Gastronomy and Wine Portal

This autumn Sotheby’s will add France as a new location for its regular series of wine and spirits auctions, with a newly appointed Head of Auction Sales for Continental Europe.

The property for these sales will be located in both Beaune and Bordeaux, the two most important trading centres for the wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux. The move into a fourth major international hub in France comes as Sotheby’s Wine and Spirits division achieved exceptional results for auction sales in New York, London and Hong Kong in the first half of 2021, with a combined total of $58 million.

In conjunction with this expansion, Amayès Aouli has joined Sotheby’s Wine as Head of Auction Sales for Continental Europe. Mr. Aouli will be responsible for leading the growth of Sotheby’s wine business throughout the region, focusing on making France a fourth global hub for our wine and spirits auctions.

Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Wine, said: “The addition of regular sales of wines and spirits in France this year is a key initiative for us. We anticipate France becoming one of our most important markets, providing sellers in Continental Europe with the greatest access to the global market, and buyers from all around the world will have more ability to buy rare bottles. More than 85% of the value of the wines Sotheby’s sells come from France, so this is long overdue. We believe it is important to have the property for these auctions located in Beaune and Bordeaux, the two most important centres for trading wine in Europe, so we are able to offer collectors a comprehensive range of services.”

Prior to joining Sotheby’s, for the past ten years Mr. Aouli was Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in France, where he played a key role in successfully developing the business across Europe, using his business development skills and marketing expertise to lead many complex, cross-border and wealth-oriented projects.

In parallel to his business career, for more than 15 years he has pursued his passion for wine as a collector, building deep knowledge and relationships with winery owners, producers and merchants across Europe, while studying with the WSET.

Fluent in four European languages – French, English, Spanish and Italian – Mr. Aouli joins a global team of over 20 specialists with more than 250 years of cumulative experience in the fine wine and spirits industry, including George Lacey, who was appointed Head of Auction Sales in the UK earlier this year.

Later this autumn, Sotheby’s will host the 161st edition of the Hospices de Beaune’s celebrated and historic annual barrel auction on 21st November – the third Sunday in November, as per tradition. Jasper Morris MW will also be working with the Sotheby’s team as a consultant, supporting the sale, providing tasting notes, vintage reports and video commentary from Beaune. Jasper lives in Burgundy and has just published the 2nd Edition of Inside Burgundy, which is published by Berry Brothers & Rudd Press and is distributed exclusively by Sotheby’s Wine in the United States.

Sotheby’s inaugural sale of Spirits in France will follow in December, and plans are in place for a full roster of wine and spirits sales in 2022, to be announced in due course.

This autumn, beginning 27th September, Sotheby’s will stage its first Luxury Week in Paris with a series of four auctions offering jewellery, watches, fashion accessories and design – an expansion of

Sotheby’s concept of luxury sales, showcasing the intersection of multiple categories and a reflection today’s collecting habits across disciplines.

This autumn Sotheby’s will add France as a new location for its regular series of wine and spirits auctions, with a newly appointed Head of Auction Sales for Continental Europe.

In its 8th edition, the wine2wine Business Forum 2021 will return on October 18th-19th, 2021 in a brand-new format: hybrid. There are two options to participate: either to travel to PalaExpo, the conference venue of Veronafiere, or to follow the event remotely through the digital platform first introduced in 2020.

 “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance”, said the English writer, philosopher, and speaker Alan Watts (1915-1973). The wine2wine Business Forum has truly plunged into change: after six editions as a physical event, in 2020 the Forum went digital in response to the COVID emergency. Now in its eighth edition, wine2wine Business Forum will bring all past experiences together in a synthesis that meets the needs of the “new normal” and will be back in a hybrid format.

At the wine2wine Business Forum, two speakers – representatives of the most reputable companies in their industries – will deliver in tandem a report on the situation on the Ukrainian wine market and on new tools that help to overcome the consequences of the pandemic. These are Pavel Glazov, Import Director of the Vinfort importer and distributor company, one of the most experienced in Ukraine, and Veronika Busel, Managing Partner of the Wine Travel Awards, the international wine tourism awards founded by Drinks+ Communication Media Group, the oldest media group in Eastern Europe, which has been leading its activities in the promotion of wines and wine tourism since 1993.

