Decanter January 2023

I’d like to let you into a few of the secrets of producing a magazine. If you’ve seen any of the many films and TV shows that have touched on the subject, of course, you’ll know that it’s all limousines, long lunches and glamorous offices with a great view. The first secret? No, it’s not like that. At all. Second secret: the moments of gleeful creativity are at least equalled by the sheer hard graft of actually getting things done. Our design and production duo, Patrick and David, are highly talented but their workload contains an awful lot of spreadsheets, deadlines, plans and dull but necessary details. And one of those details is the date on the cover. This is the January issue. But long-time readers may have noticed that…

CHARLES CURTIS MW is a widely published journalist, author and fine wine advisor based in New York. Formerly head of wine at Christie’s in the US and Asia, he started out as a chef and travelled to Paris to train at Le Cordon Bleu NATALIE EARL is Decanter’s regional editor for France other than Bordeaux and Burgundy. A keen advocate for organic, sustainable and natural wines, in this issue she looks at the growing field of bag in box wines BROOKE HERRON is a travel, food and drink writer based in Sonoma County. Also a digital marketing consultant, she writes for titles including The Somm Journal, Fodor’s Travel, NorthBay biz and Sonoma County Tourism ANDREW JEFFORD is a contributing editor to Decanter magazine and a Co-Chair overseeing all judging at…

Pressure on Burgundy 2021 allocations Asmall Burgundy 2021 vintage may put added pressure on allocations as the traditional en primeur release season begins this month, merchants have said. Burgundy’s 2021 growing season was marked by severe frost and mildew challenges (see ‘Vintage preview’, p40), even if there were positive early reports about the quality of fruit that survived. Tight allocations are not new to Burgundy lovers, but buyers may see even smaller than usual volumes of some 2021-vintage en primeur wines. ‘The quantities are particularly under pressure in the Côte de Beaune, and particularly for the Chardonnay,’ said Guy Seddon, head of fine wine buying at merchant Corney & Barrow. ‘We’ve got a number of producers who are looking at losses of 70% or 80% – that sort of magnitude.’…

■ Wine officials in Sicily’s Etna region have added nine new ‘contrade’, representing distinct geographical and geological sites, to recognise the diversity and nuance of the territory’s soils. There are now 142 contrade around the volcano, as shown on a new colour map published by the Consorzio Tutela Vini Etna DOC. ‘This map establishes the full viticultural maturity of our district,’ said consorzio president Francesco Cambria. ■ US president Joe Biden served three Californian wines at a White House state dinner held for his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. Roederer Estate Brut Rosé sparkling featured alongside Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay 2018 from Napa Valley and Anakota Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, according to menu details published by Reuters. There was a nod to France; Roederer Estate is owned by Champagne Louis Roederer.…

We recently invited good friends over for dinner to celebrate their 60th birthdays, and to our surprise alongside the customary wine offering was a large ornate wooden case. A game for later, I was told! The case didn’t enclose a board game but a large sabre, which our guests, grinning, announced was to open the fizz! As it turned out they were well practised in the art of sabrage. It was remarkably easy, a great spectacle and added some theatre to the occasion. Given that sabrage originated from Napoleon’s cavalry officers, we used my last bottle of Wiston Estate Vintage Cuvée Brut 2013, in a new tradition for us. It was superb, richly coloured and full of flavour – amatch for any good Champagne. (Footnote: where can you get hold of…

Memories from Bordeaux The article on Bordeaux’s Château Branaire-Ducru (Christmas 2022 issue) brings back fond memories. On a visit to Bordeaux in August 2007, Patrick Maroteaux was kind enough to give my wife and I atour of the estate. I had previously tasted the 1999 Duluc, as it was called back then, which I found to be almost as good as the Branaire-Ducru itself at a very affordable price. So I asked him if I could buy a few cases. Monsieur Maroteaux laughingly replied that even a second wine could not be sold direct by the château. At the time we had a house in the Loire; he asked for the address and called a distributor he knew, and in no time the wine was delivered. I still have a…