London, March 13. An opportunity to support the activities of the Foundation of the Royal Opera House led some of the world’s most important wine names to meet at the historic theater last night, invited by Sarah Kemp, Director of Decanter Magazine. Before the 250 guests Anthony Hanson MW and David Elswoood, International Head of Christie’s Wine Department, auctioned precious bottles, including Champagne Dom Ruinart, Maison Louis Jadot, Clos de Tart, Warre’s Port, Château Haut-Brion and Ornellaia. Tenuta dell’Ornellaia offered an Imperial from the 2007 vintage to the charity auction; it’s the child of an especially harmonious vintage that saw mild weather through the last days of the harvest, a factor that greatly enhanced the aromatic complexity and finesse of the cuvée. The auction raised 87,000 Pounds, with the Ornellaia Imperial contributing 8,500 Pounds to the total.

by Adam Lechmere, and Maggie Rosen – Spectrum and Vanquish’s first London auction took place on Wednesday – with barely a mention of the near-scandal that saw more than a dozen lots withdrawn at the eleventh hour.

Spectrum and Vanquish’s sale at the Mandarin Oriental might have damaged the reputation of the auction world, as one expert said, but there was still a vibrant atmosphere in the packed auction room. Spectrum was ‘incredibly happy with the results’, Jason Boland, president of the California-based house said.

Bidding was dynamic, with many of the 160-plus lots going for above or on the estimate. Lots of Domaine de la Romanee Conti – 12 of which had been removed hours before the sale in highly-controversial circumstances – went for healthy sums. A magnum of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 1962 went for £10,925, just below its estimate, while a magnum of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée Conti 1990 fetched £17,250, above its estimate of £15,000.

Six bottles of Le Pin 2007 fetched £4,312, above the estimate of £3,750; a jeroboam of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée Conti 1990 Continue reading “decanter.com: Spectrum & Vanquish ‘happy’ despite withdrawn lots at London auction”

by Richard Woodard – London’s hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars stand to make an extra £300m from the Olympics – but there are major challenges to overcome as well, new research suggests.

Wine distributor Bibendum reckons that food and drink spend in the capital’s on-trade will soar to £1.24bn during 2012, up from an estimated figure of £917m in 2011.

Roughly half the spend will be made in hotels, while pubs and bars will take about one-third of the total, and about 13% will be spent in restaurants.

However, the research, undertaken with the Local Data Company, also illustrates the potential disruption that this summer’s Olympic Games will cause. Continue reading “decanter.com: London Olympics to generate £300m for wine trade, says study”

by Adam Lechmere – London’s first specialist Italian wine merchant has opened with the biggest selection of Italian wines in the country.

All 20 Italian regions are represented, with some 100 wines listed in each of Piedmont and Tuscany, with Lombardy, Friuli Veneza-Giulia, Veneto, Trentino Alto-Adige and Sicily listing around 40 wines each.

‘From the top of the range wines like Sassicaia or Ornellaia and the best producers like Gaja or Biondi Santi to new, unknown biodynamic wines uncovered by our “roaming sommelier” in Italy, VI will offer the most varied and interesting range of “known-to-unknown” Italian labels in the UK,’ it says in a statement. Continue reading “decanter.com: London’s first Italian wine specialist opens”

Sigi Hiss -  Das DWI hatte für eine internationale Vergleichsverkostung in London, 20 deutsche Pinot Noir ausgewählt. In einer Vorverkostung standen insgesamt 350 Weine zur Auswahl an. Diese 20 Ausgewählten traten dann gegen eine von Tim Atkins & Hamish Anderson selektierte Auswahl von ebenfalls 20 Pinot Noir aus aller Welt an. Blindverkostung. Continue reading “Denkwürdiger Erfolg: Deutsche Pinot Noir gegen den Rest der Welt in London”

by decanter.com staff – Decanter’s two latest events attracted hundreds of wine lovers to central London to celebrate the best of Argentina and Italy.

Last weekend, at Vinopolis in the centre of London’s foodie heaven, Borough Market, more than 30 of Argentina’s most renowned wine producers showcased their wines in Decanter‘s third Tastes of Argentina day.

As well as more than 150 wines on show, guests were treated to wine and food matchings, chocolate and wine tasting, live tango displays, and wine masterclasses. Continue reading “decanter.com: London’s wine lovers stunned by Argentina and Italy – videos & gallery”

by Panos Kakaviatos – In an attempt to shore up its UK market the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux held its first-ever tasting at the London International Wine Fair last week

Some 700 people sampled the Bordeaux 2007 vintage on 18 May, the second day of the trade fair, with sommeliers and restaurateurs showing particular interest. Continue reading “Decanter: Bordeaux Grands Crus hold first-ever tasting at London fair”

by Richard Woodard-  Chateau d’Yquem lovers will soon be able to buy it by the glass at a restaurant in London’s West End. Bob Bob Ricard in Upper James Street is believed to be the only restaurant in the UK offering Chateau d’Yquem 1996 by the glass, charging £29 for 100ml or £14.50 for 50ml from 8 February.

