Wine O’Clock News, 8th June

• Organised by Mentzendorff, a team of wine industry insiders complete day two of their cycle ride to Champagne; their aim is to raise £3000 for drinks industry charity, The Benevolent. You can help raise money by going tohttp://www.justgiving.com/BenevolentCycleRide2010 and follow their blog athttp://benevolentcycleride2010.blogspot.com

• Young Sommelier of the Year The Young Sommelier of the Year competition was first held in 2007 in Germany, organised by the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and open to entrants aged between 21 and 35, its aim was to support and promote future young sommeliers by giving them the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills. Now in its third year the Young Sommelier of the Year competition was held on 27^th May at the Gaggenau showroom in Central London, organised by the international gastronomic society The Chaîne, which celebrates those who appreciate wine, cuisine and fine dining. Gérard Basset, the world’s best sommelier and owner of Hotel Terravina, chaired the judge’s panel for this prestigious event which saw Clement Robert (24) from The Summer Lodge in Evershot, Dorset taking pole position.  For placing first Clement won prizes from Riedel glassware and Gaggenau as well a trip to Australia to visit Pernod Ricard’s wineries. For the second year in a row, second place went to Erica Laler of Texture restaurant, London and third was awarded to Loic Avril, the protégée of Isa Bal at the Fat Duck in Bray.

The judging panel was made up by: Gérard Basset MS MW - owner of Hotel Terravina and recently named World’s Best Sommelier by the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale Steven Spurrier – International Wine Judge and writer; a champion of French wine, Spurrier famously organized the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, which dispelled the myth of French wine superiority and promoted the expansion of wine production in the new world. Philip Evins – Chairman of the Winchester Wine Appreciation Society and Head of Chaine GB Isa Bal MS – Head Sommelier, The Fat Duck Dimitri Mesnard MS – European Prestige Account Manager, Jackson Family Wines Xavier Rousset MS – Owner, Texture Restaurant, London

• When times are hard they can always be perked up by a glass of Champagne claims Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger; “we will always have the time to make love and drink champagne, and we will do it even more”[i].  He doesn’t see Prosecco, Cava or English sparkling wine as stiff competition -“nothing is better than a glass of champagne to forget things for a few minutes, a few hours”[ii], instead claiming their only competitor is Viagra.  A reasonable supposition as during an economic recession people will stay in more and look for cheaper forms of entertainment.

• If further proof were needed of the growing wine market in Asia, Acker Merrall & Condit’s “The Imperial Cellar” Hong Kong auction achieved a record HK$152 Million in sales.  New world auction records were set for a Henri Jayer lot, Chateau Margaux and DRC Montrachet.  Recession…?  What recession?

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[i] Decanter.com; June 8, 2010 - Viagra is Champagne’s major threat [ii] Reuters.com; June 1, 2010 - Taittinger sales to rise as euro loses fizz-CEO