When I fell in love with wine I fell in love with Bordeaux. It seemed a natural course of events for me – the wine is a reflection of the soils, air, waters and above all the passion that it springs from. My father taught me to love wine and introduced me to Bordeaux reds and whites that he brought back from foreign business trips which we would have with our Sunday lunch. My interest in wine stayed with me through my days in catering and accountancy and remains one of my life’s greatest pleasures. I have been very fortunate to have travelled many continents and tasted wines from around the world. Bordeaux wine, however, remains my favourite for their food enhancement qualities, variety, complexity and lack of “the morning after” feeling.
I began seriously collecting and investing in blue-chip claret over a number of years for my personal cellar and after visiting Bordeaux on a regular basis, began to realise the sheer scale and potential of France’s largest fine-wine region. I was also honoured to be awarded the title of pru d’homme by the Jurade of Saint Emilion, an ancient brotherhood of wine dating back to 1199. I realised that there were an almost limitless number of petit châteaux producing wine of extraordinary quality, yet at bargain prices. The problem was that these wines never crossed the Channel. Realising this gap in the market, I established my online mail order company, Bordeaux-Undiscovered.
The wines which I discover in Bordeaux often have local cult followings which are usually unavailable to the rest of the world due to the huge number of thirsty enthusiasts who snap them up directly from the vineyards. These wines are made to traditional methods handed down from generation to generation, often from organic vineyards and often by award winning wine makers.
Bordeaux-Undiscovered buys straight from the châteaux which means that we are able to offer the wines at very reasonable prices. Many of our wines are exclusive to us and all are incredible value for money. The Daily Telegraph recently recommended one of our clarets - Château Chadeuil (£4.85) which is made by Dominique Hébrard and the Musset family. Dominique’s family are famous for the prestigious Château Cheval Blanc which took pride of place in the film Sideways.
Bordeaux-Undiscovered offers rosé and white wines as well as claret. The rosés are unusual in that they are Bordeaux Clairets. Bordeaux has been making Clairet for centuries – in fact it’s where the word claret originates from. These wines are steeped on the crushed grapes for longer using the saignée method which gives them superior fruit driven flavours. We also offer Champagne from Philippe Seconde whose vineyard is one of the top 17 Grand Cru vineyards with Champagne Houses such as Taittinger and Möet for neighbours.
I created Bordeaux-Undiscovered’s sister company, Interest in Wine, to bring the Classified Growths of Bordeaux to a new wave of lovers of fine wine – whether they were connoisseurs, enthusiasts, en primeur buyers, students or investors and collectors. Between 1995 and 2003, the value of my wine investment increased by over 43%, compared to a fall in the FTSE by nearly 6%. Moreover, the last three Bordeaux vintages have produced substantially better return than stocks and shares. I do not see why these wines should be kept only for those “in the know” and believe that every one should have access to them.
I have developed a new website for interestinwine.co.uk (to be released shortly) as I found that people wanted to know more about the châteaux, the people, appellations and wine makers who strive so hard to create perfection. interestinwine.co.uk has in-depth resumes of each Château we represent and comprehensive Tasting Notes from Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson, a Blog which updates you on the ever moving world of wine – including vintage releases and fine wine prices – as well as detailed notes and maps of the Appellations of Bordeaux.
I am blessed with a wonderful wife, Sue, and together we write daily blogs on the world of wine. Sue writes specifically for women at Ladies With Bottle and covers wine on the cat walk, beauty, health, food, film and in the lives of celebrities.
Together we hope to bring a little Bordeaux into every wine lover’s life.
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