Deluge of fine wine dismays the French

GuardianUnlimited ^ | September 17, 2006 | Jason Burke

[quantim]

There is no such thing as 'California champagne' and it is illegal to label a product as such and only a novice writer and editor would make that mistake.

The writer was 'phishing' so to speak.  The truth was the French were holding back shipments to U.S. ports to drive up prices at the last minute.

There were huge numbers of containers off the coast of Cliquot, Dom, Bollinger, Perrier, etc. sitting and waiting to go through customs.

Big sellers like Costco had none.  As the y2k date approached it was too little too late, there was a glut for years, and many folks that bought futures were plugged and have not forgotten.

Then followed by the 9/11 economic impact, French U.N. follies, and so forth.

[quantim]

Good one!

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée: Chateau Le Crawford?

[andy58-in-nh]

Who picks the grapes the Frenchies won't pick...

Usually, the German Army.

[finnigan2]

"Chile are excellent wine-growing regions with conditions like that of Napa and Sonoma Valley in California."

- I read somewhere that there is a grape growing valley on the western side of the Chilean Andes which is the only place in the world where the vines still have the root stock that was otherwise wiped out world wide in the late 19th. century.
The mountains apparently protected the vines from the wind born parasite infestation.
So, if you want to know what a true Cabernet Sauvignon wine must have tasted like back then, you can still buy wine from this Chilean valley to find out.

[finnigan2]

"France has the best cheese...."

- How do you think they got their name; "Cheese eating surrender monkeys?"

[NautiNurse]

There were huge numbers of containers off the coast of Cliquot, Dom, Bollinger, Perrier, etc. sitting and waiting to go through customs.

Fascinating info--you always have the best inside info for these threads!

[quantim]

There are also some very old pre-phylloxera vines in Argentina as well. Try some 'Malbec' old-vine if you can find it - warning, you'll get what you pay for but for $22 you can get your socks knocked off.

[Hydroshock]

I loe a good frog whine.
Lower your price and dump it.

[quantim]

Actually I was told by various state wine distributors (who I bought from) that they had NONE - yet they had ordered their imports way ahead of time and delivery dates were not met.

Well as wine buyers you have a finite time frame and limited budget, you're planning events so the monies just went somewhere else. You're not going to be caught flat-footed on the job. It would be foolish to promise a party a particular wine (Champagne) if you didn't already have it on premise or earmarked at the distributor warehouse.

[MadIvan]

The best sparkling wine (Champagne) ever -

Nyetimber

Grown and produced a few miles from where I live.

Regards, Ivan

[quantim]

I'll need a sample to verify that. Make that two samples, just in case I don't get it right the first time. ;-)

[NautiNurse]

Carmenère, a Bordeaux grape, has become pretty much the signature grape for Chilean wine makers. It was difficult to grow in France, and reportedly the Chilean grapes were mistakenly identified as Merlot until about ten years ago.

[MadIvan]

The soil of West Sussex (where I live) is similar in composition to that of the Champagne region in France. We've been producing excellent sparkling wine for some time as a result.

I don't drink Frog stuff.

Regards, Ivan

[Jonah Hex]

(/cue Eric Idle)

"A lot of people in this country pooh-pooh Australian table wines. This is a pity as many fine Australian wines appeal not only to the Australian palate but also to the cognoscenti of America.

Black Stump Bordeaux is rightly praised as a peppermint flavoured Burgundy, whilst a good Sydney Syrup can rank with any of the world's best sugary wines. Château Blue, too, has won many prizes; not least for its taste, and its lingering afterburn.

Old Smokey 1968 has been compared favourably to a Welsh claret, whilst the Australian Wino Society thoroughly recommends a 1970 Coq du Rod Laver, which, believe me, has a kick on it like a mule: 8 bottles of this and you're really finished. At the opening of the Sydney Bridge Club, they were fishing them out of the main sewers every half an hour.

Of the sparkling wines, the most famous is Perth Pink. This is a bottle with a message in, and the message is 'beware'. This is not a wine for drinking, this is a wine for laying down and avoiding.

Another good fighting wine is Melbourne Old-and-Yellow, which is particularly heavy and should be used only for hand-to-hand combat.

Quite the reverse is true of Château Chunder, which is an appellation contrôlée, specially grown for those keen on regurgitation; a fine wine which really opens up the sluices at both ends.

Real emetic fans will also go for a Hobart Muddy, and a prize winning Cuivre Reserve Château Bottled Nuit San Wogga Wogga, which has a bouquet like an aborigine's armpit."

[rock58seg]

I always liked Mogen David, Concord. Sort of tastes like the homemade Mustang grape wine made by the old German farmers around Central Texas.

[cibco]

"MD20...I think that's what I use on squeaky door hinges!"

That should be MD2020..

[ContraryMary]

I like a good bottle of wine. I stick to the California wines; there are many excellent ones available.