Over the past editions, wine2wine Business Forum has become a must-attend event for wine business professionals and those seeking opportunities in the field. Due to technology, barriers are overcome, enabling participants to use new approaches of doing business and to receive new incentives and inspiration from leading professionals. Indeed, this year the Forum will be focused on the concept of barriers. Barriers meant as physical ones, deriving from travel bans arose in the past two years. Psychological ones, due to changes in lifestyle, both in the workplace and at home. Barriers related to inclusiveness, fostered by obsolete ways of thinking.

The eighth edition of the forum dedicated to the wine business will take place on October 18th-19th, 2021. More than 60 parallel sessions are scheduled, and more than 80 international speakers will travel to Verona or deliver their presentations from their home country. This year, the sessions will last 30 minutes, followed by 15 minutes dedicated to Q&As with the speakers. The dedicated chat or post comments and thoughts will be open for the questions from online participants. A “Kick-Off” session followed by a Keynote speech will initiate every day. During the physical version of the event, two coffee breaks (one in the morning and the other one in the afternoon) are foreseen, along with a lunch break. During this time participants, speakers, and sponsors of the event can be engaged in networking to boost business opportunities.

The digital platform will provide guests with an opportunity to attend sessions in real-time or on-demand at a time that suits them. Networking with other participants, sponsors, and speakers – one of the pillars of the event – will be made possible thanks to AI and smart-matching technology. Session descriptions, biographies, and materials will also be made available on the platform. A format that unites digital and physical, making the wine business closer than ever.

Tickets will be available in a few days. Until September 20th people can reserve their place at a special rate, filling in a form on the event website. Special formulas are also reserved to Vinitaly exhibitors, OperaWine and 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls producers, partners, and students. For further information, write to helpw2w@justdothework.it.

About: wine2wine Business Forum is a dynamic international wine industry forum organized by Veronafiere and held annually in Verona, Italy, since 2014. wine2wine Business Forum 2021 will take place on October 18th and 19th with a hybrid format, allowing guests to attend the conference both online and in-person. The event is a key reference point for wine producers and wine professionals eager to develop and grow their wine business worldwide. wine2wine Business Forum provides unique opportunities to share ideas on the most important issues facing the rapidly evolving wine industry and to connect with wine professionals and experts. The forum takes place over two days and features keynote sessions, seminars, and interactive workshops which aim to equip participants with practical tools to improve their business. Speakers are renowned experts in their field and among the brightest minds in the wine world from Italy and abroad. Additional information is available at www.wine2wine.net or by emailing wine2wine@justdothework.it.

In its 8th edition, the wine2wine Business Forum 2021 will return on October 18th-19th, 2021 in a brand-new format: hybrid. There are two options to participate: either to travel to PalaExpo, the conference venue of Veronafiere, or to follow the event remotely through the digital platform first introduced in 2020.

The Calabrian city of Cosenza is set to host the competition’s main session for red and white wines. The decision was announced online on Thursday 16 September.

The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles will now be held in 4 different sessions so that each type of wine can be judged professionally. The evaluations will be handled by specialist experts, chosen for their knowledge and their ability to taste every type of wine depending on their specific characters.

The different sessions will take place at dates dictated by production and marketing requirements for each style of wine. The 4 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles tasting sessions will run annually in different producer and/or consumer regions.

Rosé Wine Session:

Open indiscriminately to all still, sparkling and semi-sparkling rosé wines along with fortified rosés. By holding this event in March, the aim is to provide an effective response to market needs and to the growing interest shown by consumers for rosé wines. It provides awarded producers with promotion and marketing tools as soon as the wines are released for sale.

Red and White Wine Session:

Open indiscriminately to all white wines (including orange wines) and all still dry and medium dry red wines from all origins and made from all types of grape varieties. This session – the largest in the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles for the number of entries – takes place every year in May.

