This is one of my favourite pubs. It is situated next to the National Trust property of Knole Park in Sevenoaks. My wife I often walk here across the Park on a Saturday for lunch when the pub is not so crowded. You have to book on a Sunday.
The pub has a number of qualities which we both like. It has welcoming hosts and bar staff who treat you as friends rather than customers. The drinkers are a convivial mixture of local people and visitors of all ages. We have never met anyone who has been drunk, boring or aggressive. The food, drink and service are excellent.There is no intrusive music or the clanging of one armed bandits. There is also a garden at the rear and a patio at the front.
It is a good place for family and friends to meet and just talk to one another.
I am a lover of Shepherd Neame cask conditioned beers. Last weekend I tried Kent's Best Bitter Invicta.
The beer, like all the others here, was in perfect condition. The Landlord certainly knows how to look after it and it was served at the perfect temperature.
The ale was a crystal clear amber colour. It smelt fresh and clean. The taste was very similar to the nose: hops, nuts, fruit and the savoury taste of yeast and malt. Any sweetness was well balanced by the bitterness typical of this type of beer. The beer is perfectly described by a beer expert on the website below.
We dined on wild rabbit casserole sourced from the Weald of Kent. I have not eaten wild rabbit for a very long time. It was delicious and well flavoured and spiced with bacon, wine , tomatoes and cloves. It tasted as if my wife or her sister had cooked it at home. We had eaten farmed rabbit in France the previous weekend. A wild rabbit, of course, tastes stronger and a little bit more of game.
The food did not have Michelin Star presentation but what does that matter, it deserved many a star for taste.
You may be asking why didn't I drink wine with it? Well, I do not get the opportunity to drink such well kept beer so often. The beer went really well with the rabbit. It is the beer equivalent of a Grand Cru Bourgogne wine but at a price which is in the lower atmosphere. What more could I ask for? So it's three cheers for the Bucks Head.
http://www.shepherdneame.co.uk/pubs/sevenoaks/bucks-head
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Sylvain Bois 2006 Bugey Rouge
At a party in France recently my brother-in -law introduced me to a wine I had never heard of before: Bugey Rouge. Sylvain Bois produces this wine from his small estate near the village of Béon in the Savoie region of France. Savoie borders Switzerland and you can feel the resemblance between the local wines and Swiss wines here. The vines are grown in a cool mountain climate reminiscent of Switzerland.
Sylvain's Bugey Rouge is made from the Mondeuse black grape from the locality. The 2006 is a particularly fine example: it is mature and ready to be drunk now. The wine has its own particular style represented by the grape variety and the wine making tradition. Mondeuse noir is not grown it the rest of France as far as I know.
It is a wine for drinking with food rather than slugging back. We drank it with venison. The wine is rich in red fruit tastes, with a hint of spice and the tannin has now softened. It had long length on the palate and also had all the complexity and concentration which makes a good wine.
The Mondeuse grapes are grown on calcareous clay soils which I am certain add to the complexity of tastes.
The tannin and acidity will help these wines to keep and mature for a number of years.
Not only is this very good wine, it is also excellent value for money. You can buy it for about 5 Eur a bottle direct from the cave. It is well worth paying the postage for delivery if you are unable to visit. This wine has individual character. You can tell that the producer has respect for the soil, his vines, the climate and of course his wine.
Once again my brother-in-law has come up "trumps". I am hoping for another surprise the next time I visit.
http://www.ocavo.com/accueil.php?viti=86
http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-savoie
http://fringewine.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/mondeuse-noire-bugey-france.html
Sylvain's Bugey Rouge is made from the Mondeuse black grape from the locality. The 2006 is a particularly fine example: it is mature and ready to be drunk now. The wine has its own particular style represented by the grape variety and the wine making tradition. Mondeuse noir is not grown it the rest of France as far as I know.
It is a wine for drinking with food rather than slugging back. We drank it with venison. The wine is rich in red fruit tastes, with a hint of spice and the tannin has now softened. It had long length on the palate and also had all the complexity and concentration which makes a good wine.
The Mondeuse grapes are grown on calcareous clay soils which I am certain add to the complexity of tastes.
The tannin and acidity will help these wines to keep and mature for a number of years.
