Max Bordeaux

its all over for another year

2010-04-02T22:06:00.003+02:00

its been an amazingly intense week and now Bordeaux seems strangely empty.

we still managed to finish in style though with a great "post primeurs party" at Max Bordeaux with free flowing Montrose 2004, Pichon Baron 2004, Pichon Lalande 2004, Carbonnieux Blanc 2006 and Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2006 and lots of fun.

thanks to all who participated. hope you had a safe journey back and are enjoying the first night off in over a week.

looking forward to seeing you all next year.

en primeur week

2010-03-26T20:15:00.003+01:00

we're ready ... a brand new sign went up today to ensure that everyone knows exactly where Max Bordeaux is.

looking forward to seeing you there !

Léoville Poyferré

2010-03-05T15:52:00.001+01:00

Huge thanks to Didier Cuvelier for coming to the Wine Gallery yesterday evening with a fantastic selection of wines - 2006, 2004, 2000 and 1996.

Tastings like these on a Thursday night just seem to make the weekends last longer. What on earth am I going to drink tonight to follow that ?

Léoville Poyferré

2010-03-01T13:54:00.008+01:00

It's monday ... and time to start warming up your "papilles" and thinking about Thursday evening !

This week, the Didier Cuvelier, Director of Château Léoville Poyferré, 2^ème Grand Cru Classé du Médoc, will be at the Wine Gallery to present four fabulous vintages - 2006, 2004, 2000 and 1996.

Two special packages are on offer :
@ 35€ - including entrance to the tasting, a 25€ top-up on your Max Bordeaux card and canapés
@ 72€ - including the tasting, a bottle of Léoville Poyferré 2006 and canapés

Rendez vous at the Max Wine Gallery at 19h00 for another voyage of discovery.

Again, please remember to book your place well in advance to avoid disappointment. gallery@maxbordeaux.com.

WOW WOW WOW

2010-02-26T13:55:00.005+01:00

Thomas Duroux certainly wowed the crowds last night with an incredible tasting of Chateau Palmer - including the incredible 1998 vintage which is just simply fabulous at the moment.

Talk about longue en bouche ... if I close my eyes, I can still remember what it tastes like ! Wow !

Chateau Palmer tasting

2010-02-24T14:20:00.003+01:00

Don't forget ... still some spaces left for the hugely popular Chateau Palmer tasting tomorrow night at the Max Bordeaux / Wine Gallery.

You still have time to do a little background reading http://www.chateau-palmer.com/

Bordeaux destined to become new tourist hub

2010-02-23T13:15:00.003+01:00

Bordeaux Merignac airport has just announced new flight routes that means that its never been easier to get to the wine capital of the world. All in all, 73 direct city flights !

To celebrate, we've started telling the inflight magazines about the Max Bordeaux Wine Gallery. Check out the latest edition of "Yeah Baby" ...

website on line !

2010-02-23T12:13:00.004+01:00

its a little later than planned - and for that we apologise - but the Max Bordeaux website is now on line.

www.maxbordeaux.com

this is a really exciting venture for us and we hope that, in time, this will become an important hub on all information concerning Bordeaux - the wines, the city, the places to go, the people ...

stay tuned - it changes daily !

next "rendez vous du jeudi"

2010-01-29T15:20:00.003+01:00

hot off the press - the next "rendez -vous du jeudi" at the Wine Gallery will be hosted by Chateau Haut Bailly.

Thursday 18th February
from 19h00

Remember to sign up in advance, as spaces are purposefully limited for these events.

sunday times

2010-01-22T10:51:00.009+01:00

great new article in the Sunday Times on Bordeaux and the Wine Gallery

Chateau Pavie arrives at the Wine Gallery

2009-12-28T12:17:00.007+01:00

hot off the press ... two vintages (2006 and 2005) of Chateau Pavie St Emilion Grand Cru are now available at the Wine Gallery.

come on down, the Wine Gallery is open 7 days a week ...

merry christmas

2009-12-26T15:07:00.001+01:00

had a lovely evening in the Café de l'Opéra the other night with a group of girls and a few bottles of XVIII Bordeaux (dix-huit bordeaux). here's an interesting fact - we now have an agreement with the Café de l'Opéra that Max Bordeaux clients can take bottles bought in the Wine Gallery and drink them with their meal ... without paying corkage. this is a seriously good deal and allows us all to drink fantastically extravagent wines in one of Bordeaux's most exciting new restaurants and not burst the budget.