The host country for the Red and White Wine Session is Italy, in particular the Calabrian city of Cosenza. Nearly 350 judges are expected to travel to the region from 19 to 22 May 2022.

Sparkling Wine Session:

Open indiscriminately to all sparkling and semi-sparkling wines in the 3 colours, irrespective of whether they are dry, medium dry or sweet. Held in June, this session will showcase the variety of sparkling wines available in terms of origin, expression and typicity.

Sweet and Fortified Wine Session:

Open indiscriminately to all sweet wines (medium sweet, sweet and noble rot), as well as fortified wines, irrespective of their sugar content and colour. A panel of specialised experts with the requisite tasting skills will evaluate these wines every year in September.

The Calabrian city of Cosenza is set to host the competition’s main session for red and white wines. The decision was announced online on Thursday 16 September.

The Tesseron family has sold Château Lafon-Rochet to Franco-Swiss businessman Jacky Lorenzetti for an undisclosed sum.

According to Wine Spectator, Château Lafon-Rochet is Jacky Lorenzetti’s fourth château in Bordeaux. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed. In addition to Château Lafon-Rochet, Lorenzetti owns Château Pedesclaux (Pauillac) and Château Lilian Ladouys (Saint-Estephe), as well as 50% of the shares of Château d’Issan.

“When you have already invested in St.-Estèphe and Pauillac, and a bank offers you an opportunity to buy an estate like Lafon-Rochet, you don’t say no,” commented Emmanuel Cruse, general manager of Lorenzetti’s estates. “It’s certainly among the greatest terroirs of St.-Estéphe,” he added.

The Tesseron family acquired a 45-hectare estate in 1960, which is currently managed by Basile Tesseron. Vineyards surround the chateau in a large adjoining area, the closest neighbour is Château Cos d’Estournel.

Now Emmanuel Cruse will take over the management of the estate, while Basile and his team will oversee the 2021 harvest. Cruse is not going to make radical changes; he wants to improve the wines produced here.

“The quality has already improved recently with Basile and his team. It’s always exciting to try to do better if we can. Lorenzetti has the goal of making the best wine possible,” he said.

Jacky Lorenzetti is the head of the family-owned company Ovalto, with an estimated fortune of 1.7 billion euros. Lorenzetti has made his fortune from real estate and is also the owner of rugby club Racing 92 in Paris.

The businessman continues to look for opportunities for further wine investment in France, and is currently exploring proposals in Provence, Burgundy and Rhone.

Prepared by A. Bantysheva based on thedrinksbusiness.com

Pthotos: lafon-rochet.com, facebook.com/lafonrochet1855

The Tesseron family has sold Château Lafon-Rochet to Franco-Swiss businessman Jacky Lorenzetti for an undisclosed sum.

Vinexposium is boosting the recovery of the wine and spirits trade in the global arena by hosting seven in-person events over the next nine months.

Economic activity is promising to resume and Vinexposium is readying to orchestrate a raft of pivotal business gatherings. The group will be travelling to today’s and tomorrow’s key markets to maximise interactions between wine and spirits producers from around the globe and qualified buyers. Drawing on its digital development and its long-standing support of the industry, Vinexposium is ready to help drive export sales for industry members through a complete roster of dedicated events.

Autumn

The group’s next event, the World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE), which now embraces all wine and spirits categories, is due to take place in Amsterdam on November 22 and 23. It brings together all strands of the bulk wine industry, a segment which now covers 34% of wine exports across the globe (source: OIV 2021). Vinexpo Shanghai, scheduled from 20 to 22 October, will not be running due to health restrictions in China which do not allow Vinexposium to guarantee a high-performance return on investment for its clients. The end of the year will be marked by the launch of Vinexpo India from 9 to 11 December in New Delhi, which will be held concurrently with SIAL India. Vinexpo India’s mission is to provide the spark for producers from around the world to establish relations with distributors and retailers in a high-potential growth market.