Not only is this very good wine, it is also excellent value for money. You can buy it for about 5 Eur a bottle direct from the cave. It is well worth paying the postage for delivery if you are unable to visit. This wine has individual character. You can tell that the producer has respect for the soil, his vines, the climate and of course his wine.
Once again my brother-in-law has come up "trumps". I am hoping for another surprise the next time I visit.
http://www.ocavo.com/accueil.php?viti=86
http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-savoie
http://fringewine.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/mondeuse-noire-bugey-france.html
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Mercaptans
In the early part of this week a French chemical factory in Rouen accidentally released a cloud of methyl mercaptan gas into the atmosphere. Mercaptans are some of the smelliest substances known to man. Humans can literally smell them at a few parts per billion concentration. This is why mercaptans are injected into natural gas which is normally odourless so that we can smell gas leaks. Mercaptans are harmless.
On Tuesday evening the gas had spread to the UK and my wife and I could smell it in the atmosphere when we went for a walk. My wife smelt it first. It felt like we were walking through a large gas leak.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/french-bad-smell-mercaptan-rouen-france-foul-odor_n_2525587.html
What has this got to do with wine you may ask. Well methyl mercaptan and ethyl mercaptan can sometimes be smelt in wine as they are both by-products of the "reduction" of sulphur compounds. These sulphur compounds are present both naturally and artificially in the wine.
Burgundy Red wines are particularly prone; there is often a slight aroma of rotten cabbage, or even shit - if you pardon the expression. Methyl Mercaptan is produced in the human digestive system. Some wine commentators regard the presence of methyl and ethyl mercaptan as being a wine fault which should be eliminated. Others regard it as being part of the character of a wine. My wife and I are of the latter view.
We have both enjoyed aged Burgundies which have a very slight scent of rotten cabbage amongst the complexity of other tastes and aromas. If it is a fault then it is very difficult to get rid of it without letting some oxygen into the wine "to reverse the 'reduction'". Oxidation creates its own problems so there is a fine balance here.
Even though mercaptans can be detected on the nose at extremely low concentrations some people are not sensitive at all. They must be the lucky ones unless they have a gas leak or are partial to some older types of Burgundy
http://www.wineanorak.com/mercaptansinwine.htm
http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/wine/columnists/dan-berger/identifying-wine/article_19a639b2-508e-11e2-8c96-0019bb2963f4.html
On Tuesday evening the gas had spread to the UK and my wife and I could smell it in the atmosphere when we went for a walk. My wife smelt it first. It felt like we were walking through a large gas leak.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/french-bad-smell-mercaptan-rouen-france-foul-odor_n_2525587.html
What has this got to do with wine you may ask. Well methyl mercaptan and ethyl mercaptan can sometimes be smelt in wine as they are both by-products of the "reduction" of sulphur compounds. These sulphur compounds are present both naturally and artificially in the wine.
Burgundy Red wines are particularly prone; there is often a slight aroma of rotten cabbage, or even shit - if you pardon the expression. Methyl Mercaptan is produced in the human digestive system. Some wine commentators regard the presence of methyl and ethyl mercaptan as being a wine fault which should be eliminated. Others regard it as being part of the character of a wine. My wife and I are of the latter view.
We have both enjoyed aged Burgundies which have a very slight scent of rotten cabbage amongst the complexity of other tastes and aromas. If it is a fault then it is very difficult to get rid of it without letting some oxygen into the wine "to reverse the 'reduction'". Oxidation creates its own problems so there is a fine balance here.
Even though mercaptans can be detected on the nose at extremely low concentrations some people are not sensitive at all. They must be the lucky ones unless they have a gas leak or are partial to some older types of Burgundy
http://www.wineanorak.com/mercaptansinwine.htm
http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/wine/columnists/dan-berger/identifying-wine/article_19a639b2-508e-11e2-8c96-0019bb2963f4.html
Thursday, 10 January 2013
The Christmas Wine Festive Season
We drank these wines over the Christmas period and some of them were exceptional value for money, especially the Champagne.
