Robert Parker awards Philippe Gimel’s magnificent 2006 “La Pierre Noire” red a whopping 94 points in the latest edition of the Wine Advocate, surely the highest score ever achieved by a wine from the appellation - Ventoux aoc -  that the Oxford Companion to Wine ( come on editor Jancis Robinson , get on the ball, time to overhaul this entry) describes as “lacking substance and real interest’! Congratulations PG…very well deserved.



Yesterday the first day in over 40 without guests - late up, 10.00am , delicious sensation, 30 lengths of the pool to ease conscience following blow out Mexican dinner chez C&T the night before; brunch, and then off to explore Villeneuve across the river from Avignon; loved the gardens of the Jardins de l’Abbaye inside the walls of the Fort St.Andre, breathtaking views of the Palais des Papes from the terraces, got so absorbed we forgot the time and when we returned to the gate we were 30 minutes past closing and locked in, no one about all very quiet. Tried scaling walls but turned out these forts were made so not only can you not break in, you cant break out, much shouting ensued from the three of us ( Il y a quelqun?, Au Secours! etc, felt a bit daft, but also a bit desperate) eventually brought an old/deaf lady to our assistance with a key and all was well, much relief. Then to Avignon to dinner at the Cafe next to the Utopia cinema, gazpacho and tagine, and later still a showing of Stephen Frear’s new film Tamara Drewe, VOSTF - v.good, recommended. Pretty much the perfect day…

I heard the other day that one of the Rhone satellite aoc’s was throwing in the towel…Coteaux du Tricastin. Well quite the opposite seems to be happening in the Ventoux, the aoc is positively humming with new talent, fresh thinking and some stunning new wines. Yesterday to visit, case in point, Even Bakke at his 25ha estate just outside Le Barroux known as Clos de Trias. The name is down to the triassic limestone and clay that forms the foundation of his terroir. The winery is formed from the previous owner’s cherry and apricot processing shed, it is unashamedly rustic but the tasting room in the making hints at a family with a keen sense of style. Even cut his wine making teeth in the US completing 14 vintages in Sonoma and Napa before bringing his young family to the Vaucluse in 2007 to do things in his own style. And that style is all about letting the wines express the terroir with minimal interference…wood is limited to a small % of the blend, and old demi-muid at that , sulpher is around a quarter of permitted levels or less. Viticulture is organic and bio-dynamic practices are adopted..but no one is going to “ram it down your throat”. The top end wines are fermented with stems. Bulk of the production is a red cuvee - simply Clos de Trias -Grenache,Syrah and a little Cinsault/Carignan, very refreshing , brambly, good acidity, a little white pepper from the syrah, reminds me of the better Beaumes de  Venise reds (like Bernardins/Ferme St.Martin); a newly bottled white, the 2008 vintage,  made from Grenache blanc and Clairette - this a lovely medium+ gold colour with some oily gras and melon/apricot on the palate , a little oxidative overall in character, but with sufficient acidity to be balanced , delicious now but will surely improve along the lines of a CNP. Two new special cuvees complete the line up…the more concentrated and textured Vielles Vignes and the possibly one-off haut de gamme “Pied Porcher” , yields of just 20hl/ha from a single parcel of 50 yr old vines, named after the sangliers that patrol that coin…this €45 cuvee (!..in Ventoux) is Even’s homage to Rayas…lovely wine this, had a curious rose petal nose reminding us both of Barolo and tremendous power and complexity in the palate.

Clos de Trias is a winery to watch…what impresses so much is the balance struck by humility and common sense (Even:”Wine is a beverage..its first role is to be refreshing”) with a fearless mission to carve “greatness” out of a land that many would have written off as only capable of the “good”. Bravo!

