PiggyCellar

酒評家評價高消費者難辨認加州出產紅酒濃度逐漸升高

2008-03-06T03:29:00.000-08:00

(Source: Sina.com 2008-02-23)

　　加州高酒精濃度紅酒近日來勢洶洶，但市場反應卻是兩極化。紅酒酒精濃度悄悄增高，從幾年前的12%至13%，到最近的14%、15%甚至16%。這股潮流始于十年前，釀酒商較慢採收葡萄。

　　一般認為熟成的葡萄可制出美酒，但越熟成的葡萄含糖越高，相對地紅酒酒精濃度也會增加。另外，在溫暖時節採收也會加劇這種情形。

　　有的人不喜歡這類酒精濃度高的紅酒。

　　葡萄園Dunn Vineyards創辦人Randy Dunn呼籲消費者選擇14%以下的紅酒。他認為「正確」的酒精濃度應該是兩人分享一瓶酒後，還「希望再喝一點」。一瓶酒精濃度15%或16%的紅酒會讓你喝完就醉倒。

　　儘管如此，許多高酒精濃度紅酒仍獲得酒評家的高度評價。喜愛者認為這類酒嚐起來飽滿、馥鬱、風味十足。

　　有時消費者不易辨認酒的酒精濃度。

　　根據聯邦規定，酒精濃度7%至14%的酒可標為「佐餐酒」或「淡酒」，不需列出濃度。

　　由於酒莊每批釀酒可能有些差異，因此標示誤差值最高可達1.5%。

　　雖然其他氣候溫暖地區也產高酒精濃度紅酒，加州似乎已成領導者。

　　目前釀酒學專家開發出分離酒精的過濾技術，熟成葡萄亦能釀出較低酒精濃度的酒。但仍有酒莊希望維持自己釀酒的原貌。

　　究竟多高的濃度算太高？其實應由消費者自行決定。

澳洲葡萄酒揚威悉尼國際葡萄酒賽

2008-03-06T03:26:00.000-08:00

(Source: Chinatown.com.au 2008年2月22日)

2008悉尼國際葡萄酒競賽正在悉尼舉行，澳洲葡萄酒脫穎而出，在“百款好酒”評選中獨領風騷，打破了國際評審對澳新葡萄酒用于佐餐過于粗糙的看法。

發起于1982年的悉尼國際葡萄酒競賽一直致力于幫助消費者尋找最佳的佐餐佳釀。該項評選是僅有的几個針對葡萄酒与食物搭配的評選活動之一。在預選之后，進入決賽圈的葡萄酒被分為13類，從輕質酒到全發酵酒，全部由評審決定。經分類后的酒，將佐以相似風味濃度的食物，進行評估。由這种方式選出的酒將能适應較廣范圍的餐飲需要。

盡管海外市場的媒体有評論說澳洲葡萄酒作為佐餐酒口感太粗糙且酒度太高，并不是佐餐的好選擇；但澳大利亞葡萄酒包攬了2008悉尼國際葡萄酒競賽“百款好酒”評選中的66個席位。

本次競賽活動主席Warren Mason說：“這是一項非常特別的評選，評判的原則是葡萄酒能与食物有對么默契的配搭。澳大利亞的葡萄酒被國際評審團的全体成員認為是佐餐的佳釀。這個事實應該能讓那些負面評論平息了。”

“我們的評審團由6名澳洲評審和8名國際評審組成，其中四位擁有葡萄酒碩士學位。這些葡萄酒業界的資深人士一致認定澳洲葡萄酒是食物的好拍檔，這就足以說明澳大利亞能釀造出多樣且精致的葡萄酒。”Mason說。

評審團主席、國際葡萄酒釀造顧問Kym Milne說：“Semillon塞來雄白葡萄以及Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc塞來雄和白沙維溫混合釀造白葡萄酒表現优异，在百款佳釀中獲得了第十一名的位置。它們收斂的口感、优雅的气質和綿長的余味都証明他們是食物非常受歡迎的搭檔。 Chardonnay夏敦耐白葡萄也很有特色，排在第十二位。而新西蘭几乎包攬了Sauvignon Blanc沙維溫白葡萄酒前100名的所有位置。塔斯馬尼亞黑皮努的入圍使得黑皮努類別免于新西蘭的橫掃。來自南澳、維省、塔斯馬尼亞和新西蘭的2007 年的雷司令也在百佳中占有一席之地，而一些較不知名的白葡萄酒种類，如Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chenin Blanc和Verdelho也都上榜。”

“不出所料，Shiraz雪拉孜依然是出眾的紅葡萄酒种類，贏得了所在類別百佳中23%的席位。傳統的Shiraz雪拉孜厂家Barossa和 McLaren Vale依然提供一些出眾的紅酒。而來自清涼產區如維州、西澳、阿德雷德山區、柑桔區和新西蘭的Shiraz与Viognier混合酒有非常好的表現。”

2008悉尼國際葡萄酒競賽13大類“百款好酒”的完整名單將在3月1日公布。

業界認為減酒稅助香港成為優質紅酒貿易中心

2008-03-06T03:20:00.000-08:00

(Source: ATV 2008-02-26)

新年度財政預算案明天公布，消息指政府計劃豁免葡萄酒稅。業界認為，措施有助香港成為世界第三大優質葡萄酒貿易中心。

這麼認真，一邊喝酒一邊寫，餐酒課程學員都是為了考取專業品酒師資格。開辦課程的中心負責人相信，政府取消葡萄酒稅後，本港能夠成為優質葡萄酒中心，有助吸引內地人來港學習品酒：「因為我們容易獲得優質葡萄酒，有了高質素的葡萄酒，他們（內地人）會找出香港人從哪裡學習葡萄酒知識。」

開辦紅酒課程成本不少，一支紅酒就價值二百六十元。紅酒課程的導師表示，減稅不但對他們的營運成本有幫助，對學生也有好處，因為開班時可以買多些不同類型的紅酒讓學生品嘗。

業界亦認為，免酒稅有助香港和歐美葡萄酒貿易中心競爭：「因為現在倫敦的貿易中心，每年生意額在優質紅酒中大約是一百億，其中四十億與大中華區客戶有關。我相信如果調到香港，客戶在香港做交易，會比在倫敦多。」

他估計減稅後，本港可從倫敦奪得近三十億生意，總收入將由現時每年約十億急增至五十億左右，躍升為世界第三大葡萄酒貿易中心。

法國頂級品酒師一周嘗千種美酒

2008-01-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

(Source: Reuters, 2007.12.12)

我們一生中能嘗多少種酒？超過一千種？Olivier Poussier在上個月的10天內就喝了這麼多。

在一次採訪中，Poussier表示品這麼多酒這對他來說也是非常不尋常的，即使他的工作就是為豪華餐廳Lenotre挑選美酒。“通常的工作量是一周80種酒，”他說：“當品嘗的時候，你能馬上分辨哪些酒不行...即使你不把它們倒入嘴中。”

他要為Novotel和Mercure連鎖酒店挑選800種酒---這兩家連鎖和Lenotre一樣，都為法國Accor集團所有。在這一周工作結束後，他還得在周末評審釀於2001年的350種波爾多和其他品種葡萄酒。他也為法國航空公司的頭等艙和商務艙旅客挑選酒品。

這位43歲的品酒師在2000年榮膺“世界最佳品酒師”稱號。在新品層出不窮的釀酒業，他從未被味覺上的挑戰所嚇倒：“我總是直接去釀酒場。每個月，我都能幸運地在葡萄園待上三、四天，品嘗還在酒桶中的新酒。”

Poussier有大量的工作要完成。光是Lenotre一家旗艦店Pre Catalan，一年就要賣出25萬瓶紅酒和香檳。他總是努力拓展人們的品嘗範圍。當他於1982年在巴黎餐廳Tour d'Argent開始工作時，人們的口味還非常保守。

但從1987年到1989年，Poussier來到牛津和倫敦工作，他也開始品嘗來自世界各地的酒。現在的他在世界各地旅行品酒買酒，一個大計劃即是在明年三月到阿根廷。

雷斯令規則

雖然Poussier在世界各地都轉了一圈，他仍然不看好在中國和韓國溫暖地區開辟的新葡萄種植園，並稱這裡的產品在種類和品質上永遠無法與歐洲匹敵。

他最喜歡的是波爾多紅酒，比如Chateau Latour和鄰近的Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases，但並不僅僅拘泥于該地區。“我並沒有最喜歡的地區，他解釋說因為在進入餐飲業前，自己在與酒業沒有任何聯繫的巴黎長大。

他也攻擊了業界對2003到2005年波爾多葡萄酒的吹捧——業界往往把這一時期充足的光照作為廣告理由。“如果陽光是優質葡萄酒的決定性因素，沙漠將布滿葡萄園和釀酒廠。”他說。

他最喜歡的葡萄品種是雷斯令白葡萄。德國和法國、盧森堡交界的萊因河和摩澤爾河谷裡長滿了這種葡萄。“我對當今釀酒業的擔心來自口味的趨同化，它們要10 種口味。”他舉了目前來自Cabernet Sauvignon，Merlot和Syrah等少量品種占據了整個葡萄酒市場。“僅僅讓這十來種酒普及是很危險的。”他說。

目前，東歐地區如克羅地亞，克里米亞開始興起提供獨特種類的釀酒園，Poussier表示它們有製造出未來最好葡萄酒的潛質。

“對我而言，這些就是新的黃金國。”Poussier說：“如果我是億萬富翁，我就會更願意在東歐開辟釀酒園，而不是在拉美種國際化的酒。”

在過去的20年中，他在自己的酒窖裡囤了三千到四千瓶美酒。當被問及是否有時間來品嘗時，他說：“我不知道。我有三個孩子。如果我來不及喝，這就歸孩子們了。”（完）

紅酒新“食尚”搭配中餐更美味

2008-01-02T23:02:00.000-08:00

(Source: 大洋網, 2007.11.30)

　　一直認為，吃是一件非常幸福的事情。如何搭配食物將它的美味發揮得淋漓盡致，是眾多“好吃”者所追求的。紅酒一直以來被看作是高雅的象徵，而中餐的歷史文化淵源流長，當兩者相碰撞，又會迸發出如何的精彩？

　　海鮮和貝類　

　　搭配香檳和不甜白酒最為合適。根據你個人的口味可選擇清淡的Muscadet、Sancerre、Pouilly-Fume和Rhone等。

　　雞肉和豬肉

　　這兩種肉口味細微，但也有很多變化。當使用清淡的調味料或快炒時，以上所有的建議都很好搭配。但豬肉如被烤成“叉燒”，那麼搭配一瓶清淡到中稠度的紅酒將會更好。海南雞飯與香檳、Alsace Riesling、Macon-Villages、Chablis，甚至與較濃的Meursault搭配都頗美味。

　　廣東點心

　　如果是油炸的點心，搭配香檳和清淡，新鮮的白酒最好包括Muscadet、Entre-deux-Mers、Sancerre、Pouilly -Fume 以及來自Alsace的Sylvaner、Pinot Blanc和Riesling。如果是蒸的蝦子、豆腐皮，雞肉或豬肉，則可搭配一瓶中稠度到濃郁豐厚的白酒。如果是芋頭角、燒鴨和其他肉類，那麼搭配紅酒較好，包括Bearjolais Crus、Rhone和Bordeaux。

　　鴨肉

　　鴨肉在中國菜中是頗普遍的，包括四川菜、廣東菜、北京菜和潮州菜。如果是熏鴨或烤鴨，可以選擇清淡到中稠度的紅酒，如Beaujolais、 Rhone、Chinon或Burgundy。如果是帶有肉汁的(如潮州醬鴨)，則可搭配較濃郁豐厚的Bordeaux或Rhone (Chateauneuf-du-Pape、Hermitage、Cote Rotie)。

　　四川菜

　　四川菜通常又辣又油，如果使用白肉或是海鮮貝類，可選擇香檳或新鮮爽口的白酒。如果是其他材料，則搭配Rhone紅酒，包括Gigondas、Chateauneuf-du-pape、Cote Rotie和Hermitage。