Café de l'Opera - entrance to the left of the main Opera entrance, Place de la Comedie, Bordeaux.

radio BFM

2009-12-21T12:10:00.004+01:00

a great review for the Wine Gallery on radio BFM this weekend. http://www.radiobfm.com/podcast/podcast.php?id=5

if you don't want to listen to the whole programme, which is interesting and features the fantastic wine bar in St Emilion, L'Envers du Decors, the Wine Gallery mention starts around the 45th minute.

rendez-vous du jeudi

2009-11-29T15:36:00.003+01:00

apologies are in order for the lack of updates recently. it's been an intense few weeks, jam packed full of media attention for the Wine Gallery, tastings, interviews etc.

last Thursday also saw the first in our series of "rendez-vous du jeudi". once a month, our most loyal supporters are invited to a special evening tasting with a winemaker/owner of a prestigious chateau. places are strictly limited to preserve the intimacy of the evening and give our guests the rare opportunity to get to know the winemakers, ask questions and taste their magical wines.

Fabien Teitgen, directeur technique at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte was the first to step into the limelight and treated us to a delicious tasting, including the unquestionnable hightlight of the evening - the Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge 2000 that had been decanted for two hours prior to serving (http://www.smith-haut-lafitte.com/docs/fr/fiches/Smith-Haut-Lafitte_Fiche-Technique-Rouge-2000.pdf)

Fabien was a great hit - so much so, that the evening ended much later than planned !

http://www.smith-haut-lafitte.com/

the woman had style ...

2009-11-20T10:14:00.001+01:00

there's a great new article on www.decanter.com about Josephine's love affair with Bordeaux. http://www.decanter.com/news/292017.html

a unique tasting in Bordeaux

2009-11-15T18:28:00.003+01:00

Last week, I received a hugely enthusiastic message from Stanislas and Lorraine who had just completely the "tasting of a lifetime" in our Bordeaux Wine Gallery, however, it was only after reading Jane Anson's blog update that I fully realised just what fun they'd had. http://www.newbordeaux.com/documents/137.html

The aim of the tasting was to check that the Enomatic machines really do conserve the wines for a full three weeks as they claim to, so it was officially "real work". However, their experience just goes to show that no matter how long you've been in the wine trade, there are still magical moments that quite simply take your breath away.

Thank you for your extensive feedback and tasting notes, Jane. It sounds as though this was a hugely useful exercise. It is absolutely vital for us to keep on top of all of the wines to ensure that all 48 wines are presented in absolute tip top condition.

Thanks guys for your hard work !

last day in Hong Kong

2009-11-11T18:07:00.008+01:00

So as my gastronomic tour of Asia continues (and my waistline expands), I thought I’d check out another famous French chef who’s set up a second home in HK – Pierre Gagnaire. His restaurant “Pierre” has been poetically described as a combination of “Parisian emotion with Eastern energy”. By happy coincidence, it is also located in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel which is where I had to go anyway for the Zachy’s auction later today. When I got there, the auction was already in full swing, but I had to eat frist as its been at least 12 hours since my last epicurean adventure !!

Gagnaire is a wizard of innovative French gastronomy. His astonishingly intricate and elaborate dishes are often described as “Modern French”, yet his style seems firmly rooted in traditional French cuisine - the result is exquisitely presented, totally original dishes. As I sat flicking through the auction catalogue, I noticed that Zachy’s were offering some “ex chateau” lots of Palmer, so to get myself in the mood, I ordered a bottle of Alter Ego 2004 to go with my “Express Lunch” of Spinach salad with Parma Ham and then some delicious Sea Bass. I love the lunch menus in these great restaurants, as they’re very often fantastic value for money, just like the Pressoir d’Argent in Bordeaux that people presume will be astronomically expensive, but is actually only 34€ ! Anyway, I digress, back to HK. The wine was fanatastic, fresh, well-stored and just how it should be ... I’m now all fired up for the auction !

