Intimate dining in Paris

By John Brunton
Published: August 7 2010 00:39 | Last updated: August 7 2010 00:39

The exterior of Chris Wright’s Le Timbre restaurant

Most visitors who come to Paris in search of fine food probably imagine they will find it in a grand dining room with a glass-domed ceiling, starched tablecloth and vast chandeliers. But today the city’s resident foodies are more likely to get excited about a new breed of restaurants which are relaxed, simply furnished – and absolutely tiny.
These places have as few as six tables, with diners crammed in together and the chef in full view, cooking away at the end of the room. With low overheads, fewer staff and none of the usual frills that accompany gourmet dining, here up-and-coming chefs can concentrate on inventing creative dishes, using excellent produce and at more affordable prices. And, unlike many restaurants in the city, some of them even stay open in August.
This summer’s hottest address is Spring, opened three weeks ago by American chef Daniel Rose in a chic, minimalist space, with six tables. Cooking in an open atelier-style kitchen, Rose and his enthusiastic team describe their light, market-based cuisine as a “work in progress”, with new recipes being tested every day, and lunch dishes based around different delicious broths. Like many of these tiny restaurants, there isn’t an à la carte offering, just a set menu, which here costs €38 at midday, rising to €64 at night.
Earlier in the year young Italian chef Giovanni Passerini opened Rino, not far from the trendy Bastille quarter, for which he has been getting rave reviews from numerous French food critics. Passerini previously worked with the influential Swedish chef, Petter Nilsson at La Gazzetta, in the 12th arrondissement, and his 20-seat diner will definitely be one of the most fashionable spots to book a table come the September rentrée when Parisians get back from their summer holidays. Don’t expect classic Italian cuisine though, as the chef, working with just a single assistant in a cramped open kitchen, creates his own fantasy dishes, such as a barley risotto with anchovies, preserved lemon and fish eggs, or ravioli stuffed with calf’s head and served with a dandelion salad and parsnip consommé. Lunch is a good deal, with two set courses costing only €18, while at night, tasting menus are priced at €38 and €50.
It may be hard to get a reservation at Rino, but this is nothing compared to yam’Tcha, situated a stone’s throw from the Louvre. Its chef Adeline Grattard is the new cherie of Parisian gourmets, consecrated in March with her first Michelin star scarcely a year after opening. Even before the Michelin announcement, the waiting list was six weeks for a table in the minuscule dining room which seats a maximum of 20 people. After working with one of France’s greatest chefs, Pascal Barbot at L’Astrance, she moved to Hong Kong to cook alongside Alvin Leung at his Bo Innovation restaurant.
Back in Paris, finally in her own restaurant, she is creating sensational dishes that are a genuine marriage between French and Chinese products, flavours and cooking techniques. Working in a tiny open kitchen, she wows customers with her use of the wok, and her husband, Chi Wa, theatrically handles tea tastings to accompany the food – although there is also an excellent choice of wines, particularly from Grattard’s native Burgundy. If you can get in, the lunch menu is a steal at €30, while at night, the price rises to €65.
Mystery Cuisine, off the rue de Rivoli, has space for just 14 diners and only opens at night. The concept is what the self-trained chefs and owners – Frenchman Edouard Desrousseaux de Vandières and Thu Ha from Vietnam – call “four-handed cuisine”, meaning imaginative dishes that they have created together. Desrousseaux de Vandières loves fresh foie gras, which he presents lightly seared with strawberries, spices and black truffle, while Ha prepares a delicious pho ga soup of rice noodles, beef, chicken and a raw egg yolk, which accompanies each of the main dishes.
Dining out here is something of a splurge – the two-course mystery menu costs €59, while the menu gastronomique, which includes cheeses and desserts, is a hefty €99. There is a fine wine list, and the chefs find the time to mix a great mojito.
In a friendly restaurant called Le Timbre (The Postage Stamp), owned by Chris Wright, even the waitress has difficulty balancing dishes between the dozen tables. One of the few British chefs to have made a name for himself in the city, Wright draws not expats, but a loyal clientele of chic Parisians and offers his own interpretation of classic French cuisine.
Girolle mushrooms are lightly fried with cured ham; a simple pea soup is flavoured with tangy anchovies, while a chunky cod steak is served with pimiento peppers from the Basque country, stuffed with creamy goat’s cheese. Wright somehow manages to do all the cooking alone, in an open gallery, and customers even have to dodge through the kitchen to get to the loo out back in a courtyard. Le Timbre is tucked down a side street in the heart of the Rive Gauche, not far from legendary dining institutions like La Coupole and Le Dôme, but with a three-course set lunch at €26, is far better value.
Unlike Spring or yam’Tcha, Les Crocs remains well under the radar of the Paris gourmet blogosphere – and all the better because you don’t always have to book in advance at this cosy 18-seat restaurant, right by one of Paris’s finest food markets, the Marché d’Aligre. The menu reflects what the chef, Luc Paget, has found there that morning: tuna steak with baby artichokes, perhaps, or wild boar, marinated in red wine and served with freshly-made pasta. Better still, if you are a group of at least 14, you can reserve the whole restaurant – so for a special occasion, why not forget the pomp of the Meurice or the Plaza Athénée, and celebrate in your own private, if petite, Parisian restaurant.
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Details
Spring, 6 rue Bailleul, tel: +33 1 45 96 05 72, www.springparis.fr
Rino, 46 rue Trousseau, tel: +33 1 48 06 95 85, www.rinorestaurant.com
yam’Tcha, 4 rue Sauval, tel: +33 1 40 26 08 07
Mystery Cuisine, 37 rue Montpensier, tel: +33 1 40 20 03 02
Le Timbre, 3 rue Sainte Beuve, tel: +33 1 45 49 10 40, www.restaurantletimbre.com
Les Crocs, 14 rue de Cotte, tel: +33 1 43 46 63 63
yam’Tcha and Mystery Cuisine are closed during August, Rino and Le Timbre reopen on 24 August

What is happiness? 乐观的人更幸福

Sir Tom Hunter

By Nick Powdthavee, Carl Wilkinson 2010-09-18 (www.ftchinese.com)

You will never hear me complain about having too much money. I’m euphoric! Having a certain level of wealth gives you security.
I’m definitely happier now than when I started out in business. I wasn’t unhappy then, but there was plenty of uncertainty. Now my life’s pretty mapped out. I’m not saying there aren’t challenges, but I feel I can deal with it all. I have contentment and although that’s not the same as happiness they go hand in hand.
I’m a naturally optimistic and positive person. In my experience people with a positive attitude to life are happier and achieve more. I sold my first business, Sports Division, in 1998 when I was 37. I got a cheque for £260m and thought: “I’m so privileged and so lucky, I can easily take care of my family, I don’t need all this money.” I took a few years out to educate myself and work out what I wanted to do. I needed a reason to keep working – and if the reason isn’t money, what is it? Philanthropy and business came together: I need to make money in order to invest it in philanthropy.
I don’t see what we do as giving money away. We want a return. We view it through pretty much the same equation as our business life. The return in business life is profit, but the return in philanthropy is something else.
I recently came back from Malawi where we’ve built a maternity ward. Rates of infant mortality and mothers dying in childbirth have gone down. Seeing the hospital finished and operational gave me a bigger high than any business deal I’ve ever done.
I don’t want to come across as Mother Teresa, because I’m not. But I wouldn’t feel right if my money was just left to my kids. I don’t think it’d bring them happiness … they may disagree. I think giving money away allows me to enjoy having wealth.
Prior to the credit crunch, philanthropy took up perhaps 30 per cent of my week. Now it’s more like 10 per cent. I’ve had to go back to making more money, but I’d like to get to a position where the balance between business and philanthropy was 50:50.
The credit crunch has brought back a sense of reality for me. Some of the things we’d taken for granted, like going on holiday, we’re beginning to really appreciate again. We’ve realised our family time is precious and we’ve got to make the most of it.
I’ve been very lucky, and while happiness is being able to go to great places on holiday, it’s also having a laugh down the chip shop every Sunday night with the people I grew up with.
I hope making money hasn’t changed me, but I’m not really the best person to judge.