With temperatures back in the mid-30’s its way too hot to appreciate red wine. Luckily I’ve been treated to tastings of two excellent whites in the last week. The first, Domaine Nalys’s new cuvee for this year “Cuvee Eicelenci 2008″, a blend of majority Roussanne, Clairette and Grenache, matured in 2/3 yr old barriques but the wood impression is very slight. This is a wine which in my view elevates Nalys’s white wine range- always a selling point of the Domaine and at 15% of production way above the aoc average for whites vs reds- to a new high standard. The elegance and minerality previously seen in their standard cuvee whites is now accompanied by greater opulent texture ( but still on the elegance not the “fat” Roussanne style), crisp lingering finish and more assertive tones of white flowers, nuts and quince. Lovely balanced wine which deservedly won the IWSC silver medal/best in its category in London this year. And very fairly priced at €25 - better than many CNPs at €40. Also proves the point that 2008 whatever you think of the reds was a great Whites vintage.

Second up: Philippe Gimel’s fantastic Ventoux blanc 2007 . Boxing way out of its class this is a wine which will convince you of at least two things:1. Its not necessary to include Roussanne in the blend to create a big textured wine with full flavours - this is a blend of Grenache, Bourbolenc and Clairette. 2. You dont have to be shopping in CNP to drink the best whites of the Southern Rhone, - OK it might cost the same as entry level CNP, but ut’s simply better. 3.Stainless steel and 15 yr old barrels are sufficient to create this opulent style, no need for small/new wood as long as you have low yields (20hl/ha), natural yeasts, and Gimel’s fanatical attention to detail. The wine has a medium straw appearance, on the palate cavaillon melon and honey as well as refreshing citrus fruit and sufficient acidity to give an overall impression of perfect balance. I only wish there had been more in the bottle, my wife gave away to two glasses to some guests who had just arrived when my back was turned!

Our friends and near neighbours at Crestet “La Verriere” open their doors next month (the 5th-9th September) once again to wine students fot their Extreme Wine Experience - if the quality of the speakers and the organisation is even half as good as their recent hosting of the Grenache Symposium this will be well worth signing up for. Here’s a bit about it from the La Verriere web site:

 ”Based at the beautiful wine estate of La Verrière, in Provence, Extreme Wine is an intimate and intensive wine course creatively designed for wine enthusiasts of all levels.

Join a small and exclusive group of international wine lovers for five days of total immersion: lectures and workshops, tastings of exceptional wines, hands-on activities in the winery and vineyard, and wonderful wine games.

Stay in La Verrière’s magnificent medieval priory, which has been recently restored to the highest standards of rustic luxury, and enjoy superb cooking by a renowned Provençal chef.

Be tutored in English by top Masters of Wine and celebrated winemakers, make your own assemblage, and get answers to all those wine questions you never dared to ask.

Complete the course with globally recognised Intermediate Certification by the prestigious WSET, as well as our proprietary Chêne Bleu Extreme Wine Certification.

The course is offered in conjunction with the esteemed London Wine Academy (www.londonwineacademy.com“

 More info: Contact: Chêne Bleu Extreme Wine
www.chenebleu.com
+44 7976 399 998 or extremewine@laverriere.com

This autumn Decanter magazine launches their new “Decanter Education”. One of the first masterclasses in this series is a subject dear to our heart:”Understanding Northern and Southern Rhone”, led by John Livingstone-Learmonth - surely the most experienced Rhone taster in the world. His lecture is aimed at keen wine lovers with experience of tasting and the desire to increase their knowledge of this particular area.

Taking place on 13th October 2010, the course provides an opportunity to taste through the diverse styles and levels of quality within the Rhone valley, to find out the difference between a Cote-Rotie and a Cotes du Rhone Village. This tasting is a celebration of the Rhone’s wide ranging grape varieties and the people that make them into some of the most interesting wines in the modern world.

Other courses in September and October include ‘Understanding the Wines of Spain’ and ‘Mastering Classical Italy’. A 10% discount is available for anyone booking more than one course.The venue for these lectures is the magnificent contemporary Blue Fin building overlooking St.Paul’s cathedral. There will be a tasting of 8 different wines exemplifying different varieties and styles to accompany the lecture.

It should be excellent….Rhone Wine Holidays gives it our unqualified support, I would be there myself if we were not so busy here at La Madelene that week.