Serena Sutcliffe MW, the “grande dame” of the wine auction world, said earlier this month that HK has become Sotheby’s most important wine centre, ahead of New York and London. As there were no Sotheby’s or Christies’ auctions on this weekend, I went to see what the Amercian auction house, Zachy’s, had on offer. The majority was, predictably, focused on American wines, however, they did have some rare lots of Chateau Palmer sourced from both the cellars of Mähler-Besse (co-owners of Chateau Palmer with the Sichel family) and from the Chateau itself. This has been the 10th or 12th wine auction over the last twelve months, and I was pleased to see the Palmer being sold at, or just above the high estimate. Interestingly, the bidding on the other wines was a little more inconsistent and funnily enough, one of the lots with the highest number of bidders was for a Haut Brion Blanc from an American collector. A white first growth – there aren’t many of those around.

After all of the excitement, it was time for a little retail therapy - a) to help the soul, but also b) to check out what's going on in the world of retail and work out how to expand the Wine Gallery concept.

The day ended with .. yep, more food ... this time, a fabulous Peking Duck with two very dear friends – Brenda and Weber. The happy ‘husband and wife to be’ actually came to visit me in Bordeaux earlier this year on their pre-honeymoon (see the photo of them hugging a bottle). How cool is it to have a pre and a post honeymoon ? We went to the Chinese restaurant in the American Club and Weber, like a true wine lover, brought along two magical bottles : Haut Brion 1994 and L’Evangile 1993 which were both truly, truly stunning. I wonder if he brought them all the way back from Bordeaux ?

I already can’t wait to come back and I haven’t left yet !

www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/pierre/
www.zachys.com/auctions/Default.aspx

Hong Kong is seriously wine crazy

2009-11-10T22:42:00.005+01:00

Holy cow, this city has become totally wine crazy over the last few years! Wine auctions, wine festivals, winefairs, food & wine festivals, wine promotions on every corner!

Hong Kong has recently become the second Asian city (after Tokyo) to have its own Michelin guide. They've even decalred 2009 to be “The Hong Kong Food and Wine Year”! (www.discoverhongkong.com/hkfoodandwineyear/eng/index.jsp)

Check this out (its insane) ...
Total number of restaurants : 169
One star(14)
Two stars(7)
Three stars(1)

On my quest to find exciting wine retailers, I stopped off at Watson’s Wine Cellar & Wine Bar in Central (the heart of the financial district) who offer 12 wines by the glass from the same sexy Enomatic machines that we have in our Bordeaux Wine Gallery (but we have 48 wines !!).

Watson’s, which is probably the largest wine importer in Hong Kong , has 15 outlets + a successful online shop. Their Wine Bar concept is new and out of the twelve wines, three were from Bordeaux: Chateau Montrose (St. Estephe) 1996, Chateau Prieure Lichine (Margaux) 2003 and Chateau Canon la Gaffeliere (St. Emilon) 2002

The rest of the wines cames from the « rest of the world », which means a pretty tight selection, so this immediately got my head spinning about what would happen if we offered 48 top Bordeaux by the glass as we do at home.

Standing by the machines, armed with her notebook at tasting card, is Lillian Chan – a young and inquisitive banker who had actually just come from the gym and was stopping in to Watson’s on the way home to practice wine tasting. That’s what I call a means to an end !

Anyway, Lillian and I got chatting and I asked if she’d tasted the Montrose 1996 (another favourite of mine). It turned into a really fun evening as we offered each other wines from our cards and talked about how amazing it is to be able to taste wines by the glass and learn about them before paying the big bucks for a whole bottle. Like so many people in HK now, Lillian is totally hooked on wine and even wants to start a tasting club with her colleagues. I love this dynamism.

After a long day trawling the streets of HK (it’s a hard job, I know), I finally found what I was looking for - the “Tastings Wine Bar” – which was, quite frankly, a bit of a miracle. Who says that location is everything – this is literally heaven at the end of a dodgy, dark alley ! "Tastings" has 160 wines from around the world, 40 of which are served by the glass using Enomatic machines. Suddenly I realised that there are even more wine freak visionaries out there than I originally thought.

Five of the wines by the glass were Bordeaux : Chateau Haut Brion (Pessac Leognan) 1999, Chateau Cos d’Estournel (St. Estephe) 1999, Chateau Lascombes (Margaux) 2004, Chateau Lafon Rochet (St. Estephe) 1994 and Chateau Potensac (Haut-Medoc) 1996.

We started chatting with a group of twentysomethings who regularly meet up for a girl’s night out that starts with a glass of Champagne and a food platter and the finishes with fabulous Bordeaux. Its all very “Sex in the City” and I’m even more convinced than ever that we could be successful out here.
http://www.tastings.hk/

back in Hong Kong ...

