did. We buy well and only from good people.

So … explain how people will post a comment: "really disappointed in the new vintage … terrible, etc.”

Two reasons occur:
1) Cork taint. Firstly … I very much support the continued use of corks in wine bottles. Have planted cork trees myself. Please don't accuse me of wanting to make Portuguese birds homeless. But … because cork trees take 40 years to mature and in the last forty years the number of wine bottles needing corks has soared exponentially, cork supply is stretched and quality is not always what it should be. This bedevils us.

Unless you taste a lot it is very difficult to spot most cork taint. Generally, people think a cork tainted wine is just a poor wine. A corked wine doesn't have to taste of cork. It can just taste not very good.

I guess we just have to live with this. Is it what the great André Simon meant when he famously but enigmatically said "There are no great wines; only great bottles of wine"?

But it would be good if we could get more people to think: "well, it might just be this bottle, might just be cork. Try another, Laithwaites Wine will refund me anyway."

2) The other reason is trickier to explain. Its something I was taught in a Wine Tasting course I attended at Bordeaux University (in the 60's before I started my business) given by a now legendary man; Professor Emile Peynaud.

Prof Peynaud besides heading Bordeaux's Station Oenologique at the University was the first Great Wine Consultant, the first in a long line of Great Men who seem able to bestow greatness upon a wine anywhere in the world – or at least most bottles of it! – by merely passing magisterially through the cellars.

I mention this in order to emphasise this man's immense authority … and that he was the least likely of men to preach heresy.

But he taught his class this:
"If you find a wine that you would expect to be good, to be not very good, the fault is most likely not in the wine but in you." Note that: "most likely it’s you."

The sons and daughters of all the Great and Good in wine all attended Peynaud's classes. He taught them all to be very, very wary of their senses of taste and smell. In humans these senses are very poor and SO easily overridden by what is heard and seen. So very easily!

"I don't like this", says the person next to you and you are very likely to agree. Not because you are any kind of doormat. Just because a stronger sense always trumps a weaker one.

For serious wine tasting, professional tasters (who are not immune themselves to outside influence) taste in isolation in little cubicles.

And emotions. You're having a bad day, you dislike the person offering this wine, you are never going to enjoy it. Conversely, the wine of a good friend always tastes better.

A wine drunk with friends on a terrace by the Med one balmy evening tastes much better than that same wine on a wet Monday morning in the Reading office. Something we all learn to be wary of in this business. And the origin of much of 'this is a wine that doesn't travel' nonsense.

Above all, your taste and smell are affected by your health. Under the weather? Off colour? Hung over? Run down? Exhausted? A stiff drink may well help, but your taste faculties are not likely to be at their best. The wine is not 'off'. You are.

All this came from a man who I repeat was no maverick, but by some distance the leading wine academic of his age.

Peynaud proved his theories with little tests. The simplest – which I have gleefully tried out many times on my own staff (it always works) – is to offer people a wine and ask their views. Then offer them another wine and ask for comparisons and preference. When all have had their say you tell them both glasses contained the same wine. Such fun. No-one ever gets that right (unless forewarned).

Really calms down any who think they have an infallible palate (and the Prof's classes were full of people who KNEW God had given them exceptional taste buds!)

You assessed wines with the Prof, he always insisted on triangular tastings; three glasses, two with the same wine. Fail to spot the identical wines, your views were not counted.

All this made me very wary indeed of rushing to conclusions on wines. I think I owe the Prof and my Peynaud-taught mentors in the trade a very great debt indeed. Taste slowly, quietly and alone if possible. Something seems odd? It could be you. Try again tomorrow. It may all be different.

Party time at Gloucester ...

2011-07-14T09:27:00.001+01:00

As I said its v busy here now. Writing my fingers off. But did get down to the Gloucester warehouse for their annual party. Always worth it.

It only rained a bit but it always does and no matter. They were all looking glum when we arrived 'cos Kempo had said no drinks till Tony's spoken his Speech. Cut down the riots. Soon rectified that! Whoosh. I much prefer audiences with a drink in heir hands.

Glenn spoke first with all the amazing statistics this outfit achieves. Basically they take your orders so sweetly and deliver them so fast and correctly it amazes you. And me. So I kept my bit short and just thanked them. So they could get to the food and drink.

Talked all night and heard such stories. We have a guy walks four miles to work!

We are half Polish half Gloucestershire here. Some of our Poles are descended from Polish airmen who once flew from the airfield where our warehouse now stands. There are so many weddings and babies I lost count. But you put loads of energetic young folk in a wine warehouse what do you expect.

They keep me up to date with people from here now working for us in Oz, USA, etc. I learnt we have now 60 people on our phones in Poland! It’s great having these two-way connections.

Great food and a good party. I said to Kempo we ought to do this for the customers. They really ought to see this place.

Bounders' Diary Part Three

2011-07-13T09:45:00.000+01:00

Here's the last instalment of the Bounders' February trip to Australia.

Flight to Mount Gambier airport
Met by Brian Lynn from Majella wines, known as ‘Prof’ by all the winemakers in Coonawarra due to his great knowledge of everything. Noticeable that the Coonawarra vineyards are largely uninterrupted whereas the other areas we have visited have vineyards interspersed with farmland, fields and trees.

Majella
Tasting with Brian and Bruce Gregory the winemaker. Very good wines. The Musician Cab/Shiraz 2009 The 2008 Merlot, Cab Sauv and Shiraz are all very good - we all liked his wines. Tour of Coonawarra with Prof. Best vineyards are all on the red Terra Rossa soil. Saw an interesting cut away which highlighted the red top soil with limestone underneath.

Made a few extra stops.

Leconfield Estate
Hamilton Shiraz v good for the price.