For more information or to book online visit www.decanter.com/education

This week our tour group were treated to the most extensive tasting yet at Domaine de la Solitude, the complete range including a three vintage vertical of Barberini back to 1999, and a three vintage vertical of their exclusive haut de gamme “Reserve Secret”, 2007, 2004 and 2001. Our favourite: the black olive and herb 2001 Barberini…really superb. Well worth the price of the meal I bought for wine maker Florent Lancon at Verger des Papes! The other picture features the same group enjoying a picnic amongst the vines at Roche Audran…a hot day but we managed to find some shade and feasted on ricotta pie with roasted stuffed peppers washed down with Vincent’s marvellous “Pere Mayeux”. Happy days.

A new site collating everything the foodie and wine enthusiast needs to know about Provence has launched under the expert guidance of Irish journalist Mary Dowey. Mary’s work may well be familiar to readers of Decanter, she is a regular free lance contributor…she also writes the wine column for Dublin based “The Gloss” and is a wine educator and wine events organizer. Mary has owned a house in our region for many years and is superbly savvy about everywhere and everybody who counts in the world of gourmet Provence ….the site looks great, is easy to navigate and though just launched and awaiting new entries is already a terrific resource, congratulations Mary! Check out the site at: www.provencefoodandwine.com

I spent this morning touring the new winery that Vincent Avril has built at Clos des Papes and hugely impressive it is too…a wonderful meeting of tradition ( concrete cuve; old foudre) and state of the art inox equipment, gravity feed design, sexy polished concrete floors and framed old CDP wine fair posters in the tasting room. My excuse for being there? I had challenged Vincent at the recent Symposium to check out one of my bottles of his 2000 blanc….a number of us had not been certain of its condition, could it have been faulty? What I received for my cheek ,from the very charming and generous Vincent was a masterclass in the very special way that white CDP can evolve in the bottle. We compared a recent vintage , my 2000 and another 2000 from his vino-tech….Vincent explained that his un-wooded blanc ( roughly even parts Grenache, Roussanne, Bourbolenc, Picpoul and Clairette), no malo, goes through 3 distinct phases : 1. Fresh/fruity in the first 2 years, then mineral…with sometimes ( very markedly in the case of my bottles) a petrol character not unlike the nose of a reisling but perhaps more pungent still, and 3. finally after c.10 years it matures to a honey/roasted nut character. His 2000 was already in the latter camp mine still stuck in the middle period….will just have to sit it out. Fascinating visit, fabulous wines.

G-Day at the Grenache Symposium
7 Jun 2010 by Julia Harding MW
The most astonishing part of this weekend’s Grenache Symposium, held at the remote and beautiful La Verrière property in the southern Rhône, was the congregation who came to pay homage to Grenache, the grape which Jancis described five years ago as ‘ripe for re-evaluation’.

On Saturday, 270 delegates from 23 different countries sat for several hours in a very hot marquee under the beating sun (even hotter with a laptop on your lap) to hear the conclusions from the various panels of wine’s great and good  - scientists, viticulturists, winemakers, press, on-trade, retailers who had talked all day Friday - and then taste, in equally heated and crowded conditions, from among the 100 or so Grenache or Grenache-based wines selected from around the world. The list of delegates at the end of the article may not be complete as it was compiled a few days before the event but it gives a good idea of who was there.

Before all this, on the Friday evening at a small tasting and dinner at La Nerthe in Châteauneuf (a bonus for a lucky group of Symposium participants including me), hosted by the reserved but charming chief winemaker and director Christian Voeux, who was unphased by Torbreck’s Dave Powell’s brief display, towards the end of dinner, of the logo from a Scandinavian restaurant hot-iron-branded on his rear.* I was delighted to sit next to Telmo Rodriguez, who has recently returned to Rioja, where he and his sister have taken over the family domaine Remelluri from their father. There they have some fabulous old-vine Garnacha planted at 600 metres above sea level that has been harvested in some vintages as late as mid November. He talked with what I can only describe as affection about his Garnacha vineyards in Cebreros, in the southern part of the Castilla y Leon region. His two Pegaso wines, Granito and Barrancas de Pizarro, were some of the best examples of Garnacha that I tasted over the weekend. (Incidentally, Rodríguez has an excellent website - great information, succinct and well designed, great pictures.)

