Gastronomy and Wine Portal

September 2 at Sotheby’s in London, whisky creators Gordon & MacPhail unveiled the oldest single malt Scotch whisky ever bottled – an 80-year-old from Glenlivet Distillery matured in an oak cask originally laid down in 1940.

To house this most precious of whiskies, Gordon & MacPhail, founded in 1895, commissioned internationally acclaimed architect and designer, Sir David Adjaye OBE to design a unique decanter and oak case around the theme ‘Artistry in Oak’ – a fitting tribute to this landmark moment for the industry, the longest-matured ‘expression’ ever to be released featuring spirit from a Scottish distillery.

Next month in Hong Kong, on 7 October, Sotheby’s will offer Decanter #1 of the Gordon & MacPhail Generations 80-Years-Old release with an estimate of US$100,000-200,000. This special lot will include a singular whisky tasting experience for four in London, conducted by Gordon & MacPhail’s Director of Prestige, Stephen Rankin and attended by Sir David Adjaye, in addition to the framed original cask head of Cask 340 which cradled the spirit for eight decades, and a one-of-one signed lithograph of Sir David’s original, concept drawings.

As part of their release of 250 decanters, Gordon & MacPhail is supporting a local charity, Trees for Life whose mission is to rewild the Caledonian forest. Proceeds from the sale of Decanter #1 will be donated to resource the Trees for Life nursery which grows 100,000 rare, native trees, including oaks, from seed each year.

Sir David Adjaye, OBE, said: “When collaborating, I am looking for like-minded partners in terms of their craft, beliefs and traditions. I loved Gordon & MacPhail’s rigour and obsession with their products and their craft – a romantic commitment that enables one to do exceptional things. Our partnership felt so organic.”

Ewen Mackintosh, Managing Director at Gordon & MacPhail, commented: “Maturing a single malt Scotch over eight decades is an art, similar in many ways to architecture where you are creating something that needs to stand the test of time. Both Sir David and Gordon & MacPhail share a commitment to invest in the future. We both see the significance of creating something exceptional; leaving a legacy for future generations.”

February 3rd 1940 was to become a landmark day in Scotland’s liquid history, when George Urquhart – from the second generation to own the company – had the foresight and vision to lay down spirit from Glenlivet Distillery in a bespoke Gordon & MacPhail oak cask to be enjoyed after his lifetime by future generations.  When the tree harvested to make Cask 340 started its life, Queen Victoria was a newlywed, Tsar Nicholas I ruled Russia, and Abraham Lincoln was a young lawyer practising out of Springfield, Illinois. The cask reached Scottish shores in 1940, as World War Two raged in Europe, having initially held freshly pressed grape juice, then newly fermented wine, before being emptied and filled with mature Sherry for bottling in the UK.

Urquhart passionately believed that each cask needed to be left to reach its full potential, and only when the whisky was deemed ready should it be shared. The optimum time for Cask 340 was to be 80 years – longer than any other Scotch whisky in history. Adding an extra layer of rarity to this release, in 1940 the Ministry of Food cut malt whisky distilling by one third to ration barley for the war effort, and production of Glenlivet fell by two thirds. On 5 February 2020, the decision was taken to bottle the cask’s bounty, which had been nurtured over eight decades by four generations of the Urquhart family.

Integral to the whisky-making process, oak is also the traditional symbol for celebrating an 80-year anniversary and was therefore a fitting choice of material for the case. In his own words, Sir David Adjaye’s design “pays tribute to the role oak plays in transforming liquid into an elixir with almost magical properties” and brings the narrative full circle – the light refracted through the pavilion-like enclosure when the casing is opened recreates sunlight as its shines through oak trees within a natural forest setting.

Photo: Mark Scad

September 2 at Sotheby’s in London, whisky creators Gordon & MacPhail unveiled the oldest single malt Scotch whisky ever bottled – an 80-year-old from Glenlivet Distillery matured in an oak cask originally laid down in 1940.

