Uncorked: All Good Things Must End

Published: 18 January, 2007

All good things must come to an end is one of those throwaway lines parents use to placate a bawling child who doesn't want to give up something enjoyable he/she is doing. It seems a bit like that this weekend, in that the World Cup finishes on Sunday, the hot weather we have been enjoying (at the time of writing) is forecast to finish today (Friday) and Bordeaux may be facing the end of its en primeur system of buying.

Although England blew it again, the tournament seems to have been good for the country, and good for the drinks trade and hospitality sector. The fans out in Germany, generally speaking, have been a credit to the nation. As organisers, Germany has come out of it with immense credit and many Englishmen have returned with completely different perspectives of Germany and the Germans - at last! You never know, we may start having holidays in Germany soon (no towel jokes please).

Neil Beckett speculates in his column on page 10 that the sky-high prices for the 2005 en primeur campaign may lead to the demise of the system itself. It is an interesting thought. The market for Bordeaux's best has been distorted by investors and speculators who are not interested in the wine itself, only in its value, and how much they can make out of it. Simplifying the way Bordeaux wines are brought to market and introducing transparency has to be good news for proper purveyors and aficionados.

Christian Davis

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