Louis Jadot, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru (2008)
I have seen it priced at around £30 a bottle. I cannot remember what we paid for it in France but the price would have been much lower. I am not prepared £30 for wine of this quality. It is good wine but it is not outstanding. For this price I expect something better, even from Louis Jadot who is one of my favourite négociants.
http://www.thewinereserve.co.uk/store/white-wine/louis-jadot-chassagne-montrachet-1er-cru/
Louis Jadot, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru (2008)
On Christmas Eve my wife cooked some hake which was gently spiced and it was jolly good too. She thought that a good bottle of white Burgundy would go down well with it and she was right of course. The wine tasted of nuts, apples and citrus fruits with vanilla spice and oak. It was concentrated and complex and had a long length on the palate.
It had all the qualities of a good wine. I do not like wines with a heavy taste of oak but this one was subtle enough for my palate. The smokey taste went well with the fish.
I have seen it priced at around £30 a bottle. I cannot remember what we paid for it in France but the price would have been much lower. I am not prepared £30 for wine of this quality. It is good wine but it is not outstanding. For this price I expect something better, even from Louis Jadot who is one of my favourite négociants.
http://www.thewinereserve.co.uk/store/white-wine/louis-jadot-chassagne-montrachet-1er-cru/
Château Chevrol Bel Air Lalande de Pomerol 2001
We drank this wine on Christmas day 2012 with some rib of beef from the English border with Scotland . The beef was cooked to perfection. I was not disappointed , in fact I was very pleased. The wine was fully mature and ready to drink. It displayed all of the qualities of a good Bordeaux from the Libornais area.. This wine, is from Lalande de Pomerol not far from its more illustrious neighbours in Pomerol and Saint-Émilion
It was still full of concentrated fruit but with tannin which had now softened. It had retained its complexity and had long length on the palate. I do not know where I bought the wine but it was possibly in France. If you can still find a bottle then I recommend that you snap it up and drink it now with some good food. It is not outstanding wine but it is very good.
http://www.chevrolbelair.fr/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordeaux_wine_regions#The_Libournais
We drank this wine on Christmas day 2012 with some rib of beef from the English border with Scotland . The beef was cooked to perfection. I was not disappointed , in fact I was very pleased. The wine was fully mature and ready to drink. It displayed all of the qualities of a good Bordeaux from the Libornais area.. This wine, is from Lalande de Pomerol not far from its more illustrious neighbours in Pomerol and Saint-Émilion
It was still full of concentrated fruit but with tannin which had now softened. It had retained its complexity and had long length on the palate. I do not know where I bought the wine but it was possibly in France. If you can still find a bottle then I recommend that you snap it up and drink it now with some good food. It is not outstanding wine but it is very good.
http://www.chevrolbelair.fr/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordeaux_wine_regions#The_Libournais
Côtes du Rhône red Vidal-Fleury 2010
I bought this wine from Majestic near Sevenoaks Kent upon the recommendation of the Sales Assistant. It was well recommended. It had all the qualities of a good Côtes du Rhône red at £8.74 a bottle. We had a small party just after Christmas and everyone enjoyed the wine with a roasted ham.
I looked at some of the reviews on Majestic's website to see that one reviewer said that he would not advise buying this wine. He must have had a bottle which was faulty perhaps it was corked or oxidised. This wine was of very good quality and represents very good value for money. If you get a bad bottle then I am sure that Majestic will give you a refund if you return it in good time. It merits four stars in my estimation. The press review is spot on.
http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-06275
I looked at some of the reviews on Majestic's website to see that one reviewer said that he would not advise buying this wine. He must have had a bottle which was faulty perhaps it was corked or oxidised. This wine was of very good quality and represents very good value for money. If you get a bad bottle then I am sure that Majestic will give you a refund if you return it in good time. It merits four stars in my estimation. The press review is spot on.
http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-06275
Mâcon Villages Blanc 'Les Roches Blanches' 2011 Louis Jadot
We also drank this wine at our party. I bought it from Majestic at the same time as the Côtes du Rhône red -as I said I always like to drink Louis Jadot wines and could decide for myself. I bought half a dozen bottles at a discount for £47.94. This represents excellent value for money even in England. I preferred this wine to the Premier Cru above; it had the taste of the nuts, apples and citrus fruit without the oak.