　　魚翅

　　香檳是最完美的搭配，當然在湯中還要加上一滴幹邑白蘭地。

　　面

　　以海鮮和貝類為主的面可選擇中稠度到濃郁豐厚的白酒（請參考“海鮮和貝類”），如果是讓你無法抗拒的廣東牛肉燴面，則搭配中稠度到濃郁豐厚的紅酒，特別是Bordeaux。

　　香菇

　　菜肴中如果帶有大量的香菇，紅酒是最佳搭配，包括中稠度到濃郁豐厚的Burgundy、Bordeaux、Beaujolais Crus和Rhone。

　　咖哩和其他辛辣食物

　　當菜肴中有太多辣椒和椰漿時，避免搭配葡萄酒。如果食物不是很辣，可依據菜肴中的成份，看看是海鮮、貝類、白肉或紅肉選擇香檳，或帶點辛辣的白酒如Pouilly-Fume或Graves，或簡單便宜的Rhone，或Bor-deaux紅酒。

投資酒也能賺錢　台酒推出酒窖銀行　年報酬率約1成

2008-01-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

(Source: ETtoday, 2007.12.24)

紅酒投資最近相當熱門，本土的台酒公司也推出了酒的存摺，以後民眾只要到全省10家酒窖銀行來開戶，就能夠進行酒類的投資買賣交易，而且最低門檻只要5000元左右。台酒公司預估，每年最少也會有一成以上的報酬率，如果不想買賣，也能夠藉著酒存摺，珍藏自己喜歡的酒。

打開酒庫大門，裡頭擺滿了各式各樣的高粱酒，這是台灣菸酒公司新成立的酒窖銀行，以後一般民眾靠著一本酒存摺，就可以買賣酒類進行投資。

只要到酒窖銀行來開戶，就可以拿到一本酒的存摺，民眾就能夠自由買或賣來賺錢，如果不想買賣，3年內酒窖銀行也能夠幫民眾免費保管，要自己品嘗也可以。

台灣菸酒公司副總蘇癸陽表示：「一般比如說是3年，免費讓你儲放，那3年以後，你如果要繼續放，我們就是會收一點手續費，那3年到了，你要拿回去，我們就會送到你指定的地方。」

想要投資的話，民眾最少要買一罈酒，目前5公升的高粱酒大約5000元就能開戶，不過每種酒類都採限量發行的方式，而且只限台酒公司發行的高粱酒、威士忌、白蘭地、紹興酒、紅露酒和燒酒等，一般民眾想靠投資酒賺錢，通通有機會。

依照台灣菸酒公司的預估，不考慮市場炒作，或是原料上漲等其他因素的話，保本的獲利至少也有一成以上。

蘇癸陽表示：「今年定1萬6千，那明年我們經過一年以後，我們的自動就會把這個價格拉高，比如說拉高到1成，比如說1萬7千多，第2年我們再會往上拉，那我們這樣往上拉的意思，就是說覺得我們這個酒，你1年前買的跟現在買的，第一個它酒質不一樣了。」

除了在酒窖銀行可以進行賣賣之外，未來民眾還可以上網，看到自己買的酒是不是保存完好。這股靠酒來賺錢的新投資方式，相信又會讓不少人躍躍欲試。

國產紅酒成新投資項目買下幾桶後窖藏

2008-01-02T22:54:00.000-08:00

(Source: 北京晚報, 2007.12.24)

　　一次性投資買一大桶紅酒，等到與親朋好友聚會時取出分享，上面還可以貼上自己設計的個性化商標，記者從北京龍徽公司了解到，投資國產紅酒已經成為國內紅酒行業的新現象。

　　在北京龍徽公司的地下酒窖內，有數百個陳列整齊的橡木酒桶，許多橡木桶上放著標牌，上面印有人名。分裝到玻璃瓶中的幾百瓶紅酒，整整齊齊碼放在精心砌成的石龕裏。北京龍徽公司負責人介紹說，
這裡的許多紅酒已經“名花有主”了，用橡木桶裝的紅酒和龕內的紅酒都是顧客整桶購買後放置在這裡窖藏的。據介紹，北京龍徽公司推出的可投資紅酒有兩種:龍徽懷來珍藏幹紅，每桶售價12.8萬元；龍徽莊園幹紅，每桶售價15.8萬元。一隻橡木桶可以裝225升紅酒，分開包裝後能裝300瓶。投資人出資購買後，投資人如果沒有合適的私家酒窖，這些紅酒就在龍徽公司擁有的一個具有百年曆史的地下酒窖中窖藏。顧客需要時，公司將代為分裝，貼上個性化商標，並送到指定的地點。”該負責人介紹說。

　　據介紹，紅酒投資在國外已經流行多年，如果感覺今年的葡萄長勢比較好，有的人就會一次性投資，買下幾桶紅酒後窖藏，然後送禮或自用。

The best places to invest a bonus

2008-01-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

(Source: Clare Francis,The Sunday Times, 2007.12.16)

We asked where City high-flyers were investing their rewards, so you can profit, too.

THE City bonus season is upon us again, and while the Centre for Economics and Business Research believes the total handed out will be 16% lower this year at £7.4 billion, top staff are still expected to pocket seven-figure sums.

Goldman Sachs, the US investment bank, kicked things off last week when it announced its employees around the world would share a bonus pool of $18 billion (£8.8 billion), giving staff an average of about £300,000.

Last year, bankers invested the bulk of their money in property. Savills, an estate agency, estimated that about £5.5 billion of 2006’s £8.8 billion UK bonus round went into bricks and mortar. But with concerns that house prices may fall next year, they are expected to look elsewhere for a home for their money.

Raymond Sykes at Butterfield Private Bank said: “Given the current uncertainties, we are seeing a high number of clients holding cash as they wait for the outlook in the equity markets to become clearer.”
Related Links

* Lehman chief receives $41m share bonus

* Goldman Sachs shares $18.8bn bonus pool

We look at the outlook for alternative assets.

Fine wine

Fine wine prices have slipped 3% over the past three months, according to the Livex 100 index, as stock-market uncertainty has also unnerved wine investors - although prices are still up 42% over the past year.

Julian Lamden at Coutts, a private bank, said: “When times are tough, people cut back on luxuries like wine.”

However, Simon Staples at Berry Brothers & Rudd, a wine merchant, thinks it is still a good time to invest if you pick the right vintages and he believes fine wines will remain a popular choice for City workers. He said: “It’s a very clever place to put your money. The luxury wines are going to Russia and China – demand is still very strong and is unlikely to be affected by an economic downturn. Supply of the best wines is tight because only a certain amount has been produced.”

He rates the years 2005, 2003, 2000 and 1996 for bordeaux.

A case of 1982 Lafite Rothschild would set you back about £22,000, but you could get a case of the 2005 vintage for £7,200 and Staples believes its value could rise to around £20,000 within five years or so.

He also tips Château Margaux 2005 and said it is the best red wine he has ever tasted. That would also cost about £7,200 a case.

While white is not normally the best wine for investment, a case of 2001 Château d’Yquem would cost around £4,000 now but could be worth between £20,000 and £30,000 in 10 years’ time.

Next year could also be a good time to buy champagne as the 2000 vintage will be released for sale in 2008, but stick with the leading names: Dom Pérignon, Krug and Salon.

Gains from fine wine are not normally liable for capital-gains tax (CGT), and you can also buy it free from tax and duty as long as you keep it in a bonded warehouse. Berry Brothers & Rudd charges £9 a year per case for storage, including insurance.

Antique furniture

Experts are predicting an increase in demand for antique furniture from City workers.

Tim Corfield at Corfield Morris, a specialist adviser, said: “Demand for furniture is on the up and I think the market will carry on rising for another few years. There is always a lag between the housing market and furniture.

“Many of those who used their bonuses to buy property in the last year or two will have spent time doing up their homes and will now be looking to furnish them.”

It could be a great time to snap up undervalued traditional pieces, which have been left behind in the craze for everything modern. Early Victorian furniture has fallen in value 26% in the past 10 years, according to the Antique Collectors’ Club furniture index.

Corfield added: “It’s the best time for 20 years to be buying classic traditional furniture. You can get a Victorian dining table for between £3,000 and £5,000, while a Georgian table will cost £10,000 to £15,000.”

Art

Collectors have paid some heady prices for artworks in recent months and some fear the market is in bubble territory, particularly in the contemporary sector. In the past year alone, values have risen by about 55% according to Hiscox, a specialist insurer.

Hugh Grant hit the headlines recently when the Andy Warhol portrait of Elizabeth Taylor he owned was sold at auction for $21m. He had paid $3.6m for the painting six years ago.

Robert Read at Hiscox, said: “The art market tends to lag the stock markets. If the global economy starts to slow you can expect it to impact the art market about 12 to 18 months later. The general feeling is that art prices can’t keep rising at their current rate.”

If you still fancy investing in art, Tania Buckrell-Pos, an art expert at Corfield Morris, suggests investing in modern British artists like Albert Irvin, Patrick Caulfield or John Hoyland. She said: “I think the works of these artists are on the cusp of rising in value significantly and should be a solid investment. If you look at Caulfield and Warhol, the prices of Warhol’s work are now unreachable, but you can still buy a Caulfield for less than £1m.”

Jewellery

Marie Antoinette’s pearls failed to sell at auction last week, but the value of the other lots sold at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale totalled £9.3m and diamonds were the hot favourite.

The majority of sales were to private buyers, including some fund managers and investment bankers.

A pair of pear-shaped diamond earrings, which were expected to sell for between £220,000 and £260,000, went for £602,900, while an art deco diamond choker by Cartier, which was estimated to fetch between £50,000 and £70,000 reached £334,100.

Single stones are also commanding record sums. An internally flawless 10.07carat diamond sold for $100,000 a carat last week. This compares with two years ago, when a 11.98 carat flawless stone sold for $57,000 a carat.

Raymond Sancroft-Baker at Christie’s Jewellery said: “It shows the great rarity value of good quality stones. They don’t come to market very often, and when they do people are prepared to pay.”

Sancroft-Baker said that coloured stones - rubies, sapphires and emeralds - are even rarer than diamonds because sources are drying up. He said: “From an investment point of view, that’s what I would be buying.”

He recommends going for the best quality stone you can afford and antique jewellery rather than new.

Shooting estates

City workers have ploughed money into farmland and forestry in recent years because of the tax benefits - the land may fall out of your estate for inheritance-tax purposes after two years - but sporting estates could be the next big thing.

Farmland has surged in value by about 75% over the past three years, while woodland prices have risen by around 50% this year alone, according to Savills. But it expects much of this year’s bonus money to go into sporting estates instead.

William Duckworth-Chad at Savills said: “A lot of money is coming in from the City because shooting has become so popular - it seems to be the in-thing to do at the moment.”

The best quality estates are commanding high prices - 12 estates have sold for more than £10m this year, but Duckworth-Chad believes they are still good investments. “It is the super-rich who are operating in this market - they will be largely unaffected by the credit crunch. Supply is tight as many of these estates don’t come to market very often.”

If an estate is out of your league, farmland may still be worth a look. Savills believes arable farmland will increase by around 10% to 15%, compared with a 3% rise in house prices.

Hedge funds

Hedge funds are expected to enjoy a resurgence this year as many top schemes have made millions from the credit crunch.

The Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge fund index had risen 12% to the end of November compared with 1.8% for the FTSE All-Share.

Tim Cockerill of Rowan, an investment manager, recommends Thames River Hedge+, which invests in a portfolio of other hedge funds and has returned 33% this year. It has benefited from owning Paulson Advantage, for example, run by New York hedge-fund Paulson & Co, which bet correctly the sub-prime mortgage market would collapse when everyone else was positive. Exposure to GLG, which invests in emerging markets, has also helped its performance.

WHAT TO BUY WITH A PAY-OUT

- 2005 Lafite Rothschild, £7,200 a case
- 2005 Chateau Margaux, £7,200 a case
- 2001 Chateau d’Yquem, £4,000 a case
- Victorian dining table, £3,000-£5,000
- Patrick Caulfield painting, from £250,000
- Pear-shaped diamond earrings, £602,900
- Art deco emerald, diamond & rocks crystal necklace, £334,000

Nude Paris launches 'wine in a can'

2008-01-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

(Source: Stuff.co.nz, 2007.12.13)

Socialite Paris Hilton has posed naked in a new advertising campaign to launch her luxury sparkling wine in a can brand.

