Wine Trips | C&B Scene

Wine Trips Archive

Plaimont and all that Jazz…

You might be wondering what Jazz and wine have in common? Well, located down in the south west of France is the picturesque town of Marciac. During August, Marciac plays host to one of the world’s leading Jazz festivals. Producteurs Plaimont are key partners in this event, so when we...

¡Dos días, dos regiones, dos productores… A una vez en un viaje de tiempo de vida a España!

Two days, two regions, two producers… A once in a life time trip to Spain! It’s no secret that Spanish wines are my true passion, so you can imagine my reaction when I was invited to accompany Alison and Adam on their annual buying trip to Ribera del Duero...

Bordeaux 2009 day 7…the end in sight

So, the final push is on. After a disastrous performance in the hotel inter merchant pool tournament last night it was actions stations to get packed, checked out and up to St-Emilion for a 9.15 appointment at Cheval-Blanc. Yet again some formula 1 inspired driving from Helen got us there with...

Bordeaux 2009 day 6…UGC, Lafite and Sweeties

We woke to torrential rain that was to be with us for the entire day. Lafite was first up. Very difficult to assess on this showing but, given the incredible demand for these wines, what they taste like seems to be almost secondary to anything else. Suffice to say that the...

Bordeaux 2009 day 5……UGC’s…the most wines!

First day today of the Union des Grands Crus Tastings (UGC). We kicked off bright and early at Smith-Haut-Lafitte for the Pessac-Leognan tasting. An interesting start with the usual suspects performing well and true to type. In general terms the reds were more consistent than the whites with Domaine de...

Bordeaux 2009 day 4…Monday must be First Growths

The middle day of our trip and a few Château visits before the onslaught of the UGC tastings tomorrow. We kicked off with an early morning visit to Latour. A terrific range of wines here as you would expect, from the generic Pauillac to the big chap himself. The “Forts” was...

Bordeaux 2009 day 3…Mitjavile Magic

Pretty dull and overcast but sun fighting to force through...A trip to a more general négociant tasting was first up this morning. An interesting opportunity to get a feel for the overall quality of the vintage from all the key appellations, including dry whites and stickies. We had an hour and...

Bordeaux 2009 day 2….Moueix

So, Day 2 over. A simply sensational visit to Moueix. We kicked off with a chat with Christian Moueix at their offices in Libourne. We learned here that, at least on the Right Bank, 2009 is not an absolutely homogeneous success. The first chink in the armour of this much-hyped...

Bordeaux 2009 day 1

Exciting but tiring day.....6am - Flight from Gatwick, everyone arrived, two Scots, one German and three Englishmen. Landed safely met up with driver for the week and off we go. 10.15 - Les Carmes Haut Brion was delicious, lovely fruit-driven style, elegant and beautifully balanced. 11.30 - Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion...

Travels to Etna, Sicily – the challenges and the triumph

Fact: Until recently, Sicily produced more wine than the whole of Australia and New Zealand combined – this was mostly shipped as bulk and sold to the domestic market Fact: In order to gain recognition for quality over quantity, the first fine winemakers on Sicily resorted to producing and promoting wines...