I have always been under the impression that wine was a gift from God and that a
talented winemaker would take the fruit of the vine and create one of life's greatest pleasures. Good food, good wine and good company. Is there anything better?At the wedding feast in Cana everyone had a blast and to top it all, the price of the wine was great.
"It was such a wonderful wedding feast! The music, the dancing, the food and wine."
Everyone ate, drank and was merry.
And up untill the 1970's some of the greatest French wines could still be bought at reasonable prices.
Then along came Parker and his 100 point rating system. His proclamation on the 1982 vintage
not only put him in the wine world limelight but also started a significant increase in wine prices. Any one lucky enough to have him review and rate a wine 90+. was on their way to wealth and fame. But even Robert is getting a little uncomfortable with the greed displayed by the Bordeaux elite. There seems to be no sanity in the outrageous prices top chateau are demanding for their 2005 vintage wines. Chateau Petrus has smashed all records. Who in their right mind would pay 1600 EUR or 2012 US dollars for a single bottle of the 2005 Petrus? Now if you are between 30 and 40 years of age, you'll probably live long enough to enjoy it. But if you are 50, 60 and up, chances are you might not be around when it finally finishes aging. Seems a little crazy to pay this much for a wine you won't be around to enjoy. But if you are buying it just so you can make the big bucks..... well I guess greed could be a factor at play. But all good things eventually come to an end. At the lower end of the Bordeaux wine spectrum things aren't going too well. Too much wine, and talk about crazy prices. Good for the consumer? Not really. These extreme price variations will hurt a lot of good people who are just using their God given talents to bring us the fruit of the vine, the fruit of their hard labour.
" Wine: soil, sun, rain, and the hand of man."
Author Unknown
5 comments:
You are dead right, Wilf: I am shocked at both the prices they're asking for their wine in Bordeaux and at their lack of long-term vision.I think that there is something unique about French wine, think it's the best in the world, and maybe the history and pedigree hasd something to do with it though not anywhere near as much as the terroir: but, hey, if I'm gonna spend that kind of loot on a French wine I'm going to spend it on the sublime D'Yquem, not to line some greedy speculator's pockets and on an unknown quantity, at that!! Hell, for that kind of money I could fly to France and enjoy a bottle of D'Yquem in the shade of the vines that begat it!! - anyone care to join me?
[sorry for the typo in the previous comment ;-)]
Right on Cathryn!
Wait till the vignerons in the South of France get their act together. Producers like Gerard Bertrand with his Vielles Vignes are leading the way. A group of South of France winemakers will be promoting a new brand called 'Sud de France.' Instead of fighting in the streets both AOC and vins de pays producers are uniting across the Languedoc for the first time.
"anyone care to join me?" Hell, yes Cathryn! My bags are packed.
I had not known about "Sud de France", Wilf, I've been so busy I've fallen behind in current events: thanks much for the info, it's always exciting to find out something new in the world of wine!!
:-)
Cathryne, see my comment on my May 22 post about Maddie not being Mad about grapes. We are coming close to picking time! Keep a watch all you vine growers out there.
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