2009-11-10T08:42:00.005+01:00

It’s so good to be “home”!

From the moment you land and see the gigantic apartment buildings surrounding the airport there is no doubt as to where you are. This city just never stops surprising me, but besides gorging myself on Dim Sum and catching up with friends and my mother’s family, I’m also here to see what’s happened to the wine scene since the tax changes.

Wine is booming here since the government abolished tax on alcohol early last year which has brought prices down by a massive 20%. Imports of wine into this wealthy city of 6.9 million people have soared by 78 per cent! Can you imagine ?

I’ve heard that as many as 300 new wine companies have been set up over the last year and I’m here to see whether a small Max Wine Gallery could work in such an overcrowded market.

But there’s another thing that’s amazing in Hong Kong and that’s the food ! The IFC shopping and financial complex (movie lovers will have seen Batman jumping out of this building in The Dark Knight) houses two of Hong Kongs swankiest restaurants : Caprice (**) and Lung King Heen (Hong Kong’s only *** restaurant). You’ll have worked out by now that I’m a bit of a foodie, but I’ve still got a fair way to go before dining in these temples. But I can look at the wine lists and menus for free !

Instead, I went to the slightly more reasonable L’Atelier de Robuchon at the Landmark. I love to sit in these fantastic places and sample all the tasty stuff that great chefs have created. Sadly, I just missed being cooked for by the master himself - Joel Robuchon - who was here last week training staff.

My old friend Liza was in charge of dinner tonight and treated me to a Chateau Leoville Lascases 1996 – one of my all time favourite wines. Sadly, it was an unbelievably huge disappointment – flat, dead, more like a 1988 than a vibrant 1996. It is so disappointing when this happens. The sommelier shyly admitted that the wine had actually been bought in the States so they weren’t really sure of its past life !! Incredibly annoying.

We ended the evening slightly disappointed but happy all the same with our amazing meal (and scrummy 1999 Bruno Paillard champagne). After talking to Liza, I’m sure that there is space for a Wine Gallery here, but can afford Hong Kong rent !? Time to dream ...

http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining.html
http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/lung_king_heen.html
http://www.robuchon.hk/

great wine capitals

2009-11-03T16:39:00.000+01:00

http://www.greatwinecapitals.com/?1&it=blog&LG=1 we're looking forward to seeing you at Max ...

second weekend at the Wine Gallery

2009-11-02T11:26:00.004+01:00

Meanwhile "back at the ranch" ... it looks as though news has spread quickly, as we had a very busy second saturday, including a private tasting. Its also really interesting to see which wines people go for - but more on that much later when we have enough data to go through.

We're convinced that the Wine Gallery is going to be a very popular hiding place during the cold, overcrowded weekends of Christmas shopping. Don't get angry and frustrated, gentlemen, come and see us for a deliciously calming glass of wine (or two) !

It also looks as though our timing is pretty spot on. Wine educator, blogger and overall fantastic person, Wendy Narby, has just come back from a trip to India where Enomatic machines are fast becoming "de rigeur" in all of the best hotels, bars and restaurants. And guess what she found out when she got home, that Bordeaux now has six Enomatic machines under the same roof !

We couldn't have timed it better if we'd tried ... http://www.insidertasting.com/blog/

goodbye Taipei

2009-11-01T15:32:00.009+01:00

It’s been a busy few days filled with late nights, early mornings and little time for updates !

I met up with Bryan again on Friday evening, but this time with all of his banking colleagues ! We shared another two great wines - Bahans Haut Brion 2000 and Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux 2003.

Grace (see picture) and Bryan’s other colleagues really enjoyed these wines – luckily I’d brought two bottles of each. We also had a really interesting discussion on wine storage/transportation and how they are offer disappointed by some of the wines that they taste. When you think about all the variables involved with wine tasting/drinking, I really do think that it’s inexcusable for the quality to be affected due to careless shipping. This makes me realise how lucky we are to have the Bordeaux Winebank behind us – they’re one of the biggest ex chateau suppliers and store all their wines in Bordeaux until needed. Yet another reason why a Wine Gallery could work here, as all of our wines would be in tip top condition.

Anyway, back to dinner. Both wines were stunning and we enjoyed them over dinner at a small “Parisien Bistro” called LE BISTRO DE L’OLIVIER (www.maggie.com.tw). People are just crazy for classical French food and wines out here. It was a great meal and a good change for me, as I know that there’ll be plenty of yummy Chinese food in the days to come!

