From Macon I drove down to Chateau Neuf Du Pape to meet with the winemaker and work on the blend for the 2008 vintage. I have read many times about the “ Mistral “ – a wind which blows from North to South down the Rhone Valley towards the Mediterranean – but I had never experienced its full force until this visit. Whilst visiting the Chateau that gives the town its name- destroyed by the Allies in the war as it was being used as a Gestapo HQ- I was almost blown off my feet whilst taking in the view of the vineyards falling away towards the river. As there was a vertical drop of over 200ft I was relieved to grab hold of a railing and drag myself back to the safety of the car.

The wind acts as a doctor to the vineyard keeping it free of disease and mildew. Great for grapes- I am sure that living with it day in and day out would not be great for my stress levels.

The 2008 vintage has been difficult in Chateau Neuf Du Pape with yields 15% lower than last year and because of the poor summer the quality is patchy. Fortunately my supplier has been delighted with the new business we did in 2008 and has given me the opportunity to blend from his best tanks. I thought the wine we had last year was good but we have dramatically improved it for this year. The body of the wine is deeper and richer, with dark bramble fruit and we have managed to increase the spicy pepper notes on the finish of the palate.

Chateau Neuf du Pape is the most expensive wine in our core range so it is vital that when customers buy it they are delighted with it. In a time of recession value for money becomes even more important, so I hope that people will continue to trust that we won’t let then down when splashing out on a treat.

This week I travelled to Burgundy to finalise prices for the 2008 vintage and more importantly agree the year’s blends of our Macon Village. This wine was new in the range last year and pleasingly sold very well.

There is no doubt that 2009 will be a difficult year for most people and the wine industry is bracing itself. For UK buyers the slide in the value of the pound versus the Euro makes European wine almost 20% more expensive than last year before we even begin discussing the harvest. There is not this level of profit for either the wine producer or retailer to absorb this amount of cost increase so unfortunately we have had to put retail prices up.

To compound the problem 2008 was a very bad year for white wine yields across France. Hail in the spring has meant that in many areas there was only 70% of normal production. This has led to further cost increases as the French supermarkets are buying any French white wine they can get their hands on.

On the positive side the quality in Macon is much better in 2008 than in 2007 with fresher apple/ pear aromas, a gentle citrus undertone and a hint of minerality. Our producer has also invested in new equipment and has refined their wine making techniques which mean we will have a truly lovely wine for this year. Now that the blend is agreed the new vintage could be in stores by the end of February.

Look out for it and I hope you agree with me about the quality