Exclusive: Roederers to launch young wine writer award
Monday 14 September
Hooray, the organizers of the Louis Roederer wine writer awards have agreed to have a young wine writers award next year.
In my blog last week, I had a good moan about young wine writers not getting the credit they deserved. There’ve been a few comments from people and happily, I can announce exclusively, that’s all set to change.
James Samson of Maison Marques et Domaines, commented on my blog, ‘That’s a very happy coincidence to read your comments as we have been going through a process of invigorating the ‘Roederers’ and have had it in mind this year to add a new category to encourage more entries from younger wine writers.
‘Unfortunately, this idea, which came out of discussions with the judging panel, was just too late to include it on the entry forms in 2009. But rest assured in 2010 there will a category dedicated to rewarding emerging talent.
‘This year we were so impressed by what Jane (Parkinson) had achieved that the Chairman’s award was the best vehicle available to get that message of encouragement across.
‘We are very keen to stimulate debate and reward relevant wine-writing in the UK and abroad, increasingly in the form of on-line writing as well.
‘So please spread the word and encourage as many young writers to enter as possible in 2010.’
Hooray someone is listening out there! Right, young’uns, better get writing something profound yet entertaining.
Hugh Johnson brands Mosel bridge plan ‘folly and desecration’
Sunday 13 September
You don’t expect to see graffiti daubed on a vineyard wall in the Mosel but in the historic vineyards of Urziger Wurzgarten, there it is for all the boat-tripping pensioners to see: ‘The Mosel is crying. Education not bridges!’
So why have the Mosel locals taken up graffiti art?
Work on a needless road bridge across the Mosel has begun, costing 270 million euros (that figure is according to the German government - opponents believe the final figure will be closer to 500m euros). The 160-metre-high bridge will run across the Mosel from the village of Urzig connecting to new four-lane motorway above some of the best Riesling vineyards in the world.
The road will run on a ridge above the famous vineyards of Zeltingen, Wehlen and Graach, mowing down the forest land. The deep trenches needed to build the road will cut off vital water to the surrounding vineyards, add to pollution and ruin a popular tourist area.
The vineyards below the bridge’s path will also be permanently affected by shadow.
The project was first on the table following World War II to build a link between northern and southern Europe – and to connect to Frankfurt Hahn airport – a former US army base and now a Ryanair destination. The project seemed to have been abandoned recently.
Eveline Lemke, head of the Green Party in the region told me, ‘Even private investors rejected the idea because there was not enough traffic to justify it. Then the economic crisis hit and the government created a 400 billion euro fund to put into an economic rejuventation programme. They said “Let’s do the projects we didn’t have the money to do before”’.
Hence we have this bridge and 4-lane motorway that will cut journey times from the north to the south of the country by a not-very-impressive 30 minutes.
Hugh Johnson has joined the protestors and hasn’t minced his words. ‘I never expected to see the German government make such an assault on such a precious and prestigious wine region. There is a great folly and desecration about to be committed.’
‘This will not bring prosperity to the region. People won’t stop, they will just drive through this amazing valley at 100 miles per hour,’ he added.
Local biodynamic producer Rudolf Trossen is a passionate opponent of the bridge. He said, ‘The politicians should take their dirty fingers away and leave us alone. It will ruin the region’s best asset. If there was a reason to build the road, we would be happy to talk about it but there simply isn’t enough traffic’.
This has been hastily pushed through with no surveys into the impact on the environment, local wine industry and tourism. The politicians have completely overlooked the reputation of the Mosel for a piece of tarmac. But there seems to be apathy in the region with protesters struggling to rouse locals into action. It needs critical mass. As a wine lover, I want to get the local population and shake some sense into them. They don’t know what they are on the verge of losing and need to get off their rear ends and help producers save their area from destruction.
The Roederer’s need to encourage young talent
Wednesday 9 September
Well done to those who won at the Louis Roederer Wine Writer Awards. No big surprises or upsets.
