Grand Vin Wine Merchants UK | Blog

The International Wine Challenge is the world's largest wine competition. Over 9000 wines from across the world are entered. Four potential rewards are up for grabs: commended, bronze, silver and gold. Gold medals are particularly coveted: vaunted by marketing departments, they can significantly improve sales from the retail outlets via which the majority of these wines are distributed. Judging at the IWC is grueling, rewarding and fun. It is a ruthless test of your tasting skill, and consistency. It is also an unparalleled opportunity to taste across the world of wine, and there is a waiting list to join the ranks of even the most junior judges. Multiple panels of five judges taste flights of around 7 wines from endlessly varied origins. From Argentinean Mable, to Kiwi Sauvignon, to white Burgundy and red Bordeaux, we taste, note, score and  - inevitably - argue. I used to think it would be great to be a Panel Chair - to be in the position of final arbit...

Château Latour is to leave the En Primeur market. Instead, says director Frederic Engerer, they will sell finished wines when they are ready to drink. The provenance and authenticity of wines will also be protected. With this statement, Latour has asserted the real value of even the greatest wines: for drinking pleasure. This bold move has been a long time coming. For years, Latour has reduced the quantity of wines released En Primeur, and controlled allocations tightly. It has inspired plenty of comment and articles, of which two of the most comprehensive from a trade and consumer perspective respectively are by Jancis Robinson on her eponymous website, and Stephen Brook in The Telegraph. You might expect merchants, in Bordeaux and elsewhere, to be disconcerted. Many are.   En Primeur, when it works well, is a buzzy and effective sales campaign which generates excitement and a significant chunk of merchant turnover. Latour’s move could be seen as a threat to future o...

Liquid gold, in various guises Appointments at the top Chateaux are not easy to come by. These chaps have less wine than they can sell. Fortunately, we're with Andy Lench. Our 12-strong group has been admitted without demur. Today, however, has been the day of open UGC (Union des Grands Crus) and CRD (Circle de Rive Droit) tastings. Basic trade credentials will get you in. It's a giant wine fair, spread over several beautiful venues. Wines we taste here are not the super rare, or super expensive. This is where to discover the great value wines of each vintage. Our early impressions, of supple, nuanced reds of bright scent and medium body, are confirmed today. Some highlights included Haut Bages Liberal, from Pauillac, and Clos Fourtet, from Saint Emilion. Our own Chateau Carignan Prima tasted lovely, too. However, this is definitely a variable vintage. Buy with care. But the star of 2011 is a sweet one: Sauternes is just sensational this year. A mini vertical of Cha...

Today began well, with a (relative) lie-in. And got rapidly better, with Cheval Blanc, Yquem, L'Evangile, Vieux Chateau Certan, Petrus and Le Pin. There has been much positive talk about Sauternes and Barsac in 2011. Yquem is indeed sensational - intense but refined. I look forward to tasting more later in the week. Pomerol is looking truly lovely. Vieux Chateau Certan won my heart completely. I have a touch of healthy hero-worship for Alexandre Thienpont. He always takes the time to explain, no matter what. There's much more Cabernet Franc in 2011 VCC, and it gives the wine a heavenly, violet-scented lift. Alexandre thinks the very particular circumstances of 2011 have brought out the best in Cabernet Franc, which he observes copes much better with drought than it does heat. Over in Saint Emilion, Cheval Blanc also showcases Cabernet Franc's arresting, high-toned aromatics; in 2011 it is 52% of the blend. 2011 was the first vintage for Cheval's brand new winery an...

The first Monday of En Primeur week is always punishing. We visited 18 chateaux in the Medoc yesterday, including 4 of the first growths. We set off at 7am and returned, with teeth as black as vampires', for debrief and dinner at Chateau Carignan. Perked up by Bolly, we each pick our top 3 "values" and "keepers" before sharing and debating each others choices. It's a great way of working together to get a feel for the vintage. It's still early in the campaign, but from what we've tasted in the Medoc at least, 2011 is lively, refreshing and lithe. Good producers are stressing the importance of gentle extraction, and appetising textures and finely resistant tannins are a feature of many of our favourite wines. Lacoste Borie, in Pauillac, stole all our hearts with its vibrant fruit and elegant, supple energy. I don't understand how anyone could think there's nothing of interest here, but if the predicted critical antipathy to 2011 does mater...

A tweet a few weeks back from Robert Parker about the upcoming Bordeaux 2011 En Primeur tastings evoked anxiety in some, but optimism in others. His comment, to the effect that 2011 appeared to be a vintage of little interest, might depress those who rely only on Parker's points and endorsements to sell or buy wine. But there is a brighter side. Immoderate praise from the world's most influential wine critic will certainly make producers more likely to reduce prices, possibly significantly, from the heights of the two preceding years. As for me, maybe it's a love for the underdog, or good old-fashioned masochism, but I find it impossible not to be interested and curious about every vintage. The cooler, difficult and marginal vintages probably most of all. They are much more challenging and therefore rewarding to evaluate in all senses, gustatory and intellectual. My preference veers more towards austerity than extroversion in wine, which I accept is not the case for eve...