Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Monday 31 August 2009

2009 in Central Vineyards – big variations predicted

Quincy: golden vines and picking machine 2008

La Nouvelle République (29 August 2009) had a round up of news of the forthcoming vintage from the Central Vineyard appellations.

'Le vignoble a une semaine d'avance pour la maturation et jouit d'un bon état sanitaire. Mais l'appellation Menetou est détruite à près de 80 %.

Les fortes chaleurs d'août ont fait du bien à la vigne, en chassant les maladies. Elles ont aussi leur revers car le manque de pluie joue sur la grosseur du raisin. Néanmoins, « on a une semaine d'avance sur la maturation, note Benoît Roumet, directeur de l'interprofessionnelle des vins du Centre. Il y a une hétérogénéité très forte suite à la floraison qui s'est étalée sur une longue période et suite à la grêle. Là où elle est tombée avant la floraison, les parcelles seront vendangées plus tôt.'


Read the rest of the article here

Some key points:

Menetou-Salon: 75%-80% of the 2009 crop destroyed by succession of hail storms with the one of 16 July being particularly destructive. Vignoux, Menetou, Soulangis are Parassy are the worst hit communes.

Sancerre: Some hail damage especially in Bué, Crézancy, Vinon and Sancerre. Still too early to say but harvest may start around 20 September.

Quincy: Looking good with the recent fine weather. Picking to start around 15 September possibly before? Small harvested predicted.

Reuilly: Also looking good as recent fine weather has got rid of the mildew. Hail damage around Preuilly damaging 20%-30% of the crop. Although Preuilly is just south of Quincy, it is part of AC Reuilly and is the only commune in the appellation in the Cher Valley, the rest are about further west in the Arnon Valley with Reuilly about nine or ten kilometres west of Preuilly. Likely to be a fairly early harvest starting around 10 September. See map of AC.

•••

Due to economic problems and falling sales La Nouvelle République will no longer publish its edition for the Cher départment after 30 September. Apparently La Nouvelle République lost €2 million in the first third of 2009. See comment here.

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