For anyone who has ever wondered how the bottle of wine on your table was produced, Bordeaux’s Ecole du Vin has the answer. A new course ‘Destination Wine Harvest’ has been introduced to their programme and is an interactive trip for wine lovers to experience the wine harvest first hand.

The two-day course is spent participating in the wine harvest, picking the grapes and learning about the winemaking process. Following the grapes from the vines to the vat room; working at the sorting table; observing the first fermentation and tasting the wines throughout the different vinification stages, this is the perfect initiation for wine enthusiasts.

The course begins with an introductory session in the Ecole du Vin in the heart of Bordeaux city, before heading out to the Sauternes and Médoc regions to start work.

The courses will take place on 22nd-23rd September and 6th-7th October and cost 450€ per person (based on double occupancy)*.

The Ecole du Vin has also introduced a number of other new courses for 2007:

Bordeaux Classics (3 days)
An initiation to the world of appellations, aromas and flavours, including a trip along the Médoc Châteaux route and a leisurely stroll through Saint Emilion. 645€ including lunches, dinners with 2 nights accommodation in a 3 star hotel.

Introduction to Bordeaux (2-hour Summer Course)
Running from June-September, Monday to Saturday. 22€ per person.

Intensive Courses (from 450€ to 900€, including lunches)
- Learning how to taste with an opportunity to discover the wide diversity of Bordeaux wines (3 days)
- The essence of Bordeaux (3 days)
- The legendary Châteaux of Bordeaux: the classifications and the wines (4 days)

Châteaux open their doors: 9.30am-6pm, 165€ (currently only in French)
Morning course at the Ecole du Vin and lunch in a Château with the winemaker.

*The price of the Destination Wine Harvest course includes:
- Two night’s accommodation and breakfast in a 3 star hotel in Bordeaux
- selected meals (lunch and dinner on the 1st day and lunch on the 2nd – wine included with dinner)
- introductory wine-tasting course at the Ecole du Vin
- the visits and tastings at wine estates
- excursions accompanied by a Wine Educator

To book, visit Lesacabailles.fr or Ecole.vins-bordeaux.fr

By Guy Collins

Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) — Prices of top Bordeaux wines from the benchmark 2000 vintage rose or held firm at a Sotheby’s fine-wine auction in London this week, its first of the year.

A case of Chateau Latour fetched 5,290 pounds ($10,450) and a Margaux 5,060 pounds, both five percent above the level achieved at a similar auction last September. A Lafite sold for 4,830 pounds, up two percent from a November sale, while a Mouton Rothschild sold for 3,680 pounds, matching the top end of the range it reached at a Sotheby’s sale in London last month.

Bordeaux prices have surged in the past year as rising investment-banking bonuses and a landmark 2005 vintage have fueled demand for other recent years now available for drinking. The Liv-ex 100 index of investment-grade wines, which is more than 90 percent weighted toward Bordeaux, rose 49 percent in 2006 after an 18 percent gain the previous year.

“The market’s holding firm for 2000s, 1995s and 1996s,” said Peter Lunzer, director of the Wine Investment Fund, who manages 10 million pounds. “Those are the most interesting at the moment.”

The Sotheby’s sale raised a total of 725,000 pounds. The top price on a single lot was 21,850 pounds paid for a case of Chateau Petrus 1990 from Pomerol, the same price that a similar case fetched at auction in November.

A case of 1996 Lafite sold for 4,370 pounds this week, matching the top end of its range at the November auction, while a 1995 from the same chateau sold for 2,760 pounds, up nine percent from the September auction. A case of 1996 Latour fetched 3,910 pounds, up six percent from a similar sale in September.

`Sky’s the Limit’

“It’s the top end that has the potential for over-reach,” said Serena Sutcliffe, head of Sotheby’s fine-wine department. “There’s polarization in the market. At the very top, the sky’s the limit.”

Some wines did drop from previous highs. A single case of 1996 Margaux sold for 3,450 pounds this week, down 17 percent from the 4,140 pounds achieved in December, while a 1996 Mouton Rothschild fetched 1,610 pounds this month, down four percent from 1,668 pounds in December.

“The best value by miles is Mouton ’96,” Lunzer said. “I still think it’s hugely undervalued.”

Outside the top Medoc growths, other wines from the 2000 vintage also attracted buyers. A case of Chateau La Conseillante Pomerol sold for 1,150 pounds, up 14 percent from its level at a Sotheby’s September auction here. And a Chateau Angelus Saint- Emilion fetched 1,035 pounds, down two percent from last September.

Nine of the 10 most expensive lots were sold to U.K. buyers, which Sutcliffe said was unusual. Normally there is a more international spread among bidders for top wines.

Historic Bottles

The auction also contained some exceptional historic bottles. A collection of 1906 Cheval Blanc Saint-Emilion sold for 1,610 pounds a bottle. All had slight wine loss and label soiling typical of wines of their age.