Leconfield make our exclusive Hamilton Block Cab :

HAMILTON BLOCK COONAWARRA CAB SAUV 08

Katnook. 2007 Chardonnay and 2006 Prodigy Shiraz v. good. Balnaves 2008 Cab Sauv good.

Tuesday 1st March - McLaren Vale

Vale Coriole
A little bit of Tuscany in McLaren Vale. Tasting with Mark Lloyd and John Lamp. The 2004 Chenin was excellent - unoaked and ageing wonderfully. 2008 Sangiovese/Shiraz and 2008 Nebbiolo also good.

Paxton
Tour and tasting with Paul Limpus, Mike and Ben. Great bunch of guys. All biodynamically produced - a nice range of reasonably priced wines. 2009 Tempranillo good as was the 2010 Rosé. Some nice tank samples too from the 2010 vintage. Saw the herb garden as well as cows horns and stags bladders all used for fertiliser. Fruit trees including Fig, Kaffir, Tangello, Satsuma, Plum and Pear – all delicious.

A great evening with the RedHeads guys at the Victory Hotel - great food and wine too.

Wednesday 2nd March McLaren Vale

Chapel Hill
Tour and tasting with Michael Fragos. Lovely cellar door including the original Chapel. Very informative cellar tour - just bringing in the Chardonnay grapes too.

Last stop RedHeads
Tastings with Steve Grimley, Jess Hardy, Andrew Pieri and Adam Hooper. Good set up at RedHeads and the guys are passionate about their wines. Very informative tasting and the wines, as always, will be well received when they get to the U.K.

Red Heads wines in stock now :

RED HEADS RACK 1 OAK AGED SHIRAZ CAB 08
LA CURIO THE NUBILE GRENACHE SHIRAZ 09
LONGWOOD SHIRAZ MCLAREN VALE 09
WILSON GUNN BELLUM SHIRAZ CAB 07
PIKKARA MCLAREN VALE SHIRAZ 09
WILSON GUNN BELLUM SHIRAZ CAB 08
LA CURIO MCLAREN VALE RESERVE SHIRAZ 09
MCMURTRIE MCLAREN VALE CAB SAUV 09
PIERI AZZARDO MCLAREN VALE SHIRAZ 09
THE GOOD DOCTOR TANNAT CAB SHIR MCLAREN VALE 09

A great way to end the trip.

A common theme was obviously the late harvest due to the cool weather and rain - no one had yet brought in any grapes except Chapel Hill. 2011 will be an interesting vintage to say the least.

Without exception everyone was very welcoming and friendly towards us and made all the visits well worthwhile. The winemakers in each area we visited are all very supportive of each other and keen to distinguish the wines they make in their regions from the rest of Australia which is certainly the way forward. There are a lot of very good wines out there and production techniques that would make the Europeans envious.

The Bounders …

Bounders' Diary Part Two

2011-07-12T10:08:00.000+01:00

Here's the second instalment from the Bounders' trip to Australia ...

Wednesday 23rd February - Barossa Valley

Peter Lehmann Wines
Stand-out wines were the 2005 Margaret Barossa Semillon which had just won at the Royal Sydney Wine Show, 2005 Wigan Eden Valley Riesling and the 2006 Stonewell Shiraz (Andrew Wigan said next to the ’98 best he had seen). Also worth a mention the Lehmann Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz.

Tony – last few bottles of Wigan 04 still in our warehouse (Eight Golds to its name and counting …)

LEHMANN WIGAN RIESLING EDEN VALLEY 04

And although we’ve stocked Black Queen before we’d recommend this red sparkler if that’s what you’re looking for – from McLaren Vale and highly original:

REDHEADS TOMAHAWK SPARKLING RED NV

Relaxed lunch with Andrew Wigan (great bloke), Tanya, Jeff and Paul. They made us feel welcome and Ailsa’s egg and bacon pie and rhubarb pudding were lovely. Andrew gave us the tour including the Semillon vines with misting devices to encourage botrytis.

Thursday 24th February - Barossa Valley and Clare Valley

Yalumba
Scott Washington took us on the tour and tasting including the only cooperage in the Southern hemisphere, as well as being the oldest family owned vineyard in Oz. The Jansz Tasmania Premium Cuvee was one of the wines of the trip. Also good the Virgilius Viognier, Barossa Eden Valley Bush Vine Grenache, the Cigar Menzies 2007 and The Signature. The Patchwork was still tasting fantastic.

We’ve worked with Yalumba, Henschke and Grosset over the years although no wines in stock now. However, from the Barossa we do have an amazing old-vine Grenache from Langmeil who have vines going back to an 1843 ... incredible!

LANGMEIL BAROSSA GRENACHE 2010

Henschke Eden Valley
Tour and tasting with Melanie Keynes. Drove up to see the Hill of Grace Vineyard and the Gnadenberg Church both there since the 1860s. First vintage was 1865. Biodynamically produced wines. Beautiful old winery. Stephen Henschke popped in to introduce himself too. Stand out wines were the Louis Semillon 2008, Julius Riesling 2010 and the Mount Edelstone 2007. Tried Hill of Grace 2006 although the Hill of Roses 2006 was just as good at a third of the price.

Grosset Clare Valley
Tour and tasting with Jeff Grosset. Very excited about the 2011 vintage - could be his best since 1982 … Can complete his Riesling production in 10 days! Stand-out wines were the Polish Hill Riesling 2010 and Springvale Riesling 2010.