The wine is more versatile as it went down well on its own and with the roasted ham and dessert. I also preferred the price. This is good quality wine that shows no pretension. I recommend it. On the Majestic scale I give it 4 stars too. The press review is interesting but perhaps a little over the top.
http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-04117
Daniel Le Clerc Cuvée Gabin Non Vintage Champagne.
My brother- in- law found this champagne for us. It is a prize winner from the Aube region of Champagne. It is matured in oak. The oak, however, is very subtle and just lends a slight flavour of spice. It is exceptionally good value for money and great for a Christmas party. If you are ever in the Aube why not pay them a visit and buy a case or two ; you will not be disappointed.
They also produce an excellent and cheaper NV Cuvée Brut Tradition. On the Majestic scale both of these wines would be 5 star in terms of value for money.
http://www.champagne-daniel-leclerc.fr/fiche-2-1-Cuvee_Gabin.html
http://www.champagne-daniel-leclerc.fr/fiche-3-1-Cuvee_Brut_Tradition_.html
The wine is more versatile as it went down well on its own and with the roasted ham and dessert. I also preferred the price. This is good quality wine that shows no pretension. I recommend it. On the Majestic scale I give it 4 stars too. The press review is interesting but perhaps a little over the top.
http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/product-is-04117
Daniel Le Clerc Cuvée Gabin Non Vintage Champagne.
My brother- in- law found this champagne for us. It is a prize winner from the Aube region of Champagne. It is matured in oak. The oak, however, is very subtle and just lends a slight flavour of spice. It is exceptionally good value for money and great for a Christmas party. If you are ever in the Aube why not pay them a visit and buy a case or two ; you will not be disappointed.
They also produce an excellent and cheaper NV Cuvée Brut Tradition. On the Majestic scale both of these wines would be 5 star in terms of value for money.
http://www.champagne-daniel-leclerc.fr/fiche-2-1-Cuvee_Gabin.html
http://www.champagne-daniel-leclerc.fr/fiche-3-1-Cuvee_Brut_Tradition_.html
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Fishy Fishy Brighton, Picpoul and O' Leary get my vote
Last week my wife and I went to Brighton with our niece and partner and their baby. Our guests very rarely come to Britain and wanted to spend some time by the seaside and sample some traditional English food. So what better than fish and chips washed down with wine rather than beer.
We went to the Brighton visitor centre near the Pavilion and I found Fishy Fishy marked on one of their maps. The restaurant was billed as providing fish from sustainable sources. I am all in favour of sustainable local fish and the restaurant was just across the road in East street in a listed building.
Fishy Fishy was not very full on a cold December afternoon. Maybe it was the winter's day and we were late arrivals. However, we were given a warm welcome and the waiter, Steven, helped us upstairs with the push chair.
The menu is extensive and it has a good range of wines on the list. After some debate, we concluded that our guests could not go back to France without trying some fish and chips and mushy peas. We ordered a dozen oysters from Jersey and some salt and pepper squid, sourced from the English Channel, as starters to share.
We selected a bottle of Lafage Picpoul de Pinet. This white wine is made exclusively from the Picpoul grape and hails from the Languedoc just inland from the Mediterranean near Pézenas. It is an area well worth visiting for its wine, scenery and cuisine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picpoul_de_Pinet#Picpoul_de_Pinet
http://www.pezenas-tourisme.fr/index.php?lang=en
Picpoul de Pinet is a lively and bone dry wine which is fresh and full of citrus fruit and apple flavours. It must be drunk as young and as fresh as possible and cooled. In my mind, it goes better with fish than Muscadet. The wine was the perfect accompaniment to both the starters and the main course.
I thought that the squid was perfectly prepared and seasoned and it certainly went down well with the oysters. The wine cleared the palate between mouthfuls.
The fish and chips were perfect. There was one portion of Ling and one of Whiting both sourced from Newhaven. The fish was perfectly seasoned, full of flavour and fresh. I am often disappointed with Cod which I always find very bland. Ling and Whiting are, however, both members of the Cod family but do not suffer from the same tastelessness.
The batter was crispy but not greasy. Most of the time I cannot eat all of the batter with my fish and chips but this time I ate everything. The batter had also made a perfect seal around the fish so the meat was steamed rather than fried by oils leaking in to cook the flesh. The fish and batter combination was therefore delicious.