“Those years of the first part of the 1900s, you hardly ever see any more,” Sutcliffe said. “You’ve got to like mature wines. They have a fleeting bouquet. Each time you open them, it’s an adventure.”

A total of 11 bottles of 1945 Haut-Brion sold for 7,130 pounds, beating their top estimate and equating to a price per bottle of 648 pounds. That was only six percent more than the 613 pounds per bottle paid for a half case of 1989 Haut-Brion, which fetched 3,680 pounds.

The single most-unusual wine of the auction was an 1821 Grand Constance, a South African sweet wine from Constantia which, according to Sotheby’s, was a favorite of Napoleon’s in exile on St. Helena, as well as being found in cellars of most of the European and Russian royal households of the time.

The bottle in the sale dated from the year of Napoleon’s death, and sold for 2,990 pounds, fractionally below the low end of its estimate. “The Constantia was fantastic,” Sutcliffe said. “It’s very rare. We hardly ever get one.”

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Bordeaux Wine Bureau has announced the Today’s Bordeaux jurors who will select the 2007 list of 100 top Bordeaux wines available in the United States priced $8-$25 retail. This year’s jury is comprised of Paul Chaconas, Bordeaux category manager for retailer Total Wine & More, Mark Oldman, author of the best-selling Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine (Penguin Books), and Cat Silirie, Wine Director of Boston’s No. 9 Park restaurant. The Bordeaux Wine Bureau manages the Today’s Bordeaux program on behalf of the Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB).

"The CIVB feels it is important that a local jury selects the wines in each country in which we hold this program," said Pascal Loridon, CIVB marketing director. "Representing three areas of the wine industry, these individuals were selected for their expertise and their understanding of how wine fits into American lives. It is an honor to have these prestigious experts take part in our 2007 program."

The jury will blind-taste Bordeaux wines submitted by Bordeaux producers and negociants, as well as U.S. wine importers. The top scoring 100 wines in the tasting, to be held in New York City this month, will be featured in a trade and press tasting held in Washington DC, New York City, and Boston in May 2007.

The jury comes together with a strong list of credentials and each member represents one of the cities (or regions) where the trade tastings are to be held.

One of the leading wine retailers in the United States, Total Wine & More sells nearly 50,000 cases of Bordeaux each year, a task that is overseen by category manager Paul Chaconas. He has received Les Amis du Vin’s highest accreditation of Grand Scholar of Wine.
Mark Oldman won the Duboeuf “Best Wine Book of the Year” Award for his best-selling Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine, which was recently published in Japan and in four volumes in France. He headlines major wine shows across the country and contributes a column and chooses the wine picks for the hit-magazine Everyday with Rachael Ray.
As wine director for Boston’s No. 9 Park restaurant, part of James Beard Award-winning Chef Barbara Lynch’s No. 9 Group, Cat Silirie has more than a decade of wine experience and is a well-regarded expert recognized across the country.
About the Bordeaux Wine Bureau

The Bordeaux Wine Bureau is the public relations representative for the CIVB in the United States. Created in 2005, the Bureau is managed by Benson Marketing Group, a wine marketing agency with offices in New York and Napa Valley. The CIVB was founded in 1947 and represents more than 10,000 Bordeaux producers and 400 négociants.

About Today’s Bordeaux

The $8-$25 price range represent 80% of all Bordeaux and offers the quality and value that appeal to American consumers. However, the mystique and high prices of classed growths (only 5% of total production) has led to a perception that Bordeaux is expensive and difficult to appreciate. The Today’s Bordeaux program is designed to communicate the message that Bordeaux is affordable, easy to appreciate and appropriate for all occasions and budgets. Similar programs have been held in Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Korea, Russia and other countries around the world sponsored by the CIVB.

o do well at it," she said. "And it won’t seem like work."

THE ST-ÉMILION CLASSIFICATION
SAINT-ÉMILION WAS OMITTED FROM THE 1855 CLASSIFICATION. As a result, the local Wine Growers’ Union decided to formally draw up a Classification of St-Émilion in 1955. It was to be revised every ten years to keep it from becoming to rigid and outdated. Although this is not happening on schedule, it has been revised twice, most recently in 1985.
The classification was based on soil, a tasting of the wine, and the reputation of the vineyard. Work on a new revision is being done now and should be published any time.
The 1985 Official Classification of ST-ÉMILION
First Growths (Premiers Crus) Classés — A
Château Ausone
Château Cheval Blanc

First Growths (Premiers Crus) Classés — B
Château Beauséjour-Duffau La Garrosse
Château Belair
ChâteauCanon
Clos Fourtet
Château Figeac
Château La Gaffeliére
Château Magdelaine
Château Pavie
Château Trottevieille

