Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Thursday 26 February 2009

Talking Biodynamics with Nicolas Joly – Part II

The second and concluding part of Gary's interview with Nicolas Joly is now available:


During the course of the interview Nicolas is strong on philosophy and theory but is interestingly vague when asked some specific questions like who else owns part of the La Roche-aux-Moines and who else do you think is making good wine in Savennières. To be fair Gary Vaynerchuk tends to be too quick to interrupt. Nicolas manages to remember that Pierre Soulez used to own part of the Roche aux Moines but fails to mention his neighbour, Madame Laroche, who he once took to court over the use of the name Roche aux Moines. Nor does he mention Claude Papin, who also has vines there.


Well worth reading in conjunction with Gary and Nicolas' chat is wine doctor Chris Kissack's updated profile of La Coulée de Serrant. Chris gives careful consideration to the divided opinions over the perceived quality of the estate's wines and looks at the wine-making methods used. It would be interesting to see what the results would be if someone like Noël Pinguet or Jean-Pierre Chevallier were put in charge of wine-making at La Coulée.

4 comments:

Susan said...

I've been very interested to watch Biodynamics become so popular here. My family has links with the movement in Australia.

Jim's Loire said...

Given the difficulties of the climate for vines it is striking how popular organic viticulture and biodynamics have become in the Loire. What links does your family have with biodynamics in Australia?

Susan said...

My maternal grandfather and Alex Podolinsky were friends and our family mixed farm in Australia from the 1960s was biodynamic. (My uncle continues the practice on his dairy farm.) AP, a Polish Count who came out to Australia after WW2 (I think) is the godfather of Biodynamics in Australia, but rather irreverantly know by most people as Pod. He's in his 80's now.

Jim's Loire said...

Thanks Susan