I was delighted to see Ling on the menu as it is a seriously underrated fish. I grew up near Milford Haven in West Wales: it had a huge trawler fleet. Ling was not regarded by the local people as being fit for human consumption and it all went to the fish meal factory. We never bought fish as our fishermen friends gave us plenty; but none of them would ever have dreamt to insult us by giving us Ling.
The first time I ate Ling was in France. I have never seen it on a British menu before. You must try it. I was pleasantly surprised that they had it on the menu here.
Everyone enjoyed the meal so much that we ordered another bottle of the Picpoul. I was driving so I had only taken a small glass. The other three adults could not finish the second bottle but I am sure that the remainder was not wasted. We were even sober enough to get the baby downstairs.
The baby really enjoyed some chips and mushy peas and couldn't care less whether there was a Michelin star or not. It was a great introduction to English cuisine and tasted just as good as many a fish meal we have had in France.
As the restaurant was not full we were able to have friendly conversation with the staff about food, travel wine and sport. It was a very enjoyable time. We could have no criticism.
Fishy Fishy is owned by Dermot O' Leary and some of his friends. I have never watched the X factor so I had never heard of Dermot until I read some of the reviews of his restaurant in the main press. I see no reason to "take a pop" at Mr O' Leary or his restaurant because he introduces a popular TV show. And, indeed, I see no reason to draw comparisons between the food in his restaurant and the music on his show.
Fishy Fishy is not Fine Dining and does not set out to be. The food we had was well cooked and tasted delicious and impressed our guests. There is no doubt that all restaurants sometimes get it wrong even starred ones. And, there is no doubt that if something went wrong here the staff would do their best to make good.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/24/fishy-fishy-brighton-restaurant-review-dermot-oleary
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/fishy-fishy-25-east-street-brighton-1739841.html
Mr O'Leary and his partners provide good food from sustainable sources which is prepared well and tastes delicious. They have even got good well chosen wines to go with it. They do this in a friendly and unpretentious atmosphere. I have to be in the mood for Fine Dining, and feel rich, but I could eat and drink here at anytime. For this reason, Fishy Fishy gets my vote. The next time I am in Brighton I am going back.
We went to the Brighton visitor centre near the Pavilion and I found Fishy Fishy marked on one of their maps. The restaurant was billed as providing fish from sustainable sources. I am all in favour of sustainable local fish and the restaurant was just across the road in East street in a listed building.
Fishy Fishy was not very full on a cold December afternoon. Maybe it was the winter's day and we were late arrivals. However, we were given a warm welcome and the waiter, Steven, helped us upstairs with the push chair.
The menu is extensive and it has a good range of wines on the list. After some debate, we concluded that our guests could not go back to France without trying some fish and chips and mushy peas. We ordered a dozen oysters from Jersey and some salt and pepper squid, sourced from the English Channel, as starters to share.
We selected a bottle of Lafage Picpoul de Pinet. This white wine is made exclusively from the Picpoul grape and hails from the Languedoc just inland from the Mediterranean near Pézenas. It is an area well worth visiting for its wine, scenery and cuisine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picpoul_de_Pinet#Picpoul_de_Pinet
http://www.pezenas-tourisme.fr/index.php?lang=en
Picpoul de Pinet is a lively and bone dry wine which is fresh and full of citrus fruit and apple flavours. It must be drunk as young and as fresh as possible and cooled. In my mind, it goes better with fish than Muscadet. The wine was the perfect accompaniment to both the starters and the main course.
I thought that the squid was perfectly prepared and seasoned and it certainly went down well with the oysters. The wine cleared the palate between mouthfuls.
The fish and chips were perfect. There was one portion of Ling and one of Whiting both sourced from Newhaven. The fish was perfectly seasoned, full of flavour and fresh. I am often disappointed with Cod which I always find very bland. Ling and Whiting are, however, both members of the Cod family but do not suffer from the same tastelessness.
The batter was crispy but not greasy. Most of the time I cannot eat all of the batter with my fish and chips but this time I ate everything. The batter had also made a perfect seal around the fish so the meat was steamed rather than fried by oils leaking in to cook the flesh. The fish and batter combination was therefore delicious.