Winter

Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris will be the first major international event of 2022 for the global wine and spirits industry. Highly anticipated for its ability to generate business meetings, it will take place from 14 to 16 February at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles and will bring together all of France’s wine regions along with an extensive variety of international wine regions. The event is set to mark the return of in-person events within the industry. The following month, the destination is North America with Vinexpo America and Drinks America slated for 9 and 10 March in New York. The two co-located events will bring together the entire beverage alcohol industry. Vinexpo America will be exclusively aimed at wines, whilst Drinks America, a new addition to the Vinexposium calendar, will focus on spirits and all beverage alcohol.

Spring

Vinexpo Hong Kong, the strategic platform for business in South-East Asia, will be held from 24 to 26 May at the HKCEC for a three-day event where meetings, discoveries and engagement with importers, distributors, sommeliers and international producers will set the tempo. Vinexpo Bordeaux rounds off the season in June, once again flying the international flag across the city in a renewed format combining off-beat encounters, trade meetings and industry-consumer prospective insight.

“We are delighted to be rolling out for the first time under the Vinexposium banner, an events calendar packed with marketing opportunities! Through our seven forthcoming events, our clients will finally be able to get back to the in-person events that are absolutely essential for tasting and conviviality. 2022 will most certainly be a celebration, honouring business and the world of wine and spirits”, comments Rodolphe Lameyse, CEO of Vinexposium.

An events calendar catering to each continent

• 22-23 November 2021: World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE) in Amsterdam
• 9-11 December 2021: Vinexpo India in New Delhi
• 14-16 February 2022: Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris
• 9-10 March 2022: Vinexpo America and Drinks America in New York
• 26-28 May 2022: Vinexpo Hong Kong
• June 2022: Vinexpo Bordeaux

The group is also preparing to ramp up its digital portal Vinexposium Connect to maximise the scope of its events and provide an even greater service to the industry 365 days a year, across the entire globe.

Photos: vinexposium.com

Vinexposium is boosting the recovery of the wine and spirits trade in the global arena by hosting seven in-person events over the next nine months.

ProWein in Düsseldorf (27-29 March) aims to be a successful physical event ensured by the legal framework set by the current Covid-19 Protection Ordinance.

The outlook for ProWein 2022, the world’s biggest and most relevant trade fair for wines and spirits in Düsseldorf, is promising – in every respect. Preparations are in full swing, the market is eagerly awaiting ProWein from 27 to 29 March 2022 as the first physical event held for two years. Additional tailwinds for ProWein come care of the current, recently adopted Covid-19 Protection Ordinance. This new Ordinance (last updated in August 2021) provides the legal framework and prerequisites for holding a trade fair that proves successful for both exhibitors and visitors.

“Over the past few weeks our planning – such as stand space allocation for exhibitors, the organisation of tastings, limitation of visitor numbers, aisle width or a possible registration for tastings – was primarily determined by a very restrictive Covid-19 Protection Ordinance,” explains Michael Degen, Executive Director of ProWein, and goes on to say: “Now we can finally get down to the concrete planning and organisation in the interest of the sector.”

What does this mean for exhibitors and visitors? ProWein 2022 will be extended to include three more halls – taking it up to 13 halls. This allows the aisles between stands to be widened from four to six metres (so far three metres) and ensures the 1.5 m distancing rule can be observed. “To avoid misunderstandings from the outset: the rented exhibition space will not enlarge – we are only making three additional halls available. At the end of the day it’s like in a vineyard where the distance between the individual rows would be increased to improve ventilation of the vines” explains Michael Degen. “With this move we strike the necessary balance between pandemic-related minimum distances and a sufficiently high attendance figure – thereby laying the foundation for a successful trade fair: many contacts and leads for our exhibitors.”