The hotel heiress can be seen nude, covered in gold paint and crawling across a desert for the advertising campaign for her drink Rich Prosecco.

The drink is described as: "The perfect 'starter drink' for your night or a special pleasure as a reward at the end of the day."

Paris, 26, is launching the new "bubbly blonde" drink - which comes in original, passion fruit and strawberry flavours - in Berlin, Germany, this week and in the US next year.

The venture is the latest addition to Paris' expanding empire.

She already has her own perfume, jewellery range, shoe collection, bag line and has released a pop album and starred in a number of films.

In June, Paris spent 23 days in jail for driving with a suspended licence - a term of her probation from a previous DUI (driving under the influence) charge.

The socialite now always makes sure she is driven home after a night out partying.

U.S. Wine Auctions Stay Hot in 2007, Set Record at $208 Million

2008-01-02T22:38:00.000-08:00

(Source: Elin McCoy, Bloomberg, 2007.12.13)

Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. wine auctions kept up 2007's sizzling pace through the end of the season, with liquor added to the mix in New York for the first time since Prohibition.

Sales for the year at seven major auction houses, including liquor, totaled $208 million, up 25 percent from last year and almost double the $106 million of 2005.

It was ``an unprecedented year for wine auctions,'' says Zachys auction director Michael Jessen. The Scarsdale, New York- based retailer's auction sales topped $52 million, up $18 million from 2006 for about the same amount of wine.

So much for the worrywarts who predicted early in the fall that Wall Street's subprime mortgage woes would depress the wine auction market.

The new twist for the season was the booze that came under the hammer. The latest high-priced shocker was a bottle of 1926 Macallan, a single-malt Scotch whisky that brought in $54,000, including commissions, at Christie's on Dec. 8, almost double the high estimate of $30,000. Illustrating the effect of the weak dollar, about half of the bids came from outside the U.S.

Bottled in 1986 after 60 years in a wooden cask, the ultra- rare 1926 is one of only 40 such bottles produced by the famous distillery. According to Macallan, there's just one left in the archives.

Rare Whiskies

This was the most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold at a Christie's auction. It was one of 100 lots of rare whiskies and cognacs on the block, many of which topped their estimates. No surprise: The sale has been hyped by the liquor industry ever since Governor Eliot Spitzer signed legislation permitting it last August. Expect other auction houses to get on the bandwagon for high-end booze in 2008.

Still, the Macallan price didn't reach the $70,000 that a South Korean businessman paid for the same whisky at a Seoul retail store in 2005. (And for perspective, consider that at the same Christie's sale, $54,000 would have bought you a case of 1989 Chateau Petrus.)

``The great value was the whisky super-lot of 729 bottles, a comprehensive scotch library,'' says Adam Levy, an editor at Whisky Life magazine. An anonymous European bidder paid $102,000, or about $140 a bottle.

It was one of 27 wine lots sold by Christie's North America this year that fetched more than $100,000. That superstar category included cases of 1990 DRC Romanee Conti, 1945 Mouton Rothschild, and 1961 Hermitage La Chapelle, the first Rhone wine to breach that barrier.

Stiff Competition

The story of 2007 is increased competition among the auction houses. While Christie's had its best year yet, ``getting attention is a constant job now,'' says Richard Brierley, head of North American wine sales.

On Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, Zachys lured early birds with Daniel Boulud's breakfast of creamy scrambled eggs and a surprisingly tough brioche as well as a methuselah (6 liters) of 1999 DRC Romanee Conti.

Chicago's Hart Davis Hart hosted a presale dinner with 1985 Chateau Margaux and chili dogs, a blind-tasting game and live online bidding at the W hotel. The auction, held in Chicago's Tru restaurant, was the company's fourth auction in a row that sold 100 percent of its lots.

``Our number of international bidders has doubled since 2006,'' said Ben Nelson, Hart Davis Hart's head of wine consignments. ``For them, it's like getting a 30 percent discount.''

The wine of the moment, everyone agrees, is 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. Jamie Ritchie, Sotheby's North American wine department head, observes that ``it now regularly brings $25,000 to $30,000 a case. The rise shows the strength of Asian buyers.'' Last year you could have purchased a case for only $11,000.

Romanee-Conti

Burgundy is hot, too, especially the best vintages. Seven lots of Romanee-Conti landed among the 10 highest-priced offerings at Zachys's year-end auction.

Not everything was selling. At Sotheby's, buyers passed on once popular Bordeaux garagiste wines like Monbousquet as well as magnums of 1982 Chateau Latour.

``I saw more volatility, some softening,'' says David Beckwith, a partner at Grand Cru Wine Consulting. ``I put that down to market saturation. At two auctions, big-format bottles of DRC didn't make their reserves.'' The theory is that buyers are more likely to bid on big bottles when the economy is strong.

Champagne generated the most excitement at Acker Merrall & Condit's last live sale. Auctioneer John Kapon predicts that with new releases at super-high prices, ``demand for older bottles at auction will soar.''

Next spring, for example, Krug is introducing the first vintage of a new single-vineyard champagne, 1995 Clos d'Ambonnay, that will cost $3,000 a bottle. Only 250 cases of this all-pinot noir sparkler were produced.

What characterized this year most, Kapon notes, is the continuing surge in supply.

And, amazingly, demand pretty much kept up with it.

New alternatives: Wine helps your balance

2008-01-02T22:37:00.001-08:00

(Source: Andrew Wood, FT.com, 2007.12.14)

Art in Asia is breaking records. An anonymous buyer paid $9.5m in October for a set of 14 images, rendered in gunpowder and ink by Cai Guo-Qiang, a China-born artist who lives in New York.

It was the highest price yet paid for a contemporary Chinese artist.

The auctioneers Christies booked sales of $466m in the first 11 months of 2007 in Hong Kong.

Its main rival, Sotheby’s, raised more than $330m at its spring and autumn sales, up from $245m last year.

Both auction houses reported many more bidders – successful and unsuccessful – from mainland China and India.

Art, and other collectables such as classic cars, wine and even toys can have a role in the investment portfolio. Like more financially- grounded assets such as hedge funds and property, they can count as alternatives to mainstream stock market investment, because they help diversify risk.

The quality of the harvest in the vineyards of Burgundy is unlikely to show much correlation to the state of the bond market.

Beautiful Asset Advisors, a US consultancy, has analysed thousands of prices for artworks in four collecting categories since the 1950s: old master and 19th century, impressionist and modern, American before 1950, and post war and contemporary.

The database is being expanded to include Latin American and traditional Chinese works of art.

Performance depends on the period you look at. But Beautiful Asset’s Mei Moses all-art index has outperformed stocks in the US over the past decade.

But there is slight underperformance over 50 years, and “significant” underperformance for the past 25 years.

In all periods, works of art have shown higher volatility and lower liquidity than most other financial assets.

But that is not necessarily bad, says Beautiful Asset. Since art has a low correlation to other assets, it can play a role in portfolio diversification.

Many private banks, such as Citi, Deutsche Bank and UBS, have advisory services for art and other collectables. These assets have many drawbacks and pitfalls for investors.

First, there’s the issue of authenticity – how do you know your treasured painting is not a fake?

Getting your money back quickly can be another big problem.

Collectables rarely give you any income. However, some specialist lenders will accept art as collateral for loans, and that is a service many wealth managers may be able to arrange.

There is chance of spectacular capital gains.

But there will definitely be costs, such as insurance, storage and security systems. There are other risks.

For example, Steve Wynn, the owner of casinos in Las Vegas and Macao, agreed last year to sell Picasso’s “Le Reve” for $140m – more than double what he had paid for it a decade earlier. However, the deal fell through when the unfortunate Mr Wynn accidentally poked a hole in the picture before it could be delivered.

In the end, it is up to the investor to work out whether the bragging rights of owning an art masterpiece are worth it.

Enjoyment plays an important role in another prestigious alternative asset: premium wines.

Société Générale private bank offers an “Ultimate Wine Fund” to its customers in Asia.

Investors need at least $300,000 to buy shares in the fund. The money is used to buy a range of wines likely to appreciate in value.

“It’s exactly the same as a discretionary portfolio,” says Pierre Baer, chief executive of SG Private Banking for Asia Pacific.

An investment committee listens to recommendations from wine experts and auction houses, he says.

Among purchases, they usually include vintages from Bordeaux, Burgundy and other famous regions in France.

The fund appeals to knowledgeable customers as well as people who are new to fine wines.

“We select the wine for them. We store it for them in Bordeaux,” Mr Baer says.

“When they want it to drink it, a special courier will deliver it. There will even be dust on the bottle.”

SG also arranges free trips to the cellars and famous chateaux in France for fund investors.

Investors do not have to redeem their shares for actual bottles of wine. Instead, a wine broker will resell at a profit or loss.

Unlike paintings, properly cellared vintages are relatively commoditised (although the experts may not like the term) and so are easy to sell.

Mr Baer cannot resist the obvious pun. “Good wine is a very liquid investment,” he says.

EU in Emotive Debate Over Wine Reform

2008-01-02T22:34:00.000-08:00

(Source: Associated Press, 2007.12.14)

The European Union hopes next week to overcome two years of division over how to save its wine industry, which has been hurt by overproduction and competition from New World wines.

The 27 EU farm ministers meet Monday to finalize a strategy to reclaim Europe's pre-eminent position in the world of wines and to end the rampant overproduction that has crippled the EU's 1.3 billion euro ($1.9 billion) wine budget.

"It is time to do a deal because, whereas the European Union's wine imports and production have been rising over the years, domestic consumption has been falling," said EU farm chief Mariann Fischer Boel.

Key issues remain to be resolved, none bigger than the system of crisis distillation, which turns excess wine into industrial alcohol and costs the EU about half a billion euros ($750 million) a year.

Fischer Boel wants to put that money to more productive use, including using it to promote European wines in emerging markets like China and India. France, among others, wants to maintain subsidies for some sort of crisis management. Many see this as an old-fashioned way of keeping noncompetitive vintners in business.

"Crisis distillation holds back competitiveness, and we must abolish it," Fischer Boel said.

"We can spend the wine sector's budget so much better than we do now _ in ways that will strengthen the sector and make more sense," Fischer Boel said.

There is a general consensus that the European wine sector has remained unreformed for far too long. While prices for top notch Bordeaux and Barolos have gone through the roof, mass-marketed tipples have increasingly come up against competition from Australian, South African and American wines, which beat them both in price and taste.

Europe has also clung to antiquated labeling that confuses consumers and to intricate regional appellation structures that dumbfound all but true aficionados.

That has resulted in a full-blown crisis from which the EU is now trying to recover. Opponents to the reform argue Fischer Boel is bowing to crass commercialism in trying to imitate New World practices at the expense of centuries of European tradition.

Europe still produces over 60 percent of the world's wines. Over the past decade though, imports have risen by about 10 percent per year while exports have not matched that pace. If the trend continues, overproduction will reach 15 percent of the total in three years.

At the same time, domestic consumption has declined in line with healthier living habits.

It has forced the EU into action. Apart from ending crisis distillation, Fischer Boel is also seeking to end the practice of adding sugar or grape juice during fermentation to increase the alcohol content.

She admitted her resolve to ban it completely had created "a huge row" and was now willing to compromise. Cooler nations like Germany and Austria, where there is not enough sun for the necessary natural sugar are demanding to keep the practice going.

Under the reform plan, unprofitable vintners will be compensated for digging up their vines to counter overproduction. At the same time, Fischer Boel wants to spur profitable enterprises by allowing them to expand their land by 2014 and bottle more wine that sells.

Rare wine auctions titillate tipplers

2008-01-02T22:33:00.001-08:00

(Source: AFP, 2007.12.14)

PARIS (AFP) — Rare wine auctions, such as one taking place this weekend in Paris that is expected to rake in a record two million euros (2.8 million dollars), are becoming increasingly popular with wealthy international buyers, especially from China and Russia.