JancisRobinson.com, the website of renowned wine writer and critic Jancis Robinson, has been acquired by Miami-based digital media company Recurrent Ventures.

Jancis Robinson, who is considered one of the most famous and uncompromising wine critics of our time, needs no special introduction: everyone who is related to the world of wine has undoubtedly heard of this principled lady, who is legendary. We at Drinks+ were lucky to interview Mrs. Robinson, in addition, she was so kind that she agreed at our request to taste the wines of three Ukrainian producers, and she talked about her impressions in the Saturday issue of the Financial Times and in the article Wine Exotica on her portal.

And now the news has come that the site JancisRobinson.com, which Jancis Robinson has been working on since 2000, has changed its owner. The transaction amount has not been disclosed, but it is known that the founder and ideological mastermind of the project will continue to act as editor-in-chief and oversee the work of the international team of the site, consisting of 15 people, of which seven are Masters of Wine. The basic concept and directions of work will not change, but next year it is planned to expand the portal’s capabilities and improve its user interface. The subscription format will also remain, thanks to which all members of the subscriber base from 82 countries of the world have access to more than 200,000 wine reviews, a constant stream of info content and an exclusive version of Oxford Companion to Wine, which Robinson is the founding editor of.

“I’m extremely proud of all that JancisRobinson.com has grown into. We’re now at the point where we need a bigger platform to see the site reach its full potential. This partnership will allow me to focus on what I enjoy most: tasting and writing about wine,” Robinson said.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Recurrent, a dynamic, fast-growing company run by talented, ambitious people who share my ideals of quality, integrity and sustainability. Our members have been the backbone of our company and they will continue to be our primary focus as we welcome even more wine lovers to JancisRobinson.com,” she added.

Lance Johnson, Recurrent CEO, said: “Jancis is one of the most respected voices in the wine world and we’re thrilled that she’s selected Recurrent to shepherd her brand into its next chapter. We’re excited to build upon JancisRobinson.com’s track record of success by providing the support, resources, and expertise the brand needs to grow without changing its editorial mission and integrity.”

Founded in 2018, Recurrent is headquartered in Miami with offices in New York and San Francisco, and a virtual-first team across the US. The company’s portfolio includes 17 digital media brands dedicated to automobiles, home, lifestyle, outdoors, science and technology.

Prepared by I. Chernova based on thedrinksbusiness.com

Photo: JancisRobinson.com

The website of renowned wine writer and critic JancisRobinson.com has been acquired by Miami-based digital media company Recurrent Ventures.

Paula Bosch, the first female sommelier in star gastronomy in Germany, tasted 2017 Thanassis Papaioannou, made from the new grape variety of the same name, and was impressed.

Drinks+ was one of the first to taste the first release of 2017 Thanassis Papaioannou and we are glad that such an authority in the wine industry as Paula Bosch got also interested in this wine.

The wine that became a sensation was released by the leading winery of the Greek region of Nemea – Papaioannou Winery. It was created from a new grape variety, Thanassis Papaioannou, a cross of Ukrainian Odessa Black and Austrian Gewürztraminer.

Paula Bosch is the most famous sommelier in Germany and for a generation she was the guardian of the cellar treasures of the legendary Tantris restaurant in Munich. She knows her job from the front and shares knowledge and interesting facts from her everyday wine life in the blog.

After having tasted 2017 Thanassis Papaioannou George Papaioannou, Nemea / Corinth, Greece, she shares her impressions:

“I got to know this completely unknown wine, 2017 is the first attempt and vintage, during a preliminary rehearsal for a Zoom meeting. A year before the pandemic, when traveling was still possible, I visited George Papaioannou’s winery, although he had not yet mentioned his new breed, Thanasisis Papaioannou, which was named after him. It is a cross variety with high resistance to cold, drought and fungal diseases. Its parents are Odeski Tshiorni (Cabernet Sauvignon x Alicante Bouschet) and Gewürztraminer. Classic aging with 24 months of aging in new oak barrels.”