Skillogalee, Clare Valley
This was the find of the trip. Cellar door is an old stone cottage built in 1851 by a Cornish miner. Run by Dave and Diana Palmer who moved from the UK in 1989 and their son and daughter. Self-contained winery, hand-picked grapes, gentle ten-hour pressing. Tour and tasting with Dave … a lovely chap. Well-priced wines selling aound the £12 mark. Good Riesling, Gewurtz and Rosé, Take Two Shiraz Cabernet 2007 and the 2007 Shiraz good also. Stayed at Skillogalee house that night: a beautiful place.

Friday 25th February - Clare Valley

Jim Barry Wines
Tour with John Barry in his old Mercedes - as good a ride as a 4x4. Enjoyed a glass of Riesling overlooking the Armagh Valley. Tasting with his brother Peter. Two great blokes. The Lodge Hill Riesling just won best Riesling at the Royal Sydney Wine Show.

Pikes
Tour and tasting with Neil Pike. Nice guy with a boisterous black Labrador puppy. Enjoyed the EWP Shiraz 2001, the 2010 Merle Riesling and the 2010 Pikes Riesling. Good range.

Neil Pikes wines in stock – Clare Hills, Prospectors (Clare) and Lenswood (Adelaide Hills) are exclusively made for us :

PROSPECTOR'S RIESLING VIOGNIER 2010
CLARE HILLS SEMILLON SAUVIGNON BLANC 09
LENSWOOD HILLS PINOT NOIR 09(IWC Gold medal winner)
PIKES EWP SHIRAZ 06 (97 Points James Halliday)

And the few last cases (5!) of his rare Tempranillo :

CLARE HILLS TEMPRANILLO 08

Saturday 26th February - Adelaide Hills

Bird in Hand
Tour and tasting with Justin Nugent. Climbed to the top of the old grain silos for wonderful views of Adelaide Hills. Produce their own olives and olive oil which are excellent. Good range of wines including the 2009 Nest Egg Chardonnay and 2008 Nest Egg Shiraz.

In stock now:

BIRD IN HAND NEST EGG CAB SAUV 2007 (packed in wood – last two cases)

Saturday night in Adelaide with Al Withers (ex Laithwaites) and chums. Checked out the Adelaide Fringe Festival at The Garden of Unearthly Delights. Had a great Thai meal, visited some interesting bars and took a walk down the infamous Hindley Street.

Please excuse … short break

2011-07-11T11:22:00.001+01:00

This time of year I disappear for three days with Pete and Dick. A brilliant-but-under-appreciated trio at the all-conquering Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in the 60's, we are going to walk Dartmoor and try being wicked. But at our age …?

Meanwhile here's a couple of things from Oz.

'Bounders' in Oz.
You should read this if ever you doubt the knowledge, commitment and skill of my 'Advisors' (sometimes, for obscure reasons called the 'Bounders'.)

The other day I had a customer wanting to talk to one of our buyers for advice because he felt someone called 'Wine Advisor' might not know enough. I told him my top Advisors probably knew more than I did (at 65 you forget more than you learn!) and that the new ones would never pretend to a knowledge they didn't have. Just not our style, that. Try for yourself.

Back in February, our Wine Advisors Simon Millard, Chris Moyle and Karl Wojna took a trip to Australia. Read on for a report - edited by me - on what they got up to that's fit to print.

Friday 18th February

Early meet at Martins Heron station for drive to Heathrow.

Saturday 19th February

Land at Melbourne 9pm local time

Sunday 20th February - Free day

Best breakfast buffet ever.
Tram to St.Kildas beach in the afternoon.

Monday 21st February - Yarra Valley

Domaine Chandon
A beautifully laid out modern winery. Heather gave us the tour of the cellars, riddling hall and barrel room. Bumped into Henry Laithwaite who was there learning about how to make sparkling wine. What are the chances?! Tasting with Glen the winemaker included our 2007 Heathcote Shiraz. The 2002 Prestige Cuvee was interesting, and the 2006 Brut and sparkling rose which were very good.

Yering Station
Tour and tasting with Gordon Gebbie, a very nice and knowledgeable chap. Again a modern cellar door but wonderfully designed. Stand outs of the tasting were the 2010 Fume Blanc, 1997 Yering Pinot Noir and the ’94 Parker 1st growth. The Xanadu and Mount Langi Ghiran ranges both good including a Margaret River Chardonnay and a Riesling from the Grampians.

(Tony … "Talking of 'what are the chances of that?, Gordon was the first Aussie winemaker I ever met … when he worked in Bordeaux. When I finally got myself to Oz, and visited my first cellar - Hungerford Hill in the Hunter - I got a bellowed "xxxx! Tony bloody Laithwaite, what the hell are you doing here"… from somewhere on top of the tanks. It was Gordon, the only Aussie winemaker I knew. He was there visiting too by chance!)

Giant Steps
Surprised as pulled into what appeared to be a DIY store in the middle of Healesville which turned out to be the winery. All glass and metal but on closer inspection an attractive modern building with a large café area buzzing with locals-mainly young families and school kids. As well as wine they make cheese, bake bread and grind coffee on site.

Tasting with Cameron Mackenzie and Steve Flamstead the winemaker- both really nice guys. Four sites – Sexton, Gladysdale, Tarraford and Applejack growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Sexton and Tarraford were the stand out amongst what were all good wines. Drove up with Cameron to the vineyards and saw the damage done by the bush fires in 2009. (When Tony was there - see his diary).

We've three wines from Giant Steps in stock now:

NINE TAILS MOSCATO ROSE 2010, GIANT STEPS CHARDONNAY 2009 and GIANT STEPS SEXTON VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2008

Very pleasant evening with Dan Parrott (Laithwaites Oz Buyer, based Down Under) in Melbourne with a few frosty beverages and some excellent Tapas from Movida.