*It’s a long story, which I won’t go into, but suffice to say that Powell’s wines, notably Torbreck Les Amis 2001 Barossa and The Steading 1998 Barossa, were a much prettier sight, both were silky, fresh and still very youthful. (I remember being impressed by the subtlety of his Grenache-based reds and whites when I was there last year after the Landmark tutorial.)

It was a great pleasure to meet consultant winemaker Zelma Long, who was inducted into the US Hall of Fame earlier this year, along with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, who was also at the Symposium, though I didn’t get a chance to talk to him until the security queue at Marseille airport. His presentation of the work done by the winemaking panel debating the art of good Grenache was characteristically articulate, urbane and witty. Soil scientists and terroir specialists Claude and Lydia Bourguignon introduced me to their son Emmanuel, not long back from a PhD in New Zealand and now working with them at LAMS, their soil analysis lab north of Dijon. He kindly and patiently allowed me to take him to a marginally quieter corner of the noisy and crowded lunch/tasting area to explain Grenache’s like and dislikes in the vineyard (future grape book always in mind), along with a much better understanding of subsoil structures. I loved his comment that vines with shallow roots simply ’surf the terroir’.

The noise just about defeated Rhône oenologist Georges Truc in his attempt to present the range of terroirs in Gigondas, though I did just have time to taste four 2006 examples from very different soils/subsoils and was particularly taken by La Bouissière 2006 Gigondas grown on the Cretaceous layers of limestone and calcareous clay - spicy, elegant and very finely textured tannins.

Montserrat Nadal Roquet-Jalmar, professor of viticulture at the University of Tarragona, graciously held back from lunch to talk to me about how and when tannins polymerise in the grape and how the climate affects those processes. Fiercely complicated but helped by a little diagram and the promise of some research papers to follow.

The early evening tasting was a physical challenge in the extreme - more than one hundred wines, including great examples from the Rhône and all around the world, not enough spittoons and about twice as many people as originally planned for. But the wines were kept cool by regular dips in the ice buckets. You just had to watch your feet and legs as the low-sided floor-spittoons started splashing back … (Very glad I was wearing a short skirt and flip-flops.)

Enthusiasm and noise levels were both extremely high. I didn’t get a chance to taste Eben Sadie’s wines from South Africa (they ran out on the Friday night) but Terroir al Limit, Les Manyes 2007 Priorat, his joint venture with Dominik Huber, was beautifully fresh and all the more attractive in not trying too hard to please. At the Saturday night dinner, the air cooling a little by 9 pm, I found myself on the same table as Sadie, Huber and Lionel Gauby (apperently overnighting under the stars in the grounds of La Verrière), who plied the table with a range of recent Domaine Gauby wines. Unfortunately I was driving so tasted rather than drank but the rest of the table became pretty raucous to match the frequency of the toasts. Terroir al Limit’s olive oil was also pretty special.

D’Arenberg’s Chester Osborn was in fine form throughout the weekend (wild shirt company still gestating), as was his just-bottled, perfumed, fresh and juicy single-vineyard old-vine Blewitt Springs Grenache 2009 McLaren Vale. Nearby was Vincent Avril, whose Clos des Papes 2007 Châteauneuf-du-Pape was another one of my favourite wines of the tasting.

Shortly before leaving on Sunday morning (I had to miss the picnic/pizza lunch and relaxing round the pool that was tantalisingly in the programme for later in the day), I snuck back before official opening hours to the super-organised tasting store and managed, with the help of the tastings supremo Clive Barlow MW, to taste a few wines I had missed the night before, including Norrel Robertson MW’s lovely El Escocés Volante wines from Calatayud.

One last wine I must mention: Domaine Viret, Amfora, a 2009 100% Grenache vin de table, tasted with winemaker Philippe Viret just before I left on Sunday morning. Their other wines fall within the Côtes du Rhône-Villages St-Maurice appellation but this does not qualify because it is fermented and aged in clay amphorae, made locally to their own design and using mostly clay from their own estate. The fruit quality - intensity, purity, depth and freshness - was breathtaking. The white Grenache made in amphorae was lovely too, less astringent than some whites made with long skin maceration, but less concentrated than the red. See their website for more information.