In her tasting notes, she mentiones: “Finely honed tannins, dense structure, present freshness and juiciness on the palate, which scores with pressure and length. Quiet finish with Amarena cherries in a very long, extremely fine finish.”

“The intense bouquet is reminiscent of an oriental spice market. Frankincense, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, but also withered roses, dried plums, leather, tobacco, even dark chocolate.  Unbelievably rich, complex tannin, which is quite ripe and silky. The rich character, however, is only at the beginning of its development. A new grape variety with astonishing potential, in my opinion,” Paula Bosch sums up.

Vintage 2017 is released in a limited-edition of 1000 bottles. For the information of interested parties and collectors: after the visit of the Drinks+ editorial office, the stocks of new Thanassis Papaioannou wine at the winery have significantly decreased .

Prepared by Oleksandra Hryhorieva

Photo: www.paula-bosch.de

Paula Bosch, the first female sommelier in star gastronomy in Germany, tasted 2017 Thanassis Papaioannou, made from the new grape variety of the same name, and was impressed.

August 31, 2021 is the last day to get super early bird pricing for your wines, beers and spirits.

The London Drinks Competitions pride themselves on being as close to judging beers, wines and spirits as the people who choose to buy them do. Whether it is a busy drinks buyer for a major supermarket, a sommelier for a top Michelin restaurant or a bartender looking for the latest hip spirit for their back bar.

For each product is judged on their quality, their value for money at that price point and what the packaging and design looks like. The separate 2022 awards are now open for London Wine, London Spirits and London Beer and if you enter by August 31 you can take advantage of super early bird pricing.

The London Drinks Competitions are only judged by professional members of the drinks industry with direct buying responsibility. Here’s what to expect from the 2022 awards for the separate London Wine, London Spirits and London Beer competitions.

It’s not just professional drinks buyers that can relate 100% to the judging criteria of three separate London Drinks Competitions, but the people who every wine, spirit and beer is targeted at can do as well – the drinks consumer.

What are the determining factors that will dictate which wine, beer or spirit they pick up from a supermarket shelf, the back bar, or click to buy on a drinks website? Yes, the quality of the product in front of them, how much value for money does it offer and what does it look like? Is it the kind of drink you want to have in your house, or on your table on a bar or restaurant?

Only trade professional with direct buying responsibility is used as judged in the London Drinks Competitions.

Gary Burdekin is one of the professional spirits buyers and bartenders who help judge the London Spirits Competition

In many cases the quality can only be decided once the product is bought, or if it happens to have a gold, silver or bronze medal to its name in a major drinks competition that can help re-assure shoppers that it has been given official third-party approval. Which is where the London Drinks Competitions argues it stands out from its peers as those gold, silver or bronze medals are only awarded to drinks that score high marks in all those three key criteria: quality; value for money; and packaging and design.

It’s why Waitrose’s Anne Jones MW says the London Wine Competition is “unique” in assessing wines in the same way consumers do. “Out of all the competitions I judge for, the LWC is unique in assessing wines in the context of both the liquid in isolation as well as in the context of how a shopper would see it,” she stresses.

For the 2022 competition the organisers of three events, the Beverage Trade Network, has again ramped up the number of professional drinks buyers that take part in the judging of the three competitions. Again, it differs from other major drinks competitions by only having judges with direct drinks buying experience on its panels. Ensuring there is also a Master of Wine or Master Sommelier, and at least one woman on each judging panel.

Sid Patel, founder of the London Drinks Competitions, says he works hand in hand with its judges to make sure the awards are delivering what they and the drinks industry needs.

Sid Patel, chief executive of the Beverage Trade Network and founders of the London Drinks Competition, explains why he thinks the awards stand out: “We don’t just hold our competitions once a year and walk away. We work with and listen to professional drinks buyers, Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers all year round to better understand what it is they are looking for from these competitions and how they can help them in their day-to-day jobs.