Yesterday (Saturday) was my last day in Taipei and it started out with an incredible tasting experience of coffee, rather than wine. Seriously, I tasted “First Growth” coffee presented by international coffee judge Mr. Izuru Mikami, who is married to Sherry - one of Bryan’s colleagues – which just goes to show how far a network can take you :)

Haaya Gourmet Coffee (www.haaya.com.tw) is the coffee shop owned by Mikami and Sherry, and the menu doesn’t just give information on the country and region, it even gives the name of the coffee farm and the variety of the Arabica beans!

Mikami showed us in detail how selective he is when choosing coffees (see photo) which shows coffees being handpicked and sorted just like in Bordeaux ! He let us taste five outstanding examples - the last two even come from special coffee auctions where only the best beans can be found. Its a whole new world !

· Guatemala - Genuine Antigua "Finca Santa Catalina" Bourbon 0809
· Indonesia Sumatra Lington "LCF Platinum Mandheling" 0809
· Ethiopia - Wild Yirgacheffe Natural Beloya 0708 Wild Species
· Panama - Horqueta "Don Julian" Pacamala Auction Lot 0809
· Panama - Volca "Carmen Estate" Caturra Auction Lot 0809

I want to say a huge thank you to Bryan and his fun banker friends (I wish bankers in France were as cool as this) and also to Mikami and Sherry for giving us such an incredible coffee tasting experience!

I’m heading for Hong Kong now and will report back in a few days!

Taipei is cool! Taipei loves Bordeaux!

2009-10-29T23:29:00.005+01:00

Wide awake ! We had an outstanding dinner at Joyce East.

As this is one of Bryan’s locals, they didn’t mind that I’d brought my own bottle for the evening – a Leoville Lascases 1994 – and just look at the photo of him scrutinising the bottle !

The wine was just what we expected - still vibrantly youthful with fabulous elegance, complexity and length. Seriously scrumptious and perfect way to wind down after what felt like the longest day.

I drifted off last night to the sound of Taiwanese voices on TV, which brought back lovely memories of being out here as a child visiting my mother’s family.

Today is going to be a busy day as I’m off to check out the local wine retail scene and meet with potential business partners - it’s a long-term dream to open a Max Wine Gallery here in Taipei. One should never stop dreaming and meeting people …

greetings from Taipei !!

2009-10-29T12:52:00.004+01:00

Back on the blog !

I finally arrived jet-lagged and tired in Taipei earlier today. After checking in to the fabulous Far Eastern Plaza Hotel (www.shangri-la.com/en/property/taipei/fareasternplaza), I quickly went about my tried and tested ‘jet lag beating’ routine – an invigorating run to get my bearings, soak up local culture and get my legs moving after such a long time in a tin can, a luxurious warm shower and then the spiciest food I can find to wake up my palate. Works every time !

I love being in Asia and simply have to have a bowl of Wonton Noodle Soup before I do anything else. It just doesn’t taste the same anywhere else.

After a bit of email catch-up with the guys back home to see how the Wine Gallery is going, I'm now going to meet Bryan - an old friend and a BIG Bordeaux wine lover! Bryan, who is a successful private banker, is seriously passionate about Bordeaux – so much so that he’s even started blogging about it ! Check out http://blog.xuite.net/bryan868/king868 - scroll down past the seal (yes, you read that properly) to see his tasting notes on Potensac, Angelus, Palmer, Pavillon Rouge and Petit Cheval. I can’t wait to show him the Wine Gallery – he’d go insane.

we're going to a restaurant called Joyce East, which is apparently a modern French restaurant with an amazing wine cellar. Hope they won't mind that I've brought my own surprise for Bryan ...

good news from back home

2009-10-29T12:18:00.001+01:00

fantastic article in the local press - perfect timing just before a sunny weekend ...

http://www.bordeauxactu.com/VIN-Max-Bordeaux-et-la-Wine.html

gone global

2009-10-26T15:26:00.001+01:00

word has just come in that we've just got coverage in China (http://www.chinatjh.com/news/news_detail.asp?id=33722) and Finland (http://viinipiru.fi/2009/10/26/uusi-syy-matkustaa-ranskan-bordeauxiin/). how cool ?

