Bordeaux Grands Crus hold first-ever tasting at London fair

In an attempt to shore up its UK market the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux held its first-ever tasting at the London International Wine Fair last week

Palmer: it’s not all about China

Some 700 people sampled the Bordeaux 2007 vintage on 18 May, the second day of the trade fair, with sommeliers and restaurateurs showing particular interest.

‘Our goal is not just to send wine out to easier markets like China,’ said Monique Montepini of Chateau Clinet in Pomerol.

‘The UK is a very important country where we have historical ties and we want to maintain a presence,’ she told Decanter.com.

UGCB president Sylvie Cazes said, ‘It is very important for us to maintain contact with our traditional base as well as win new markets for the Bordeaux grands crus.

‘The invitation [to stage a tasting] from LIWF comes at a time when we want to reinforce our commitment to the UK and international trade and offer them the chance to revisit the 2007 vintage.’

Even non-UGCB members took advantage of the LIWF.

For the first time ever, Bernard de Laage de Meux of the venerable third growth Chateau Palmer hosted a tasting of six vintages of Chateau Palmer and its second wine Alter Ego de Palmer.

‘China is not our entire life,’ he said. ‘I just came back from a three-week visit to the United States and now I am here in London,’ he said after his 19 May tasting at the Fair.

Written by Panos Kakaviatos