It is based on their advice and feedback that we have pushed so hard to make sure our judging panels are only made up of individuals with direct buying experience. The experts who know what it is that makes a wine, spirit or beer be selected for a coveted place on a drinks or wine list. That’s what our competitions are all about. Rewarding the most commercially focused wines, beers and spirits there are in the market.”

London Drinks Guide

The  London Drinks Guide helps to promote award winning drinks in each of the London Drinks Competitions. This new consumer focused website was launched in 2020 and includes profiles on drinks producers, spotlights on winning wines, beers and spirits in the competition. It was launched as a showcase to help promote the medal winners in each of the competitions and provide a direct link with drinks enthusiasts.

Entering the 2022 Competition

Any importer, supplier or distributor that enters from now until August 31 can take advantage of super early bird pricing. The awards are also now open for all entries.

Pricing 2022 awards

London Wine Competition

• £75 Super Early Bird – May 1 to August 31, 2021
• £95 Early Bird – September 1 to Nov 30, 2021
• £110 Regular – Dec 1 to Feb 28, 2022

London Spirits Competition

• £95 Super Early Bird – May 1 to August 31, 2021
• £125 Early Bird – September 1 to Nov 30, 2021
• £170 Regular – Dec 1 to Feb 28, 2022

London Beer Competition

• £65 Super Early Bird – May 1 to August 31, 2021
• £85 Early Bird – September 1 to November 30, 2021
• £100 Regular – December 1 to February 28, 2022

Key deadlines 2022 awards

• Super Early Bird Ends for all competitions: August 31, 2021
• Registration Ends: February 28, 2022
• Warehouse Closes: March 4, 2022
• Judging Date: March 21, 2022 for wine and beer, March 22 for spirits
• Winners Announced: April 5, 2022
• To find out more about how to enter the different awards click on the relevant link.
• London Wine Competition.
• London Spirits Competition.
• London Beer Competition

Header Image: Vitor Lourenco – Judge at the London Spirits Competition

August 31, 2021 is the last day to get super early bird pricing for your wines, beers and spirits.

A few days are left until the end of the registration period for the Le Mondial Des Vins Blancs contest in Strasbourg.

Strasbourg hosts the only wine contest in the world entirely dedicated to the diversity of the white wines organized under the prestigious OIV patronage and Member of VINOFED, the World Federation of Major International Wines and Spirits Competitions. Alsace represents a fabulous mosaic of soils and gathers all types of existing terroirs like sandstone, marl-limestone, shale soils…

Up to now more than a hundred of worldwide wine growers have shipped their best samples. They represent Austria, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, Moldavia, Slovakia, Slovenia. Japan and Mexico are entering the competition for the first time!

Wine judges of the contest are wine experts coming from 24 nationalities covering the 5 continents!

The Le Mondial Des Vins Blancs takes place on Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd October within the Strasbourg Congress Centre. You can register for the contest until September 10 here and ship samples until September 15.

On October 2, within the framework of the contest, a master class will be held by the Chilean wine expert, Cécilia Alarcon Salinas, who will present Chilean wines and conduct a tasting of the 2020 best dry Riesling from Estampa Vina!

The second master class will be dedicated to the wines of Alsace: the focus is on the Grands Crus and the unique terroirs of this famous wine-growing region of France.

A few days are left until the end of the registration period for the Le Mondial Des Vins Blancs contest in Strasbourg.

Legendary singer Mariah Carey announced the launch of her brand of Black Irish cream liqueurs and was immediately sued.

The rich and famous, ahead of each other, are in a hurry to announce their new alcoholic beverage enterprises. Drinks+ has written on numerous occasions about wineries of Sting and Francis Ford Coppola, wine lines launched by Australian diva Kylie Minogue and Hollywood actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Cameron Diaz. We can also recall the alcoholic brands Aviation American Gin and Casamigos, to the incredible success of which actors Ryan Reynolds and George Clooney had a hand.