That equates to a price of about £109 per half-bottle, compared to £310 for the same vintage on the list at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, for example. Continue reading “Decanter: Yquem by the glass heads to London”

Sigi Hiss – London, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Saint-Emilion… During the month of March, the Cercle Rive Droite organized numerous occasions to present its Primeur vintage to the whole world! Next destination: Hong Kong on 27th May, as part of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific.

As Michel Rolland points out, 2009 is the “perfect example of a magnificent vintage: excellent fruitiness; fullness and concentration on the palate; marvellous, silky tannin, ready for ageing; a long and powerful finish”. A superbly accomplished vintage that the Cercle Rive Droite presented to French and foreign professionals at preview tastings held from the beginning of the month of March… Continue reading “Primeurs 2009:The Cercle Rive Droite makes its tour!”

decanter.com staff – A collection of Vega Sicilia going back to 1960 comes under the hammer at Sotheby’s next week. Vega Sicilia in Ribera del Duero is one of Spain’s legendary and longest-lived wines.
The majority of the collection in the sale on 21 April, at Sotheby’s in London, consists of the estate’s flagship wine, Vega Sicilia Unico, and smaller amounts of the Reserva Especial – a blend of different vintages – and the Valbuena.

Of particular interest are lots from vintages that were superb in Spain but less successful in Bordeaux: the 1974 and 1968. A case of the 1974 Unico is estimated at £2000-£2,800, and a case of the 1968 Unico has a high estimate of £8000.

Sotheby’s wine department head Serena Sutcliffe MW said, ‘We are particularly excited to be offering such a complete collection of Vega Sicilia, Spain’s most mythical wine. [It] is a name that resounds throughout the world, an emblem for its country…’

The sale also features a collection of Chateau Leoville Lascases from 1978 to 1986, and young vintages of the five Bordeaux first growths and Chateau Cheval Blanc. Also on offer is a case of Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Romanee Conti 1988 with a high estimate of £50,000, and a methusaleh (8 bottles) of Cristal 1990 with a high estimate of £9000.

Welcome

The LIWF celebrates its 30th anniversary in May 2010, and you can be sure that the world’s most important wine trade event will once again deliver a remarkable experience. For importers, merchants, producers, agents, restaurateurs, wholesalers, sommeliers, in fact everyone whose work brings them in direct contact with wine and spirits, no other event offers the same opportunity to taste, meet with suppliers and winemakers and get down to business as the LIWF.

Whether you produce wine, import wine, retail wine or serve wine, the London International Wine Fair is about discovery, creating opportunity and bettering your business.

It’s often been said that the London International Wine Fair is the single most important event in the international wine and spirits calendar. No other trade event has the same diversity of wine and spirits without any bias towards a particular country or region. It’s as if the global wine business has come together for three days.

And being free to visit and a strictly trade-only event, it’s focused purely on business.

We look forward to welcoming you to ExCeL London in May.

Panos Kakaviatos -  Hong Kong has overtaken London as the second-biggest wine-auction market after New York.  The region’s wine auctions totalled HK$543m (US$70m) – about 25% of wine sales in Hong Kong.  Hong Kong’s sales in 2009 surpassed the US$34m taken in London but did not knock New York out of first place, where some US$135m was taken in wine auctions, as estimated by Gil Lempert Schwarz, executive consultant to auction house Acker Merrall & Condit. Continue reading “Hong Kong auctions overtake London”

John Stimpfig – A century of vintages sourced directly from St-Emilion superstar Château Cheval Blanc is going under the hammer at Sotheby’s next month. On 17 June at Sothebys London, collectors can bid on 287 lots comprising more than 1,000 bottles spanning vintages from 1900 to 1995, including such legends as the 1921, 1928, 1947 and 1949. Continue reading “Century of Cheval Blanc for sale”

Cheryl Lincoln – Christie’s is closing its South Kensington wine department at the end of the week. According to David Elswood, head of Christie’s International Wine Department, Continue reading “Christie’s closes South Kensington wine dept”

Stephen Brook – When an invitation to taste some ancient Rioja from Marques de Riscal Continue reading “Marques de Riscal at Christie’s: report”

Rare Rioja wines dating back to 1863 are coming under the hammer at Christie’s to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Marques de Riscal. Continue reading “Rare Riojas up for auction at Christie’s VIDEO”

South African reds analysis tasting update

While there are many opinions on the origins of, and factors underlying, this aroma, there is no Continue reading “South African reds analysis tasting update”

Howard G Goldberg in New York

‘Newly discovered facts’ in the ongoing ‘Jefferson bottles’ case have come to light, according to billionaire collector William I Koch. Continue reading “‘New evidence’ in Jefferson bottles case”

Jane Anson in Bordeaux, and Oliver Styles

As the Bordeaux 2007 campaign reaches its final stages, merchants are reporting that sensible pricing is starting to be rewarded, Continue reading “Cos d’Estournel, Pichon Lalande release”