FINE+RARE interviewed wine lovers and wine trade experts, including a couple of Masters of Wine, to answer the age-old question: “What is a fine wine?” Our conclusion might not be quite what you expected… What is a fine wine? Ringo Starr said: “Drumming is my middle name.” He lied. It isn’t. He doesn’t have one. And as most of you ...

Fine Wine: Can you define it?

Jessica Bryans interviews esteemed Côte Rôtie winemaker René Rostaing on his career and his thoughts on the Rhone Valley... Meet the Winemaker Q & A with **René Rostaing** ** **“Wine is made from grapes, not from trees!” That was how esteemed Côte Rôtie winemaker René Rostaing responded when I asked about the oak treatment in his wines during a recent visit to the ...

Meet the Winemaker: Q&A with René Rostaing

Chris Kelly reviews Al Boccon di'vino, a vibrant Italian restaurant in Richmond that does away with menus for an authentic Venetian dining experience... I struggle to think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in December than over a long, slightly boozy lunch somewhere cosy, friendly and where the food is unpretentious but brilliant. Salubrious Richmond’s Al Boccon di’Vino ...

Restaurant Review: Al Boccon di’vino

Burgundy 2014 En Primeur has arrived: view our unparalleled range here. FINE+RARE predict that the 2014 vintage release will be hard fought over with Decanter Magazine stating that it is "poised to be another roaring success." 
 Burgundy 2014 En Primeur Like any investment, buying wine En Primeur carries an element of risk; the wine has not yet been finished and ...

Burgundy Experts at FINE+RARE

While the most important thing about wine is undoubtedly the taste, any true oenophile will understand the visual allure of a beautiful label, mountain of corks or cavernous cellar. A photojourney through wine: shots from the F+R Archives...  In our line of work we're treated to more of these sights than most, and it was with this in mind ...

A Year in Photos: 2015 at FINE + RARE

With Burgundy 2014 En Primeur proving extremely popular, Camilla Bowler explains that bargains are still to be had - if you're willing to search.  As long as you have a fair amount of money, plenty of time on your hands and sufficient patience, it is easy to buy good Burgundy. Follow the famous producers, build up your allocations, buy en primeur, ...

Why good value Burgundy still exists

For those of you who have been champing at the bit for the release of Krug 2002, one of the greatest vintages from the King of Champagne, the long wait is almost over. We've now tasted it and can confirm that it is unequivocally worth all of the hype. But, as supply will be extremely limited and demand unimaginably high, ...

Krug 2002: One of the most exciting releases of the decade

Guigal’s legendary single vineyard Côte-Rôties from the under-the-radar 2012 vintage are now available. And their incredible run of scores continues, making them an unmissable opportunity… What are the La Las? “La Las” is the affectionate name given to Guigal’s three single vineyard wines from Côte-Rôtie in the Northern Rhône: La Turque, La Mouline and La Landonne. These Syrahs are almost ...

La Las Land: 2012 Guigal Côte-Rôtie

Domaine Dujac's highly scored and highly sought after 2014 En Primeur releases have started to arrive (browse them here). FINE+RARE's buyer Jessica Bryans shares tasting notes and insight from her visit to this Burgundian legend... It was a chilly day back in November 2015 when I visited Domaine Dujac in Morey St Denis. But even on this - the dreariest ...

Dujac 2014 En Primeur: Tasting Notes & Scores

Sommeliers live, breathe and drink wine. FINE+RARE buyer Jessica Bryans has asked sommeliers from world renowned restaurants for their newest discoveries… Sommeliers are our trusted guides when it comes to discovering new wines, avoiding bad ones and pairing our food perfectly. The best sommeliers are always on the hunt for outstanding bottles, emerging producers and the best value examples of ...

Top Sommeliers' New Favourites

With 2014 Burgundy En Primeur in full swing, we take a look at Domaine Tortochot – a Burgundian gem that offers stunning wines and excellent value for money. Quality & Value Tortochot’s wines have been a firm favourite with FINE+RARE customers for some time now. The domain crafts wines in a rich and serious style that offer some of the ...

Tortochot: Burgundy "on the upswing"

Last week the FINE+RARE team visited Lalou Bize-Leroy for our annual tasting of her latest releases. Buyer Jessica Bryans describes the quality, the history and the surreal - practically religious - experience... What can you say about such a legendary producer? Leroy: "Absolute Perfection" The critical acclaim for Lalou Bize-Leroy's domain speaks for itself: "Lalou Bize-Leroy stands virtually alone at ...