Auctions are a growing phenomenon, said Claude Maratier, independent auction expert and organiser of this weekend's sale of fine and rare wines. "There is currently one a week in France," he said.

According to the "Conseil des Ventes", the French auction regulator, the value of wine actions in France has more than doubled in three years, going from 9.9 million euros (14.3 million dollars) in 2003, to 23.7 million euros (34.2 million dollars) in 2006.

Buyers for the last few years have been mainly French, although for the very top wines they are falling away. "The French buyers are getting more timid because prices are often exorbitant," said Maratier.

These days the high-end buyers tend to be from new markets such as Russia and China. "The Chinese have enormous buying power for the most expensive and most sought after wines," said Maratier.

Buyers such as these are mainly resellers. "Essentially merchants who have a worldwide clientele," said Maratier, one of whose most faithful customers is a major Russian buyer acting on behalf of well-heeled compatriots.

At Christies France, 50 percent of buyers are French. "Half are merchants and half are private buyers," said Julie Carpentier, an in-house wine specialist.

"Each auction house has it's own clients," said Laurie Matheson, who sells between 3,000 and 5,000 every two months at the Paris-based auction-house Artcurial. Prices range from 30 to 300 euros, and non-French clients are mainly from other European countries.

Matheson said the increasing popularity of auctions is linked to the growing market for French wine.

Matheson also noted her clients were getting younger, with wine collectors or drinkers now tending to be in their thirties.

At Christies, for the last two or three years, the trend has been the same, with many buyers, often English-speaking, aged between 30 and 40.

"They are buying more and more at our Paris sales," said Carpentier. "They know there are interesting investment possibilities in wine today," and they are well informed, with deep pockets, she said.

Maratier, who is putting 10,000 bottles up for auction this weekend, says two factors contribute to the increased popularity of such sales.

"One of the main reasons is that you can find wines of certain chateaux or particular vintages that are, for the most part, not normally on the market," he said. Wines such as these find their way to auction from private or corporate collections and restaurant stocks.

Younger buyers are also comfortable with buying wine at auction via the Internet. "Very young buyers bid high on the top bottles," said Angelique de Lencquesaing, founder of iDealwine, a web-based wine auctioneer.

"The catalogue is online, and buyers log on and bid," de Lencquesaing said.

About 140,000 users are registered for free with iDealwine, which, as well as auctioning wine on the net, acts as a buyer at traditional real-life auction houses for registered clients.

The average spending of Internet-based buyers is 900 euros, but, says de Lencquesaing, just as in an auction room, prices for individual bottles can run into the thousands.

Just last year, for example, a mathusalem six litres or eight bottles of Cristal de Roederer champagne 1990, was snapped up via the web for a record online price of around 13,000 euros. The bidder was based in Milan.

The fresh young face of today's rare wine buyer

2008-01-02T22:30:00.000-08:00

(Source: Taipei Times, 2007.12.16)

The growing trend in the world of fine wine is toward auctions with international, and often online, bidders.

Rare wine auctions, such as one that is taking place this weekend in Paris and is expected to rake in a record 2 million euros (US$2.8 million), are becoming increasingly popular with wealthy international buyers, especially from China and Russia.

Auctions are a growing phenomenon, said Claude Maratier, independent auction expert and organizer of this weekend's sale of fine and rare wines.

"There is currently one a week in France," he said.

According to the Conseil des Ventes, the French auction regulator, the value of wine actions in France has more than doubled in three years, going from 9.9 million euros (US$14.3 million) in 2003, to 23.7 million euros (US$34.2 million) last year.

Buyers for the last few years have been mainly French, but for the very top wines they are falling away.

"The French buyers are getting more timid because prices are often exorbitant," said Maratier.

These days the high-end buyers tend to be from new markets such as Russia and China. "The Chinese have enormous buying power for the most expensive and most sought after wines," said Maratier.

The majority of these buyers are resellers.

"Essentially merchants who have a worldwide clientele," said Maratier, one of whose most faithful customers is a major Russian buyer acting on behalf of well-heeled compatriots.

At Christies France, 50 percent of buyers are French.

"Half are merchants and half are private buyers," said Julie Carpentier, one of the auctioneer's in-house wine specialists.

"Each auction house has it's own clients," said Laurie Matheson, who sells between 3,000 and 5,000 every two months at the Paris-based auction house Artcurial.

Prices range from 30 euros (US$43) to 300 euros (US$432), and non-French clients are mainly from other European countries.

Matheson said the increasing popularity of auctions is linked to the growing market.

Matheson also noted her clients were getting younger, with wine collectors or drinkers now tending to be in their 30s.

At Christies, for the last two or three years, the trend has been the same, with many buyers, often English-speaking, aged between 30 and 40.

"They are buying more and more at our Paris sales," said Carpentier. "They know there are interesting investment possibilities in wine today," and they are well informed, with deep pockets, she said.

Maratier, who is putting 10,000 bottles up for auction this weekend, says two factors contribute to the increased popularity of such sales.

"One of the main reasons is that you can find wines of certain chateaux or particular vintages that are, for the most part, not normally on the market," he said.

Wines such as these find their way to auction from private or corporate collections and restaurant stocks.

Younger buyers are also comfortable with buying wine at auction via the Internet.

"Very young buyers bid high on the top bottles," said Angelique de Lencquesaing, the founder of iDealwine, a popular Web-based wine auctioneer.

"The catalog is online, and buyers log on and bid," she said.

About 140,000 users are registered for free with iDealwine, which, as well as auctioning wine on the net, acts as a buyer at traditional real-life auction houses for registered clients.

The average spending of Internet-based buyers is 900 euros (US$1,298), but, says de Lencquesaing, just as in an auction room, prices for individual bottles can run into the thousands.

Just last year, for example, a mathusalem -- six liters or eight bottles -- of Cristal de Roederer champagne 1990, was snapped up via the Web for a record online price of around 13,000 euros (US$18,752). The bidder was based in Milan.

Enjoy the wine, but invest in it too

2008-01-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

(Source: The Economic Times, 2007.12)

In the cellars of some of the world’s most luxury-loving connoisseurs is growing a unique form of investment, wine. David Banford, director, The Wine Society of India, discovered this in 1976 aboard the QE2.

At the captain’s table he experienced the delights of the 1967 Chateau d’Yquem then selling for $30 a bottle. "I bought myself a case," he says.

"Since 1975 was a good vintage in Bordeaux , I bought a first growth Bordeaux Chateau La Tour."

Today, Chateau d’Yquem 1967 is probably $24,000 a case or $2,000 a bottle, he adds. "It’s difficult to justify opening one to drink, but what an investment it proved."

It is believed some of India’s top corporate honchos keep their wines in more salubrious surroundings, in cellars in the UK.

Banford believes this can be a self-financing hobby. "You buy 10 cases, keep them 10 years, sell 5 and consume 5, and buy 10 cases of a new vintage with the proceeds," he says.

Wine investment is big in England, where investments begin as low as 10 pounds. Wine dealers like Farr Vintners, Berry Bros & Rudd buy, sell and store wine and create tailormade portfolios for their clients.

Chief winemaker at United Spirits, Abhay Kewadkar, combines business with pleasure via investment in wine. He has stored some premier cru wines including grand cru classes Chateau Suduiraut and Chateau Lafite, picked up on his travels in French cellars, paying 10 Euro per case per year, sparing them from unstable conditions of weather and transportation.

Selling is easy, a paperless transaction. "You don’t even have to bring the wines back to India," he says.

Kewadkar follows a basic principle in his wine selection. He invests in what he would like to drink himself and also consults famous wine critic Steven Spurrier.

Burgeoning Indian interest and financial opportunities also brings French wine investment advisor Guy Michel to India. In France, his smallest portfolio is 10,000 Euro and he restricts his client list to 500.

"I buy only grand cru classes from the top 50 chateaux of Bordeaux, barely 0.5% of the wine grown there." Most clients drink 50% of what they buy, and sell the rest after 5-7 years, he says. "In 10 years, the wine is just right to drink."

Top investments today? The classified growths from Bordeaux.

"They are the most expensive and bring the highest returns as there’s a limited supply and overwhelming demand," says Banford.

However, wine investment is usually an additional form of investment for investors, coming way down after equity, real estate and art. But the numbers are attractive, believes Kewadkar.

If you invest in good estates in a good year, you can get 30-35% annual returns, and investments rarely drop below 25%.

During the Asian crisis of 2002, wine still fetched an 8% return. And if you have about 20,000 Euro to invest in grand cru wines, it can go up to 40-50%

And that’s not limited to Bordeaux wines, Burgundy has also appreciated. The Romanee Conti 1945 can fetch $40,000. Other good buys are the Italian super-Tuscans, Angelo Gaia, Antinori, the Australian Grange Hermitage of Penfolds and California’s Screaming Eagle.

Wine investment is poised to take off in India, say experts. The Wine Society of India has recently started The Four Seasons Wine Discoveries programme, with Spurrier as advisor, offering a range of benefits like information on wine, providing purchase advice, storage and tailormade investment opportunities.

Investors are encouraged to start with a limited amount. "Wines offer what few other investments do, the anticipation of future pleasure," says Banford. "Should you choose to drink your wines rather than sell them, who will you enjoy it with and when will you drink it? That’s a great driver for me."

Maximizing Your Health With Wine: The Amount Vs. Type

2008-01-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

(Source: Lynn Berry, NewsTarget.com, 2007.12.16)

(NewsTarget) There are a number of studies showing the benefits of including wine in a healthy diet. The most recent is one conducted by the Karolinska Institute on 25,000 women in Sweden. This study looked at women that consumed fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrain products, fish and half a glass of wine.

The benefits of this diet in the prevention of heart disease was significant. For example, non-smokers who also exercised cut their risk of heart disease by 90%. However, many other studies show an increase in alcohol related diseases including gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatitis.

The question is whether the half glass is helping prevent just one type of disease, but potentially increasing the risk of others. Or is it just the amount that is consumed, and if so do we need a prescription for alcohol?

First, the amount is certainly triggering the increase in alcohol related diseases and deaths. A US government site states that there are 75,000 deaths per year due to excessive alcohol use and this is binge drinking where 4 or more drinks are consumed at a time, see (www.cdc.gov/alcohol) .

Between 1970-1998 there was a 900% increase in cirrhosis (a liver disease) in under 45 year olds in the UK - reported by the Institute of Alcohol Studies, see (www.ias.org.uk). The liver is responsible for detoxifying the contents of the blood stream and when you consume over 4 glasses of wine per day it works overtime to clean up your system. If it works like this over a long period of time, the liver tires and may fail.

Second, we have to distinguish between the type of alcohol, and if the alcohol is wine, then the kind of wine. Certain red wines contain properties that aid in the prevention of heart disease and other ailments.

Dr. Roger Corder, a scientist at William Harvey Research Institute and author of The Red Wine Diet, found that some red wines contain flavonoid polyphenols called procyanidins. These procyanidins help protect our heart and prevent fatty deposits latching onto our arteries.

Red wines have significant fermentation time, 3 to 4 weeks, which allows time for the procyanidins to be extracted. Most wines are fermented in a week which leaves little or no procyanidins. Corder also found that some grapes, such as cabernet sauvignon, helped make wines that are rich in procyanidins.

The highest proportion of centenarians (those living over 100) in Europe live in Sardinia, an island off the west coast of Italy. The Sardinians drink wine which has the highest concentration of procyanidins in the world.

Corder lists locations that produce wines with high levels of procyanidins. South west France and Sardinia are top of the list. Wines elsewhere include the Australian wines - D'Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon (McLaren Vale) and Wynns reds from the Coonawarra; and the US wines - Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Reserve from California and Matthew Cellars Red from Washington State.

Dr Serge Renaud studied 34,000 middle-aged French men of eastern France and reported that drinking 2-3 glasses of wine a day results in a 30 percent reduction in death rates from all ailments, a 35 percent reduction from cardiovascular disease, and an 18-24 percent reduction from cancer. Note that the diet in this region is high in saturated fats, and that they typically drink at mealtimes when alcohol is more easily absorbed.