I was delighted to see Ling on the menu as it is a seriously underrated fish. I grew up near Milford Haven in West Wales: it had a huge trawler fleet. Ling was not regarded by the local people as being fit for human consumption and it all went to the fish meal factory. We never bought fish as our fishermen friends gave us plenty; but none of them would ever have dreamt to insult us by giving us Ling.
The first time I ate Ling was in France. I have never seen it on a British menu before. You must try it. I was pleasantly surprised that they had it on the menu here.
Everyone enjoyed the meal so much that we ordered another bottle of the Picpoul. I was driving so I had only taken a small glass. The other three adults could not finish the second bottle but I am sure that the remainder was not wasted. We were even sober enough to get the baby downstairs.
The baby really enjoyed some chips and mushy peas and couldn't care less whether there was a Michelin star or not. It was a great introduction to English cuisine and tasted just as good as many a fish meal we have had in France.
As the restaurant was not full we were able to have friendly conversation with the staff about food, travel wine and sport. It was a very enjoyable time. We could have no criticism.
Fishy Fishy is owned by Dermot O' Leary and some of his friends. I have never watched the X factor so I had never heard of Dermot until I read some of the reviews of his restaurant in the main press. I see no reason to "take a pop" at Mr O' Leary or his restaurant because he introduces a popular TV show. And, indeed, I see no reason to draw comparisons between the food in his restaurant and the music on his show.
Fishy Fishy is not Fine Dining and does not set out to be. The food we had was well cooked and tasted delicious and impressed our guests. There is no doubt that all restaurants sometimes get it wrong even starred ones. And, there is no doubt that if something went wrong here the staff would do their best to make good.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/24/fishy-fishy-brighton-restaurant-review-dermot-oleary
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/fishy-fishy-25-east-street-brighton-1739841.html
Mr O'Leary and his partners provide good food from sustainable sources which is prepared well and tastes delicious. They have even got good well chosen wines to go with it. They do this in a friendly and unpretentious atmosphere. I have to be in the mood for Fine Dining, and feel rich, but I could eat and drink here at anytime. For this reason, Fishy Fishy gets my vote. The next time I am in Brighton I am going back.
Monday, 10 December 2012
Wine Investment
Once again there have been reports in the British press of small investors losing all their money in the wine investment market.
There are a number of risks associated with investing in wine as there are investing in any other commodity.
Just as prices can go up they can easily come down in both the the long, middle or short term. There is very little that the small investor can do other than watch the market and hope that prices go up. No one can predict the future. Some brand names do better than others so you need the advice of an honest broker. Remember, the higher the potential gain the higher the risk that you will lose some or all of your money.
It is vital that you can trust the people you deal with - buyers and sellers and brokers alike and their promises.
You must make sure that you can trust "cold callers" if you decide to use them. You must perform due diligence on anyone you are trading with.
Your broker must be financially secure and you should verify this.
You must ensure that you have physical possession of your wine, preferably before but at least at the same time that money changes hands. Most of the people who lose all their money and their wine have put their trust in someone who is either dishonest or financially incompetent and then fails to deliver. If you have physical possession of your wine, you decide when to buy or sell and how to protect your investment under good advice.
Some brokers and wine traders might be playing the market with your money. Traders are able to make money out of falling or rising markets but they must take risks to do this. The higher the potential gain the higher the potential loss and it could be your money they are losing even if they are honest traders. You must ensure that the people who you are dealing with are not involved in unusual risk taking with your money or theirs.
You must ensure that your wine is authentic and in good condition before money changes hands.
You must protect your investment from theft and damage etc. and store it in a safe, dark and cool place where the wine can develop in the bottle. A good storage facility will also ensure that your wine is insured.
If you do not follow the advice above you are at serious risk of losing some or all of your money. The commodities markets are risky enough in themselves without adding to it further by using a dishonest or incompetent broker.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Investing-Wine-For-Profit-ebook/dp/B0084YVIFK
There are a number of risks associated with investing in wine as there are investing in any other commodity.
Just as prices can go up they can easily come down in both the the long, middle or short term. There is very little that the small investor can do other than watch the market and hope that prices go up. No one can predict the future. Some brand names do better than others so you need the advice of an honest broker. Remember, the higher the potential gain the higher the risk that you will lose some or all of your money.