Grands Crus Classés
Château L’Angelus
Château L’Arrosée
Château Balestard La Tonnelle
Château Beausejour-Becot
Château Bellevue
Château Bergat
Château Berliquet
Château Cadet Piola
Château Canon-La-Gaffeliére
Château Cap de Mourlin
Château Le Chatelet
Château Chauvin
Château Clos Des Jacobins
Château Clos La Madeleine
Château Clos De L’Oratoire
Château Clos Saint-Martin
Château La Clotte
Château La Clusiére
Château Corbin
Château Corbin Michotte
Château Couvent Des Jacobins
Château Croque-Michotte
Château Curé-Bon-La-Madeleine
Château Dassault
Château La Dominique
Château Faurie de Souchard
Château Fonplégade
Château Fonroque
Château Franc-Mayne
Château Grand-Barrail-Lamarzelle-Figeac
Château Grand-Corbin
Château Grand-Corbin Despagne
Château Grand-Mayne
Château Grand-Pontet
Château Gaudet-Saint-Julien
Château Haut-Corbin
Château Haut-Sarpe
Château Lanoite
Château Larcis-Ducasse
Château Lamarzelle
Château Larmande
Château Laroze
Château Matras
Château Mauvezin
Château Moulin-du-Cadet
Château L’Oratoire
Château Pavie-Decesse
Château Pavie-Macquin
Château Pavillon-Cadet
Château Petit-Faurie-de-Soutard
Château Le Prieuré
Château Ripeau
Château Saint-Georges-Coat-Pavie
Château Sansonnet
Château La Serre
Château Soutard
Château Tertre-Daugay
Château La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac (Giraud-Belivier)
Château La Tour-du-Pin-Figeac (Moueix)
Château La Tour-Figeac
Château Trimoulet
Château Troplong-Mondot
Château Villemaurine
Château Yon-Figeac

The 57 appellations of Bordeaux are not classified in a single official ranking. But the Médoc, Sauternes and Barsac, Graves, and Saint-Emilion districts do have their own official internal classification systems. Pomerol, one of Bordeaux’s greatest assets, was not included in the 1855 Classification, and remains unclassified to this day. However, Château Pétrus is often included with the First Growths (Premiers Crus) of the 1855 Classification.

THE GRAVES CLASSIFICATION
OTHER THAN HAUT-BRION, the clasification of 1855 did not take into account the châteaux of Graves. It was first classified in 1953, but the classification did not became official until the 1959 ranking. The one class list is divided bewteen red wines and white wines, which means that some châteaux are mentioned twice, once in each category. To avoid disputes the châteaux within each category, are not ordered by quality.
The 1959 Official Classification of the GRAVES
Classified Red Wines of Graves Commune  
Château Bouscaut (Cadaujac)
Château Haut-Bailly (Léognan)
Château Carbonnieux (Léognan)
Domaine de Chevalier (Léognan)
Château de Fieuzal (Léognan)
Château d’Olivier (Léognan)
Château Malartic-Lagravière (Léognan)
Château La Tour-Martillac (Martillac)
Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte (Martillac)
Château Haut-Brion (Pessac)
Château La Mission-Haut-Brion (Talence)
Château Pape-Clément (Pessac)
Château Latour-Haut-Brion (Talence)
Château Bouscaut (Cadaujac)
Château Carbonnieux (Léognan)
Château Domaine de Chevalier (Léognan)
Château d’Olivier (Léognan)
Château Malartic Lagravière (Léognan)
Château La Tour-Martillac (Martillac)
Château Laville-Haut-Brion (Talence)
Château Couhins-Lurton (Villenave d’Ornan)
Château Couhins (Villenave d’Ornan)
Château Haut-Brion (Pessac) (added in 1960)

The 1855 Official Classification of SAUTERNES –BARSAC

First Great Growth (Premier Cru Supérieur) Commune
Château d’Yquem (Sauternes)

First Growths (Premiers Crus) Commune
Château La Tour-Blanche (Bommes)
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey (Bommes)
Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey (Bommes)
Château de Rayne-Vigneau (Bommes)
Château Suduiraut (Preignac)
Château Coutet (Barsac)
Château Climens (Barsac)
Château Guiraud (Sauternes)
Château Rieussec (Fargues)
Château Rabaud-Promis (Bommes)
Château Sigalas-Rabaud (Bommes)

Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus) Commune
Château de Myrat (Barsac)
Château Doisy-Daëne (Barsac)
Château Doisy-Dubroca (Barsac)
Château Doisy-Védrines (Barsac)
Château d’Arche (Sauternes)
Château Filhot (Sauternes) 
Château Broustet (Barsac)
Château Nairac (Barsac)
Château Caillou (Barsac)
Château Suau (Barsac)
Château de Malle (Preignac)
Château Romer-du-Hayot (Fargues)
Château Lamothe-Despujols (Sauternes)
Château Lamothe-Guignard (Sauternes)