乐观的人更幸福

作者： 尼克•鲍特塞维, 卡尔•威尔金森 2010-09-18 (www.ftchinese.com)

你永远不会听到我抱怨钱太多。我志得意满！有一定的财富能给人以安全感。
我如今肯定比刚开始创业的时候要幸福得多。那时我并不是不幸福，但生活中充满了不确定性。如今我的日子过得有板有眼。我不是说现在就没有挑战，只是觉得自己能应付自如。我很满足，虽然这与幸福不是一码事，但它们（满足和幸福）是形影不离的一对。
我天生积极乐观。我的生活经历告诉我：对生活持积极态度的人更幸福，事业更有成。1998年我37岁那年，我卖掉了自己的第一家公司Sports Division，拿到了2.6亿英镑的支票。当时我就想：“我很幸运，已经功成名就，养家糊口不在话下，我不需要这么多钱。”我花了几年时间自学，想弄 明白自己想做什么。我需要继续工作的理由——如果钱不是理由，那是什么？慈善和做生意殊途同归：为了投资慈善事业，自己得大把挣钱。
我不知道我们捐钱做什么。我们希望得到回报。我们基本上是用做生意的眼光看待办慈善事业。做生意的回报是利润，但做慈善的回报则是别的。
我最近刚从马拉维(Malawi)回来，在那儿我们建了一座产科病房。如今，婴儿和难产妈妈的死亡率都降下来了。看到医院竣工并正常运转，这比我做成的任何生意都更有成就感。
我无意象特蕾莎修女(Mother Teresa)那样留名青史，因为我没法与她比。但如果只把钱留给子女，我也觉得不得劲，我认为钱不会带给他们幸福……他们可能会有不同看法。我觉得把钱捐掉能让我享受拥有财富的乐趣。
在本次信贷紧缩前，做慈善大概牵扯了我平日里30%的精力，如今只有10%左右。我不得不杀回生意场去挣更多的钱，但我希望将来生意与慈善的时间分配能够五五开。
信贷紧缩让我重新审视现实。有些事我们以前太过想当然了，就拿度假来说吧，我们如今开始重拾兴趣。我们意识到和家人在一起的时间弥足珍贵，所以得尽最大可能享受温馨的家庭生活。
我很幸运，虽然能去很棒的地方度假是幸福，但是，每周日晚能与从小长大的伙伴一起在薯条店里纵情大笑也是幸福。
我希望钱挣了，但人没变，但是是非评说，自己显然并非最合适人选。

Pixie Lott

By Nick Powdthavee, Carl Wilkinson 2010-09-20 (www.ftchinese.com)

Music, for me, is medicine. I’m at my happiest when I’m on stage or making music in the studio. Writing songs really does feel like therapy. Even just listening to music makes me happy. If I’m in a terrible mood, I just put my iPod on – the louder the better – and it instantly turns me around.
I don’t know why, but music really connects with me. There’s always a song that matches my mood, and encapsulates moments in my life. My favourite song is “Love Come Down” by Evelyn King. It’s an old 1980s tune, but whenever I have parties at my house, or my friends come over to get ready to go out, we play it full blast. We all love it. I’ve definitely got some happy memories associated with that song.
I know songs I listen to have a powerful effect on me, but it’s weird to think that the music I make can have that effect on other people. I find it crazy to hear in letters or on Twitter the effect my songs can have. When I’m unhappy or have had an argument I’ll go straight to the piano and write a song almost while I’m crying. It’s so much better because the emotion is real. As soon as I start to get it off my chest, I feel happier. If you’re in the heat of the moment and you write a song, it definitely comes out better than if you just have to write a song today.
My album, Turn It Up, was released last year – the launch day was one of my happiest because I got to play my first headline show in London and then I had another show in Berlin on the same day. The album went to number six in the UK charts and I’ve had two number one singles and five songs in the top 20. It’s all happened so fast, but I think my idea of happiness hasn’t changed.
I guess I’m a naturally happy person. Happiness, for me, is making music, listening to music, being with my friends and going out with them and being with my family. I’m so lucky to have them; I’d feel selfish if I wasn’t happy. I’ve always had those values and they haven’t changed.

案例4：音乐犹如一味良药

作者： 尼克•鲍特塞维, 卡尔•威尔金森 2010-09-20 (www.ftchinese.com)

对我来说，音乐犹如一味良药。登台演唱和在录音棚里录音都是我最开心的时候。创作歌曲真的感觉和疗伤一样。即使只是听听音乐就能让我开心。情绪低落时，我就打开iPod，声音越大越过瘾，情绪很快就雨过天晴了。
我不知道其中的原因，但是音乐真的与我心灵相通。无论何时，都找得到契合我情绪、能够抒发我当时感受的歌曲。我最喜欢的歌是伊芙林•金 (Evelyn King)的《真爱降临》(Love Come Down)。这是一首上世纪80年代的老歌，但是，只要我在家举行party，或者是朋友过来准备一起外出时，我们就用最大的音量播放这首歌。我们都很喜 欢这首歌。这首歌无疑让我想起很多回味无穷的幸福往事。
我知道我所听的歌深深地影响了我，但是我未想到的是自己创作的歌对别人也有不同凡响的影响力。从歌迷的信件和Twitter得知自己的歌竟有如此影 响力，自然是心花怒放。当我感到难过或者与别人争执不下时，我会径直走到钢琴前，几乎是边哭边谱写歌曲，因为真情所至，所以创作出的整首歌浑然天成。直抒 胸臆后，就感觉好受多了。悲愤交加中一气呵成写就的歌，肯定比硬着头皮的应承之作要棒得多。
我去年推出了自己的专辑Turn It Up，发布当日最为开心，因为我在伦敦开始举办自己的首场巡回演出，同一天还在柏林进行另一场演出。该专辑在英国音乐排行榜上位列第六，其中两首单曲夺得桂冠，5首歌曲进入前20。这一切来得太快了，但我对快乐的理解并未改变。
我想我天生是个乐天派。对我来说，快乐就是制作音乐、聆听音乐、与朋友在一起和与他们外出，以及与家人在一起。我很幸运拥有这一切。如果我不开心，我会觉得自己有点自私。我一直有这样的价值观，它们一直未曾改变过。


Sam Clark

By Nick Powdthavee, Carl Wilkinson 2010-09-17 (www.ftchinese.com)

