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




Friday, 27 March 2015

Reminder: tomorrow and Sunday – VINAVIVA @ Saint-Etienne de Chigny 37230




VINAVIVA
Petit salon – sympa et aimable!

'6e salon des vins de libre expression
A Saint-Etienne de Chigny 37230 – salle Ronsard
samedi 28 et dimanche 29 mars 2015 
La 6e édition du salon Vinaviva se tiendra les 28 et 29 mars prochains à Saint-Etienne de Chigny

Le salon est organisé par l’association Amaviva (Amateurs de vins vivants et authentiques) à l’intention d’amateurs. Il s’adresse en priorité aux particuliers.

Il réunit pendant deux jours 25 vignerons de France (Alsace, Champagne, Beaujolais, Languedoc, Roussillon, Sud-Ouest, Loire de Roanne à Nantes …), des femmes et des hommes qui travaillent dans le respect de la terre, du raisin et du vin.

Les domaines sont de dimensions modestes, les vignes sont conduites selon les principes de l’agriculture biologique ou biodynamique et les vinifications sont peu interventionnistes pour produire des vins vivants et authentiques, la plupart « bio » et « nature » ... Les vins sont libres car les vignerons présents préfèrent leur style au label et à la reconnaissance d’une AOC si nécessaire.

Une place particulière est réservée aux jeunes vignerons.

- Horaires : le samedi de 10h30 à 19h ; le dimanche de 10h30 à 18h

- Entrée 4 € par personne comprenant un verre de dégustation sérigraphié

- Petite restauration sur place à partir de produits locaux de qualité

- Parc de stationnement gratuit attenant

PAYS NANTAIS 
Alain Couillaud, Le Haut Planty, Muscadet 


VAL DE LOIRE Anjou-Touraine 
Guillaume Reynouard, Manoir de la Tête Rouge, Saumur
Sébastien Cornille, La Roche Bleue, Jasnières, 
Marc Plouzeau, Ch. de La Bonnelière, Chinon, 
Pascal Pibaleau, Azay-le-Rideau, 
Quentin Bourse, Le Sot de l’Ange, Azay-le-Rideau, 
Tanguy Perrault  & Anne-Cécile Jadaud, Dom. Perrault-Jadaud, Vouvray, 
Claude Aupetitgendre & Jacques Gozard, Montoray, Montlouis, 
Brendan Tracey, Les Vins de Sainte-Anne, Touraine


CENTRE ET HAUTE LOIRE 
Vincent Gaudry, Sancerre, Vincent Chauvelot, Châteaumeillant, Géraldine et Christophe Pialoux, Le Picatier, Côte Roannaise


EST DE LA FRANCE 
Dom. Barmès Buecher, Alsace , 
Marie et Olivier Horiot, Champagne, 
Xavier Benier, Beaujolais 

SUD
Elodie Balme, Côtes du Rhône, 
Jeremy Ondes, Domaine des Ondines, Vacqueyras, 
Pascale Rivière, La Jasse Castel, Coteaux du Languedoc, 
Gil Morrot, Divem, Coteaux du Languedoc, 
Brigitte & Jean-Hubert Verdaguer, Dom. de Rancy, Roussillon

SUD-OUEST
Nadia Lusseau, Ch. Haut-Lavigne, Côtes de Duras 
Isabelle Carles & Franck Pascal, Le Jonc Blanc, Bergerac, Pierre-Olivier & Pauline Laurent, Dom. de Cantalauze, Gaillac, Rémi Delouvrié, Dom. De Quissat,  VdP agenais, Alain Déjean, Dom. Rousset-Peyraguey,  Sauternes'

Thursday, 26 March 2015

Epeigné-les-Bois: fin mars 2015 – vegetation behind 2014

 Mistletoe in the poplars 

In comparison to the mild weather during March and early April 2014, this year is now much cooler with temperatures around 9˚C/10˚C max along with cold nights, although we have had one or two warmer days since we arrived here on 18th March. To date there is no sign here of the vines being anywhere close to budbreak at the moment. 

In terms of max temperature 2015, to date (data from weather station in Tours), is slightly above average with 12.6˚C against 12.3˚C norm. 2014 was much warmer with 15˚C and much more sunshine 217 hours compared to 116 hours this year (norm 144). Both 2014 and 2015 have seen low rainfall – only 25.8 mm compared to 27.3 mm in 2014, while the norm is 50.3 mm.  Although the forecast for the rest of this month threatens a fair amount of rain. 

Producers will be fairly relaxed that the vines aren't well in advance of normal as this reduces the length of danger time for Spring frosts. Some of the most damaging frosts have been in years when bud-break was early – 1991 and 2012, for instance. Unfortunately a late start doesn't rule out a frost as the very late starting 2013 showed with vines being frosted at the end of April. Fingers crossed!   

Some photos from late-March in Epeigné-les-Bois.   


 Road between Montrichard and Loches is blocked
 by road works in the centre of Le Liége







 Just a faint hint of green


 A late patch of sunlight yesterday


Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Jim's Loire named Best Loire Blog in first annual Winerist Blogger Awards



I am very pleased to have been named as the Best Loire Blog in the first edition of Winerist Blogger Awards

'Welcome to the very first annual Winerist Blogger Awards! This is our chance to recognise some of the best talents within the wine, food and travel blogging community. We have scoured far and wide to find the most innovative and exciting writers (and vloggers!) to award and share with you from the past year.
The Popular Choice Award
The Popular Choice Award is your chance to vote for who you think is the best overall blogger from the award winners of the main categories.  
Winerist will be supporting the Popular Choice vote on all of our platforms but winners are also encouraged to promote their blog for the public vote. 
On social media, please use the hashtag #bloggerawards2015. 
Please note your vote will only be counted once! 
Details of the other winners – a star studded field – and how to vote here.