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Nature morte automnale, one of the eight courses comprising the Burgundy Menu, was less auspicious than delicious as the signature dish of an event heralding The Renaissance of the French Vineyard. But the trompettes de la mort were savoured rather than sounded at the two-day annual festival of food and wine held at Raymond Blanc's Manoir aux Quat' Saisons near Oxford on Monday and Tuesday 21-22 November. The event - supported by Sopexa, which offered members of the paying public and the trade the opportunity to taste more than 60 Absolutely Cracking Wines from France', as well as by corporate sponsors such as Spiegelau and The Sunday Times Wine Club - largely met Blanc's objective of showcasing the creativity, dynamism and excitement across four great French vineyards': Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhne and Languedoc-Roussillon.
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A Champagne price war between leading retailers is widely expected to be a major feature in the run-up to Christmas and
the New Year in the UK off-trade. After two years in which the really deep price cuts have been largely avoided, the pretty consistently bad news from high-street retail in general means that, once again, the likes of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Morrisons will be using fizz - and Champagne in particular - as a way of bringing reluctant shoppers into their stores.
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Rioja producer Bodegas Montecillo has released a limited-edition Gran Reserva 1994 to celebrate its 130th anniversary. Winemaker Maria Martinez is also celebrating her 30 years with the company. The wine, which is aged in 100% French oak, is made from Tempranillo sourced from the Rioja Alta region. Distribution is through Hayman Barwell Jones.
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The rumour mill has been spinning for a week or more over the future of the former Wilmington publications Wine International, Wine & Spirit International and Drinks International, which were bought by William Reed in September.
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Reh Kendermann is moving to the screwcap closure for both its German (Kendermanns) and Romanian (River Route) wine ranges.
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We've had disco, flares, Abba and Blue Nun; now Surrey-based spirits specialist James Rackham is looking to revive another '70s staple: the drinks trolley.
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Oeneo - the French-owned closure company formerly known as Sabat - has opened a plant capable of mass-producing Diam, the world's only taint-free' cork-based closure.
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With the Bushmills brand now fully incorporated into its portfolio after the acquisition from Pernod Ricard, Diageo used its first ever whisk(e)y briefing to reaffirm its position as the world's leading whisk(e)y producer.
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TV presenter Jilly Goolden ventured into the Australian jungle at the weekend - as part of ITV1's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! show.
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The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation has warned that the current oversupply problems facing the wine industry Down Under may not ease until 2009/10, extending previous forecasts by two to three years.
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Constellation Europe's Australian wine brand Hardys has become the first wine brand to sell more than five million 9-litre cases in the UK market in a year.
According to AC Nielsen MAT data for the on- and off-trade, the Hardys brand, which includes such names as Stamp, Nottage Hill, Crest, VR and numerous super-premium labels, sold 5.031 million cases in the year ending 3 September.
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Helena Westcombe, a sales director at Hayman Barwell Jones (HBJ) for 10 years, has joined London wine merchant Ellis of Richmond.
Westcombe, who has also worked at Percy Fox and Champagne Lanson, will be helping to expand sales in
the London area.
Stokes Fine Wines has appointed Charles Thompson, who worked for John E Fells for five years. Thompson will be responsible for developing regional wholesale distribution.
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A new super-premium range of Jacob's Creek - Shiraz/Cabernet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Riesling - has been unveiled by Orlando Wyndham, Pernod Ricard's Australian wine division.
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When was your introduction to great wine?
I was 17. I had no real cash, working part time here and there, and was earning about 50 a month. But I was walking past a restaurant in my little town of Besanon and it was about 12 o'clock. At this time something happens in a Frenchman's stomach. I smelled aromas coming out of this restaurant, Le Pocker d'As, which is still there today. I could smell this complexity of flavours and so I had to go in. I asked the sommelier what the chef was cooking. He said roasted veal kidneys in a Rhne wine reduction, and so I ordered a half-bottle of Cte Rtie from Guigal. It was the first time I'd paid so much money for a wine!
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The significance of the 145th Hospices de Beaune auction on Saturday and Sunday 19-20 November was wider than that of its historic role as a predictor of the price trend for the most recent vintage. As in Bordeaux, so in Burgundy, 2005 is being hailed as an exceptionally high-quality vintage, while this year the auction was being conducted by Christie's and opened to private buyers for the first time. The auction prices - which have been an accurate predictor of the general trend in 12 of the past 13 years - were therefore anticipated even more keenly than usual.
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Harpers took the runners-up spot in the annual Ctes du Rhne quiz night in London last week. Each team member demonstrated an unlikely (and unhealthy) amount of knowledge on subjects as diverse as Giant Haystacks, Pocahontas and tiddlywinks.
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It has been quite a year for Scotch whisky. The category has been bogged down with issues such as tax stamps and legal definitions - both drawing attention away from the more important aspect of what's in the bottle, not on it. But a quick look around the category highlights many examples of creative thinking, and new takes on a classic product.
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In his book A Wine Journey Along the Russian River, Steve Heimoff refers to a comparative tasting of Alexander Valley and Napa Valley Cabernets, to which members of the Court of Master Sommeliers - among the royalty of the wine-tasting world' - were invited. Everyone in the wine trade knows about MWs, but what is this other mysterious organisation, which allows successful exam candidates to put the letters MS after their names but doesn't even have any offices to call its own?
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Selfridges will be stocking the Champagne Taittinger Cool-Air tube this Christmas. The tube, which has been created specially for Taittinger's Brut Rserve NV Cuve, keeps chilled bottles cool for up to four hours. The Cool-Air tube was developed by packaging company Robinson and is made of recycled cardboard. The Taittinger pack retails for 33.50.
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Les Grands Chais de France has further strengthened its presence in the Loire with the purchase of the LaCheteau vineyards and ngociant business in Anjou for an undisclosed sum.
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