My love of food stems from an early age. I loved eating things on my own and discovering how food works – the different ways in which you can eat a Jaffa Cake, how a banana naturally divides lengthways into three segments or the fact that a cucumber’s seeds taste different from the rest of it. I thought about how food is put together and how taste and texture works.
As I grew older, that pleasure was realised through cooking for friends and then customers at Moro, the restaurant I run with my husband, Sam. I never made the conscious decision to work in a restaurant – I fell into it. I studied languages at university, but I have always cooked for people and enjoyed it. I had a bit of a reputation for cooking, but it wasn’t until I fell into a job that I realised it was exactly what I should be doing – it felt natural and right.
The happiest moment of my life was when I met Sam. I was cooking at The Eagle pub in Farringdon and he came to work as a cook. He’d been at the River Café, as I had, and I’d heard about him because we have the same surname. It’s corny, but he made me very happy. I really wanted to find someone like-minded, someone who enjoys food. I couldn’t imagine going out with someone who wasn’t as passionate about food as I am. When Sam came along, it was without question my happiest moment. We set up Moro two or three years later.
The restaurant’s now in its 13th year and the feedback from people is always very positive; they really enjoy being in the restaurant and eating the food. We cook a little less at home during the week now because we’ve been cooking at work and over the years we’ve become more professional in the way we approach it. But cooking remains our passion, it’s what makes us happy – people respond to that.
Generally, I’m a happy person. I’m extremely lucky to be doing what I love. If you’re not happy, you can’t get up every day and go into the restaurant and inspire the staff. If you’re not in a happy place, then they certainly won’t be. I think I can confidently say that the staff are happy.
You can’t be happy all the time; anyone who says they are is lying. If you don’t experience unhappiness, then how can you experience happiness? If Sam or I are unhappy, it’s hard for the other to be happy, or if the children are unhappy, then we can’t be happy. We work pretty hard and it is difficult to balance a busy restaurant where we have 50 people working all of whom need to feel valued, as well as home life and young children. The balancing act is not an easy one and I don’t do it perfectly all the time. It’s quite demanding.
Over time, what makes me happy has changed. It’s the smaller things that make me happy now – not aspiring to own the world. Having a family changes things too. If my family is happy and the restaurant is happy and people are thriving and enjoy working, that for us is enough. We don’t need to earn millions of pounds; that’s not what we’re after.
For us, it’s all about the food. We really care about trying to make the food as good as it can be. There are two services each day and you’re under scrutiny. People notice. Of course some things are not perfect, our recipes are not written down to the exact gramme so we rely on our chefs. But I think the whole parcel – the restaurant, the food, the people, the atmosphere – it’s very stimulating. Sam and I are quite different, but we have a shared goal: we’re both very passionate about the restaurant and the food, and that’s what makes us happy.

案例2：美食就是人生

作者： 尼克•鲍特塞维, 卡尔•威尔金森 2010-09-17 (www.ftchinese.com)

我打小就喜欢做饭，喜欢吃自己做的菜，并捣鼓出各色吃法：如佳发橙子蛋糕(Jaffa Cake)的不同吃法、如何不拖泥带水地把香蕉纵切成三截，此外还发现黄瓜囊原来与其它部分味道迥异。我满脑子想的都是菜如何搭配后如何做出不同的色、香、味。
长大后，满足做菜的乐趣先是靠在朋友面前露一手、继而是靠来Moro就餐的顾客。Moro是我和我老公山姆一起开的一家餐馆。入餐饮这一行，我从来 不是有意为之，完全是出于偶然。我大学学的是语言学，但毕业后，我一直当厨师，也就喜欢上了这行。我擅长烹饪小有名气，但直到我因为偶然的机会开始打工 时，才真正意识到自己适合干这一行——完全是顺其自然、水到渠成。
我人生最快乐的时刻当属遇到山姆。当时我在伦敦法灵顿区(Farringdon)的老鹰酒巴(The Eagle pub)当厨师，山姆也到那里打工当厨师。他之前在River Café干过，我也在那呆过，我听说过山姆这个人，因为我俩的名字一样（都是Sam）。听上去有点俗套，但山姆很讨我喜欢。我真得想找一个和我一样喜欢烹 饪的志同道合者作人生伴侣，一个对美食不感兴趣的人和我是志不同道不合，与这样的人约会我实在难以想象。山姆出现时，无疑就是我最开心的时候。大约2、3 年后，我俩开了Moro餐馆。
如今，餐馆经营已届第十三个年头，顾客反映一直很好；他们很喜欢到我们餐馆吃饭。我们平日里在家不怎么做饭，原因是我们上班就一直在做饭，十几年来，经营餐馆这一行我们已经轻车熟路。但是我们仍然对烹饪情有独钟，它给了我们欢乐，而顾客对此做出相应的反应。
总体说来，我很幸福。我非常幸运能够做自己喜欢的事。你若不快乐，就不可能每天起早赶到餐馆、去激励自己的员工。你若觉得工作环境不顺心，员工们必然也是如此。我可以很自信地说，我手下的员工都很开心。
人不可能永远快乐；说这话的人是在说假话。不经历痛苦，如何能够体味快乐？如果我和山姆不快乐，员工也很难感觉快乐，如果孩子们不开心，我们当然也 不可能开心。我们工作非常辛苦，要兼顾好生意火爆的餐馆、家庭生活和孩子不是件容易的事，要知道，我们雇的50名员工个个争强好胜，不甘人下。要端平这碗 水实在不容易，我做得并非始终完美。这很累人。
随着时间的推移，快乐的内涵已然改变。现在给我快乐的都是些琐碎的事情——不再象以前那样渴望拥有整个世界。成家后人生感悟也会不同。如果家庭幸福，餐馆上下和气，员工积极上进、乐于工作，我们就心满意足了。我们不需要挣万贯家财；那并非我们所追求的目标。
对我们来说，美食才是人生的目标。我们真的很在意想方设法提高饭菜质量，力求精益求精。每天我们供应两次饭菜，时时会有人监督。顾客看在眼里，记在 心里。当然，有些事无法尽善尽美，我们的食谱并非精确到克，所以我们要依靠大厨。但是，我认为整体感觉——餐馆的布置、饭菜质量、员工态度以及工作氛围 ——非常温馨，让人宾至如归。我和山姆性格迥异，但我们目标一致：我们对餐馆和饭菜质量十分上心，我们工作时心情很快乐。

案例１：数学家的幸福

作者： 尼克•鲍特塞维, 卡尔•威尔金森 2010-09-16 (www.ftchinese.com)

