Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Capital Vintners at LIWF 2013


Capital Vintners attended the premier event of this year's London International Wine Fair (LIWF); the Union des Grands Crus (UGC) de Bordeaux. 
The new UGC President, Olivier Bernard, led the event, which returned to the LIWF for the third time. The newly-bottled 2010 vintage was the centrepiece of the event. A very well received vintage, 2010 is generally considered one of the best Bordeaux years of the last decade.  
Bernard said: "For the visitor, it presents a chance to re-taste the 2010 vintage, which was first presented in bottle at the Royal Opera House last year." 
Chateau Cantemerle, Pichon Lalande, Lascombes andLeoville Barton were all on display at the event. Some strong showings from lesser known estates were real highlights too:
Chateau Chasse-Spleen


Chateau Kirwan

Chateau Cantenac Brown 


The UGC is celebrating its fortieth year in 2013. With over 100 members it is arguably the most influential organisation in the world of wine. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Eye On Asia (Part 1): Bordeaux Still Top of China's List


In the last five years there can be no denying that China has been pushing the fine wine market skyward almost single-handedly. No one could have predicted the demand from the Far East which has seen prices for certain wines skyrocket. 
In 2012 Christie's sold over £23 million worth of fine wine at just nine sales in Hong Kong. There is still a huge appeal for the most famous wines in this part of the world.  
Christie's auction house is now offering a service for Chinese investors that gives them the chance to buy more than just a few bottles of Lafite. The auction house can now offer investors the chance to buy vineyards in Bordeaux. 
In 2011 35 chateaux with vineyards in Bordeaux were sold; 21 went to Chinese buyers. In 2012 37 chateaux wre sold, with 23 going to the Chinese. Bellefont Belcier was the first classified vineyard to be sold to a Chinese buyer. Chateau La Fleur Jonquet was sold this week to a Chinese architect called Wengcheng Li. Li already owns two estates. 
Please come back next week for Part 2 of our Eye on Asia piece; China Set to Become World Leader at Wine Production