One of the points emphasised again and again during the feedback from the panels was the versatility of Grenache, not least because it comes in three colours, Noir, Blanc and Gris, and also makes very good rosé while you are waiting for the vines to mature. And there were some excellent Grenache-based whites in the various tastings, notably Hervé Bizeul’s Cuvée des Fées, Vieilles Vignes Grenache Blanc 2009 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes and Gauby, Coume Gineste 2002 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes. I love the slightly grainy texture of the best whites that combine rather delicate aromas (pear, sometimes white blossom) and then more savoury, dry flavours with great depth and surprising freshness, making them such good food wines. At the La Nerthe dinner, their single-vineyard white La Nerthe, Clos de Beauvenir 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape was starting to show a lightly oxidative nutty character but was still fresh with flavours of pear and apricot. However, there was so much to say about the reds that I felt that whites and rosés got rather short shrift during the Symposium.

I hope to provide a bit more detail on the panel discussions and the action plans they came up with to turn the discussions into effective ways to value and promote this ‘girl next door’ variety (a phrase attributed to journalist Tim Atkin MW but much re-used, and no doubt re-tweeted, during the event). One thing that came up time and again was the need to serve the red wines at the right temperature. Vincent Avril suggested pouring at 15-16 °C, based on the likelihood that the wines will warm up in the glass. Certainly the wines in our tastings that had just been cooled showed best. I took various pictures of the panels but particularly liked this one of (left to right) UK journalist Sarah-Jane Evans MW, Chester (d’Arenberg) Osborn and Walter McKinlay of Domaine Mourchon (and co-organiser) because it gives an idea of the atmosphere of the weekend.

Interestingly the subject of high alcohol levels was often mentioned but generally not discussed in detail by the panels, or at least that was the impression from the feedback, almost as if they considered it a red herring. The consensus among producers seemed to be that since Grenache has naturally high sugar levels when picked fully ripe, when the aromas and flavours have developed to perfection and tannins are supple, Grenache wines are best at anywhere between 14 and 16%. If the wine is balanced, then the alcohol will not be an issue, and if you want to reduce the alcohol, then better to blend with another variety than to try to remove the alcohol artificially, eg by spinning cone or reverse osmosis. Professor of Oenology at Montpeller SupAgro Alain Razungles dazzled the audience with the science of aroma development in the grape and during fermentation but I’m not sure that his pragmatic suggestion of adding a little water to the glass to reduce the alcohol was quite so well received.

In the light of Jancis’s recent article on old vines and our first steps towards an old vine register, it was encouraging that several people pointed out what a high proportion of the world’s fine old vines are Grenache - partly explained by the fact that this vine variety has very tough wood and has good resistance to diseases of the wood as well as a naturally strong rooting system, as Emmanuel Bourguignon told me. And talking of old vines reminds me of the fabulous Hill of Grace vineyard in Eden Valley, so carefully stewarded by Prue and Stephen Henschke, who contributed their Grenache wisdom in characteristically modest but convincing style. Their Johann’s Garden 2005 Barossa was the first wine I tasted on arrival late Friday afternoon - rich, smooth, with lots of sweet red fruit, a juicy freshness and a spicy aftertaste that made me feel very welcome.

The congregation agreed that what really mattered was to find ways to help consumers recognise, enjoy and appreciate Grenache, by highlighting the quality and increasing the number of top-end wines, by revealing on labels its significance in wines of the southern Rhône, where it is hidden behind appellation names, and by generally talking it up for those qualities which are not combined in any other variety, for example: versatility, reliability, accessibility, ability to age, its complex and attractive aroma and flavour profile of red and dark fruit, supple tannins, silky texture. Not to mention it’s generally reasonable price, though perhaps that will change if the Symposium has its way.