真正让我兴奋的就是找出规律；这就是数学的根本意义。绞尽脑汁地求解难题，待到一切环环相扣，难题被成功破解，那就是我最开心的时候。它使我的大脑一下子分泌出大量多巴胺（dopamine，一种让人愉悦的神经递质，译者注）。
数学能够揭示宇宙中最根本的规律，而破解难题的一部分魅力，就在于这些规律是永恒的。回味自己的各项研究发现，令我产生强烈的幸福感；我知道即使我 过世了，这些成果仍会继续存世。我认为每个人从内心来说都是数学家。人脑具有寻找规律的本能——我们借助这种本能来发现重要的事物。
从某种意义上说，数学指引着我规划自己的生活。数学并非一切问题的答案，但是它能助你规划一条更好的人生之路。弄清楚哪些规律让你快乐、哪些使你消沉，然后决定重复还是规避它们，从本质上说是个数学习惯。
我觉得生活中让我快乐的事往往有数学结构在其中起作用。听音乐能增加我的快乐度，因为我在某个层面欣赏音乐的规律。踢足球同样让我兴奋异常。我踢球 很少能进球，因为我负责中场，偏重于防守，但为数不多的几次进球让我激动不已。体内的紧张感积聚到一定程度后得以释放；赋予我快乐的一切东西（数学、足 球、性），其过程都大同小异。
在所有这一切，都有个人荣誉感在其中起作用，但同时也有为整个集体作贡献的意识。我不可能单枪匹马去研究数学。解题过程中，我需要我的数学团队做大量的验证工作。
我认为：只有经历了不快乐才能真正感悟快乐。我们夫妻俩曾经有过一个孩子，因难产不幸夭折了，我妻子也差点撒手人寰。这件事对我打击很大，我扪心自 问：想从生活中获取什么。是不是只想安安稳稳地平庸一生？不，我所喜欢的是生活光鲜亮丽的一面，但那免不了低潮彷徨。人生的意义就在于承担风险。
研究数学与生活中的情况如出一辙。你得冒很多风险，咋整都不得劲时，情绪会很低落。但是，那也意味着当研究工作顺风顺水时，感觉会更爽。
过去10年来，我一直试图破解一个数学猜想，若能成功攻克，我想我会非常开心。我的难题并非悬赏百万美元奖金的五大著名猜想中的一个。钱并非我的驱 动力。要是能解决上述五大难题中的任何一个，我想多数数学家愿意自掏百万美元。事实上，我倒希望能有更多的时间（而非拥有更多的钱财）；时间才是真正增加 快乐的要素。

Marcus du Sautoy

By Nick Powdthavee, Carl Wilkinson 2010-09-16 (www.ftchinese.com)

What really does it for me is spotting patterns; it’s what mathematics is all about. Working on a mathematical problem and getting that “Aha!” moment when things fit together makes me very happy. It causes a surge of dopamine in my head.
Mathematics offers something very fundamental about the universe, and the appeal of solving problems is partly because they’re eternal. Looking back on the discoveries that I’ve made gives me an intense feeling of happiness; I know they’re going to outlive me. I believe we’re all mathematicians at heart. The brain is programmed to look for patterns – it’s how we know something is significant.
In some sense, mathematics informs the way I run my life. Mathematics is not the answer to everything, but it can help you to plan a better path. Recognising patterns that make you happy or unhappy and repeating or avoiding them is an inherently mathematical trait.
I think the things that make me happy in life often have an underlying mathematical structure. Listening to music increases my levels of happiness because on some level I’m enjoying its patterns. Playing football also makes me incredibly happy. I rarely score a goal because I’m a bit of a defensive midfielder, but the few times I have it’s given me a huge surge of happiness. Tension is built up and then has a resolution; it’s the same for all the things that give me happiness: maths, football and sex.
There’s an element of personal glory in all of this but it’s also about the sense of contributing to a community. I couldn’t do maths in isolation. I need my community of mathematicians to validate what I do.
I think that you can’t really experience happiness without being unhappy. We had a child who died during delivery and my wife almost died, too. It was incredibly traumatic and I questioned what I wanted from my life. Did I want it to be just a flat line of mediocrity? No, what I love about life is its highs, but that will involve lows. Life is about taking risks.
In mathematics it’s the same. You take risks and there are depressing times when nothing works, but it does make those times when it does work so much more satisfying.
I’ve been working on a conjecture for the past 10 years, and if I could solve it I think I would be very happy. It’s not one of the five famous conjectures for which there is a $1m prize attached. Money is not the driving force for me. Most mathematicians would pay a million dollars to be able to solve any one of those problems. In fact, I’d rather have more time than more money; time is the factor that really increases happiness.

So You Want to Start a Wine Collection 收藏葡萄酒的入门级原则

2010年 09月 24日 12:04
Asia's wine collections now rival those of the rest of the world, says Michael Au, Christie's Hong Kong wine specialist. Case in point: The auction house's Sept. 18 sale this year involves a unique collection of 400 cases from the top 13 châteaux in Europe, including Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Petrus and Château Haut-Brion. The bottles are completely untouched, with pristine labels and clean provenance; all are stored properly in Europe. The owner of this fine collection? A South Korean conglomerate - SK Networks.

Wine collectors are a different breed from wine lovers. For a collector, the perfect bottle has less to do with flavor than with value. It is an investment, not for drinking.

Lately, huge demand for fine wines from Asia - buyers from greater China made up of 82% of Christie's spring wine sale in Hong Kong - has pushed up prices substantially, especially for Bordeaux. It looks like a good bottle may be a better buy than many stocks on the market. Last year, a single lot at Christie's, the 'Liquid Gold Collection,' 128 bottles and 40 magnums of Château d'Yquem, fetched more than US$1million dollars, the highest price for a wine lot ever sold in Asia.

But starting a collection takes some planning, says Au. Here, some tenets to keep in mind.

1. French wines are king. If you have to choose one bottle, make it a Bordeaux, says Au. These reds are 'the cornerstones of the Asian wine market.' Producers of Bordeaux, such as Haut-Brion, Château Latour, Château Margaux, Château Lafite and Château Mouton-Rothschild, are considered the industry's blue-chip labels, formally classified as 'first growths' or Premier Crus. 'Burgundies are a good second choice,' he adds.

2. The best source for rare finds: Asia. 'In the months following the financial crash of 2008, lots of European and American sellers pushed their inventory to Asia,' says Au. 'As a result, there's a higher chance to find a rare bottle out here in the Asian market' than in the West.

3. Store it well. Buyers today insist on knowing exactly where bottles have been, since there's little guarantee that a bottle won't be corked or improperly aged. Some storage facilities have even started to use laser engraved codes to help track a bottle or a case? A proper storage facility, where temperatures sit at 13 degrees Celsius and humidity levels range between 55% and 60%, is a worthwhile investment. It costs just US$2 to $5 a month a bottle and ensures the wine won't depreciate in quality.

Amy Ma

收藏葡萄酒的入门级原则 2010年 09月 24日 12:04 Christie 香 港佳士得(Christie's)洋酒部专家欧俊康说，如今亚洲的葡萄酒收藏可以媲美世界其它地方。有例为证，佳士得今年9月18日一场专拍的拍品包括400箱珍贵的来自欧洲前十三甲酒庄的葡萄酒名酿，从拉菲堡(Chateau Lafite Rothschild)口柏翠堡(Chateau Petrus)到奥比昂酒庄(Chateau Haut-Brion)，应有尽有。所有佳酿都以最佳方式在欧洲保存，至今原封未动，还贴着原始标签，保持着最初的清新口感。那么，谁是这批藏品的主人呢？是韩国大型企业集团SK Networks。 葡萄酒收藏者与葡萄酒爱好者不同。对于前者来说，葡萄酒的完美与否主要跟价值有关，口味倒是其次。葡萄酒对他们来说是一种投资，而不是用来满足口腹之欲。 亚洲对精品葡萄酒的巨大需求成为近来葡萄酒价格，尤其是法国波尔多葡萄酒价格飙升的主要原因。佳士得香港顶级珍贵名酒春季拍卖会上，大中华地区的买家占到全部拍卖额的82%。看来买一瓶上好的佳酿会比买多支股票更上算。去年佳士得的一批“液体黄金藏品”(Liquid Gold Collection)──128标准瓶和40大瓶的伊甘酒庄(Chateau d'Yquem)葡萄酒──拍得100余万美元，创下单一批次葡萄酒的亚洲最高拍价。 不过欧俊康表示，涉足葡萄酒收藏前需要做做规划，要知道一些基本原则。 1. 法国葡萄酒是王道。欧俊康说，如果你只能收藏一瓶酒，一定要选法国波尔多，波尔多红酒是亚洲葡萄酒市场的王中之王。波尔多酒制造商，如奥比昂酒庄口拉图堡(Chateau Latour)口玛歌酒庄(Chateau Margaux)口拉菲堡和木桐酒庄(Chateau Mouton-Rothschild)，都是业内公认的 “蓝筹股”，被列为“升值最快红酒”或一等酒庄之列。他补充说，勃艮第葡萄酒是不错的第二选择。 2. 珍贵名品的最佳渠道来源：亚洲。欧俊康说，2008年爆发金融危机后的几个月时间里，很多欧美葡萄酒卖家都纷纷将其陈年佳酿销往亚洲，因此在亚洲市场碰到稀有葡萄酒的几率大于西方市场。 3. 保存条件需适当。现在的买家都坚决要求卖方提供葡萄酒曾经的储藏地点，因为如果一瓶好酒没有用软木塞封存或储存不当，其质量就得不到保障。有些储存场所甚至开始使用激光印刻编码，以对瓶装或整箱葡萄酒进行跟踪。能维持13摄氏度恒温、湿度介于55%-60%之间的储存设备也很值得投资。每月只需花费2-5美元，就可确保葡萄酒品质不会降低。