Who is to say that if the women in the Karolinska study had a glass or two of procyanidin rich wine, whether that would have altered the figures.

Studies of diets and wine should say what kind of wine as it is clear that some are much better for you than others - those that contain procyanidins when drunk in moderation. To help us choose the right wine, perhaps a kind of rating is needed.

If wine is not your thing, then berries, apples, pomegranates, walnuts and chocolate (up to 25g daily) contain this property.

A glass of wine a day 'may delay dementia'

2008-01-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

(Source: The Hindu, 2007.12.16)

New York (PTI): Wine can be food for health as long as you are smart about how you drink -- one goblet daily may help in preserving your memory for long.

A team of international researchers has carried out a study and found that a glass of wine everyday delays dementia in those who are at risk from Alzheimer's disease as they are already having memory problems, the 'ScienceDaily' reported.

"While many studies have assessed alcohol consumption and cognitive function in the elderly, this is the first study to look at how alcohol consumption affects rate of progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia," according to lead researcher Vincenzo Solfrizzi of University of Bari in Italy.

Mild cognitive impairment is a transitional stage between normal ageing and dementia used to classify people with mild memory problems and no significant disability.

The researchers came to the conclusion after they evaluated alcohol consumption and the incidence of mild cognitive impairment in a group of 1,445 people aged between 65 and 84 years.

The team then followed 121 people with mild cognitive impairment and their progression to dementia.

The researchers found that those with mild cognitive impairment who had up to one drink of alcohol a day, mostly wine, developed dementia at an 85 per cent slower rate than people with mild cognitive impairment who never drank alcohol.

"The mechanism responsible for why low alcohol consumption appears to protect against the progression to dementia isn't known. However, it is possible that the arrangement of blood vessels in the brain may play a role in why alcohol consumption appears to protect against dementia.

"This would support other observations that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may protect the brain from stroke and vascular dementia," Solfrizzi said.

Book Review: Hip Tastes - The Fresh Guide to Wine by Courtney Cochran

2008-01-02T22:17:00.000-08:00

(Source: BlogCritics, 2007,12,23)

Are you a newly minted executive in your twenties who suddenly finds you are in a world where you have to instantly know everything there is to know about wine? In today’s world, people just a few years out of college find themselves in jobs and social situations when wine is frequently a topic of conversation. Since most American families do not serve wine at the dinner table and in college, beer is often the drink of choice, Hip Tastes: The Fresh Guide to Wine, by Courtney Cochran, is required reading.

Describing herself as a “regular gal” with a newly minted MBA and sommelier certification, Cochran segued into running her own San Francisco based special-events company, Hip Tastes Events, which inspired the book. And in writing the book, Cochran managed to provide a chatty, service-oriented handbook to beginning oenophiles of every age.

Cochran sometimes refers to her book as "Cliffs Notes" for understanding wine, and she is right. While covering every area of wine production (the soil, winemaking styles) Cochran manages to get to the gist of the matter without pontification. In less than 300 easy-to-understand pages, she whizzes through the wine regions and wine styles of the world, giving the reader the necessary background to understand the wine, the region, and the style, without layering on so much detail she loses her audience in the process. On top of giving her readers and education about wine, she also reveals

-- techniques for not getting "ripped-off" in restaurants
-- food-pairing ideas
-- recommended producers in increasingly popular wine regions

If you are already a wine maven, consider Hip Tastes as a gift for the college grad of your choice. And if you are just beginning your wine education, you will find this chatty, upbeat, information-filled book an asset — whatever your age.

The first Wine Model

2008-01-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

(Source: Wine Community, 2007.12.30)
The first Wine Model is Tatiane Eyng, brasilan and to 23 years old.

The young top model, than since children dreammed to become wine steward, has been in fact chosen like testimonial of the sicialian winery Duca di Salaparuta.

Tatiane is very happy of this result and say: "The love for wine, me has transmitted my grandfather".

Attractive and very resembling to the star Nicole Kidman, Tatiane already was contacted for make movie parts.

The most well-known hot wine drink

2008-01-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

(Source: Cooking World, 2007.12.31)

Mulled wine (from German gluhende Wein - hot, flaring wine) is irreplaceable in a cold season. This drink is perfect for long winter evenings and open air activities. It is usually prepared from red (less often white) wine with sugar and kitchen herbs, cinnamon and cloves, sometimes rum, cognac, liqueur and lemons are added.

Mulled wine is also recommended during recovering after infectious diseases, or at physical and mental exhaustion.

Directions:

The most important - mulled wine should not begin to boil! The temperature should be about 70 C. The wine should be heated in fire-resistant utensils until the white foam disappear.
It is important not to forget - mulled wine does not bear cooling, as the wine heated up once, loses for ever the bouquet and flavoring qualities. Use high glasses to prevent fast cooling.

If the structure of mulled wine includes hot water, it should be boiled just before use.

Mulled wine may be kept in a usual thermos. By the way, the drink will only win from it: it will slightly thicken and be brewed. The only condition - if you are going to thermos a drink for more than an hour, take out lemon peel, or the wine will be bitter.

Wine fund as an alternative investment avenue

2008-01-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

(Source: EILEEN HEE, The Star Online, 2007.12.31)

APART from satiating your palate, how acquainted are you with the idea of wine as a fine commodity?

Premium Liquid Assets Pte Ltd chief executive officer Eldric Ko said wine could be regarded as the most fascinating beverage, given its ability to enhance a simple meal with merits extending its pleasurable consumption.

“Wine rates as the beverage with the highest desirability and market value.

“Translated into financial terms, wine commands a strong global and consumer following, reinforcing its strength as a choice investment asset,” he told StarBiz in an interview in Singapore recently.

While wine investment might seem like another ripple in the sea of investment possibilities, Ko pointed out that investment-graded wines are widely acknowledged for their remarkable returns on investment.

“Wines such as Bordeaux are highly exclusive (less than 1% of all the wines in the world are of investment grade), finite in production quantity and often improve in quality over time,” said Ko.

With high global demand from wine connoisseurs, collectors and investors, these wines could escalate in value as their availability diminishes.

“Low risk results as fine wine are produced in strict finite quantities. When the prices and profitability of a certain wine vintage increases, producers would not be able to release supplies at their will to the market.

“The chances of a 'crash' in investment values are minimised,” he said, adding that the only time a wine investment would depreciate would be in a global depression.

“Studies have indicated that these blue-chip wines have not depreciated by 1% in the last 25 years.

“Our track records have proven that wine investment is able to generate 12% to 30% average returns per annum,” he said.

He added the Premium Fine Wine Index demonstrated that returns on investment from a portfolio of wines traded on the secondary market had outperformed even the most buoyant Asian stock indexes over the last five years.

As Asia's premier wine brokerage company, Premium Liquid Assets provides the most comprehensive wine investment service in the region.

“Several exit strategies are in place for clients who wish to sell their wines using our contacts and distribution channels,” said Ko, adding that investors would get to see returns over a three-year holding period.

Clients can be assigned a portfolio manager to provide updates and valuation reports on their wine portfolio.

According to Ko, Asia has a large number of sophisticated investors who have caught onto the significant benefits of investing in wine.

“Most wine connoisseurs across Asia fall within 30 to 50 years age group. They tend not to be driven by brand but are price conscious. The perceived health benefits of red wine should continue to drive wine consumption.

“Recent years have seen a rise in wine appreciation courses, which in turn create more educated and astute wine consumers,” said Ko.

He added that many investors from Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand are looking seriously into wine investment and expects the trend to catch up in Europe within the next two to three years.

“We have observed wine funds are being introduced to many high net worth investors in Malaysia and across Asia and we recognise it is time to make a foray into the market,” he said.

紅酒長線投資報酬率逾一成

2007-12-04T03:19:00.000-08:00

2007-11-24 18:00

紅酒越陳越香，而頂級的紅酒上百萬都有人願意買。

現在台灣也有人靠紅酒來賺錢。

不但有人下訂單狂買法國頂級酒莊的紅酒，等到酒陳了再轉賣；還有人專門投資紅酒基金，長線投資，業者保守預估，放個三五年，報酬率就超過一成以上。

香醇紅酒讓不少人迷戀不已，像是外交部次長楊子葆，就是紅酒愛好者，品酒超過十年了，不過紅酒除了可以喝，現在，也成了投資賺錢的新標地，紅酒基金現在台灣，很夯！==cgin==去年底開始可以在台灣買賣，不到一年時間，台灣投資人所投入的金額就將近一億台幣。

而且好的基金就跟紅酒一樣，越陳越香。

除了紅酒基金，也有投資人透過跨國交易商下單，專買法國知名酒莊的紅酒，放個幾年再轉賺價差。

紅酒物以稀為貴，加上近來歐元漲的凶，投資人看準市場，甘願放長線漫長等待。

不過對於有愛喝紅酒的老饕來說，棒的紅酒，還是親自品嘗最實在！

新聞來源：民視新聞

考考你》五大酒廠二級酒莊

2007-12-04T03:18:00.000-08:00

【聯合報╱陳曼儂、彭慧明】

2007.11.28 02:27 am

若要投資葡萄酒，業者多半推薦波爾多五大酒廠出產的酒，或是所謂的Super second二級酒莊，以及勃根第（Bur-gundian）地區如DRC、Leroy、Vougeot、Armand Rousseau及Dujac等酒莊，酒品都有一定的品質。

波爾多五大酒廠包括Latour（拉圖）、Margaux（瑪哥堡）、Mouton Rothschild（慕同酒堡）、Haut Brion（奧比昂）、Lafite Rothschild（拉斐）。二級酒莊中則以Leoville Las Case、Cos d'Estournel為代表。此外，隆河地區Guigal酒廠所生產的酒品如La Mouline（慕林）、La Landonne（浪東）、La Turque（杜克）都是有潛力的產品。

上述的酒款單價高，在預算不多的情況下，大同亞瑟頓業務總監朱紋蘭認為隆河區的酒款，例如Guigal Cote Rote d'Ampuis、Domaine Bertagna、Lucien le Moin、Esmonin等，都是可以低價購入、後勢看漲的潛力股。

專業酒評人陳匡民推薦的幾款具備投資增值效益酒品，包括Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou、Chateau Cos d'Estournel、Chateau Pichon Lalande。

西禔企業總經理特助周家豪則推薦三家可投資的產品，包括慕同酒堡的Chateau Mouton、奧比昂的Chateau Haut Brion和Don Melchor（梅爾卻頂級卡本內蘇維濃紅酒），不過要考量年分評估投資效益。

【2007/11/28 聯合報】@ http://udn.com/

投資紅酒基金正「夯」！　最少得準備資金NT$15萬

2007-12-04T03:17:00.000-08:00

2007-11-24 18:03／記者許芸瑋、陳華彥／台北報導/東森新聞報

「紅酒」竟也可成為另類的投資商品！投資紅酒基金在國外相當流行，基金公司選定法國前50大酒莊所生產的紅酒進行投資，由於全球紅酒的需求量相當大，平均每年都有5%~10%的報酬率。不過，如果想投資得先準備2500英鎊，相當台幣15萬元左右的資金！

懂得品酒的人會砸下大筆金錢收藏香醇的紅酒，但是現在你可以換個方式，用基金來投資紅酒。紅酒基金業者林志沛表示，只選擇法國前50大酒莊所生產的紅酒作為投資標的，就算是不懂紅酒的人，花個英鎊2500元，相當台幣15萬元左右，就可以輕鬆投資。

紅酒基金每年平均有5%到10%的獲利空間，也不會受到景氣影響，因為不管如何喜歡紅酒的人大有人在，長期著迷於紅酒世界的外交部政務次長楊子葆愛喝葡萄酒，也投資紅酒基金。

