Celebrating 10 years at the Rust

Last week was my tenth year as wine correspondent of The Rust and I enjoyed a bottle of Supertuscan Sassicaia with the editor.

It was my choice of wine as it nicely illustrates the cycle of wine fashion. I drank it first in the late 1970s when a friend invited me to their family home in Tuscany near Siena. It was then a table wine. The bottle we drank would be worth £50o and cost even more on the wine list of a fashionable Italian London restaurant.

Ten years ago, when first approached, I was concerned as to my contribution and I  have to say that the post was unpaid. The editor said it was an opportunity to expose the wine trade – just like John Pargiter makes small bets to defy the market and Alice Mansfield lifts the lid on the art world.   As I had a few lucrative consultancies advising rich people on building a wine cellar, or restaurants on their wine list, I accepted and – although not as prolific as the sports team -enjoyed it.

Back in the 1970s I had a cottage in Southwold Suffolk that brought me in contact with Adnams – the dynamic stewardship of Simon Loftus Adnams has done much for the town and for real alé but did miss out on the great Australian wine boom.

One of the features of my life in wine has been the rising reputation of Southern Hemisphere wine from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Chile and now eastern European countries like Greece, Macedonia and Croatia.

After many years of high reputation and higher prices – as much for a terroir as its wine – there has been a shift from Burgundy to Supertuscan (Sassicaia, Ornellaia and Tignanello).

Wine writers are possibly too eager to be compromised by invitations for tastings (wife/partner included) and the canny ones sell on a case they ask to review.

Restaurant wine lists can be intentionally misleading – for example the Primitivo from Puglia is made from the same grape as the Californian Zinfandel though it is half the price. Since the pandemic, wine prices have soared and you see less and less house wine on restaurant wine lists and more and more a glass charged at £12-15. Buying wholesale that bottle probably only cost the restaurant a fiver.

So what is the future?

If wines from Sussex and Kent can produce in sufficient volume they can rival overseas wines.  Sussex sparkling wine (they cannot call it champagne) regularly beats the French more famous marqués in Champagne tasting.

The Judgment of Paris (1976) – not really covered at the time – when Californian wines beat the best French Bordeaux in a blind tasting by French experts, had led to an investment in Californian estates by such conglomerates as Louis Vuitton and the Bourgyes mobile phone company though,  with typical Gallic arrogance, they say this is due to the bigger American potential.

Greek wines such as the Noussa – made from the Xinamavrou grape – is very good value.  There will be a movement against wines of 14% alcohol such as Pomerol to lighter wines at 11%.

Wine, which as a consumable avoids CGT, might be a more attractive investment if Rachel Reeves does raise the level of that tax in the autumn Budget, but dealing costs are 10%.

I advise my clients to buy 20 cases, leave them in bond, sell profitably and retain a couple of cases for consumption.

Above all wine, like art, should be a pleasure.

Over the weekend I opened a Sancerre Pinot Noir Les Marennes (£16.99 at Waitrose) and, served with prime roast beef, it was quite delicious.