But I’d like to say a special congratulations and commiserations to Jane Parkinson at the Drinks Business. She is one of a young band of wine journalists out there including David Williams (formerly Wine & Spirit), Clint Cawood (Imbibe), Fionnuala Synott (freelance) and Richard Hemming (jancisrobinson.com). These guys and girls are making a living (just about) from wine writing but there is little recognition of their contribution or the potential they have for the future. Jane was given the Chairman’s commended prize despite missing out on top honours and I’m incredibly pleased that she was given the plaudits.
I did not enter this year because I feel younger writers aren’t taken as seriously as their older peers. I’d love to see the Louis Roederer’s make a category for the under 35s. It would be of more benefit to the young guns than any of the other older winners who are already long established in the industry.
The Artistry of Wine Award 2009
Jon Wyand
For Triage at Domaine des Perdrix
Online Wine Writer of the Year 2009
Natalie MacLean
Articles from www.nataliemaclean.com
Regional Wine Writer of the Year 2009
Christine Austin
Articles from The Yorkshire Post
Champagne Writer/ Presenter of the Year 2009
Tom Stevenson
Articles from Wine & Spirit, The World of Fine Wine
and Meininger’s Wine Business International
Louis Roederer Award for International Wine Book 2009
Oz Clarke
Bordeaux
International Wine Columnist of the Year 2009
Tim Atkin
Columns from OLN, The Observer and Intelligent Life
International Wine Feature Writer of the Year 2009
Margaret Rand
Articles from Decanter
Oz Clarke speaks his mind at IWC awards
Thursday 3 September
The International Wine Challenge Personality of the Year is Oz Clarke and James May.
Clarke collected his award last night at the awards dinner and made an impassioned – and off the cuff - speech on the alcohol debate. I don’t know whether it was booze-fuelled but it certainly got the crowd going after a turgid powerpoint presentation at the start of the night. With the wine and drinks industry increasingly targeted by the government, Oz spoke out about the majority of the moderate wine drinking public being penalised by a binge drinking minority. He also made a plea to get out and find a new wine audience.
‘I think that alcohol is about people being happier not being covered in your own vomit,’ he declared.
‘Drinking wine is about feeling good about yourself’.
‘We need to find new consumers - people who like to drink well - and James and I are trying to do that. We were getting six million people to watch Oz & James at prime time and I think we found that new audience.’
While they were filming Oz admitted ‘We would get gormless young people turning up and we’d have to tell them it wasn’t Top Gear and we weren’t going to blow up the caravan. I would like to think of our new consumers are a higher level than that.’
James was in France and so couldn’t defend himself when Oz called him an ‘irritating old sod’.
On my way out of the awards, I met Australian Peter Lehmann who had won Lifetime Achievement Award and deservedly had a standing ovation. He had his trophy in his hand but said it was a long way to come for a bit of metal.
British boozing figures at odds with ‘stealthy’ drinking claims
Wednesday 2 September
Following the media’s outcry on rising alcohol levels and drinking by ‘stealth’ last week, the British Beer and Pub Association has published new figures showing alcohol consumption is actually falling.
The BBPA Statistical Handbook’s timing is impeccable with figures that are at odds with the claims of ever rising growth in UK. The figures show that alcohol consumption fell in 2008, and has fallen 6.1% since 2004.
The statistics are related to beer rather than wine but it’s good to see concrete facts challenging the Mintel report and its ‘stealthy’ claims.
British consumption of booze per head remains in the mid range compared with our European neighbours. Britons drink less than the French, Germans, and Spanish, with the Czechs drinking the most per head, at 12.4 litres of alcohol, compared to the UK’s 8.1 litres.
BBPA acting chief executive, David Long, said, “Our new Statistical Handbook will confound many of the myths surrounding trends in the UK drinks industry. Year on year, we are not drinking more. Nor is British beer getting stronger, with two thirds of our beer at or below 4.2%strength, compared to the continental standard of 5%.”
Unfortunately, it’s not as rock and roll as Mintel’s report, so don’t expect it to make the tabloid headlines. The public are unlikely to hear about this.
Other interesting facts from the Handbook
- Total expenditure on alcohol in the on-trade was at its lowest level since 1972 (oh dear)
- 27% of on-trade wine sales were in the London area compared to only 16% of beer sales