紅酒基金在國外已經發展好長一段時間，現在業者看準商機引進台灣，希望激起一些愛酒人士的共鳴，把嗜好變成財富，也讓消費者了解這項另類投資。

月付5000　叫我紅酒投資家

2007-12-04T03:14:00.000-08:00

【聯合報╱記者陳曼儂、彭慧明／專題報導】

2007.11.28 02:27 am

近年不少民眾喜歡喝葡萄酒，愛酒人也可以用小錢投資葡萄酒。

許多名人以收藏葡萄酒作為品味象徵和投資工具，讓一般人認為紅酒是「上流社會」的投資物。不過只要懂得欣賞、作好功課，用小錢投資紅酒也可以獲利。

酒品業者指出，好的葡萄酒開一瓶就少一瓶，只要選對產品，不但不會貶值，每年升值還是必然的趨勢。

大葡園洋酒總經理謝秀偉表示，投資葡萄酒者，最好本身也能喜愛品酒，可以明顯看出哪些酒款是價格波動高、有增值空間的產品，只要常接觸，每個人都可以成為投資分析師。

大同亞瑟頓業務總監朱紋蘭表示，最近已經有投資客專門買紅酒投資，若買2000年或2003的精緻法國波爾多紅酒，有些獲利已超過50%，比投資黃金更有賺頭。例如2003的Ausone，在2005年6月第一手價格17,500元，但目前行情已要50,000元。2003的Latour一瓶上市價 17,000元，現在一瓶要26,000元；而2001年的Latour當年報價1萬元，現在市價3萬元；2000年的Lafite Roth-schild只要9,800元，現在至少要25,000元才買得到。

小品牌也有潛力股

只要做功課勤研究，投資葡萄酒不見得是富人的專利。
記者邱勝旺／攝影
一般人如何進入投資紅酒的門檻？西祺企業總經理特助周家慶指出，只想做小額投資的人，剛開始可以一個月5,000元到1萬元的預算，配合做功課，向經銷業者購買整箱（6瓶）的葡萄酒。他說，高價的葡萄酒增值快、漲幅大，但一來不容易買到，二來有些小品牌的酒其實風味好，價格也低廉，若早看出潛力提前買進，未來被專業雜誌或酒評家點名叫好，幾千塊的酒可以漲一倍上。

朱紋蘭表示，預算不多的消費者可以選擇二級酒莊所產的紅酒，有些級數酒在預購時不到2,000元就可買到，仍有漲到好幾千元的實力。她說，以長期投資來看，購酒酒齡在10年以上者，收藏價格平均都有三倍以上。酒的生命就像人，當酒達到巔峰適飲期時，價格就會高。

何時買時機很重要

其次，掌握購買機會很重要。若和經銷商打好關係，經銷商自然會通知好貨到。現在在一般賣場也有可能買到高級產品，例如最近量販業者家樂福和酒商合作，在店內銷售高級紅酒「latour」，售價比市價低了約一成左右，買到手後更有機會增值。

原裝箱較容易脫手

謝秀偉也提醒想要投資酒的消費者，最好以「箱」為單位進行購買，因為葡萄酒愛好者多以「箱」為單位收購，而且原裝箱因為保有品牌標誌等因素，比較容易脫手。朱紋蘭表示，收藏酒至少一次要購買6瓶，剛到時先開一瓶品嚐，判斷品質後再決定是否要多買一些，接下來順著經驗及時間陸續讓酒陳年。

頂級酒三年才交貨

以市場上較熱門的波爾多紅酒來說，光是期貨交易有40多年的歷史，第一手一定最為便宜，越到上市前價格會逐漸升高。買期貨時貨款就要付清，頂級酒通常需要三年才能交貨，拿到實貨時，酒價的漲幅就是直接獲利。

例如2000年是法國百年難得的豐收年份，紅酒期權亦被炒至高位，要在2003年這些酒裝瓶出廠後買得，應該要在2001年4、5月購入期權。盡早購入除了價格便宜，選擇也較多，越晚收藏的購入價格越高，入手前的保存環境也難以掌握。

匯率跌利潤相對少

朱紋蘭說，匯率問題也要考慮，買不同國家的酒時，是以當地幣值來論價，酒若漲價但幣值大跌，所生的利潤也會相對減少。

怎保存有專業酒窖

投資者除了搶貨，最重要的還是保存方式，為了讓紅酒的價值更高，酒藏的溫控非常重要，一般人很難在家中買專業大冰箱儲放，更別提現在豪宅主人普遍將「恆溫酒窖」當成豪宅必備品，不過現在已經有業者提供酒窖存放。謝秀偉表示，會租酒櫃的人，各行各業都有，並非「有錢人的專利」。周家慶說，有些經銷商自身也經營酒窖，每個月只要花幾百元的管理費（以數量計算），酒商不但會替投資者代管紅酒，還會為投資者注意交易機會，提醒投資者賣出時間，免得投資葡萄酒成了酒窖「庫存」。

重價值投資更有趣

業者認為，收藏適合自己口感又小有名氣的酒是最好的，畢竟酒買來就是要喝的，若完全為了增值而刻意收藏，反而喪失品酒的樂趣。此外，若將品酒當成樂趣，買酒時就會有自己的獨門方法，最好選擇自己原本就喜歡的酒款，重視酒的「價值」、而非「價差」，投資會更有樂趣。

【2007/11/28 聯合報】@ http://udn.com/

北京紅酒展　消費者大手筆採購

2007-11-14T00:04:00.000-08:00

Source: PChome (2007.10.26)

印象中，大陸習慣喝俗稱白酒的烈酒；其實這幾年，葡萄酒逐漸在大陸流行，去年1年市場上就賣出129億人民幣的葡萄酒，不過雖然大陸本地也生產葡萄酒，得到國際廠商的肯定，不過大陸消費者卻還是喜歡買進口貨。

輕柔的爵士樂迴盪卻沒有觀眾欣賞，所有人都聚在桌前忙著品酒；北京第一次舉辦國際紅酒展銷會，現場消費者的大手筆採購，讓主辦的廠商很驚訝。法國超市店長葛若默：「今晚，我想我們營業額，可以到2到3百萬(人民幣)。」

現場最昂貴的是這瓶售價7,288元人民幣的紅酒，吸引好奇消費者駐足；其他動輒上萬台幣的酒，也有不少人詢問；大陸葡萄酒市場迅速膨脹，去年1年就賣出 129億人民幣的葡萄酒，喝葡萄酒在大陸已經成為流行。北京消費者：「我覺得葡萄酒是非常好的東西，不管從它的健康價值到文化修養。」

雖然現場促銷來自不同國家的酒，法國廠商最感興趣的卻是本地產品。葛若默：「我發現有很多很好的中國酒價格很便宜，這些酒口味非常好，他們製作的方法和歐洲一樣。」

不過法國廠商的信心，顯然沒有得到大陸消費者的認同。北京消費者：「什麼小作坊？一瓶酒寫著百分之百純正葡萄汁做的，一瓶12、13元，你相信嗎？」北京消費者：「這是法國的嗎？」

雖然連法國廠商都肯定大陸葡萄酒的品質，北京消費者卻還是偏愛進口貨。看來要讓自家消費者接受，大陸葡萄酒還要繼續努力。

美酒名飲　情調紅酒講酒經

2007-11-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

Source: 中山商報 (2007.01.19)

喝紅酒有講究

紅酒是一種很嬌貴的東西，這並不是說它的保質困難，只是說喝紅酒的方法不對，就無法品到它的精妙之處。蘇總對紅酒很是講究，現場讓訓練有素的服務員給我們示范紅酒的喝法。

紅酒這種東西，若說簡單，便是葡萄水果的一種無氧化合作用的產物；若論深刻，產生于古老歐洲的紅酒文化，歷史悠久，是一門深邃的學問，從葡萄的選、採、榨，到酒的釀、濾、賞、品，都是很講究的。為了讓更多的人了解紅酒，皇爵酒樓裏重新裝修了，有一間很特別的紅酒房，我們愛新鮮，馬上去看看各種紅酒，聽聽蘇總的酒經。

以酒會友好去處

上到酒樓三樓，便可以看到一間密閉的房間，用通透的玻璃外墻圍著，可以看見裏面滿滿地碼著整齊的紅酒。酒瓶、酒色遠看都很相似，除了酒簽各異以外，真的很難辨別這裏面居然有這麼多的品種。蘇總介紹道，紅酒房裏的紅酒藏量大概有400多支，價格從200多元往上，最貴的柏圖斯小酒王，價值7000多元。

走進紅酒房，冷氣常年都開著，力求保持18攝氏度的恒溫。酒房裏不僅用整齊密實的斜櫃子碼著紅酒，整整滿了一面墻，而且在一旁的側櫃上，放置著紅酒的酒鑒，告訴你紅酒的歷史、做法、品種、故事，鑒賞的方法等，可以讓客戶在挑選紅酒的同時，了解更多紅酒的文化。

名貴的紅酒都出自名酒莊，每一種名貴的紅酒都有它們自己的故事。在酒房的酒簽上，我們就可以看到各種名貴紅酒的故事。在紅酒房裏面，跟幾個好友，選一支慢慢品，聊著它們的故事，思緒走得很遠，倣佛打開了一部遠古的史書，跟在家裏喝紅酒，真是很不同。

拿酒

紅酒的味道很受溫度影響，因此要盡量減少手部與酒瓶的接觸。拿酒時要用拇指頂著瓶底，四指指尖輕壓瓶身使之平衡，這樣可以讓溫度最高的手心遠離酒瓶。

紅酒都可以用來投資：紅酒期貨

2007-11-13T23:59:00.000-08:00

Source: Unknown

紅酒期貨

國際上，紅酒的另一個名字是「液體黃金」，由於紅酒兼具珍藏品嚐與投資獲利的價值，因此被視為其中一項回報最穩定的投資物品。澳洲餐酒指數（Australian Wine Index）公司董事Justin Alexander指出，隨亞洲區，特別是中國及香港的紅酒愛好者急速增加，亞洲是全球紅酒市場增長最快速的地區，估計紅酒收藏和投資的熱度會不斷升溫。

每年回報逾10%
Justin預期，紅酒愛好者的人數在內地、香港、台灣、新加坡、韓國、泰國、馬來西亞、菲律賓和越南，在未來6年會有百分之十至二十的年增長率。他又指出，傳統法國紅酒的投資入場費甚高，近年冒起的澳洲紅酒，由於投資升值潛力深厚，投資入場費較低，只需1萬美元便可入場投資，是傳統法國紅酒投資以外的另一選擇。
由於澳洲紅酒名氣一向不及法國紅酒，以致投資價值長期被低估。根據國際著名葡萄酒酒評家Robert Parker的評級，以相近品質的餐酒作比較，同級澳洲紅酒售價遠低於同級的法國波爾多紅酒，甚至比來自釀酒歷史較短的「新世界」地區如美國加州的紅酒便宜，隨愈來愈多人投資及購買澳洲紅酒，Justin預期，澳洲紅酒有更高的升值潛力，而過去10年澳洲紅酒的每年投資回報超過10%。
Justin表示，權威評價可令紅酒價格於短期內急升，例如Wild Duck Creek Estate 1997 Vintage這款澳洲紅酒，一經名酒評家Robert Parker品題，給予差一分便滿分的99分評價後，隨即大受追捧，一年內由每支42美元的原價，被追炒急升至每支1000美元。

代理人提供報告
他說：「紅酒投資者除了親自買賣及收藏紅酒作投資外，亦可通過紅酒投資代理人作投資，紅酒投資代理人的收費是投資金額的5%，代理人會對不同紅酒作調查研究，定期為客戶提供最新的投資表現報告，並根據銷售數據、過往表現及專家評級，為客戶提供買賣建議，以求出售的紅酒具升值潛力，並根據過往紀錄讓客戶以低於市價購入紅酒。代理人會建議客戶投資藍籌級、收藏級及新興品牌等不同投資組合的紅酒，並依指示代客入貨，及提供藏酒服務，將紅酒存於特定室溫及保安嚴密的藏酒庫，保持紅酒的最佳狀態，讓客戶以最佳價格出售藏酒。」
Justin指出，南澳洲Shiraz是生產最佳澳洲紅酒的葡萄產區。最佳年份為Penfolds的1998年Grange系列澳洲紅酒。而澳洲著名的紅酒拍賣公司Langton's為了讓買家了解市場對澳洲葡萄酒的喜好和需求變化，自91年開始編製澳洲紅酒分級指南《Classification of Australian Wine》，現已成為投資澳洲紅酒的重要參考書。

