Panos Kakaviatos

Jan 4, 2025 | decanter.com | Panos Kakaviatos

The limestone plateau at Château Soutard may not be the highest point of this hallowed St-Emilion terroir, but the skyline view it affords – Les Grandes Murailles (the aesthetic remnant of a 13th century Dominican convent), the early 12th century church spire, and Premier Grands Crus estates like Châteaux Canon and Clos Fourtet – is postcard perfect. ‘You get a unique perspective from here,’ says Château Soutard cellar master Véronique Corporandy, who has been with the estate for 18 years.

Jan 2, 2025 | decanter.com | Panos Kakaviatos

‘We are not good at selling Alsace,’ says Marc Wucher of Le Parc Hôtel in Obernai – a 30-minute drive from the Alsatian capital, Strasbourg. ‘Our history is complicated,’ he explains, pointing to a photo of his mother, who helped Alsatian men escape conscription into the Germany army during World War II. The Third Reich annexed Alsace, suppressing the French language, books, funerary inscriptions, posters and other symbols. Even so, some Alsace natives willingly fought on the German side.

Nov 21, 2024 | decanter.com | Panos Kakaviatos

Not that long ago, Margaux seemed an appellation of grab-bag quality. It is the Médoc’s largest communal appellation, that accounts for one-third (21) of all its classified wines, spanning first to fifth growths. Among their number were previously underperforming estates like fourth growth Château Pouget and second growth Château Rauzan-Gassies, as well as top-notch properties, such as Château Margaux, Château Palmer and Château Rauzan-Ségla.

Nov 18, 2024 | decanter.com | Panos Kakaviatos

While a far cry from the record set in 2022 of €29,788,500, the average price per barrel sold – €31,540 – represented a small increase from last year’s average, at €30,839 per barrel, even if bids were lower per barrel than the record 2022 sale, when the average price per barrel sold for €35,974.

Oct 14, 2024 | decanter.com | Panos Kakaviatos

The next time you use a Bic pen to write a heartfelt letter, Bordeaux should come to mind. The family that invented the bestselling ink pen in the world also owns a beautiful estate in St-Émilion that you can visit – and stay in. In 1977, Baron Marcel Bich – an Italian-born, French industrialist who co-founded the company bearing his name – announced that he would ‘turn water into wine’, by selling shares in a mineral water brand to purchase Château de Ferrand in St-Émilion.