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 25 January 2010

Salon des Vins de Loire 2010/ Fête Saint-Vincent, Epeigné-les-Bois



With just a week to go before the 2010 Salon des Vins de Loire opens its doors, today's La Nouvelle République carries a report on it here.

'Le 24e Salon des vins de Loire se déroulera à Angers à partir du 1er février : il a pour but de promouvoir le millésime de l'année auprès des professionnels.

Ce n'est pas un Salon ouvert au grand public, mais il accueille en moyenne 9.000 visiteurs en trois jours.'

Lire la suite



For the 2010 edition there are 591 exhibitors. It remains uncertain whether Salon, which hitherto since its inception in 1987 has been annual, will be held in 2011 or whether it will become bi-annual with the next edition in 2012. This I understand is due to budget cuts demanded by the négociants.


•••

Vendange in Epeigné: September 2009


Epeigné-les-Bois: Fête de Saint Vincent: 24th January 2010
A few photos here from yesterday's fête mainly of the last five Saint-Vincent's each planting a vine by a wall. See here. It looked a pretty grey day – still that wouldn't have affected the long lunch! Apparently it was pouring with rain around 10am but it stopped in time for the dancing group – La Gidelle – to perform.

The five vines planted are various table grape varieties, including Chasselas, and each year the Saint-Vincent will plant a new vine. The vines are planted along the wall of the cemetery on the road (D81) from Francueil to Epeigné. Planting the first five vines yesterday were Patrick Guignard (2004), Mark Robertson (2005), Bernard Maugueret (2006), Claude Lesur (2008) and Jean-Michel Prieur (2010). Alain Tranchard (2009) and James Marchais (2007) were unable to attend.

Following the vine planting ceremony and the dancing, there was a tasting of wines from Bruno Curassier (Domaine de la Grange, Bléré), Gilda Garanne (Saint-Georges-sur-Cher), Jean-Claude Legrand (Saint-Georges-sur-Cher) and La Gourmandière (Cave Cooperative de Francueil). Lunch and dancing continued at least till 8pm when Jim's Loire's local reporter made his excuses and left.

I understand that the Comité des Fêtes was pleased with this edition as in recent years this fête has been in slight decline. This year there were another 10 places sold for the lunch.  

••


Report from Wednesday's La Nouvelle République (27th January 2010)
Dimanche matin, sous la houlette du comité des fêtes, Épeigné-les-Bois fêtait la Saint-Vincent, patron des vignerons né au sein d'une famille noble à la fin du IIIe siècle à Huesca, petite cité espagnole des Pyrénées. Diacre puis archidiacre à Saragosse, il avait en charge l'administration des biens de l'église et prêchait également à la place de l'évêque de Saragosse.

Click on link above to read the rest.


6 comments:

Weston said...

my wine club should be selling Loire Wines in a couple months, would love to hear how they are tasting~

Especially Muscadet Sur Lees, and Chenin Blancs mmm Chenin

Jim's Loire said...

Thanks Weston. But that's a pretty big remit! Can you be a bit more specific please?

Jim's Loire said...

Here is an email I have received this evening and my response:

Jim,

I do not understand your comment today that "It remains uncertain whether Salon...will be held in 2011 or whether it will become bi-annual with the next edition in 2012. This I understand is due to budget cits demanded by the négociants."

What are "cits" (I'm American, not British), and what on earth do the négociants have to do with this? (I've visited the Salon for the past two years - far less than you, obviously! - but I don't see that the négociants are a dominant part of the exhibitors.)

Cordially,



Many thanks for your message. ‘Cits’ is simply my typo – should be cuts and is now amended. My apologies.

I agree that the presence of the négociants in relation to the total number of the exhibitors is small. However, overall the négociants sell far more wine than either the individual growers or the cave co-operatives. They are therefore the major contributors to the budget of Interloire, who I believe have a 50% share in the Salon des Vins de Loire. The other 50% is owned by Parc Expo.


It probably does not help that the two most powerful négociant companies – Castel and Grands Chais de France – are not Loire based and have their headquarters in Bordeaux and Alsace respectively.

yasser esmail said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Seb El Nigno said...

Hello Jim, what did you think of the latest issue of la Revue du Vin de France listing the Top 100 red wines of Touraine ?

We look forward to meeting you in Angers !

Jim's Loire said...

Seb. Thanks for your message. I haven't read the article, although I have seen some of the recommendations on the wine pages forum, so I can't really comment.

See you in Angers.