原則一：購買好年份的頂級酒
好年份頂級酒與一般年份的頂級紅酒價格會相差200美元，可見年份對酒質的影響。因此，投資紅酒應購買最佳年份的頂級貨。

原則二：盡量購買大瓶裝和整箱酒
拍賣市場中，常規單瓶酒（750毫升）的份額非常小，也不易售出。收藏投資級葡萄酒的一個重要原則是購買整箱和大包裝（1.5、3、6和9升等）。
對於投資級葡萄酒來說，裝瓶後的紅酒藏釀過程中的保存條件，是決定能否維持高品質的關鍵，保存在原酒莊木箱內的紅酒，令人感到紅酒一直保存在良好條件下，故拍賣時酒價往往能增加10到15%。

原則三：要注意頂級酒收藏分散化
進行多元化投資，由於不同國家產區的好年份不同，所以在購買好年份紅酒時會分散購買不同產區的紅酒，多元化投資是使紅酒投資持續升值的重要方式。

原則四：把握購買時間
了解並預測到價格的高低起伏，就可以在最佳時機購買和出售紅酒。

紅酒品牌落入炒概念怪圈　紅酒業已漸漸走入歧途

2007-11-13T23:56:00.000-08:00

Source: 人民網 (2006.05.08)
　　現在眾多的國內紅酒品牌，為了擴大市場份額，紛紛落入“炒概念”的怪圈，“酒庄”等空洞概念塵囂日上，利用模仿法國的紅酒文化來提高產品檔次，本質上就是“人造黃油”。不知不覺中，中國紅酒業已漸漸走入歧途

　　“紅酒的神奇，在於它飽含了鮮活的生命原汁、綿延了高尚的文化積累。屏住呼吸湊上去舒張肺腑深深地吸一口淡淡的芬芳，再輕輕地啜上一小口含在嘴裡，讓細膩滑爽的甘露在唇齒和舌間顛來蕩去，細細地感受那層出不窮的滋味，讓它在你的生命裡輕柔地燃燒。”歐洲頂級紅酒品牌卡斯特總裁杜憲·阿朵夫對紅酒有著獨到的見解。

　　迷人的色彩，清醇的酒香，綿長的回味，飄揚的情思，優美線條的水晶杯，手托酒杯輕輕晃動的優雅……在HIGH SOCIETY紅酒俱樂部裡，不再僅僅是外國人的天地，如今越來越多的中國人也在這感受著紅酒的韻味。

　　中國紅酒業漸入歧途

　　西方人把葡萄酒比做“上帝的血液”，東方人也逐漸認識到這個飲品的歷史和神奇。但是相比葡萄酒的故鄉——法國3000多年的生產史，中國規模化生產葡萄酒僅僅100年，而且目前市面上流行的葡萄酒，90%都是中國本地企業參考法國標准仿制的“法國式”葡萄酒，而不是完全農業的“純正法國”葡萄酒。

　　“這樣的時代或許即將終結。” 杜憲·阿朵夫透露，法國卡斯特集團，正在將世界頂級的葡萄酒引入中國。他們想讓中國的葡萄酒愛好者，品嘗到純正法國葡萄酒的醇香，並感受到擁有法國卡斯特血統酒庄的美妙。

　　“什麼是純正的血統，國內一般的紅酒消費者可能不太明晰，這也難怪。” 杜憲·阿朵夫說，因為現在眾多的國內紅酒品牌，為了擴大市場份額，紛紛落入“炒概念”的怪圈，“酒庄”等空洞概念塵囂日上，利用模仿法國的紅酒文化來提高產品檔次，本質上就是“人造黃油”。不知不覺中，中國紅酒業已漸漸走入歧途。

　　這些“人造黃油”，是無法讓消費者享受到什麼是紅酒“燃燒的狂熱”，因為工業化生產加上人造原料本身已經背離了紅酒的本質。紅酒中最不可思議的傳奇來自於純粹和天然——杜憲·阿朵夫說，當年，法國西多會的教士，為了尋找合適的葡萄土壤，會用舌頭去品嘗，分辨土壤中的成份。在與葡萄同生共死的同時，他們內心懷著的是對上帝的崇敬，正是這種崇敬，才能產生極致的法蘭西葡萄酒。

　　法蘭西貴族

　　波爾多是法國紅酒生產聲名鵲起的地方，卡斯特所屬酒庄是波爾多法定產區最杰出的代表。波爾多的葡萄園遍布於吉倫特河邊的土地上，大大小小40多個法定產區年產5500多萬升葡萄酒，其中，卡斯特精心挑選的種植園，正致力提高質量，已贏得紅酒者的一致美譽。

　　“一瓶紅酒如同一個人，是有生命的東西，它在瓶裡是時時改變的，年輕的時候、從成熟到壯年，不同時期品嘗它，感覺不一樣。喝紅酒就像跟人打交道。”在 HIGH SOCIETY紅酒俱樂部裡，一位骨灰級的紅酒族如此言說。品嘗卡斯特系列中的至尊珍藏如同與一個有著閱歷的老人聊天，強勁的口感就如歷史沉澱后的豐盈，柔和寧靜就如看破塵世的心境。

　　美國作家威廉·楊格曾說，“一串葡萄是美麗、靜止與純潔的，但它隻是水果而已﹔一旦壓榨后，它就變成了一種動物，因為它變成酒以后，就有了動物的生命。”

　　當搖曳著水晶杯，和一位素昧平生而又心有靈犀的朋友坐在燭光中，透過卡斯特的純正法國紅酒酒液凝視著對方，在曼妙的想象裡，感受著快樂，沉醉於神秘，你的思想和感情會慢慢地漂浮，暢游在你想去的任何地方。

　　這種詩意的燃燒，沒有百分百的純正，是無法企及的。作為法蘭西風情的紅酒貴族，卡斯特帶來的正是百分之百的純正尊榮感，感受到高尚生活的元素。

　　對完美主義的崇敬

　　這種純正感覺是當下中國時尚人群最欣賞的。在採訪中，記者偶遇剛剛進入紅酒業的兩位年輕女士，半年前她們放棄了優厚的IT身份，為了詩意、浪漫、自由和夢想，開始了紅酒生活。其中梁艷紅對記者說：“葡萄酒所意味的，是另外一種生活方式，是一個帶著異域幻想的瞬間，這種生活方式雖然與中國目前的大眾流行相距甚遠，但卻是對完美主義的高度崇敬。”

　　她們舍棄了IT精英的身份，投身到紅酒事業中。迷戀的是每一瓶不同的紅酒背后，會有不同的故事。比如“紅魔鬼”就是因為吝嗇的庄園主怕雇員偷喝正在貯存的紅酒，就放風說酒窯裡有魔鬼，讓人不敢涉足。后來開瓶品嘗紅酒時，果然味道不同凡響，於是大家索性戲謔地稱它為紅魔鬼。

　　梁艷紅說：“好的葡萄酒，會讓你品嘗到礦石、海鮮的味道，感受到果味和花香，卻決不會喝出盛載過它的橡木桶的味道。”

　　在這場和紅酒、紅酒俱樂部、紅酒商的精神對話中，更讓人感受到了歌德所傾訴的：“紅酒讓我產生偉大的思想，使我創造出美妙的事物。”因為紅酒本身就是一首浪漫的詩，會在你的生命裡詩意地燃燒。

研究發現：紅酒泡洋蔥飲用有助預防癌症延緩衰老

2007-11-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

Source: 中新網 (2007.11.11)

　　據英國廣播公司報道﹐英國研究發現﹐洋蔥中一種稱為槲皮素的化學物質﹐能有效預防造成血管壁增厚的慢性炎症﹐從而降低心臟病和中風的風險。並且﹐你不需要為此吃大量洋蔥﹐每次吃一點﹐就能發揮卓越的功效。研究員具體指出﹐每周吃2─3次﹑每次吃100─200克洋蔥﹐就能達到最佳效果。如果實在不喜歡吃洋蔥﹐蘋果﹑茶﹑紅酒中也含有槲皮素﹐適量進食同樣能幫助心臟保持健康。

　　而據此前《臺灣時報》報道﹐在網絡上非常受歡迎的“紅酒泡洋蔥“﹐效果比起單吃洋蔥要更勝一籌。當時首創這一泡制方法的新竹醫院藥劑科主任蕭振亞表示﹐這個配方其實來自日本的文獻﹐是有科學依據的﹐並非民間“土方”。“我自己也有高血壓﹑糖尿病﹐心臟也不好﹐自己這樣喝了10年發現效果不錯﹐才推荐給了身邊的朋友。”蕭振亞說﹕“泡法非常簡單﹐用不加糖的紅葡萄酒一瓶(500毫升)﹐和1─2個去皮切碎的洋蔥放入大口玻璃瓶中密封浸泡。一周後﹐拿出來將洋蔥過濾掉即可飲用。”一般人每天喝 50毫升﹐老年人酌情喝20─30毫升。如果可以接受的話﹐把泡過的洋蔥一起吃下最好。

　　紅酒泡洋蔥不僅具有降壓降糖﹑保護心臟的作用﹐由于其中含有多種抗氧化劑﹐因此也有一定的防癌抗老功效﹐沒病的人也可以每天喝點。

抗暖化　法推減碳紅酒

2007-11-13T23:51:00.000-08:00

Source: 自由電子報

法國波爾多的頂級葡萄園區梅多克，正嘗試所謂的彌補地球暖化活動。紅酒製造業者列米．拉孔比打算透過投資其他地方減碳計畫的方式，來抵銷因製酒而衍生的碳排放，並希望拋磚引玉促使同行跟進。

每一瓶酒都付減碳費

他生產的每一瓶酒都要付減碳費，多出來的成本則自行吸收，訴求薄利多銷。酒瓶也會被貼上減碳認證標籤，強調是法國第一個減碳紅酒。

在梅多克區擁有四間葡萄園的拉孔比，與總部設在德國的氣候保護團體「氣候夥伴」合作，一方面測量葡萄園的碳排放，一方面物色世界其他地方關心氣候的計畫。

「氣候夥伴」提出各式各樣的碳抵銷計畫，舉例來說，像是在開發中國家推動用太陽能取代燒木材的火爐。

他解釋說：「為了彌補我的碳排放，總計我的四間葡萄園每年增加約六百三十九公噸的二氧化碳，相當於每瓶的酒約一．七公斤，我會花錢買能夠減少相等二氧化碳製造量的計畫。」他截至目前已投入一萬歐元，這還未計入他個人花在這上面的時間。

更新冷藏系統響應減碳

今年九月都在做測量二氧化碳濃度的拉孔比，此時才驚訝地發現製造紅酒的過程，如酵母菌發酵，會釋放多少的二氧化碳。他說，這中間要用到牽引機、自用車輛、紅酒酒窖與儲存倉庫的暖氣設備，以及正常用電。

有鑑於此，他引進若干減碳措施，包括會自動關閉的戶外燈與新的紅酒冷藏系統。

拋磚引玉呼籲跟進

不過，最重要的還是這種透過紅酒減碳標籤的活動，能爭取到消費者認同，為拯救地球盡一份心力。

他說：「對於每年製造三十八萬瓶酒的人來說，等於每天有超過一千次機會傳達訊息。我希望會有許多人跟進。」

（取材自法新社）

1000元投資紅酒　3個月賺3成

2007-11-13T23:32:00.000-08:00

Source: PChome Online (2007.11.09)

越來越多人愛喝紅酒，不過頂級紅酒要價不低，幾十萬甚至上百萬都有，一般薪水階級喝不起，也買不起，但是沒關係，就算不喝酒，照樣可以靠紅酒來賺錢，買紅酒期貨，幾千元就可以投資，過去3個月，2006年份的紅酒期貨就增值了3成，主要是因為歐元匯率不斷攀高，而且好酒物以稀為貴。