Tuesday 22nd February - Mornington Peninsular

Yabby Lake
With Keith Harris- the cellar door was his recently vacated bungalow in the middle of the vineyard. Some good wines from Tom Carson. Red Claw is the entry level followed by Yabby Lake, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Waiting on the 2008 Rock Shiraz - the 2004 got 97 points from Halliday. No malo, minimal intervention. Kangaroos spotted on the vineyard tour!

A common theme we heard was move to screw caps helped along by the poor quality corks that apparently are sent to Australia.

Ten Minutes by Tractor
Wonderful views of Mornington Peninsular as at the highest point and overlooking the sea. Tasting with Julie. The 2008 McCutcheon Vineyard Pinot Noir was excellent as was the McCutcheon Chardonnay. The 10X Sauvignon Blanc also good. An impressive range.

Evening flight to Adelaide.

Tasting in the vineyard at Theale HQ

2011-07-05T12:38:00.000+01:00

As we began the tasting in our vineyard the Orient Express train steamed slowly out of Theale station. Unreal on a warm sunny evening to drink Theale Sparkling 05 in the tiny, south-sloping, fruit-tree-surrounded vineyard where it grew.

Needless to say all loved it.

An 'outsider'; Madame F Marsanne Sauvignon won the vote easily against Esk Valley Marlborough Sauvignon; one of our regular stars. And in another surprise, The Hodd's Un Vent de Folie 2010 beat the powerful Baileyana Grand Firepeak Chardonnay 2007.

Maybe I put these two successes down to my eloquence but more likely is it that the voters at this event were all customers of our Eddie at Theale Shop who 'grooms' them away from mainstream into liking the little-known and unusual – but wonderful. Eddie – with us since dot, knows the recesses of our vast cellars better than anyone … me included.

I think his Clare Hills Tempranillo 2008 from Oz just about sneaked it from my Pagos de Tahola Rioja 2004 (Tempranillo). The young Aussie allows you to taste the fruit in a way they cannot quite do in Spain. Whilst I suspect Rioja will long remain our most popular wine category, lovers of the region would all enjoy – and grow their understanding a bit by trying – Clare Hills.

Finally my Dolines de l'Hortus 2008 (I am still on a Midi jag after my last trip) got whacked by my son's 'Pax'. Some peace that one! His Wilson Gunn Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2007 is a beauty right now. Not just a fond Dad talking; me being on the other side.

Great evening, good food, great company. I love these shop tastings. I get round them all every year. Because I enjoy my work and to squash the persistent rumours that I am just the figment of a marketeers imagination.

It’s the busiest time of year for me, preparing for the Autumn. Shame this always happens, like exams, when the weather is at its best. But I'm never going to get sympathy am I? Not with my job.

The Henley Regatta

2011-07-04T10:27:00.001+01:00

Living near Henley I have to go to the regatta every year … till this year always with Norah our 93-year-old party girl. We stood and toasted our friend in pink champagne.

Ladies knees may be banned, but blokes can wear costumes you can only safely wear at Henley. Everywhere Pimms pours out of taps – charmless but high-speed – and lunch is organised like Trooping the Colour in the Stewards Enclosure.

But this year was enhanced by bottles of Aussierres Chardonnay and Aussieres Red Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah from Baron Eric's estate outside Narbonne. Domaines Rothschild have completely rebuilt the entire vineyard and cellar and the results are impressive. Last month in Bordeaux the Baron served four wines at dinner; Aussieres the first was not overshadowed by the last; Lafite. We are doing very well with Aussieres. Do try.

If you saw a madman in a tiny white dinghy bobbing around by the finishing line, Sunday, that was me. I hoped we'd win the Grand – and wanted to be right there – but no, Germany again. Breaking the course record. But at the Olympics?

Terror at Carlton Towers

2011-06-30T13:25:00.000+01:00

Last night I spoke at an awards dinner for the Top 100 Private Companies with the fastest growing exports.

Terrifying.

Got no work done for two days trying to write a speech. I wanted to sound like a clever businessman. But found it impossible. Simon then suggested I confess to being a hopeless manager and leader (he was a bit too enthusiastic about that, I thought) and just tell some wine stories. What I'm good at.

At the last moment, looking at my script, Barbara suggested I bin it and just wing the thing … tell them why we had gone international and anything else that occurred. So I did.

We went International a) because after nearly 40 years, things here had got a bit too comfy and we needed a shock, and b) because we saw people in America and Australia picking up our ideas and doing very well. So I we knew it could work.

Certainly did liven things up here. When you send your best guys off to the old colonies those left behind have to pedal a whole lot harder. Which included me. I'm no longer worried about boredom, just being able to keep up.

With help from Thomas I choose the Dampt brothers Chablis Vielle Vignes '09 and Hunter's Pinot Noir to go with a main course of red mullet. Enabled me to tell the stories of two of our more remarkable wine families.

They clapped. So well done those winemakers. Thanks to B for giving me the confidence and also thanks to the customers at the event – especially the lovely lady helping run the event who sought me out to shake my hand and say that we were absolutely the most wonderful Company she had ever dealt with. Thanks. And keep it up, my lot … you have a lot of fans out there.

Messing about on the Kennet and Avon

2011-06-27T17:13:00.000+01:00

Spent the weekend going up the Thames from Henley to Reading, then into the Kennet and Avon canal. Chris 'Narrowboat' Larkin saw me but don't think he recognised. Reading is much more attractive seen from the water. A couple of stretches and bridges positively Venetian.

Heckled going through the Oracle Centre but nothing actually thrown and soon after in the lush, overgrown, watery greenery of the Kennet. The water is clear, the reeds, water hyacinths, Iris and lilies abundant. In one part, the trees form a tunnel. The grebe, ducks, coots and moorhens are busy with nests or young. And unlike the Thames there is very little traffic. Just the odd narrow boater chugging slowly along. A happy breed. No big white plastic fantastics; they can't do the bridges.