Telling a Wine by Its Glass 好酒还需配好杯

Telling a Wine by Its Glass

2010年 09月 17日 09:02
I used to have a bit of a glass fetish. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing sinister in my appreciation of glassware, it's just that immediately after university, when I was first getting into wine seriously and had a bit of money in my back pocket, I went out and bought a number of Georg Riedel wine glasses.

Georg Riedel is the most influential man in wine glass design. When he inherited his father's glassware factory in Austria, the young Georg decided to design a range of glasses suited to various styles of wine. The premise was based on what Riedel describes as the 'tongue map.' By directing the flow of liquid toward a specific area of the tongue, a glass can actually alter the flavor of the wine. The Riedel portfolio is huge, with glasses for young Bordeaux, old Bordeaux, Chardonnay, Chianti, Burgundy, Riesling and so on. The prices can also be huge, ranging from £15 for a basic tasting glass to £100 for the Burgundy glass.

At various stages during my glassware fad I owned most of the major examples, including the Riedel Sommeliers Burgundy Grand Cru, whose elaborately ballooned bowl has earned it a place on permanent display in New York's Museum of Modern Art.

But my relationship with very expensive wine glasses ended when they began to break. One by one, my collection disappeared as rough and tumble living in a shared flat took its toll. Whether it was breaking them during washing-up, knocking them off the table or even on one occasion cracking them under hot, running water, I came to the conclusion that drinking wine from hand-made lead crystal probably wasn't for me. I went out and bought six boxes of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) wine-tasting glasses, the approved size and shape-a tapered tulip bowl-for wine judging and competitions and I have used them for tasting, bar the odd exception, ever since. And I must say that, for critically evaluating a wine, they have served me well.

But lately I have been rethinking my stance. I have been to a few dinners of late where the wine in question was, in no uncertain terms, ruined by the glass. Moreover, on other occasions when I have been served wine in Georg Riedel glass I have found it immeasurably improved.

So, with an open mind, an empty notebook and a bottle of wine, I visited Around Wine, Britain's largest glassware retailer, for a tasting.

Back in the days when I was buying serious wine glasses, Georg Riedel had the field to himself. Now there are two or three considerably cheaper suppliers that are worth tracking down. Most notably, Schott Zwiesel, Zalto Glasmanufaktur, Dartington and Eisch. It's worth bearing in mind that it isn't necessary to spend a fortune on your glass. As long as you follow a few basic principles when choosing, most glasses will suffice.

The three guiding principles are: The glass should be as thin as possible; it should not have a rim that interrupts the flow into the mouth; the bowl should also be as fat as possible, with the widest part a third of the way up-this is the level up to which you should pour the wine.

Now, on to the tasting. I selected a 2003 Chambolle-Musigny, in a bid to test the capricious Pinot Noir grape variety. I tasted it in five different glasses. An ISO, a Schott Zwiesel standard white wine glass, Riedel's Vinum Bordeaux, Zalto's handmade burgundy glass and Riedel's famous burgundy glass. In each glass, the wine's taste changed dramatically. In the ISO, it was very intense, with overpowering notes of baked cherry. In the Schott Zwiesel standard white wine glass, spicier notes were highlighted, while the Vinum Bordeaux revealed an earthy character. The latter two glasses were the obvious stars, making the wine taste more refined, pure and balanced. In short, they took all the heat out of it.

The Riedel was by a margin the winner, drawing out more nuanced flavors. But at a £100 a glass, compared with Zalto's £28, I know which I would prefer, especially considering my breakage record.

Will Lyons

好酒还需配好杯 2010年 09月 17日 09:02 我 曾经有点恋杯癖。不要误会我的意思，我对玻璃酒杯的欣赏可不带任何邪念。我说的是在我大学刚毕业的时候，我开始迷上了葡萄酒，口袋里也有了些钱，于是就去买了一些格奥尔格•里德尔(Georg Riedel)的酒杯。 格奥尔格•里德尔是酒杯设计界最有影响力的人物。当年年轻的格奥尔格继承了父亲在奥地利的玻璃酒杯厂时，便决定设计一系列适合各式葡萄酒的酒杯。这些酒杯设计的基础是里德尔所说的“舌头味觉地图”──通过引导酒液流向舌头上的某个特别区域，酒杯可以切实地改变酒的味道。里德尔品牌的酒杯产品线非常丰富，包括为新波尔多红、老波尔多红、霞多丽、基安蒂、勃艮第、雷司令等葡萄酒设计的酒杯。它们的价格也可能很高，从15英镑的基本款品酒杯到100英镑的勃艮第酒杯不等。 在我狂热迷恋玻璃酒杯的不同阶段，我拥有过大部分的经典款里德尔酒杯，包括里德尔御用头等苑勃艮第酒杯（Riedel Sommeliers Burgundy Grand Cru），它精致的球型杯体为其赢得了纽约现代艺术博物馆（Museum of Modern Art）的永久展位。 但是，当这些非常昂贵的酒杯渐次破碎时，我和它们的关系也宣告终结。在艰难而混乱的合住公寓生活的破坏下，我的藏品一个接一个地消失了。有的是清洗时打碎的，有的是从桌子上碰掉的，甚至有一个是被热的自来水烫碎的，总之，我得出一个结论，我不适合用手工制作的铅晶质水晶玻璃杯来饮酒。于是我出门买了六箱ISO品酒杯（即国际标准品酒杯），它们有着经过核准的大小和形状──锥形郁金香杯体──是专门用来评酒和酒赛的，自此以后，除了偶尔例外的情况以外，我都用它们来品酒。而且必须承认，在用于批判性品评葡萄酒时，它们表现得很出色。 但最近我重新思考了自己的态度。近来我出席了几次宴会，毫无疑问，席上的酒被酒杯毁了。而当我在另外一些场合喝到用里德尔酒杯盛的酒时，我发现其口感大有改善。 因此，我带着开放的心态、一本空白笔记本和一瓶酒，造访了Around Wine公司──英国最大的玻璃酒杯零售商，目的就是品酒。 想当初我大量购置专业级酒杯的时候，还是里德尔一枝独秀。现在，市面上又出现了几家值得关注的酒杯供货商，它们的产品要便宜得多。最值得一提的是Schott Zwiesel、Zalto Glasmanufaktur、Dartington和Eisch。请记住，没有必要花巨资购买酒杯。只要你在选择酒杯时遵循一些基本原则，那么多数酒杯都可以满足你的要求。 这三条指导原则是：杯壁应尽可能薄；酒杯不应有阻挡酒流入；腔的边缘口杯体应尽可能宽，在从下至上1/3处最宽──这也是你倒酒时液面应达到的高度。 现在，该来说说这次品酒了。我选择的是2003年的香波慕西尼（Chambolle-Musigny），是一款味道变幻多端的黑比诺酒。我用了五款不同的酒杯：ISO酒杯、Schott Zwiesel标准白葡萄酒杯、里德尔的Vinum波尔多酒杯、Zalto的手工制作勃艮第酒杯和里德尔享誉盛名的勃艮第酒杯。在每个酒杯中，葡萄酒的味道都有了显著变化。在ISO酒杯中，酒味十分浓烈，有很冲的烤樱桃味。在Schott Zwiesel标准白葡萄酒杯中，辛辣的味道很突出，而Vinum波尔多酒杯中的酒显露出一种泥土味。最后两款酒杯是当之无愧的明星，它们让酒的口感更加细腻、纯净和协调，简而言之，它们去掉了酒中全部的刺激味道。 在这两款酒杯中，还是里德尔酒杯略胜一筹，它能引出葡萄酒一些更细微的味道。但是这款100英镑的酒杯与28英镑的Zalto酒杯相比，我知道自己会选哪一种，尤其是考虑到我的打破酒杯纪录时。 Will Lyons