decanter.com

2009-10-26T09:28:00.000+01:00

and in Decanter ... http://www.decanter.com/news/290905.html

new bordeaux blog

2009-10-26T09:01:00.001+01:00

fab article on us in Jane Anson's New Bordeaux blog : http://www.newbordeaux.com/documents/137.html

the full list of wines currently on tasting

2009-10-23T13:17:00.001+02:00

Ausone 2006
Cheval Blanc 2006
Latour 2006
Lafite Rothschild 2006
Mouton Rothschild 2006
Haut Brion 2006
Margaux 2006
Yquem 2004
Domaine de Chevalier blanc 2006
Carbonnieux blanc 2006
Angelus 2006
Clerc Milon 2006
Armailhac 2006
Cos d’Estournel 2004
Ducru Beaucaillou 2006
Duhart Milon 2006
L’Evangile 2006
Figeac 2006
Haut Bailly 2004 & 2006
Léoville Barton 2004 & 2006
La Conseillante 2004 & 2006
La Lagune 2004 & 2006
La Mission Haut Brion 2004 & 2006
Léoville Lascases 2004 & 2006
Lynch Bages 2004 & 2006
Montrose 2004 & 2006
Palmer 2004 & 2006
Pichon Longueville Baron 2004 & 2006
Pichon Longueville Comtesse 2004 & 2006
Pontet Canet 2004 & 2006
Smith Haut Lafitte 2006
Vieux Château Certan 2004 & 2006

the first night !!

2009-10-23T11:38:00.004+02:00

"Stan the man" with the very first Max Bordeaux/Wine Gallery credit card.

To explain how it works - these are pay-as-you-go cards that you can credit with as much or as little money as you like. Once loaded up, you chose from the 48 wines on offer, insert the card, chose the size of glass, and off you go on your wonderful journey through Bordeaux's most famous chateaux without leaving the comfort of the city centre.

People really got into last night - some even charged their cards up three times, which is hardly surprising when you consider the list of 48 wines available.

Note the three different tasting glass sizes.

We have six Enomatic machines at the Wine Gallery. These machines have rapidly become the "must have" in top wine bars around the world.

So how do these machines actually work ? In a nutshell,

they are pretty much like the big stainless steel tanks used in wineries. When

you remove wine from the bottle, the space is filled

with an inert gas, which prevents the rest of the bottle from oxidising. Incredibly simple, but a revolution in wine tasting as they allow a far greater number of wines to be tasted by the glass without loss or deterioration of precious wine.

For more details on how it works, click on http://www.enomatic.it/website/default.asp?catIDPadre=37&catID=38

This is the amzingly cool work of art installed high above the Wine Gallery by Bun Than Huynh.

There are over 600 glasses hanging from the ceiling. It may look like beautifully random raindrops, but the position of each glass is actually calculated to the most minute detail to correspond to an algorhythmic pattern.

2009-10-23T00:59:00.001+02:00

a little teaser ... more photos tomorrow morning. now, I have to sleep !

the key to happiness ...

2009-10-22T11:43:00.002+02:00

here is this season's new "must have" accessory !

seriously, we've just checked that they work and we're all set for tonight (because wouldn't that be a nightmare to have hundreds of invitées with high expectations, 48 scrumptuous wines and not being able to get to them !)

excitement levels are currently off the radar.

more soon ...

who says nothing ever happens in Bordeaux ?

2009-10-21T17:12:00.001+02:00

Tomorrow sees the opening of our first Max Wine Gallery – slap-bang in the centre of Bordeaux, on the famous Cours de l’Intendance.

So, what’s a Wine Gallery?

The Wine Gallery is an informal, interactive space that offers a unique opportunity to taste some of Bordeaux’s most prestigious wines – wines that are ordinarily only available to a very lucky (and wealthy) few.

Unlike anything else that exists in Bordeaux, the Wine Gallery will allow you to make up your own tasting.

Forty-eight wines will be available at any given time from our six “enomatic” machines, the latest technology for keeping wines in optimum condition. It’s up to you whether you taste them all, go deep into a particular area, pick’n’mix from your favourites, or just pop in for a quick glass of something special after a hard day’s work. The Wine Gallery is what you make it.

We’re in the final furlong now. The official opening is tomorrow night and we’re all gripped by a mix of exhilaration and first-night nerves. I did toy with the idea of putting photos up on the blog before the big night, but I think that it’s best that you see the venue in all its (finished) splendour.

26 hours and counting …