Leroy: Visiting a Living Legend

2011 was a superb year for Barbaresco, and some of the most beautiful wines came from Produttori del Barbaresco. We report back from a Produttori del Barbaresco Masterclass in which we were lucky enough to taste their incredible 2011 Riservas...  Produttori del Barbaresco Masterclass Produttori del Barbaresco is arguably the world’s finest wine-making cooperatives and has a reputation for crafting beautiful ...

Produttori del Barbaresco

A new parcel of 1998 Dom Perignon P2 is on offer. Reacquaint yourself with a "wine with real guts and nerve." The great benefit of late release Champagne is that it's beautiful to drink on delivery. The 1998 Dom Perignon P2 is perhaps the perfect example, and with scores of up to 98 points, is clearly showing very impressively indeed... ...

1998 Dom Perignon P2: Spectacular Late Release Champagne

Welcome to our weekly roundup for week commencing 15 February 2016. Find out what has traded strongly and what to look out for in the coming weeks... What's Been Selling Sales this week have been dominated by 2002 Krug. As a result of huge demand, the market price has risen by over 30% in the three weeks since its release. This, ...

FINE+RARE Roundup: W/C 15 February 2016

FINE+RARE asked eminent experts within the wine trade if they remember the wine moment that changed everything. From accidental finds to unexpected recommendations, these are their fine wine epiphanies...  Do you remember the fine wine that changed everything for you? That eureka moment that catapulted wine to a whole new level? At FINE+RARE we call that a Fine Wine Epiphany. ...

Fine Wine Epiphany

Our weekly roundup tells you what's been traded in week commencing 22 February 2016 and what to keep an eye out for in the coming weeks… What's Been Selling Big Hitters Good availability of interesting Domaine de la Romanée Conti surfaced and were picked off by collectors. Guado al Tasso captured the imagination this week, potentially inspired by the sad ...

FINE+RARE Roundup: w/c 22 February 2016

Our roundup for week commencing 29 February 2016, telling you what's been selling at FINE+RARE and what to expect in the coming weeks… What's Been Selling Cellars to Sellers A couple of big cellars came online this week from our Private Cellar Management team. These moved quickly with over £100k worth of wine being sold in a single day. Back ...

FINE+RARE Roundup: w/c 29 February 2016

Our roundup of what's been selling in week commencing 7 March 2016 and what to look out for in the coming weeks… What's Been Selling Rare, Ex-Cellar, Aged Burgundy from Remoissenet This week saw an exquisite offering of very late release red Burgundies in bottles and magnums from deep within Remoissenet's ancient vaults. These wines are both highly rated by ...

FINE+RARE Roundup: w/c 7 March 2016

We are delighted to present something truly unique that would make a stunning centrepiece to any cellar: beautifully presented, large format Bordeaux from some of the most iconic chateaux...
* * Large Format Bordeaux Collections For those looking to fill a cellar with top Bordeaux, source beautifully packaged luxury gifts or buy a swathe of rare large format Bordeaux in one fell ...

Large Format Bordeaux - The Ultimate Decadence

Château Latour 2000 and Les Forts de Latour 2009 are now available. Our buyer Jessica Bryans takes you through Latour's 2016 release... We are pleased to confirm that Château Latour have released the remaining stocks of one of the estate’s great wines - Le Grand Vin 2000 - as well as the 2009 vintage of their second wine, Les Forts ...

Latour 2000 & Les Forts De Latour 2009

Some of the samples on show at our FINE+RARE Brunello 2011 tasting Brunello di Montalcino 2011 is the follow-up to what some producers are calling the “best Brunello vintage of all time”.  Caught somewhere between the outstanding quality of the 2010 vintage and the soon to be hyped 2012s, the 2011s had the tough task of standing out. Last week, ...

Brunello 2011 Tasting at FINE+RARE

Find out more about our recent tasting of over fifty of Australia's finest and rarest wines... The Tasting On Monday 21 March FINE+RARE held an exclusive tasting of wines from the Langton’s Classification in association with Wine Australia. The event offered a unique opportunity for attendees, as there had not been a tasting of Australian fine wine of this quality ...

Australian Fine Wine: Langton's Classification Tasting

Industry insider Bill Blatch opens the gates on Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur with his in-depth vintage report... Bill Blatch on Bordeaux 2015 Bill Blatch is a Bordeaux expert described by Andrew Jefford as "the wine world's secret agent." His vintage reports are frequently the most accurate, respected and detailed in the wine trade. Below you will find his verbatim Bordeaux ...

Bordeaux 2015: Bill Blatch's Vintage Report

Find out what the critics are saying about Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur and start setting alerts for the wines you want… Bordeaux 2015 Vintage Hopes have been high for the Bordeaux 2015 vintage ever since the harvest. Early opinions from critics, industry experts and winemakers suggest this is an excellent vintage; the best since 2010 and potentially surpassing it in ...

Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur: Early Opinions

Salon 2004 has arrived. Find out more about the rare release of this iconic Champagne… The legendary house of Champagne Salon has released its 2004, only the second vintage from this century. Availability is miniscule and demand is huge. Only a lucky few will get their hands on it. View Salon 2004. An Iconic Champagne Salon is an icon; a ...

Salon 2004: "Just Perfect"

Critics and winemakers suggest Rhone 2015 will be incredible. Next week FINE+RARE will be tasting samples of Chapoutier 2015. Offers to follow, but here's a preview of the potential must-haves from Maison M. Chapoutier... Michel Chapoutier advises that "Considering the rare and exceptional quality of this 2015 vintage..." he believes that the wines we will be tasting and selling next ...

Chapoutier 2015: "Grandiose and Exceptional!"

Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur has begun. Find out more about the vintage, critic opinions and the major appellations… Bordeaux 2015 Vintage Bordeaux 2015 appears to be a strong vintage. It is neither a left or right bank vintage, a Merlot or Cabernet vintage, a red or white vintage. There is outstanding quality in all areas, but it is not across ...

Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur: Vintage Update

With 2015 set to be one of the Rhône Valley’s greatest ever vintages, the anticipation surrounding the release from star producer Maison Chapoutier has been steadily mounting. Having now tasted them ourselves, we can confirm that they more than live up to expectations... Chapoutier 2015 Tasting The buzz around Rhône 2015 has been growing for some time, with critics and ...

Chapoutier 2015: The Verdict

We profile Decanter Man of the Year 2016 and Bordeaux legend Denis Dubourdieu… The first half of 2016 has been a tumultuous one for Denis Dubourdieu, bidding farewell to Paul Pontallier – friend and godfather to his son Jean-Jacques – as well as stoically battling with illness himself. However, it has also seen recognition of the professor from Barsac’s substantial ...

Denis Dubourdieu: Decanter Man of the Year 2016

Both Neal Martin and Jancis Robinson have published lists of their possible bargains for Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur. Buy wines that have been released and set alerts for those coming soon... With all the top critic scores published for En Primeur 2015, we now await the releases from Bordeaux's big guns. In the meantime, as many of the critics predicted, ...

Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur: Critic Value Picks

A tip from a top industry insider led us to the late-released wines of Domaine Potinet-Ampeau... A special Burgundy tasting: Domaine Potinet-Ampeau. Last week the team at FINE+RARE had the pleasure of sampling a flight of Burgundies from Domaine Potinet-Ampeau. It was a great tasting, not the usual range of young wines from the latest vintage as is the norm, these ...

Potinet-Ampeau: Spellbinding Aged Burgundy

The release of Krug Clos du Mesnil 2002 is coming soon. Find out more about this rare and legendary wine... In his Champagne Guide Richard Juhlin says: "Krug is more than a Champagne. It is a word that stands for artistry, tradition, craftsmanship and moments of pure pleasure." And he goes on to say: "For me, Krug Clos du Mesnil ...

Krug Clos du Mesnil 2002: Coming Soon

As the Bordelais have shipped out for Vinexpo Hong Kong, we round up what has happened in the En Primeur campaign at FINE+RARE so far... Top Releases So Far By this time last year, many of the big names had already come out. However, as predicted, this year they appear to be holding off until after Vinexpo. The speed at ...

Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur: Pre-Vinexpo Update

FINE+RARE are proud to introduce a pair of fantastic wines from Anne-Sophie Pic and Michel Chapoutier... Food and wine have always been a match made in heaven. So imagine what happens when probably the Rhône Valley's most famous cook and oenologist collaborate on a wine range... Anne-Sophie Pic is one of the highest profile female cooks in the world and ...

Pic & Chapoutier: A Perfect Pairing

Early opinions suggest that 2015 might be the vintage of the century for Germany... The wine world's attention is currently on Bordeaux 2015 and much has been made of recent releases from Rhône 2015 (particularly from Chapoutier). However, early rumblings suggest that we should all be keeping an eye on Germany 2015... Germany 2015 Vintage Early reports are tentatively suggesting ...

Germany 2015: "Epic Vintage"

View the Top 10 red En Primeur releases with remaining case availability... With only a handful of big releases to come availability of those that have been released is dwindling... Top 10 En Primeur Reds Still Available During this En Primeur campaign, the top scoring Bordeaux 2015 wines have been selling out rapidly on release. Below is a list of ...

Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur: Remaining Availability & Still To Come

We report from a visit by Pomerol Séduction, an organisation promoting eight top wines from the iconic Right Bank appellation in Bordeaux. On the tasting table were Bordeaux 2012s and 2015s - two very different vintages that both have stories to tell. As the scramble for this year’s En Primeur offerings from Bordeaux reached its climax last week, the FINE+RARE Team saw ...

Pomerol: A Tale of Two Vintages

We recently played host to top Riesling producer S.A. Prüm, who visited our London office to take us through a brilliant tasting of their wines. From a selection of excellent back-vintages to some of the hotly anticipated 2015s, these are a Riesling lover’s dream... Last week FINE+RARE were delighted to host Raimund Prüm, the man at the helm of well-respected Mosel ...

Germany 2015: S.A. Prüm Riesling Tasting

Following the popularity of Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2015, we have four new Kabinetts from this exceptional German vintage... Shortly after publishing our article Germany 2015: "Epic Vintage", we were alerted to Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2015... Max Ferd. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2015 German wine expert Martin Zwick, organiser of the Berlin ...

Germany 2015: Berlin Kabinett Cup Winners

FINE+RARE have unearthed a rare opportunity to own a Krug Grande Cuvée mixed case... We have secured thirty limited edition collections containing six bottles of Krug Grande Cuvée recreated in three different years - 2006 base x 2 bottles, 2005 base x 2 bottles and 2004 base x 2 bottles - in original wooden cases. Read on to find out ...

Krug Grande Cuvée Mixed Case

As the négociants begin to close their offers on 2015 Bordeaux, they are telling us that it has been a “great En Primeur campaign”. Here at FINE+RARE we wholeheartedly agree… First Growths & Their Peers In many ways it was business as usual with the first growths and their peers (Pétrus and Le Pin) dominating our sales and receiving huge ...

Bordeaux 2015 En Primeur: Campaign Summary

With Germany 2015 being touted as possibly one of the all-time greats and Jancis Robinson calling Mosel's quality "especially promising", Markus Molitor is definitely one to watch... Markus Molitor, a winemaker described as being "in the wine world's highest league" by Wine Searcher, has just released his 2015s: browse them here. Although, at time of writing, these are yet to ...

Germany 2015: Markus Molitor

This week we were treated to a tasting of the En Primeur Ferraton Père & Fils 2015s. Hailing from a "top quality" vintage and made under the watchful eye of Rhône legend Michel Chapoutier, these wines demand serious consideration... Ferraton Pere & Fils Ferraton Père & Fils started in 1946 with just 0.3 hectares owned by Jean Orëns Ferraton and ...

Rhone 2015: Ferraton Pere & Fils

Welcome to the annual FINE+RARE Summer Sale. Find out what to expect, as well the planned schedule below... The Summer Sale last year included Grand Cru Burgundies from top vintages such as 2002, 2005 and 2010, as well as a number of 100 point-scoring Bordeaux First Growths. Read on to find out what is in store this year... Summer Sale ...

Summer Sale 2016

Despite the quite holiday period and intermittently hot weather, demand for whisky is through the roof at FINE+RARE, in part due to some truly innovative releases… Around this time last year Bloomberg announced that “A surge in demand for rare whiskies has led to triple-digit returns in recent years.” And with whiskies like these of offer, this demand shows no ...

Whisky Galore: Ireland, Scotland & Japan

With many big releases expected this month from top vintages and the crème de la crème of producers, September looks set to be one of the key months for fine wine this year… Below you'll find a brief, but not exhaustive, run down of the releases coming soon and what to keep an eye out for this month. All of ...

Coming Soon: September 2016

Robert Parker calls this 100 point scoring Haut-Brion 2009 "one of the most compelling examples of Haut-Brion ever made" and we have a handful of exceedingly rare 3 and 6 litre formats available... According to Jancis Robinson Haut-Brion 2009 combines "pleasure and luxury", and what could offer more pleasure or be more luxurious than the same wine in double magnum ...

Haut-Brion 2009: Double Magnums & Imperials

Find out what the critics are saying about Burgundy 2015 En Primeur and what the knock-on effects of 2016's poor weather are likely to be... Burgundy 2015 Vintage Early opinions suggest that 2015 Burgundy will be something very special with some critics comparing it to the 2005 vintage that Wine Advocate classed as "extraordinary" for reds... “Low yields and warm ...

Burgundy 2015 En Primeur: Early Opinions

After a big September of releases, October shows no signs of slowing down. We are therefore delighted to bring you an insider’s guide of what to expect release-wise over the coming month... Below you’ll find a brief, but once again not exhaustive, run down of the releases expected during October. As ever, demand will be high, so please make sure ...

Coming Soon: October 2016

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