Our little 'Lusi' looks very African Queen in the windy, jungly bits. Funny, but the most attractive parts are where you'd least expect them; by the sewage plant and behind warehouses. We picnic-ed simply with Laithwaite Sauvignon and a terrific Pinot Blanc from Bott-Geyl.

Eight locks to Sheffield lock, which is right near Theale HQ. Got there just before 5. So no good for commuting, then. We made it to Aldermaston only to find our planned pub for dinner shut two months ago. Got a lift on the A4. After such a slow day, cars and lorries appear to go terrifyingly fast. A good fish n' chips with Sunday Bay.

Back next day. All well till in Sonning lock when, with a big audience, she conks out!

So have to leave her by the lock. Get Ivan the Motor next morning and it was only a fuse I didn't know about. Trundle home to hectic Henley. The 'blades' have now taken over for regatta. Not safe to venture out for a week.

Henley

2011-06-24T15:38:00.001+01:00

Saw the first rushes of our new TV ad featuring Mark Hoddy! Amazing. They combed his hair! Don't think that's been done for years. I can see why they dropped me for a younger man. He can walk and talk his lines at the same time. I never quite got the hang of that.

Trip report from buyer Becca

2011-06-23T11:28:00.000+01:00

Becca Reeves. Trip to South Africa with Helen. (Becca delighted to be taking over Helen's responsibility for RSA; a country she loves).

The Short Version
(Shortened further with stuff on delicate negotiations removed by me, TL!)

Quite a long short report here - got a bit over-enthusiastic about everything! Here are the key things you absolutely HAVE to know:

2011 white harvest – patchy. Sauvignon hard hit. Care needed.
2011 red harvest – very promising.

Massive improvement in style and quality of Pinotage. Pricing broadly stable … Volumes aren’t a major issue – good position compared with other new world countries.

Top wines:

Flagstone
Cracking new vintage Stumble Vineyards Sauvignon and Pinotage and/or Malbec. Two delicious, more-unusual wines – a Touriga Franca Rosé and a Petit Verdot.

Bon Courage
Lovely new-vintage Gooseberry Bush – and plenty available!

Charles Back
The Back Road Petite Syrah 09 – my tasting note finished: “we MUST have this wine!”
New Six Hats Fairtrade Mourvedre

Klein Constantia
Klein Constantia Estate Cab Sauv 08 – Helen and I loved this wine SO much, we actually bought a bottle for ourselves … neither of us have ever done this before! I’m just not sure they have any stock for us to buy as a company …

Summary:
Sauvignon challenges! But generally massively exciting with huge potential to grow!

Becca going overboard with the exclamation marks. A few problems to sort but you can see the girl is quite excited.

I saw her just arrived back on Tuesday but to get her sign off, this piece is going to have to catch up with her in Chile. Hectic life, wine-buying.

Reception at Lafite

2011-06-23T09:44:00.001+01:00

Vinexpo, the great biennial Wine Fair in Bordeaux is not so much an exhibition as an excuse for partying. The Wine Trade – all of it – comes here and can, of course, party pretty well. But a big, hot, mile-long shed, placed at the hub of all the worst traffic jams in Bordeaux is not the best place to party. It’s a good place to avoid.

Especially when for miles in almost every direction there are the loveliest wine châteaux in the world. The owners of these châteaux compete with each other for partying … as well as for Parker Points and prices. Some have the means to do it rather well.

And you are going to hate me. Last night I went to Lafite-Rothschild. Me, my boy Tom and nephew Andrew from our Sydney office. As Monsieur Ali our constant taximan drove us in late afternoon sun through gently rolling immaculate Médoc vineyards, past all the turreted and castellated wonders, like a drive through the most expensive wine list in the world. I swear the boys' lower jaws did drop.

We posed before Margaux, bowed towards Latour, gasped at Beychevelle and Palmer. And and and....

We arrived at Lafite and a beaming Baron Eric. We weren't first there. We thought we'd be fashionably late; we were second.

On the terrace lawns we scoffed perfect oysters and Spanish ham as well as little delicacies that just materialised before us. I got introduced as “our biggest customer in Britain” which surprised me but then the Baron has quite a lot of Domaines apart from Lafite … which our customers are enthusiastic about.

At dinner we had first his Aussieres. One sip of that took me right back to Narbonne last week. Then the Caro Malbec took me right back to Mendoza two months ago, and the Dix from Los Vascos similarly back to Chile. The fourth wine was Lafite '83! Thing was, the other wines were not eclipsed. It was perfectly fine to serve them alongside possibly the greatest wine in the world just now. £1000+ (a bottle!) The Baron and his team do things well.

Met old friends, made new. Clambered into M. Ali's taxi. Then … a bit of a blur, rushing about, and I'm back home in England reading that 65 year olds have had their wine allowances halved. Thud. Back to earth. I may emigrate.

Drinks at Duclot with Tonton

2011-06-22T12:13:00.002+01:00

"Salon 1999 magnum, Lafite 1995, Margaux 2001, Mouton 1986, Cheval Blanc 2001, Petrus 1998, Haut Brion 2000, Latour 1990, Yquem 1997, ****, man! I'll buy a suit for you to come with me next time, I wish I could share this with you. Missing you, xxx Tonton".

Edited text from Jean-Marc to Mark as he staggered home from the sort of drinks party you get invited to in Bordeaux when Vinexpo is on.

J-MS hit the wrong button so I got it by mistake. He likes all his winemakers to call him 'tonton' (uncle) and is clearly fond of them.