Essentially the structure of ProWein will then look as follows:

Halls 1, 4 and 5: Germany

Hall 5: Austria and Europe

Hall 7.0: same but different

Halls 9 to 11: France

Hall 11: Europe and spirits

Hall 12: Overseas

Hall 13: Portugal

Halls 13 and 14: Spain

Hall 15: Europe

Halls 15 to 17: Italy

Hall 17: Europe

Another benefit comes care of the current Covid-19 Protection Ordinance: tastings can be organised easily and without any red tape, registration is no longer required at each stand. Tastings are possible at assigned places. Even tastings at the stand peripheries are permitted subject to compliance with specific rules. To put it in a nutshell: registration and compliance with the VRT-rule (Vaccinated, Recovered, Tested) ensures smooth holding of ProWein 2022.

ProWein Düsseldorf (27-29 March) aims to be a successful physical event ensured by the legal framework set by the current Covid-19 Protection Ordinance.

In recent years, manufacturers have been trying to make environmentally friendly products in various fields to reduce production waste and emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Recently, these efforts have led to the creation of a unique fuel.

The process for producing biofuels created by TotalEnergies from wine residues such as wine lees and grape pomace includes industrial fermentation, distillation and dehydration. This base is then blended with ETBE (ethyl tert-butyl ether), which is itself a byproduct of ethanol, and several additives to improve fuel performance.

TotalEnergies has announced its 100% renewable fuel produced on bioethanol basis and made from wine residues from the French wine production would be featured at the World Endurance Championship next season. Teams will use this fuel to fill up their cars at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has supported efforts to develop more sustainable fuel and energy sources for racing cars, including in Formula 1.

Jean Todt, FIA President, said: “Endurance racing, by its nature, has always served as an excellent research and development platform and it is an important milestone to have the FIA World Endurance Championship switching to 100% sustainable fuel. It’s FIA’s major goal to implement sustainable energy sources across its portfolio of motor sport disciplines, thus paving the way in the reduction of CO₂ emission, perfectly reflecting our race-to-road strategy as well as the FIA’s PurposeDriven movement.”

This fuel should allow an immediate reduction of at least 65% of the racing cars’ CO2 emissions.

Previously, several research projects have already explored the possibility of using wine waste to create a renewable fuel. Back in 2008, Prince Charles in the UK converted his Aston Martin to run on fuel made from whey and wine waste from the UK wine industry.

Photo: pixabay.com

In recent years, manufacturers have been trying to make environmentally friendly products in various fields to reduce production waste and emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Recently, these efforts have led to the creation of a unique fuel.

For the first time, Vinnytsia’s food producers will present their products at the International Gastronomic Fair of Dijon (France), which will run from October 30 to November 11.

The annual International Gastronomic Fair – Foire de Dijon – will take place in the French city of Dijon from October 30 to November 11. This year will mark the 100th anniversary of the event. Separate halls of the festival pavilion are prepared for participants from other countries who represent the gastronomic heritage of their homeland. This year, along with Italy, India, Canada and Ireland, Ukraine will be among the guests for the first time.

Recently, Vinnytsia producers and craftsmen, representatives of the city municipality and regional authorities met with the coordinator of the Ukrainian pavilion at the International Gastronomic Fair in Dijon, Tetiana Iablonska, at the city council. Tatiana Desoche, a representative of the Foire de Dijon, was also in direct contact via online with the participants of the meeting. Vinnytsia entrepreneurs also took part in the event, among whom not only craft gastro producers were presented, but also representatives of large technological facilities.

“Ukrainians have not yet presented their products here,” said Ms. Desosh. – We will be glad to see the richness of your culture and gastronomy. You will have the opportunity not only to sell your own, but also to taste someone else’s. Please pay attention to the following detail: if the Dijon people like something once, they will constantly buy it in the future.”

Vinnytsia residents were acquainted with the program of the event: the organizers will invite those interested to participate in culinary competitions, workshops, round tables, gastronomic shows, restaurant courtyards and more.

At the end of the conversation, Ms. Desosh reminded Ukrainians of a special feature of the French: “We love to taste something, especially when it is new to us. That is why the Foire Dijon is of great interest every year, it is eagerly awaited every year.”