A Bull Market for Wine 葡萄酒进入大牛市 China Pushes Bordeaux Prices Higher

A Bull Market for Wine

2010年 09月 30日 08:39
The flowering of the vines in Bordeaux took place in unsettled conditions this year. The chances are that the region's grapes will not all ripen at the same time, according to French wine merchants. This in turn will make for a tricky harvest and -- in all probability -- a small, weather-affected crop for the 2010 vintage. There have also been storms, which can lead to high humidity and the possibility of rot -- but the quality is thought to be good.

Traditionally Bordeaux's early vintage forecasts were only of interest to a handful of oenologists and wine merchants. But given the returns being made on wine investment, far more people are now interested in the weather before harvest time in the world's largest fine wine region.

In the cellars of the most famous Chateaux that line the gravel mounds of the Gironde estuary in Bordeaux, the 2009 vintage has been maturing in barrel. This is undoubtedly the most hyped vintage since records began -- eclipsing the famed vintages of 1961, 1982 and 2005. Even before the wine has been bottled, its value has already soared. Interest in wine investments is keeping pace.

Those that bought the 2009 vintage early, through the futures based en primeur system are, in certain cases, already sitting on a paper profit. Figures from Fine + Rare wine brokers show that Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2009 has already risen 36% from GBP 10,000 a case when it was released on the market in June to GBP 13,657 today. Similarly Chateau Latour 2009, also produced in the commune of Pauillac, has risen 20% from GBP 10,000 a case when it was released in June to GBP 12,000 today.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2000 has climbed 611% since December 2004 -- when Fine + Rare first started compiling figures on wine investments. A case that would have cost GBP 2,560 in 2004 is now worth GBP 18,400.

Chateau Petrus 2000 has climbed 255% from GBP 12,000 in December 2004 to GBP 36,627 today giving the buyer a return of GBP 24,627 a case. It is not difficult to see why those with a spare GBP 100,000 in the bank are increasingly being tempted to take a punt on some of the world's finest wines.

Live-ex's Fine Wine 100 Index, the London International Vintners Exchange, which tracks the price movement of the world's 100 most sought after wines, has climbed by more than 200% since it was launched in 2001. That's a remarkably resilient performance during a period of such economic uncertainty.

Wine brokers put this down to the fact that fine wine is a luxury product that people aspire to own. Crucially it is limited in supply: Chateau Lafite Rothschild produces around 480,000 bottles a year; Chateau Latour, only around 350,000 bottles. And unlike other luxury items, production cannot be increased because the vineyard areas are more or less fixed. As demand increases supply diminishes because as many, if not more, people want to drink the best vintages as invest in them.

Mark Bedini, chief executive and founder of wine brokerage Fine + Rare Wines Ltd, says: 'The plus side of wine investment is that as time goes by it gets scarcer as people drink it. The likelihood is that over time -- as the wines get older, rarer and in greater demand -- prices will inexorably increase.'

In recent years, these increases have been turbocharged by interest from the Far East most notably mainland China and since 2008, Hong Kong. In that year the Hong Kong authorities abolished all import duty and taxes on wine. This fuelled a huge boom in the Asian market. Wine merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd, who also run a brokerage department, are just one of a number of European merchants and auction houses that have set up offices in Hong Kong.

Adam Bilbey, direct sales manager with Berry Bros & Rudd in Hong Kong says the wine industry has only just started to scratch the surface of the potential Asian market.

He says: 'There has been a huge increase in interest, which started with Hong Kong but has now spread to mainland China. It is driven by the uber-wealthy looking for luxury brands.' Many are buying wine to drink or give as gifts, according to Mr. Bilbey. So given that there are significant returns to be made, how does one go about creating a wine portfolio? Firstly, it is important to choose your Chateaux carefully. Only a very small number of wines have investment potential.

Experts say the highest returns can be found among the very top wines in Bordeaux's Medoc region, classified as First Growths: Chateaux Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Margaux and Mouton Rothschild and Haut Brion, although the latter hasn't performed as well as the others. A handful of wines from the other side of the river in Bordeaux -- most notably Chateau Petrus, Le Pin, Cheval Blanc and Ausone -- can be added to this list.

Outside of Bordeaux, a few of the very best wines in Burgundy such as Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Lalou Bize Leroy can offer significant returns. There are also a handful of Rhone wines and Champagne houses.

Mr. Bedini says: 'If you are looking at it purely for investment then my recommendation would always be to look very exclusively at a small number of Bordeaux wines from 2009, 2005, 2000 and 1996 vintages.

'The great thing about Bordeaux is that they are very liquid so if anyone wants to sell their wines they are going to trade out pretty quickly. The four I would recommend are: Chateaux Margaux, Mouton, Lafite, Latour. Chateaux Petrus is more valuable but harder to sell quickly.' By far the best way for private investors to purchase Bordeaux is through the summer en primeur campaign when the wines are offered a year ahead of bottling and shipment, having been tasted from the barrel. The upside to this is that you can secure allocation and favorable opening prices. The down side is that the prices can fall if the wines fail to live up to the initial hype.

The price of a wine is largely determined by its quality. The key marker of this is the view of American wine critic, Robert Parker, who scores all wines on a 100-point scale. Mr Parker's scores are published on his website, erobertparker.com. The Wine Spectator, which also scores wines out of 100, and the opinions of British wine critic Jancis Robinson are also worth checking. There are a number of brokerages and merchants who sell wine en primeur and store it, for a fee, under bond so that you don't have to pay duty or VAT.