Now American singer Mariah Carey, who launched her brand of Black Irish liqueurs, has joined the list of celebrities who have released their own alcoholic beverages.

Carey shared the news about the launch of the drink on Instagram, posting her photo there on the beach where the singer poses, lying in a gold dress, with a bottle of liquor standing in front of her. The caption read: “Introducing Black Irish. Two years in the making. Truly a cause for celebration!!!”

The new line includes three drinks with a strength of 17%: original, with salted caramel and with a taste of white chocolate. Speaking about her product, Carey stated: “My goal was to create a drink for holidays and special occasions, and the name was born from my family heritage, as my mother was Irish (Irish), and on my father’s side I have Venezuelan roots (Black). This is how Black Irish was born.”

However, Mariah Carey immediately had to enter into legal battle over the new brand. It turned out that Dublin-based Darker Still Spirits owns the rights to the whiskey-based Black Irish alcoholic beverage, which was released in June 2020. The company said it officially registered the trademark in 2015.

Richard Ryan, founder of Black Irish, imitates Carey advertising her cream liqueur bottlings.

David Phelan, director of Darker Still Spirits, said: “Myself and my partners in Darker Still are collective veterans of the Irish drinks industry, and it is unprecedented that we are defending our position against a US company, within an Irish industry that we have helped support for over 30 years.”

Phelan also claims that Carey’s team is claiming trademark rights for other products in the Darker Still Spirits portfolio, which he says is “a tactic to undermine our wider businesses.”

He continued: “What is certain is that we will continue fighting any trademark objection whilst also engaging with the European Commission in regards to specific legalities surrounding Irish cream production. This will provide clarity on the matter and resolve an unfortunate situation not of our making.”

Black Irish, owned by Darker Still Spirits, is available throughout Ireland and can also be purchased online from Amazon and The Whiskey Exchange.

Based on the material of thespiritsbusiness.com

Legendary singer Mariah Carey announced the launch of her brand of Black Irish cream liqueurs and was immediately sued.

The clock is well and truly ticking for anyone looking to enter their wines, beers and spirits into the fifth annual London Wine Competition which closes its super early bird pricing on August 31, 2021.

London Wine, Spirits and Beer Competition is now open for super early bird entries.

Staff posing. Next London Competitions are aimed to be full in person events.

What makes the London Wine, Beer and Spirits Competitions truly unique:

• Every judge has been currently employed in a front line job in the wine industry and where possible have direct buying responsibility or be involved in commercial decision making.
• Each panel of judges has at least one MW or MS judge and a female judge as part of their judging team.
• The competition gets international outreach due to Beverage Trade Network’s international trade presence.

• Medal winners have the opportunity of being featured and promoted on the London Drinks Guide, a dedicated editorial platform set up to support the producers, importers and distributors that enter the London Competition.
• The entrants get shelf talkers, tasting notes at no cost as valuable feedback. Entrants can also see their score breakdown by Quality, Value and Package.
• Entrants will be able to enter their cocktails which will then be published on London Drinks Guide creating more consumer awareness.
• Hard to get trade buyers will be able to see your package first hand.
• The winners will not only be promoted on London Drinks Guide but other BTN’s global guides like New York Drinks Guide, Los Angeles Drinks Guide, San Francisco Drinks Guide, Chicago Drinks Guide, Paris Drinks Guide, Mumbai Drinks Guide.
• The winners will also be published in BTN’s other b2b media assets like Bartender Business, Bev Route, Sommeliers Business.