Nicole Rolet, owner of La Verrière and director of the Symposium, was given a standing ovation at the end of the Saturday feedback sessions, a tribute to her dedication to the cause over the last nine months and the fabulous organisation and team that created the weekend. Such is the enthusiasm generated that there are plans for a website, a book, maybe even a screenplay …

Symposium participants

Tim Atkin …………………………………. Wine Critic and Columnist, The Times/UK
Vincent Avril……………………………….Producer/Clos de Papes/Châteauneuf-du-Pape/FR
Charles Back …………………………….. Producer/Fairview/SA
Eddie Cheung………………………………Wine critic and Importer / Winespace / CH
Marie-Louise Banyols ……………….. Group Head of Wines Selection - Lavinia /SP
Clive Barlow MW ………………………. Chairman/Education Committee IMW/UK
Hervé Bizeul ……………………………… Producer and Blogger /Clos des Feìes/ Roussillon/FR
Merete Bo …………………………………..Wine writer/National Newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv /NOR
Claude & Lydia Bourguignon ……. Terroir and Climate Warming Specialists - LAMS/FR
Emmanuel Bourguignon ……………… Soil microbiologist and Oenologist- LAMS/FR
Erik Brasher …………………………… Director of Winemaking/Owen Roe Winery/Oregon/US
Daniel Brunier…………………………..Producer/Vieux Télégraphe/CdP/FR
Bernard Burtschy ……………………… Wine writer/Le Figaro/FR
Philippe Cambie ……………………….. Oenologist and Wine Consultant- S Rhone & Priorat/FR
Pancho Campo ………………………….. President of Wine Academy of Spain/SP
Christopher Cannan …………………. Founder of Europvin Fine Wine and Producer Clos Figueras/SP
Michel Chapoutier ……………………. President & Winemaker/M Chapoutier/FR
Dr Isabelle Cutzach-Billard ……….. Dr of Oenology/Oenologue Conseil/Laboratoire Rière/FR
Rodolphe De Pins……………………… Producer/Château Montfaucon/FR
Thomas Dormegnies………………….Oenologist/Pépinières Viticoles Merciers/FR
Mary Dowey………………………….…Wine Writer/The Gloss Magazine/Decanter/IRE
Abi Duhr………………………………..Oenologist and Owner of Château Pauqué /Luxembourg
Bernard Duseigneur …………………… Producer/Domaine Duseigneur/Lirac/FR
Tomoko Ebisawa ………………………. Senior Editor, Vinotheque Wine & Food Magazine/JPN
Sarah Jane Evans MW ……………….. Wine writer/BBC Good Food/Decanter/UK
Philippe Faure-Brac …………………… Best sommelier of the world 1992/FR
Michael Fridjhon ………………………. Wine journalist and critic/SA
Ralph Garcin …………………………….. Oenologist/Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné/ Rhône/FR
Nancy Gilchrist MW ………………….. Christie’s Education and Leith’s School of Food & Wine/UK
Lisa Granik MW ………………………… Manager of Fine Wine / Charmer-Sunbelt/US
Randall Grahm ………………………….. Producer/Bonny Doon Vineyard/Santa Cruz/US
Philippe Guillon ………………………… Reidel Glasses/ AU
Jean-Michel Guiraud …………………… Director of Communications/Inter-Rhône/FR
Yair Haidu………………………………Wine writer and creator/Haidu.net /FR/EU
Julia Harding MW……………………..Editor/www.jancisrobinson.com/UK
Prue Henschke………………………..Viticulturist/Henschke/Eden Valley/ AU
Stephen Henschke ……………………. Producer/Henschke/Eden Valley AU
Dean Hewitson …………………………. Producer/Hewitson/Barossa Valley/AU
Olivier Hickman……………………….. Wine Uncovered/FR
Huon Hooke …………………………Wine Writer,Judge; Winner 2007 Australian Wine Communicator Award (The Wine Press Club)/AU
Dominik Huber …………………………. Producer/Terroir Al Limit/Priorat/SP