The other investment route is through a wine investment fund. These tend to charge a 5% subscription fee, annual management fees of 1.5% or 2.5% and an average exit fee of around 20% of the upside. The Vintage Wine Fund, Wine Asset Managers and The Wine Investment Fund have all been authorized by the U.K. Financial Services Authority.

William Lyons

葡萄酒进入大牛市 2010年 09月 30日 08:39 据 法国葡萄酒商的说法，今年法国波尔多 (Bordeaux) 产区的葡萄在变化多端的气候中开花结果，因此可能不会在同一时间成熟。这样会给收割工作带来一些麻烦，而且十有八九会造成2010年葡萄产量减少。此外，今年的暴雨也比较多，导致气候过于潮湿，葡萄藤容易烂根──不过，人们认为今年的葡萄质量还是好的。 iStockphoto/Abi Hardwick 在以往，只有一些品酒家和酒商对波尔多产区葡萄收成的早期预测感兴趣，但现在葡萄酒已经成为一种投资品，因此很多人都开始关注起这个全世界最大的优良葡萄酒产区在丰收季节前的天气情况。 在波尔多地区吉伦河口(Gironde estuary) 一带的砂砾山丘，分布着最著名的一些酒庄。在它们的酒窖里，2009年份的葡萄酒正在大橡木桶里成熟。该年份的葡萄酒无疑是有史以来最受关注的，甚至遮盖了名闻遐迩的1961、1982和2005年份葡萄酒的光辉。酒还没有装瓶，其价格就已经飙升，同时人们对葡萄酒投资的兴趣也在与日俱增。 大致来说，那些通过期酒(en primeur)销售系统买到2009年份葡萄酒期货的人早已赚到了纸面利润。葡萄酒经纪公司Fine + Rare的统计数据显示，2009年份拉菲(Chateau Lafite Rothschild)葡萄酒的价格已经从2010年6月上市时的每箱10,000英镑上涨到目前的每箱13,657英镑，涨幅高达36%。同在波亚克地区(Pauillac)生产的类似级别的2009年份拉图(Chateau Latour)葡萄酒今年6月上市时每箱为10,000英镑，现在是12,000英镑，涨幅20%。 从2004年12月Fine + Rare公司首次收集葡萄酒投资数据起计算，2000年份拉菲的价格上涨了611%。2004年时每箱价格为2,560英镑，现在是18,400英镑。 2000年份柏图斯(Chateau Petrus)葡萄酒的价格从2004年12月的12,000英镑每箱上涨到现在的36,627英镑，涨幅高达255%，买家每箱就可以赚到24,627英镑。因此我们不难理解，为什么在银行里有10万英镑以上富余资金的人会对投资全世界最好的葡萄酒越来越感兴趣。 伦敦国际酒类交易所(London International Vintners Exchange)佳酿100指数(Fine Wine 100 Index)跟踪全球最受追捧的100种葡萄酒的价格变动，自2001年发布以来，该指数已上涨200%以上。在经济形势如此不稳定的时期，这是非常强劲而抗跌的表现。 葡萄酒经纪商对此的解释是，上好葡萄酒是一种人们渴望拥有的奢侈品，而且至关重要的是，上好葡萄酒的供应量是有限的：拉菲酒庄每年只有48万瓶左右的产量，拉图酒庄只有约35万瓶的产量。而且与其它奢侈品不同，葡萄酒产量无法增加，因为葡萄园的种植面积基本上是固定不变的。随着市场需求的增长，葡萄酒供应会越来越紧张，因为许多人不但想投资最好的葡萄酒，而且也喜欢享用葡萄酒。 Fine + Rare葡萄酒经纪公司创始人及首席执行长贝迪尼(Mark Bedini)说，葡萄酒投资的优势在于，随着时间的推移，酒变得越来越珍稀，因为人们会喝掉很多。从长期来看，葡萄酒的年份越久，数量越少，需求越大，价格就很可能涨得越离谱。 Reuters 罗伯特•帕克的100分评分系统对市场影响很大。 近年来，远东市场对葡萄酒的兴趣也成为其价格上涨的驱动引擎，尤其是中国大陆和2008年以后的香港市场。2008年，香港政府废除了葡萄酒的所有进口关税，极大推动了葡萄酒在亚洲市场的发展。葡萄酒商Berry Brothers & Rudd有一个葡萄酒经纪部门，与许多欧洲酒商和拍卖商一样，该公司也在香港设立了分支机构。 Berry Brothers & Rudd香港公司直销渠道经理比尔贝(Adam Bilbey)表示，葡萄酒行业才刚刚开始满足亚洲市场的一些浅层需求。 比尔贝说，亚洲人对葡萄酒的兴趣大为增加，首先从香港开始，现在已经扩展到中国大陆市场。这要归功于亚洲亿万富豪对奢侈品牌的追逐。据比尔贝讲，很多人购买葡萄酒是为了自己喝或者送人。既然葡萄酒的投资回报这么高，那我们该如何构建一个葡萄酒投资组合呢？首先有一点很重要，要小心选择葡萄酒品牌，只有很少数的葡萄酒具备投资潜力。 专家表示，法国波尔多产区麦道克(Medoc)地区评级为“顶级一等”(First Growth)酒庄的葡萄酒投资回报率最高：即拉菲、拉图、玛歌(Margaux)、木桐(Mouton Rothschild)和奥比昂(Haut Brion)的葡萄酒，但奥比昂的表现没有其它几种那么好。产自波尔多产区河对岸的几款酒也可以加入这一行列，最有名的是柏图斯(Chateau Petrus)、白舒伐尔(Cheval Blanc)和欧松(Ausone)酒庄的葡萄酒。 在波尔多产区之外，勃艮第(Burgundy)产区也有几款上佳的葡萄酒，如罗曼尼•康帝(Domaine de la Romanee-Conti)和拉茹•贝茨•勒鲁瓦(Lalou Bize Leroy)等，投资回报都很高。此外，还有几款罗讷河谷(Rhone)和香槟区(Champagne)的葡萄酒也很不错。 比尔贝说，如果单从投资角度来看，那我的建议永远只有一个，那就是，特别关注2009、2005、2000和1996年份的波尔多葡萄酒。 他说，波尔多葡萄酒的一大好处在于其市场流动性非常好，很容易就能卖掉。我推荐四种葡萄酒：玛歌、木桐、拉菲和拉图。柏图斯的价格更高，但变现没那么容易。目前，个人投资者购买波尔多葡萄酒的最佳渠道是通过每年夏季的期酒发售会，人们品尝木桶中的原酒后，在装瓶和发货的一年前预定葡萄酒。这样做的好处是可以确保买到自己想要的酒，而且享受到优惠的开卖价格；缺点是如果葡萄酒的品质没达到人们的预期，价格就会下跌。 葡萄酒的价格在很大程度上取决于葡萄酒的质量。在这方面，美国酒评家罗伯特•帕克(Robert Parker)的观点十分关键，他给所有的葡萄酒打分，满分为100分，评分公布在他自己的网站erobertparker.com上。《葡萄酒观察家》(The Wine Spectator)杂志也以百分制给葡萄酒打分，另外，英国酒评家简西斯•罗宾逊(Jancis Robinson)的观点也值得参考。有不少经纪商和酒商出售期酒并提供收费的保税储存服务，这样买家就不用支付关税或消费税了。 另一种投资途径是购买葡萄酒投资基金。这类基金一般收取5%的申购费，每年收取1.5%或2.5%的管理费，并收取平均20%左右的赎回费。顶级葡萄酒基金(The Vintage Wine Fund)、葡萄酒资产管理公司(Wine Asset Managers)和葡萄酒投资基金(The Wine Investment Fund)都已获得英国金融服务局(U.K. Financial Services Authority)的认证。 William Lyons

China Pushes Bordeaux Prices Higher

2010年 10月 01日 11:09
In early July, Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. began advance sales of Chateau Lafite Rothschild's 2009 Bordeaux at $18,000 a case.