Entering the 2022 Competition

1. Spirits: https://londonspiritscompetition.com/
2. Wines: https://londonwinecompetition.com/
3. Beers: https://londonbeercompetition.com/

Key dates & deadlines 2022 awards

• Super Early Bird Ends – August 31, 2021
• Registration Ends – Feb 28, 2022
• Warehouse Closes: March 4, 2022
• Judging Date: March 21, 2022
• Winners Announced: April 5, 2022

New Quantity Discount Available

• 4 to 9 entries: 10% discount
• 10 to 14 entries: 15% discount
• 15 or more entries: 20% discount

Press Release

The clock is well and truly ticking for anyone looking to enter their wines, beers and spirits into the fifth annual London Wine Competition which closes its super early bird pricing on August 31, 2021.

ProWein family has been preparing for its trade fairs around the world – Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai, and Düsseldorf.

Preparations for the forthcoming ProWein – the leading international trade fair for the wines and spirits industry – from 27 to 29 March 2022 in Düsseldorf are in full swing. Just as busy are the organisers preparing the satellite events in Asia and Latin America: ProWine Hong Kong (7 to 9 September 2021), ProWine Sao Paulo (5 to 7 October 2021), ProWine Shanghai (9 to 11 November 2021) as well as ProWine Singapore next year (10 to 13 May 2022). A debut is still due this year with ProWine Mumbai – from 17 to 18 November 2021.

“Over the past months numerous events had to be postponed and cancelled throughout the entire world. Any trade fair we can offer means a spark of hope for the industry,” says Bastian Mingers, Director ProWein, summarising current developments and adds: “We handle the situation very responsibly and strictly comply with all the rules so as to guarantee the highest degree of safety possible.”

Packed trade fair agenda raises hopes in pandemic times

The next event in the international trade fair agenda of the ProWein family is ProWine Hong Kong. It will now be held for the third time in parallel with HOFEX, Asia’s leading trade fair for Food & Hospitality. At the same time, Natural & Organic Asia will also be held at the fairgrounds again ensuring that trade visitors find a broad-based spectrum of ranges. Due to the pandemic and travel restrictions ProWine Hong Kong will be held with a limited number of exhibitors.  In exchange for this a comprehensive line-up of events is planned in cooperation with WSET, AWSEC (Asia Wine and Service Education Centre) as well as with Decanter.

Since 2016 ProWine Hong Kong is held every two years – alternating with ProWine Singapore whose next edition will run from 10 to 13 May 2022. The organisers are Messe Düsseldorf Asia and Informa Markets, which organises the most relevant trade fair for the hospitality, restaurant and catering sectors in Southeast Asia. Next year’s edition will see thematic curated experiences and special itineraries for trade visitors, as well as the WSET® Level 1 course (in wines and spirits).

The situation in Brazil is full of confidence. At the upcoming ProWine Sao Paulo (5 to 7 October 2021) at the Transamerica Expo Center to the tune of 350 international wine producers and vendors of spirits from 15 countries are expected from countries including Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Portugal, Spain, the United States of America and Uruguay. A varied seminar area rounds off the presentation of wines and spirits.

Good prospects for ProWine Shanghai

The prospects are currently very positive for ProWine Shanghai from 9 to 11 November 2021. Many national pavilions or regional wine-growing organisations such as Business France, ICEX (Spain), PRODECA (Catalonia), Wines of Slovenia, Wines of Argentina or the Yinchuan Wine Association have enlarged their stand sizes.

ProWine Mumbai will be held for the first time from 17 to 18 November 2021 at the 5-star hotel, The Regis in Mumbai. It will be organised by Messe Düsseldorf India and All Things Nice – India’s leading wine, spirits and luxury marketing consulting and events agency. The two-day comprehensive conference programme at ProWine Mumbai 2021 is anticipated to be the leading international event in the Wine, Spirits and the allied industry in India. The event will bring together exhibitors from International & Indian wine and spirit companies along with masterclasses, led by leading industry speakers and experts. There will also be a networking evening for the trade attended by HORECA, trade media, the wine and spirits trade and a consumer tasting evening for both days respectively.

For more information, please visit www.prowine.in.