短短1年，身價暴增，紅酒不只能喝，還成了當紅的賺錢工具。業者謝秀偉：「一出來9千多元，現在1萬6千。」

鮮紅欲滴的葡萄酒，比黃金還值錢。謝秀偉：「匯率佔了一個主要因素，第二個是有非常大的需求量，紅酒從來不跌價，只漲不跌。」

喝一口少一口，物以稀為貴，紅酒價格居高不下，也讓一般民眾認為，有錢人才玩得起，但事實上並非如此。

TVBS記者林婉婷：「很多人都覺得投資紅酒門檻很高，像這一瓶紅酒，保守估計要30萬起跳，覺得很貴沒關係，你不用真的買紅酒，可以買紅酒期貨，幾千元就可以做投資了。」

這是紅酒期貨訂購單，買一瓶或一箱，金額沒限制，2006年的紅酒期貨，3個月前開始銷售，現在已經增值3成。

架子上一甕一甕，通通是高粱酒，也學紅酒進軍投資市場，業者還推出全台灣第一個酒銀行。業者蔡木霖：「酒是越陳越香。」

透過網路監看自己的藏酒，酒銀行科學化管理，不過，高梁酒投資，不比紅酒歷史悠久，往後能否和紅酒並駕齊驅，還有待考驗。

跟著「神之雫」學品味　收藏美酒也是門好投資

2007-11-13T23:30:00.000-08:00

Source: 東森新聞 (2007.11.09)

隨著日本漫畫「神之雫」的火紅，引起國內另一波品葡萄酒的風潮。許多科技新貴或是都會名流，都會跟著這套漫畫來追隨葡萄酒的迷人香氣。在第一集所介紹的第一支紅酒就是來自法國波爾多Despagne家族旗下Chateau Mont-Perat的酒，不過引進的長榮酒坊目前缺貨，想喝的人還要等到12月喔！

品酒對有錢人的社交圈來說，是一種最基本的生活涵養。從了解酒的產地與葡萄品種特色，甚至是出產年份的氣候與當地土質酸鹼值等差異，都可以透過第一口葡萄酒的滋味與喉韻來感受。而且該搭哪一種食物，也有其酸鹼平衡的道理。

對許多懂酒，想收藏好酒的人來說，一瓶拍賣來的酒固然很貴，可是卻很值得，因為還可以保值。像位於勃根地最有名的葡萄酒中心Hospices de Baune來說，其出產的2005年在Cuvee Clos des Avaux來說，屬於拍賣來的酒，價格比較高，卻也值得收藏，也可說是一般品酒人士熱愛收藏的酒。

還有2001年的CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU這一支酒，以及在勃根地頗負盛名的Domaine Jacques Prieur所生產的葡萄酒也很值得推薦。在剛於今（9）天下午正式與中興百貨消費者見面的長榮酒坊中興門市裡，你更可以看到百年老酒商Antonin Rodet旗下的各個葡萄莊園所釀製的好酒，值得好好體會一下。

挑支好酒回家慢慢品味，那種悠閒的生活情調，彷彿到那座葡萄莊園體會鄉間田野生活一般，情緒馬上得到於愉悅的釋放。如果你不曉得該怎麼選擇好酒，你也可以從基本的一些入門款開始，了解自己是喜歡濃郁果香還是清新花香？

長榮酒坊中興門市在開幕期間所推出各項優惠，其實也很值得你去看看！如即日起到11月底，ANTONIN RODET全面品項85折，另外買同系列基本款滿2000元，再送SPIEGELAU勃根地紅酒水晶杯一只。

喜歡品嚐薄酒萊的人，也可以去挑挑喜愛的酒款，任選兩瓶還會送你「神之雫」日本漫畫第一集乙本。讓你從漫畫中體會品酒的樂趣，也可以參考日本人是怎麼用葡萄酒來搭配各類美食，讓你愈來越有上流社會的品味！

周怡岑　推動中華美食搭好酒　為肉丸、香腸、蚵仔麵線等台灣小吃配對適合的酒盼改變亞洲市場酒類文化

2007-11-13T23:27:00.000-08:00

Source: WorldJournal

【本報記者薛泰安洛杉磯報導】華人品酒師周怡岑（Carney Chou），19歲從台灣到日本留學，因緣際會下認識許多懂酒的朋友，開啟她想成為品酒師的大門。十多年前開始學會品酒，異於常人的味覺以及嗅覺，讓許多朋友覺得她是天生吃這行飯的人。曾居住日本、英國以及紐約，周怡岑表示，歐洲人對食物的享受讓她最驚訝。曾覺得酒只是助興工具，但旅遊世界後，開始對「助興」定義更深一層的認知。

不論白、紅、烈酒或是啤酒，都有上萬種嗅覺與味覺，酒的香醇也分不同等級，濃淡度不同的食物就有不同美酒搭配。周怡岑表示，味道較重的菜餚適合較「澀」的美酒將味覺融合，以義大利濃厚的起司來說，食物經過咀嚼停留在口中的強烈感，經由適當的美酒中和後由喉嚨進入胃中，恰到好處地觸動每一吋味蕾，除了提升食物的質感外，在味覺上也有「First Class」的享受。

酒與食物有著相輔相成關係，品酒師工作就是在「配對（Food Pair-ing）」上提供最專業的意見。周怡岑表示，中國菜博大精深，酒的搭配有更多的發揮空間。她表示，以台灣小吃肉丸、香腸、蚵仔麵線或臭豆腐來說，都有適合的酒將其味道進一步昇華。至於要配什麼酒，主要取決於醬料。

她指出，臭豆腐因有醬油、泡菜等配料，一般來說，選擇法國Bur-gundy產地的葡萄酒搭配，或來自加州的「夏多內」（Chardonnay）也不錯。她指出，這些酒最好能經過橡木桶存放，其酸度才能與臭豆腐的強烈感綜合。

若要選瓶酒搭配肉丸，周怡岑說，由於肉丸醬汁大部分帶有微辣與酸甜口感，她建議選擇Reisling白酒，或Pinot Noir紅酒搭配。

民眾愛吃的蚵仔麵線，則取決於放蚵仔或者大腸。周怡岑說，若放蚵仔的麵線，可用氣泡式香檳酒搭配，但一定要法國香檳區出產的才行；另外白酒Asti也是不錯選擇。吃燻鴨，則可配上Syrah紅酒。周怡岑說，這種酒口感比較濃厚，與同樣重口味的燻鴨搭配，有出色效果。她指出，這些酒在市場很常見，價格也不高，有些20、30元就可以買到。

她強調，當她苦讀酒類書籍時，都將每一瓶酒的特性與東方食物聯結寫在筆記上，希望有一天能將自己的專業回饋華人社會。她表示，到目前為止，東方食物中大概只有韓國泡菜在配對上比較令人頭痛。

酒類文化在亞洲市場尚未普及前提下，確有很大的努力空間，她說，曾看著家人一口佳餚一杯美酒，臉上洋溢著幸福的表情，讓她覺得一切的辛苦都是值得的。她也強調，亞洲國家雖然在「Food Pair-ing」觀念尚未成熟，但是在酒的消費能力上卻相當可觀，在在顯示未來亞洲在酒的文化上，有著極大的躍進空間。

葡萄酒醉人　投資報酬更迷人

2007-11-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

Source: 台灣經濟日報(2007.11.12)

自古以來酒就是詩人不可或缺的知交，現在更成為投資人的寶物。據研究，被譽為瓶裝詩篇的葡萄酒，自去年底以來的投資報酬率高達47%，甚至比投資石油更令人陶醉。

據懷俄明大學三位經濟學家姍寧、雪佛與雪洛特的研究，葡萄酒投資與市場整體幾乎毫無連動關係，而且報酬極高。波爾多葡萄酒的平均年報酬率，比風險相同的其他投資高7.5%至9.5%。

隨著全球富人激增，葡萄酒的投資報酬也水漲船高。去年12月至今年9月止，倫敦國際釀酒商交易所（Liv-ex）編纂的Liv-ex 100指數已大漲47%，比同期間的油價漲得還猛；該指數專門追蹤波爾多投資級葡萄酒的價格變動。

這種超高的報酬率也加深投資葡萄酒的風險，原因是隨著價格上漲，供給也會增加。當然，不是每一瓶紅酒都有史迪文生所謂的「瓶裝詩篇」（bottled poetry）的天堂級價值，大多數還是離不開人間煙塵。畢竟，Petrus酒莊的魔力可不是那麼容易複製的。

然而，新加入者還是會不斷嘗試，最後總會有人成功打入投資級行列。但這期間，市場會充斥低價新品，如果懶惰的投資人只是盲目的收集上市酒商的股票，風險當然不小。一般的分散風險投資原則，只怕很難創造前述的迷人獲利。

較好的策略是專門收集品質最佳的葡萄酒。如果未來20年的全球所得如過去十年那樣快速成長，即使普通葡萄酒低賤依舊，上等波爾多葡萄酒的消費人口肯定會增加幾百萬，絕品紅酒飆到天價也不為奇。因此，像倫敦Morgan Aston Ford這種公司應運而生，他們幫助投資人進行研究，協助挑選、買進，以及保存葡萄酒。

如果自己買，最好選專業窖藏業者，在控制得宜的溫度下保存你的投資。更重要的是，他們必須提供正式的窖藏紀錄。如果你把酒保存在自家酒窖，買主對葡萄酒的保存情況可沒有太大的信心。

山東紅酒市場起波瀾

2007-11-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

Source: 齊魯晚報(2007.11.11)

與張裕聯姻數年之久的法國卡斯特集團在中國又結新歡，日前，卡斯特集團國際部總裁杜憲·阿朵夫在“法國卡斯特重組中國市場新聞發布會”上宣布，東海鑫業為原產“法國卡斯特”牌係列葡萄酒產品在中國的唯一戰略推廣商和總經銷商，東海鑫業從而成為其新的合作夥伴。

從２００７年１２月３１日後，未經東海鑫業授權，除此之外所有公司均無權銷售卡斯特牌葡萄酒。東海鑫業總裁李偉革說：關稅降低後，卡斯特在不同階段採取了不同策略，反映出以其為代表的洋葡萄酒企業進入中國的歷程：開始由單一與國內葡萄酒生產企業合作，到和經銷商合作。

藏酒窖變身牛排館　美味視覺加分

2007-11-13T23:19:00.000-08:00

Source: PChome Online

紅酒配牛肉，這樣的完美組合，有業者讓它發揮的更淋漓盡致，將原本的藏酒窖，設計改造成牛排館，讓各式各樣的紅酒，稱職的扮演這場美食饗宴的最佳配角。

走進牛排館，印入眼簾的，是一支支優雅躺在玻璃櫃裡的紅酒，這裡原本是藏酒窖，1800支名貴紅酒，設計師巧妙的運用這美麗的瓶身，結合大地色系跟金屬元素，打造這個用餐空間。

紅酒成為最佳配角，主角是擁有34年烹調牛排，有牛排教主美譽，經驗老道的資深主廚，獨創牛排在煎烤前，要先來個SPA暖身，浸泡在40度奶油跟橄欖油香料中，還要幫它馬殺雞，讓肉質更鬆軟可口。

牛排教主鄧有癸：「這一個地方的嫩度跟風味特別好，汁我們透過這個方法煮的話，汁會特別多，所以牛排可以提升很高的價值出來。」

頂尖口感，絕對有考究，討好饕客的胃，還貼心的照顧到貴客的用餐心情。

拉近跟美食之間的溫暖距離，鉅資設計了這個夢幻廚房，廚師們精湛、專業的廚藝演出，就在眼前，紅得鮮豔的蕃茄，還有像水彩畫裡的各色甜椒，當季最新鮮蔬果，在透明櫥窗裡挑逗著饕客的味蕾16種顏色燈光，在頭頂變換，更酷炫的視覺享受，還有一晚要價5萬元的私密包廂。

TVBS記者朱詠薇：「享受牛排大餐可以不用那麼拘謹，那麼正襟危坐，可以像在家裡頭一樣，輕鬆愜意，27坪的包廂，可以容納得下至少20個人，就像經常在電影裡頭看到的情節，可以來個大型的家庭聚會。」

尊容享受，就是鎖定M型消費頂端的貴客。