I didn't need it; I was at the same bash … given by Duclot the finest negociant in Bordeaux who only handle top stuff – and top buyers of course. I was in a taxi home to Ste Colombe. Asleep.

Jean Moueix is only 28 and Managing Director of this House. His family owns Petrus. He knows how to put on a party. The room was three-quarters Oriental. And most of them were young, too. In fact I am sure I was the oldest. So this is what it’s like being a Grandfather.

Had got back from the Midi – get a better car, Mark, as well as a suit – and had a quiet day … until this evening. Bordeaux was 'en Fête' – not for the Wine Show (which the Bordelais hate as it screws the traffic for a week) – but for the River Show. Beautiful; the 'Belem' and other old sail ships lining the Quais and a right old party going on where you used to see just barrels and other freight being loaded. I really am old! Nice to see.

Jean and Olivier Berrouet, his Petrus winemaker, said they'd packed off their Dads and organised this 'young' event. We sat on high white stools at high white tables. Girls brought tiny dishes of tiny delicacies – I think the Chinese buyers liked this – and chaps poured decanter after decanter of perfect, priceless wines in pairs. We had to guess the wines and vintages. And not fall off our white stools.

I'm not saying how I did.

Pic St Loup to Cevennes

2011-06-21T08:54:00.001+01:00

Up to the northern rim of the Midi where great white 'Pics' rear up sharply from the forests where the Cevennes begin. Another ancient wine region and another tough and testing area. Steep, high, rocky and unforgiving. Ordinary wine growers cannot - did not - survive here.

But winemakers with a passion, with unbreakable spirit, with brains, with a dream are drawn to such places. We love 'em. Up past St Martin de Londres, down narrow tracks, through the green oak forests we find Martin Orliac; fourth son of Jean & Marie Therese. And a winery built of wood! Like so many in California and Oregon! But France? Unique as far as I know.

Back in the Sixties Martin's father Jean was an agronomist at Montpellier University. He got the urge to put theory into practice when, tramping these wild crags and woods, he found these recently abandoned vineyards and olive groves.

They planted immaculately tended rows of Syrah. Then other varieties, built the winery and gradually built up a cult following of the faithful across France. Most of their wine is sold to people prepared to find their way to this remote spot.

We get some because of 'family'. Jean-Marc's delightful niece Sylvie (of Chateau Thieuly, Bordeaux) is now married to Jean-François, the eldest Orliac boy.

Tasting with
Martin Orliac

The wine we get from them is called Dolines de l'Hortus. Up here in this rocky limestone land (karst scenery if there are any geographers here) you get these green bowls where the ground has caved-in due to caverns collapsing below. Sediment has accumulated and things – like vines – can grow. Called 'Dolines'. Fascinating, eh? Things you learn with us.

The family, bar Martin, have decamped to Bordeaux for the Big Show tomorrow (Vinexpo) and indeed we must now set off for the same place in Mark's Chai van, the 'Popemobile'. Not really looking forward to the drive. But it was a great trip. I am a lucky old swine, aren't I? Share my job satisfaction. Buy the case of the trip. And maybe catch the Flybe to Perpignan.

Carcassonne to Narbonne

2011-06-20T09:28:00.002+01:00

Today's first visit left us speechless. So best perhaps leave it at that.

Secondly we met up with Hervé and Laurent at the little cellar where we buy a Merlot called Domaine Ginestieres which we are lucky enough to have specially made for us by Claude Gros. Robert Parker has scored I don't know how many Claude Gros wines and meets with up with him every year for half a day; an honour accorded to very few, anywhere. Jancis Robinson has called him the 'Chameleon Winemaker'. I think I know what you mean, Jancis.

Gros likes to blend into the background … not a big chap, quiet, self effacing. Bounces in. Trainers, dress-down, haversack. Quick taste, chat, photo opp. Bounces out again. Has to keep moving; the number of clients he has. Consults all over. Here – his home territory – Bordeaux, Burgundy. They say he is the new Michel Rolland (Wine Consultant to the Stars, now getting on a bit). Some would contest that, but Claude is certainly always with the leading runners.

His wine for us is just superb. I hope people take the time to appreciate it. Good Midi wines for me are full of vibrancy, life, flavour, zest and charm. But what Jean adds (like Jean-Marc and Mark) is polish and poise. Like little wine couturiers dressing their pretty girls! Oh my! Pseuds Corner here we come. It’s late at night.

How to see if you agree? Try drinking the Ginestieres (turn to pages 4 & 5 in this month’s list, it’s in The Summer Case 2011) on its own as an aperitif. Most reds, that's not fun. You need the beef with. Some lighter Beaulolais type fruity things, yes. But this is not light and fruity. This is a proper full red, but its smooth creamy elegance (now, not in x year's time) makes this a delight to drink … on its own.

Hervé and Laurent's 11th Century office is in Château Prat de Cest - what was a fortress on the old Roman road from Spain, just south of Narbonne. Not a bad address. We tasted so much lovely stuff there it’s all a bit of a blur. I'll have to get Cat to remind me.

H and L ... and good old Andrée (or Madame F as we now call her) continue the way we have always worked here, in what is the largest wine region in the world … and possibly the most underestimated. 40 years now we have scoured these rugged hills for what Hervé calls "les petits cuvées qui vont bien".

We have a label called 'L'Epervier' - the Sparrow Hawk. Named because of the way our agents must hover tirelessly over this area looks for choice tidbits. Les petits cuves qui vont bien. Is exactly it. Amazing little finds. Always way cheaper than anything comparable elsewhere in France.

