Champagne, Champagne values, Bordeaux, solitude – sipped and spit

SIPPED: upgrading label info?
No disgorgement date, no review: Antonio Galloni, who reviews Champagnes for The Wine Advocate, announced in issue 186 that if nonvintage Champagne doesn’t come with a disgorgement date, then it will not be reviewed. (Discussion ensued over at wineberserkers whether there was a loophole in the statement.) With this information, consumers can have a better handle on the freshness of such wines.

SPIT: bling champagne
The economic downturn has started a bull market in columns about the bear market in Champagne! Alice Feiring got a jump on the competition with her WSJ. magazine piece from September (“Bubbles takes a bath”), a WSJ Europe reporter followed up with another piece this month (“All That Fizzes Is Gold“), and the wine columnists at the NYT and the more spendy Slate.com join the fray with recommendations, with nonvintage bargains under $40 and overall bargains under $100 respectively.

SIPPED: solitude
Ray Isle of F&W escapes the holiday madness of midtown at the Garden Wine Bar at the Four Seasons hotel. There he finds solitude and some more-intriguing-than-usual hotel bar selections. [Tasting Room]

SPIT: business as usual
Eric Asimov serves up a meaty post on the shuffling of the Bordeaux wine trade. [The Pour]

SIPPED: Bordeaux
Driven by sales of red Bordeaux, which country saw a fifteen-fold increase in imports from France during 2002 – 2008? Okay, it’s China. But you’ll need to click through for the importer stock pick in the story! [WSJ]

SIPPED: looking back
Good Grape and La Otra Botella review memorable moments in wine blogging from the past year.

3 Responses to “Champagne, Champagne values, Bordeaux, solitude – sipped and spit”


  1. And Dr. Vino received the prestigious (this in my own head, mind you) El Botellazo (TM) Award for Blog of the Year/International Division. Mention was made of the good doctor’s outstanding work in asking the really tough questions of the Wine Advocate organization regarding wthics, the Sierra Carche fiasco, blind tastings, etc.

    Well deserved, this award.

    All the best for the new year, Tyler.

    Manuel


  2. I hope he does not review wines unless they have there Disgorgement dates. How Do i know how long the bottle has been sitting [tho i would look for the older date as I like a little age on the disgorgement]


  3. Despite Eric’s column I personally cannot help but feel that champagne has a long way to go. While the wines are fabulous they are also the most uniformly overpriced of any in the world. Nowhere, and I mean NO where, do entry level wines start at $20+, except in champagne. I can get very nice burgundy for $15, if I search around, but not champagne. I would love to see serviceable entry cuvees at about 15 and midlevels around 30, but that seems a pipe dream. Who knows though, a boy can dream…


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