Grand Vin Wine Merchants UK | Blog

On Wednesday 22nd February 2012, BWI hosted a wine masterclass for clients (and some lucky staff) featuring the wines of Château Margaux. The tasting was lead by Mr Paul Pontallier, General Manager of Margaux. Paul Pontallier is famously urbane and suave. An arresting speaker, he is philosophical and engagingly poetic about wine and its place in our lives. Like his wines, beneath the genuine charm is a steely core. For more than thirty years, his conviction, drive and tenacity have steered Château Margaux from underperformer to star performer, renowned for elegantly high quality.   Despite Pontallier’s background (he trained as an agricultural engineer and has a doctorate in oenology), he didn’t weigh down our audience with technical detail. Our guests at this event were wine lovers. Most have Margaux in their cellars – even if a few complained they couldn’t afford the most recent vintages. All protested their intention to drink the wines, eventually.  Pontallier is c...

Above: Dom Perignon 2003: a wolf in the forest, a sword in the stone, or just generally brooding 'neath the tree canopy? Wine stimulates more than just taste buds. Its symbolic and aesthetic attributes have long been embraced by priests and the powerful. Great wine is both an escape and an evocation. Champagne houses are not the only wine producers to understand and exploit this power (Bordeaux châteaux are increasingly adopting the techniques of luxury marketing), but they were certainly among the first. The Dom Perignon 2003 tastings in London last week were a fine example of the gloss a ‘luxury’ sensitivity can bring to the dear old UK wine trade, at least. The build up set a tone of exclusivity and mystique. Invitees received personal invitations (no group email) to a timed “1.5 hour experience” with Richard Geoffroy, Chef de Caves and “Creator of Vintages”. Details of the venue and experience would be sent once I had confirmed. How could anyone resist such intrigue? Behind ...