It is vital that you can trust the people you deal with - buyers and sellers and brokers alike and their promises.
You must make sure that you can trust "cold callers" if you decide to use them. You must perform due diligence on anyone you are trading with.
Your broker must be financially secure and you should verify this.
You must ensure that you have physical possession of your wine, preferably before but at least at the same time that money changes hands. Most of the people who lose all their money and their wine have put their trust in someone who is either dishonest or financially incompetent and then fails to deliver. If you have physical possession of your wine, you decide when to buy or sell and how to protect your investment under good advice.
Some brokers and wine traders might be playing the market with your money. Traders are able to make money out of falling or rising markets but they must take risks to do this. The higher the potential gain the higher the potential loss and it could be your money they are losing even if they are honest traders. You must ensure that the people who you are dealing with are not involved in unusual risk taking with your money or theirs.
You must ensure that your wine is authentic and in good condition before money changes hands.
You must protect your investment from theft and damage etc. and store it in a safe, dark and cool place where the wine can develop in the bottle. A good storage facility will also ensure that your wine is insured.
If you do not follow the advice above you are at serious risk of losing some or all of your money. The commodities markets are risky enough in themselves without adding to it further by using a dishonest or incompetent broker.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Investing-Wine-For-Profit-ebook/dp/B0084YVIFK
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Chateau Musar 2001
The other week I went to a good Lebanese restaurant with a very good friend in Woking. They do not have a licence yet so we had to find our own wine. Finding a Lebanese wine at short notice Woking is not easy so we settled for a bottle of southern French red.
I promised my friend a taste of Chateau Musar when he visited us next. Last Saturday, we opened up a bottle of the 2001 red and drank it with the family with some rib of beef. A single bottle kept six people happy for a long time; it is wine to be appreciated slowly, just like slow food, not slugged back. This is a true sign of high quality.
Chateau Musar is produced by the Hochar family in the Bekaa valley. They use organic farming techniques but as their website site suggests they were using organic farming before the term was invented. From the quality and taste of the wine I can quite believe this. The wine is superb.
I have only ever tasted the Chateau Musar red from various vintages and I have never had a bottle that is other than top quality.
The wines can easily be compared, quality wise, with a top cru from Bordeaux, the Rhône or Burgundy. This is where the comparison stops, however, as these full bodied red wines have a distinctive flavour of their own. They have concentrated and intense flavours of red fruits and spice and to me they have a very appealing savoury taste.`
I can still remember the taste of the bottle which we drank last Saturday and I feel almost certain that I could pick it out again blind. It is not often that I get to keep such pleasant memories of a wine.
After ten years or so this wine is still not at its peak. It will improve for much longer. It is an exceptional wine at a very reasonable price. It competes favourably with any wine, from any country and at any price. What better tribute to a wine could there be?
http://www.chateaumusar.com/uk/brands.aspx?pageid=126
I promised my friend a taste of Chateau Musar when he visited us next. Last Saturday, we opened up a bottle of the 2001 red and drank it with the family with some rib of beef. A single bottle kept six people happy for a long time; it is wine to be appreciated slowly, just like slow food, not slugged back. This is a true sign of high quality.
Chateau Musar is produced by the Hochar family in the Bekaa valley. They use organic farming techniques but as their website site suggests they were using organic farming before the term was invented. From the quality and taste of the wine I can quite believe this. The wine is superb.
I have only ever tasted the Chateau Musar red from various vintages and I have never had a bottle that is other than top quality.
The wines can easily be compared, quality wise, with a top cru from Bordeaux, the Rhône or Burgundy. This is where the comparison stops, however, as these full bodied red wines have a distinctive flavour of their own. They have concentrated and intense flavours of red fruits and spice and to me they have a very appealing savoury taste.`
I can still remember the taste of the bottle which we drank last Saturday and I feel almost certain that I could pick it out again blind. It is not often that I get to keep such pleasant memories of a wine.
After ten years or so this wine is still not at its peak. It will improve for much longer. It is an exceptional wine at a very reasonable price. It competes favourably with any wine, from any country and at any price. What better tribute to a wine could there be?
http://www.chateaumusar.com/uk/brands.aspx?pageid=126
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