Yukari Iwashiro ………………………… Wine Journalist and Educator/JPN
Robert Joseph …………………………… Winemaker/Consultant & Wine Writer/Meininger’s Wine Business Wine Writer/UK/GERM
Eugenia Keegan …………………………. Vigneron and Importer/Distributor/US
Rosa Kruger ……………………………… Viticulturist/Anthonij Rupert Wines/SA
Olivier Legrand ………………………….. General Marketing Manager/Inter-Rhône/FR
Amy Lillard……………………………… Producer/La Gramière/St. Quentin-la-Poterie/FR
Zelma Long ………………………………. Oenologist/US
Jorge Lucki ……………………………….. Wine journalist/ Jornal Valor /Brazil
Kelly McAuliffe …………………………. Sommelier/formerly Ducasse/Las Vagas/Christian Etienne/FR
Lisa McGovern……………………………. Wine Australia UK/EU/IRE Director/UK
Euan McKay ………………………………..Wine Merchant/AU
Doug Margerum ……………………….. Winemaker/Margerum Wines/The Wine Cask/Santa Barbara/US
François Mauss ………………………… Président and Founder of the Grand Jury Européen/CH
Walter McKinlay……………………….. Producer/Domaine de Mourchon/FR
Neal Martin ………………………………. Wine Writer/ eParker.com/UK
Debra Meiburg MW …………………… Wine Commentator and TV Presenter/HK
Charles Metcalfe ………………………. Wine writer & Co-Chairman IWC/UK
Prof Montse Nadal ……………………. Prof of Oenology/URV Tarragona/SP
Rebecca Murphy ……………………….. Freelance wine writer/The Dallas Morning News/US
Camille Nosworthy …………………….. Domaine St Amand/Suzette/FR
Ray O’Connor…………………………….. Wine Writer/IWC/UK
Chester Osborn……………………….Chief Winemaker/Viticulturalist/d’Arenberg/McLaren Vale/AU
Alvaro Palacios …………………………. Producer/ Bodegas Palacio et al/Priorat/SP
Pierre Perrin ……………………………… Chief Winemaker/Chateau de Beaucastel/ Perrins et Fils/FR
Alessio Planeta …………………………. Producer/Planeta/IT
Dave Powell ……………………………… Founder and Chief Winemaker/Torbeck/Barossa Valley/AU
Ed Proctor …………………………………. Rhone Wines Importer/La Cigale Wines/US
Prof Alain Razungles ………………… Oenology Prof/SupAgro Montpellier/FR
Georg Riedel …………………………….. Corporate Head/Reidel Glasses/AUSTRIA
Christophe Riou ……………………….. Dir. Scientifique/Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin/FR
Michel Richaud………………..…… Producer/Domaine Richaud/Cairanne/FR
Dale Robertson………………………. Wine writer/Houston Chronicle/US
Norrel Robertson MW……………….Consultant Winemaker/Denominacion de Origen Calatayud/SP
Nicole Rolet……………………………. Producer/Chêne Bleu Wines/FR
Telmo Rodriguez ……………………… Producer/ Compañía de Vinos Telmo Rodríguez/SP
Christophe Sabon …………………….. Producer/Domaine de la Janasse/CdP/FR
Eben Sadie ………………………………… Producer/The Sadie Family/SA
Mark Savage MW ………………………. Chief Executive / Savage Selection/Fine Wine Importer/UK
Peter Schulz………………………… Producer/Turkey Flat Vineyards/ Barossa Valley/AU
Julia Sevenich …………………………… Wine Journalist/AUSTRIA
Reva Singh ……………………………….. Owner & Publisher of Sommelier India/India
Doug Skopp ……………………………… Wine Importer/Dionysus/Texas/US
Vicki Stephens-Clarkson……………… Wine Buyer/Liberty Wines and IWC Judge/UK
Nick Thompson ………………………… Domaine de L’Ameillaud/Cairainne /FR
Georges Truc………………………….. .Terroirs Specialist/Université Lyon /FR
Quim Vila………………………………… Founder and CEO of Vila Viniteca/Fine Wine Distributor/SP
Christian Voeux……………………….. Producer/Château La Nerthe/CdP/FR
Michel Veyrier………………… Manager/ Vignobles Investissement/FR