Here, we don't so much have long affiliations with the same chateaux. Some, not many. Costs too much. Instead our agents search and search until "Bingo!" … we find one. Be it in a little co-op, an estate or a garage under his house like Jean Charles. I love working this way. Very exciting.

But here we are now, after dark, sitting out under the pine trees eating fish from the lagoon at a little place called 'Souquet's' (run, just in Summer, by the guys who have 'Le Petit Comptoir'; best place to eat in Narbonne). It’s up a very long, narrow and rutted track. I would guess plenty would-be diners give up halfway and turn round thinking they must be lost!

We are on La Clape. (Pron. 'Clap'). The little rocky plateau between Narbonne and the sea that was an island in Roman times. I used to sell huge amounts from up here. Mostly to doctors for some reason. Château de Pech Redon. Any customer who's been around over 23 years will remember Pech Redon. Jean Demolombe! What a man! All those wives. All those wines. Lived life at such a speed and died so sadly. And bravely. I've never been up to the great house since. Pech Redon is still made. Still quite good, apparently, but without Jean … can't do it. Must be just over ridge from where I'm sitting though.

Anyway, here we are with Andrée who carries on Jean's good work. And Hervé, who is just as wickedly witty as he was. Under the stars with the aromas of the warm pines, the sage, rosemary, thyme, growing all around and the woodsmoke … one of life's better moments.

There’s something about Maury

2011-06-17T09:59:00.000+01:00

For someone who doesn't actually drink a lot I seem to be good at giving the impression I do. More posing in vineyards glass in hand today. I do so much of this I expect the Priory have had me pencilled in for a long time.

Today it’s the vineyards where we get our 'XV'. Mark - also glass in hand - is talking to camera. I'm looking at the 'soil' here. Just fragments of slate and schist. Mark says in olden times winegrowers tending their vines here always carried a hammer. If they saw a rock … they'd whack it! The shattered remains are what is now the 'soil'.

It’s still hard work, here. This morning, at 4 or 5 as soon as there was light, I got woken; the tractors were out. By noon it’s too hot.

The President of the cellar here is a lovely, gentle man who says little and looks too slight to cope with vineyards. Yet he's well-known as 'the President who doesn't have a tractor'. He has 14 hectares and does it all on foot! Respect!

Bright sun now at 11am. Wind getting up. Always windy here … fair whistles down the Agly valley. This is the Vent du Folie. Drives people mad.

The side of the valley, a 500 metre high great limestone cliff, is to the north of me. On the baking scree at its base are some of Mark's vineyards. He is plain mad! You can't possibly grow more that a glassful per vine there. And you'd need crampons.

Justin took us to his vineyards this morning. He and Amanda came here on holiday 8 years ago, drank a bottle of wine made by this scruffy wine-stained guy (Mark) in a shed and decided they'd like to do the same. So bought a few acres of really old vines.

So our Wine Director - a Master of Wine - chose Maury a where he wanted to make his own wine. And our Chai Winemaker still has 14 hectares here.

Several of the world’s best winemakers have also bought vines here. Says something about Maury. And to think that when I first saw and fell for this valley, I was devastated to find there was no wine here to buy! Sure, there were ancient vineyards but all they made then was VDN - Vin Doux Naturel which is, despite its name, not a 'natural' wine but has added brandy. It’s the original 'Port'. They made so much money with VDN they no longer made straight wine. But it was older folk who drank VDN and eventually that market more or less vanished. With much hardship. Whole villages went bankrupt. E.g. Opoul.

So. They went back to making unfortified reds and well, it’s gone very well.

Hervé collects us to visit his old vineyards nearby at the village of La Tour de France which produce our Cabalié. On granite rather than schist if you're interested. Gives a rich rounder wine. And the Romans are supposed to have liked it.

Vineyard has a nice 'Casot'; vigneron’s hut. When I was young I used to dream of buying one of these to camp in on my trips.

Then it’s a long drive west up the valley and across to the cooler, greener region of Limoux; a very important place in the history of Laithwaites . It was here in this sparkling wine town where we got them to let us - as an experiment - make a still chardonnay. It was a huge success. Flying Winemaker Chardonnay. Now they make loads of it themselves.

But our 'La Voute' successor to that FW wine – fruit from here but made in our 'Chai OK' is altogether finer.

Roche Lacour is our main wine here. They've made it for us since the Seventies I think. Has never lost its spot as our top selling fizz.

After tastings and vineyard visits wearily we roll along to Carcassone, them to carry on chatting, me to crash out. No, can't miss la Cité, can I? Keep going Laithwaite.

Visiting Tautavel - the most stunning wine scenery in France

2011-06-16T10:18:00.001+01:00

With the VX team in the XV vineyard. Cellar director and President, Andrée (who first created the wine with me back in...can't remember when ..long time), Justin, Cat and Mark being filmed.

9am Flybe Southampton to Perpignan. 28C. Justin drives us to Tautavel in the high valley that links Roussillon to Corbières. The most stunning wine scenery in France for me.

Google Earth it.

I'm going to try organising some arrangement where customers can come here on a cheap flight/car hire deal. They then drive around half a dozen of our suppliers and by waving a little card be welcomed like long lost brothers or sisters. The scenery is stunning, as I say, plus it’s not overrun with tourists. They stay on the coast, mostly. Stay at gites like where I am now, eat at the unpretentious bars we use like La Placette (or the very pretentious new restaurant in Maury, if that suits).

Five or six visits then back on the plane … wonderful sort of secret short break.

Katie Jones came here on holiday 22 years ago. Met a nice vigneron. Been here ever since. She's a great guide.

And makes a nice wine; Domaine Jones. Welsh Roussillon. We have some.

