Classic Wines

One doesn't often think of Champagne when they think of investment potential. But why not? It is a scare commodity, a rather pricey one, can age pretty well (though not as long as Bordeaux, typically) and is sought by those with money. Oh and then ther... read more

I personally enjoy the hunt, the sourcing of the hard to get wines, the scouring of auction results, kicking myself for passing on lots, patting myself on the back when I make a smart buy.But there are some of you out there who aren't interested in the... read more

In a market that was established centuries ago, and organized in 1855, it is quite a thing when a major player offers a new bottling. There are plenty of second labels that have garnered praise and accolade on their rite, giving them the ability to hop... read more

We all know what 2007 was. It was a bad year. And I am not just talking about Bordeaux. That having been said, 2007 is not a dog per se, at least not according to those in the press who review such wines. Some wines that I think are of interest if not ... read more

...then you need to 1) book a flight to Hong Kong for November 15th, 2) get set up with AMC for absentee bidding, 3) plan a multi-state, multi-store heist whereby you rob, at gunpoint, what few stores have any 2005 Burgundy in stock.Option 3 is pretty ... read more

"A fool and his money are easily parted" - Thomas Tusser, 16th century English poet.Remember those scams of the 80's and 90's you heard about where there was an underground call center full of undesirables with colorful personalities and a misspent tal... read more

So remember way back in August when I reported on the Q2 auction results and how Burgundy was leading the field? Well Burgundy, my beloved, has made a liar of me. Wine has a way of biting the hand that holds the glass, usually via immoderate consumptio... read more

Unless you have been living under a rock in the wine world, you no doubt are familiar with the infamous Jefferson bottles that are the subject of a best-selling book by author Benjamin Wallace, not one, but two movies in development, and some real life... read more

Everyone by now knows about Amazon's foray into (and more than likely rulership of) online wine sales. While they are being really tight-lipped about it all, here is what we do know so far:Amazon has hired a Senior Wine Buyer, Damon Levy, to oversee it... read more

There has been a recent spate of articles circulating the web about temperature sensitive labels, some of which have styled themselves as groundbreaking stories. These labels however, have been around for over a decade. Well, let me correct myself, not... read more

Scientists at the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) have successfully conducted tests that will accurately identify the age of a bottle of wine. By measuring the x-rays that bounce off a bottle which is placed under a beam of ions, they ca... read more

It isn't exactly breaking news that Amazon is contemplating this move. They have tried this before. You may or may not recall their failed bid at the online wine market back in 2005 where they simply funneled traffic to wine.com, and even before that a... read more

With all the talk of wine fraud these days, it is no wonder that many scientists have been applying themselves to the task of inventing a device that will detect fraudulent wines. Well here is today's latest iteration. As reported on by no less that th... read more

What market has seen a 270 percent growth in only five years? What country is on track to become the second largest purchaser of luxury goods by 2015? Yeah I kind of gave it away in the title didn't I? But let's look at some things making the news.A Ca... read more

In the months of 2008, from April - June, $66 million dollars were spent on collectible wine in the US. Like I said, people who collect at this level aren't too worried about how much gas has gone up whether that gas is going into an S-Class, a Chris C... read more

Seems the repeal of the classification rulings in St. Emilion back to the 1996 standings has ruffled the feathers of the TTB (formerly the BATF) here on our shores. Why? Art Resnick, spokesman for the TTB said it was "not a safety issue... we're c... read more

I've harped on and on about this, but just this week, there have been no less than four articles that focused on inexpensive wines: Bill Daley of the Chicago Tribune posted an article entitled "Good wines for tough times." Michael Franz of wi... read more

Here's a bit of fun. Granted this is probably nothing we don't already know, but it is always better to have it as a result of some cold, hard data courtesy of our buddies at Stanford. Here is the study:The researchers recruited 11 male Caltech graduat... read more

In a story that just broke, the Court of Bordeaux ruled on July 1 that the 2006 St. Emilion classification is null and void. There will still be only two Premiers Grand Crus Classés A in St. Emilion - Ausone and Cheval Blanc. Everyone who was aw... read more

Call it the perfect storm. Pockets emptied by the hyped and rightly-so 2005 vintage of Bordeaux, a US Dollar that is getting beaten like a fool by the Euro, oh and lets not forget a poor vintage altogether in Bordeaux (both banks) and you have what has... read more