Tetiana Iablonska, stand consolidator, also highlighted the concept of the Ukrainian stand and the presentation of the Vinnytsia region. The Foire de Dijon will be an opportunity to present Ukrainian food products, industrial goods and culture of our country, as well as to learn the tastes of the French in order to successfully enter the foreign market.

Photo: Vinnytsia City Council

Prepared by O. Hryhorieva

For the first time, Vinnytsia’s food producers will present their products at the International Gastronomic Fair of Dijon (France), which will run from October 30 to November 11.

Grape harvest for white wine in Greece is coming to an end, but winemakers are disappointed – yields have fallen by almost half compared to normal year.

And there are objective reasons for this – there has been no rain since April, and the summer was marked by a record heat. “The last such heatwave was in 1987,” says Elina Dakanali of Estate Argyros. “We saw how the heat blocked development and even burned some grapes,” adds Dakanali.

Winemakers had to worry not only because of the abnormal heat, but also because of uneven ripening, in which careful sorting of berries is essential. “The imbalance and unevenness of ripening was noticed, not only in the same vineyard, but also in single bunches,” says oenologist Nikos Varvarigos of the island cooperative Santo Wines.

Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, founder of Gaia Wines, says yields are 40% below average: “We saw grapes either burned, over-ripe or under-ripe, some quite thick skinned without much juice, so we need to be careful with fermentations.”

Wine Judge, MW Yiannis Karakasis, who this year released the book “The Wines of Santorini”, called 2021 “The Year of the Oenologist” because of the complex work required for breeding and winemaking. “We see lower than usual acidities and higher pH readings,” he notes.

On the positive side, growers have not raised grape prices this year, as they have done almost every year. “I think they finally understood the need to be realistic,” says Paraskevopoulos, as prices per kilo settled at around €3.50. Varvarigos of the Santo Wines cooperative stressed that prices should not exceed that price because overall grape quality was “not good”.

Winemakers across Greece are also wary of the ongoing effects of climate change. In addition to the summer heat, many of the island’s vineyards were affected by hailstorms in May.

In Argolis, on the mainland of the Peloponnese, winemaker George Skouras reports that 2021 was also a difficult year for him, starting with spring frosts and then intense summer heat. “We have had almost nothing,” he says of his vineyards of Chardonnay and Viognier. “Many vines stopped maturation due to heat stress.”

However, 2021 may be more promising for red grapes. For example, in Nemea, according to Skouras, there can be an excellent harvest of Agiorgitiko: “Small and thin-skinned grapes have lots of colour and concentration.”

The red wine harvest will begin in early September.

Photo: viator.com

Prepared by N. Zakharchuk based on decanter.com

Grape harvest for white wine in Greece is coming to an end, but winemakers are disappointed – yields have fallen by almost half compared to normal year.

The Ritz, The Stafford, The Connaught Bar, Gleneagles, Roka, 45 Park Lane and Dukes Hotel are among UK’s top bar talent to judge London Spirits Competition.

The Ritz, The Stafford, The Connaught Bar, Gleneagles, Roka, 45 Park Lane and Dukes Hotel are just some of the prestigious names on the judging panel for the London Spirits Competition. The London Spirits Competition has worked in the last few years to build up the pedigree of its judges and to ensure they all have direct buying responsibilities and understand the disciplines by which certain spirits are chosen to go on a drinks or cocktail list or not.

Only professional spirits tasters are involved in the judging process.

As the competition is focused on quality, design, packaging and value for money it requires judges that have the professional experience of analysing spirits in all aspects of their commercial competitiveness. Points are allocated in all these key areas to come up with an overall score that will determine what medal, or not, a particular spirit is given. This year’s London Spirits Competition is now open for entries.

For any distiller, brand owner, producer or importer the competition is an opportunity to have your products assessed by the top premium on-trade spirits buyers in the country. Learn more at https://londonspiritscompetition.com/

The Ritz, The Stafford, The Connaught Bar, Gleneagles, Roka, 45 Park Lane and Dukes Hotel are among UK’s top bar talent to judge London Spirits Competition.