Mark Hoddy our winemaker still has vines here. And Justin, our MW, also. Quite a few wine people from outside – Bordeaux, the US – are moving in. Even young Thunevin who has his place in Castillon, just down from Le Chai au Quai.

Why such interest?

Because it’s stunning, the vines are affordable and the potential looks v good … once more people get to know about it.

Solution is more people must come and fall in love. With this place. It’s hard to sell the wines from here. I know. Been managing to do it for exactly 40 years. Just. Nothing wrong with the wines. And prices are great, but somehow they don't take off like they should. The people here still struggle to make a living from wine. But if more people just came and saw …

Our new wine 'Vive l'Evolution' coming September from Tautavel shows man evolving from Homo Erectus – quiet at the back – to Homo Winedrinkus in a mere 450,000 years. Which he did round here. The vineyards here are full of stone arrowheads. The wine growers of Tautavel enact this ascent of man thing for us. Funny bunch. So hospitable! Yesterday they hosted a group of Glasgow barmen … that IS brave.

Their wines are good. Very good. But it’s been many years since we bought here.

This steep sided valley is only about 5k from Opoul – for crows, much more for men – where we used to buy masses until they went bust. As I said, hard here. Ex- President Thibeaudau of the Opoul cellar and his two big sons (we still have this photo on our office wall of the 3 of them in scrum front row stance) now bring their grapes here.

This cellar works with Gerard Bertrand - a Big Man round here … ex Rugby International. He is determined to build its reputation. I bought wine from his dad … 'Cuvée Georges Bertrand' . Long ago. Gerard usually gets what he wants.

And over the opposite ridge lies little Embres where I bought wine from Bernard Pueyo. Cuvee Pompadour. Lovely wine from a great bearded Neanderthal, but the first man to get on a map every plot of vines in his village – soil analysis, vine age, everything. This allowed him to sort out good from bad and get more money for the good growers, who struggle most, with the steepest and oldest vineyards. Others do this now. Tautavel do. And the wine is just amazingly better for it.

But they struggle. The 'Crise' has hit them hard. Mostly the wives have had to leave their farms to get jobs in town. But that's agriculture for you. But there's recompense living here. Stunning place.

Dinner with Jean Charles who grows what Mark buys and raises as Vent de Folie. Was snails barbecued by his Dad, eaten straight off the coals with some aioli. And sausages with a big sort of pie of cold vegetables that works very well here in the heat:

'Escalibade' – bake or grill lots of aubergines, tomatoes, onions, peppers, courgettes in oven then layer them into a big dish and souse with olive oil with scattereing of fresh parsley and raw chopped garlic. Serve cold.

Shippy the more-or-less spaniel likes my sausage too much.

Staying at the Mas d'en Simon run by Jeremy and Lisa Ancock. You should come and stay. They've done it so beautifully. Lost in the vines. Pool and ping pong. Very comfy bed, full moon out there. What more can you want? Sleeps.

I've just been on holiday, reading The Papers …

2011-06-15T10:05:00.000+01:00

… and clearly, as far as The Press is concerned, there are two wine markets.

One market that gets reported is deciding whether it goes from £600 a bottle to £1000 this year … or maybe just a modest £800.

The other wine market that is 'news' is trying to work out how it can beat up producers into reducing prices by yet more in the supermarket game … of basically getting the price of wine down below the price of water.

Both these markets are mad. Stark raving bonkers loony mad … and they’re the world we live in today.

In between the two extremes is wine's 'third world.’ The one I adore, of sensible, hard working wine people. A world populated virtually entirely by the sort of decent folk who choose the gentle- countryfolk world of wine as their career, rather than the rougher but more profitable worlds.

Currently we wine people are very worried about the newsworthy extremist ends of our world, top and bottom. We don't like them or understand them. We don't know what to do except just carry on and hope there are enough sensible, normal people left on the planet for us and our world to survive.

If not, the wine world will soon comprise just the manicured ego-castles of very rich men and vast prairies of robotic grape fields (for as long as they bother to use grapes, that is).

Perhaps its time I got back to work.

Dalemain Food and Wine Show

2011-06-13T09:07:00.000+01:00

Over to Dalemain – north end of Ullswater – for our biennial show. Rain held off almost to the end. Probably my favourite wine event. Deep in remote beautiful countryside yet looked like about 700 came. Such enthusiasm. So many compliments for our staff … not me … just our staff!

The new 2010 Domaine Rieste was my showstopper … never got that much 'Sauvignon' flavour from a little Gascon inexpensive white before … and it’s not even Sauvignon - mostly Colombard. Jane's garden a treat.

Stocked up on local organic meat and cheeses while there. I do think wine and food shows are more fun that just wine alone.

Thank you staff and customers; a lovely day out!

Back to Coniston. The Bluebird cafe has reopened after the floods and is now doing dinners beside the Water. Very pleasant.

Just a couple days’ hols left. Looking forward to getting back now.

Employee of the month!

2011-06-06T10:03:00.000+01:00

Nearly at Birmingham, B says did I pack my pills? Ah! So finally get to Coniston at 2 am. Very glad to be on hols. My mind was obviously going ... and I was also beginning to gibber like a monkey. Everything so busy. Need to calm down.

Wish I could get back to practising yoga. That was good. But seems impossible. Instead, taking a little wine - very good wine, proper wine; made by someone with yoga-type empathy with their land, someone with traditional skills and plenty love - can have a not dissimilar effect if drunk very sl-o-o-o-wly ... and very moderately!

So for the next few days reflections on wines - beside a lake or up a hill - is all I can do. Plus I'll send on any interesting bits I get from the buyers and the advisors.

My Max will gossip around for stuff (a major talent she has) for me to tell. Her daughter just won our 'Employee of the Month' so she needn't mention that. Again.