Ptotos: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann

ProWein family has been preparing for its trade fairs around the world – Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai, and Düsseldorf.

The star was tricked into buying the Il Palagio wine estate in Tuscany.

Today Sting is considered one of the most successful celebrity winemakers. His villa Il Palagio – an old building from the mid-16th century – has been completely renovated and welcomes guests. The estate produces fine wines, the creation of which is supervised by a professional team led by the musician himself and his wife Trudie.

However, the path to success was not easy: it turns out that during the purchase of the villa the singer was simply deceived. Sting himself said this in an interview: “We were looking for a house in Italy, and we found this nice comfortable property that was rundown, as were the vineyards. We were negotiating the purchase. We liked the property a lot, even though it was in ruins. The duke asked me if I wanted to taste the wine produced by the estate and I said yes. It was an excellent wine and that convinced me to buy the vineyards as well. It was only later that we found out that the duke had served us a Barolo and not his own wine.”

Subsequently, it turned out that Sting was deceived, and the wine produced at Il Palagio does not have such excellent characteristics. The celebrity recalls with a laugh: “When we served the wine from the estate to our guests, I saw that someone was emptying their glass into a flowerbed. It was then that we decided to avenge ourselves and to show that it was possible to produced excellent wine from the vineyards at Palagio. Our whole Tuscan adventure has really been a way of getting our own back.”

The “revenge” of the star was very successful: today Sting’s winery produces more than 150 thousand bottles a year. Whites, rosés, reds and sparkles are created here, using local and imported grape varieties and organic vineyard care.

Based on thedrinksbusiness.com

The star was tricked into buying the Il Palagio wine estate in Tuscany. Today Sting is considered one of the most successful celebrity winemakers.

Producers of Côtes de Provence wines in the Var could not do anything against the flames: if the vines withstood the biggest fire of the summer in France rather well, the material losses are enormous, and some say “annihilated”.

In Grimaud, in the hinterland of Saint-Tropez, Paul Giraud, a winegrower who owns 25 ha of vines producing red, white and of course rosé de Provence, a very popular wine for export, saw the flames taking all his agricultural equipment. “I do not have a grape harvester, a backhoe loader, a vineyard loader, a mower anymore. Everything burned down”: still in shock, he walks in circles in his Tourre estate, in a deep valley in the Massif des Maures.

On Monday evening, a fire that started from a motorway rest area a few miles from his home devastated his property. “The harvest takes place at the beginning of September, what am I going to do? I have nothing left,” wonders the 70-year-old man, who is struggling to hold back tears. “Am I going to have to hire a service provider or rent equipment?” During the terrible fire of 2003 in the same area, in which three firefighters had perished, Mr. Giraud‘s estate had escaped the fire. This time, he could do nothing against the looming flames “three meters” from his house when the fire department arrived.

Further north, near the village of Luc, another winegrower also producing Côtes de Provence believes he has “avoided the worst”. Guillaume de Chevron Villette, owner of the Reillanne estate, testified: “We saved our buildings, that is the most important. Otherwise, it’s a disaster.”

“We are a few days before the harvest. There will inevitably be damage to the crop. We produce a quality rosé wine, so the challenge will surely be to eliminate the risk of the presence of a burnt taste in the wine,” he explains.

If the vines resist fire well, “the fruits have been very hot, and we will have to throw some away”, thinks Nicolas Garcia, from the Côtes de Provence appellation union. “We will not be able to harvest the vines sprayed with a retardant product” for the fire.

The Côtes de Provence appellation of origin covers more than 20,000 ha in three departments: Var, Bouches-du-Rhône and a municipality in the Alpes-Maritimes. Rosé wines from Provence are exported in particular to the United States, Great Britain and European countries such as Germany.

Based on terredevins.com

Producers of Côtes de Provence wines in the Var could not do anything against the flames: if the vines withstood the biggest fire of the summer in France rather well, the material losses are enormous, and some say “annihilated”.