Newsletter No. 28: 19^th February 2007

Joseph, about to take up his bed and walk. The year ahead will hold lessons on the differences between Bordeaux and Burgundy…

Trip to Dubai

For the first time since the inception of Bowes Wine, I am to travel to the Middle East next month on a marketing trip. It is all of seven years or so since I last found myself in the Emirates and I expect that I will hardly recognise the place, what with a plethora of new, off-shore real estate and shiny hotels.

I will be arriving early on 9th March and staying at the Arabian Courtyard Hotel until 16th. As ever, I am looking forward to seeing as many people as possible during my stay. Do feel free to request a time/date for a meeting (if Emirates-based), or recommend potential Bowes Wine clients if you have friends or colleagues there.

The usual incentives are in place. Those making successful recommendations will be able to choose a magnum from the list of those available, currently 2003 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine du Vieux-Donjon, 2003 Château Rol-Valentin Saint Emilion and 2001 Barolo Pio Cesare. Successful recommendations are those in which the new client either completes a standing order by which they contribute to their Bowes Wine account, or kicks off their collecting with sufficient gusto!

New Feature on the Bowes Wine Website

Always keen to add value for those building portfolios via Bowes Wine, we have added a rather nifty feature on the Client Zone area of our website. Thinking laterally (as she is wont to do) Victoria suggested that it would be of interest for clients accessing their portfolios on the internet to be able to view our original tasting notes for their wines.

This has now been implemented. Clients calling up their portfolios via the Bowes Wine website will now see an additional field on the document. Next to those wines purchased from Bowes Wine, you will notice a tasting note icon and clicking on this will bring up our notes, taken from the offer from which the wine was purchased. Sadly, this is only possible for those wines bought since the launch of our new website, but we hope that this serves to bring you closer to your collections and the joyful anticipation of good drinking to come!

 » Go to the Client Zone to look at your portfolio.

What's Coming Up

I am off to the Rhône for a commando-style tasting raid in the very near future. Those looking for long-range wines with a broad window of "drinkability" should find the 2005s of interest. I have tasted a number in London of late and my tastebuds are twitching at the thought of descending into cavernous cellars full of the good stuff. I know, I know; it feels as though the wine world has been bleating on about the 2005 vintage for an unreasonably long time. But it's an extraordinary year for the wines of France - much of the rest of Europe too - so who can blame us? Wine merchants are, themselves, filling their cellars with this stuff and it would therefore be duplicitous of us not to recommend that our clients do the same.

Our offer will be hitting your Inbox in early March.

2005 Burgundy

We are coming to the end of our offer of these wines and they have sold extremely well. There are still stocks available of some great wines, so do act now if you are interested in laying down top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from an extraordinary harvest.  

» Go to the 2005 Burgundy Offer