I didn\u2019t quite manage to get to all 93, but as indicated by the pricing there were a range of styles and quality on display. Highlights to my mind included a 2005 Ch\u00e2teau d\u2019Issan <\/a>(yours for a mere BHT10,530), a 2006 Ch\u00e2teau d\u2019Armailhac<\/a>\u00a0(a snip at BHT6,130 \u2013 though to be fair, their ch\u00e2teau appears to be half-price too), and there was something utterly sensational when I first arrived that may or may not have been a 2006 Domaine de Chevalier <\/a>(for BHT8,050), but I can\u2019t remember exactly \u2013 serves me right for not taking notes as I did last year\u2026<\/p>\n There were a few disappointments too, though had I been a man with a plan, I would have started with the more affordable wines and moved up from there. Also, as I\u2019m not one of the fabled 1% who can afford extensive cellaring facilities (ahem<\/em>), I found myself in a bit of a pickle \u2013 my limited climate-controlled space is reasonably fully stocked with rather nice Australian and Spanish reds right now (whites are definitely in short supply, but I\u2019m not about to fix that with Bordeaux) \u2013 so no new purchases.<\/p>\n I did, however, have a few interesting discussions with the winemakers on hand.<\/p>\n Corks were one thing. Or 93 things, actually. Nothing so gauche as a Stelvin<\/a> in sight here. One winemaker told me that the extra-long French corks he uses set him back \u20ac2.50 each \u2013 and that nothing could replace the sound of it being removed, nor the smell. He confided that his family also owns a winery in South Africa, and they do put their whites under screw caps, but not the reds.<\/p>\n I\u2019d reckon that if you’re paying this much for wine, a screw cap adds just a little extra piece of mind. Still, it could be worse: the same guy told me that he had won a bet with his father, and the prize was a bottle of Roman\u00e9e-Conti<\/a> \u00a0(a bottle for which you\u2019ll be lucky to get change from US$10k) and it was corked!<\/p>\n The other comment that took me by surprise was that \u201cwine is all about marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n The cynic in me thinks everything is about marketing these days, so it came as a surprise to hear someone with a Troisi\u00e8mes Cru, or third growth ranking dating back to 1855 could sound so cynical \u2013 and disappointed \u2013 about it too.<\/p>\n But then, maybe he has a point. Even if he reduced his yield to two grapes per hectare and produced two bottles of perfect wine in a good vintage, he will always be a Troisi\u00e8mes Cru. It almost seems a disincentive to invest. And the same could be said of the Premiers Crus: They\u2019re going to sell every bottle they make anyway, so do they really need to try harder?<\/p>\n I guess that wine can also be a Veblen<\/a> good.<\/p>\n That said, I\u2019m happy to\u00a0\u00a0trust my palate. I may never taste Roman\u00e9e-Conti, but I\u2019m not convinced I appreciate Burgundy enough to truly appreciate it \u2013 I could try a bottle of very good wine a day for a year for a similar price as a single bottle – even at Thai prices. That is surely a better plan, no?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey Dan, Thanks to my *favourite* local supermarket (take a bow Tops ) I received an invitation to the second annual \u2018Bordeaux Rendez-vous\u2019 \u2013 a little tasting of 93 wines from Grand Cru producers in the region, with retail prices ranging from BHT1,420 (A$54) to BHT12,660 (A$478) a bottle. I didn\u2019t quite manage to get … Continue reading Reds, Whites, and Why I Have the Blues<\/span> ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.brothersbites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_0890-225x300.jpg\")
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