Within four days, the Chicago-based retailer and auction house had sold out. But its supplier's price had risen, and Hart Davis Hart now sells the 12-bottle cases for future delivery at $23,000--about $1,900 a bottle.

'That is much more expensive than we have ever seen in a previous futures campaign,' says Ben Nelson, president of Hart Davis Hart Wine.

Word is spreading that the top 2009 Bordeaux wines might be the best ever. And if they aren't the best, they're likely to be the priciest.

Part of the reason is near-perfect weather in western France last year.

But wine makers and merchants also credit booming demand from emerging economies, especially that of China, where labels like Lafite and Margaux have joined Prada and Hermes as badges of wealth. Last year, China passed the U.S. to become Bordeaux's biggest export market by volume outside Europe.

Other wines also might benefit from last year's weather and China's thirst. But that won't become clear until those wines are bottled and sold. Bordeaux is unusual in that for the elite 5% of its wineries, futures contracts are exchanged while a vintage is still in barrels. The 2009 Bordeaux won't be bottled until next year at the earliest.

Bordeaux's wine quality also changes year to year more than that from most other regions. A big reason is Bordeaux's location on France's Atlantic coast, which produces varied weather, says William Echikson, author of 'Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution.'

Bordeaux also has local regulations, such as a ban on covers to protect grapes from the rain, that put the grapes more at the mercy of the weather.

Last year, the Bordeaux summer was hot, with daily highs averaging 79 degrees Fahrenheit in July and August. That made for ideal ripening conditions, according to the Council of Bordeaux Wine, which represents the region's wine industry. In September, just before the harvest, the days were warm, but the nights cool, keeping pests away.

'Nature was very generous to us,' says Pierre Lurton, general manager of Chateau Cheval Blanc.

The reputation of the 2009 Bordeaux took off this March, when a wine expert tasted the latest vintage. Robert Parker, one of the world's most influential critics, wrote in his Wine Advocate newsletter that certain 2009 Bordeaux wines 'may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux.'

Of the 2009 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, he wrote, 'This sensational wine's technical numbers are off the charts,' referring to the acidity and alcohol content.

The prices are all the more extraordinary because they are for wine that will remain in barrels until next year or 2012. Bordeaux's top 200 or 300 wineries use a system called sale en primeur, or presale, for part of their product. Early each summer, they exchange futures contracts with middlemen known as negotiants, who then sell the wine contracts to collectors, investors and fine-wine retailers.

***

Normally, prices climb after a wine is bottled. The 2008 Lafite Rothschild--considered good, but not outstanding--sold from the chateau at EUR185 ($238) a bottle last year. Today it sells for more than EUR1,000, according to Philip Gearing, sales director at wine investment firm Cult Wines Ltd. in England. He says the 2009 version costs EUR860 from the chateau. A spokeswoman for Lafite Rothschild declines to discuss pricing.

'The pricing of the 2009 wines is way, way above what's been seen before for any previous vintage,' Gearing says.

A big factor is China. The volume of Bordeaux bottled wine exported to the country last year was 39 times the volume in 2000, according to the Council of Bordeaux Wine. Exports of 2009 Bordeaux to China increased 97% by volume and 40% by value from 2008.

'China is now our most important market, even before France,' says Paul Pontallier, general director of Chateau Margaux, which recently opened an office in Hong Kong. 'It's really taken off over the past six to twelve months.'

Wine merchants believe Hong Kong investors are purchasing futures with the expectation of selling the wine in coming years to people in China, who have become big purchasers of older vintages. That has helped fuel huge prices increases: Lafite Rothschild 1982 has increased in value 14 times over the past 10 years, according to Cult Wines.

'I have a hunch that a lot of the speculative demand is indirectly driven by current mainland Chinese demand,' says James Rowell, a sales manager at retailer Altaya Wines in Hong Kong.

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte co-owner Florence Cathiard says Chinese purchases en primeur are higher than ever and the chateau has started offering brochures in Chinese.

'It's incredible,' she says, 'because the Chinese were not used to futures.'

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte sold 80% of its 2009 Bordeaux within six hours, at double the price of its 2008, Cathiard says. She forecasts the 2009 vintage will retail around $100 a bottle, compared with $50 to $60 for a typical vintage.

But some critics--including one who helped feed the frenzy--say that while the 2009 Bordeaux will taste nice, the prices are inflated. Parker's secretary says he 'finds the prices for the top 25 or so wines 'absurdly high.''


Kimberly Peterson / Jason Chow

中国推高法国波尔多葡萄酒价格

2010年 10月 01日 11:09

7

月初，芝加哥零售商兼拍卖行Hart Davis Hart Wine Co.开始以每箱18,000美元的价格预售拉菲罗斯希尔庄园（Chateau Lafite Rothschild）2009年波尔多葡萄酒。

Alamy

法国波尔多一个葡萄酒窖。

不到四天，该酒就已售罄。但供应商上调价格，Hart Davis Hart目前以每箱23,000美元销售未来交货的葡萄酒，每箱12瓶，每瓶约合1,900美元。

该拍卖行总裁纳尔逊（Ben Nelson）说，这比此前的葡萄酒期货拍卖贵得多。

2009年顶级波尔多葡萄酒可能是迄今最好的葡萄酒这一言论正在蔓延。即使它们不是最好的，也可能是最贵的。

部分原因在于去年法国西部天气接近完美。

但葡萄酒酿造企业和酒商仍把需求旺盛归因于新兴经济体，尤其是中国。在中国，拉菲和玛歌（Margaux）这样的品牌已加入普拉达（Prada）和爱马仕（Hermes）的行列，成为财富的标志。去年中国超过美国，成为欧洲以外按销量计最大的波尔多葡萄酒出口市场。

其他葡萄酒也可能将因去年的天气和中国的需求而受益。但直到这些葡萄酒装瓶及出售时，情况才会清楚。波尔多葡萄酒不同寻常，因为对于5%的顶级酒庄来说，当它们的一批佳酿还在酒桶里未装瓶的时候，期货合约就已在交易了。最早在明年，2009年波尔多葡萄酒才会装瓶。

《高贵地腐烂：波尔多葡萄酒的革命》（Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution）一书作者埃基克森（William Echikson）说，波尔多葡萄酒每年的质量变化也比其他多数地区要显著。一个重要原因是，波尔多位于法国大西洋沿岸，这里的气候复杂多变。

波尔多也有当地规则，比如禁止在葡萄上遮盖东西以防雨淋，这使葡萄的命运任由天气摆布。

去年波尔多的夏季较为炎热，7月和8月日平均最高气温为79华氏度。据代表该地区葡萄酒业的波尔多葡萄酒行业协会（Council of Bordeaux Wine）称，这是理想的成熟条件。在葡萄采摘前的9月，白天温暖、夜间凉爽，使害虫远离葡萄。

白马庄园（Chateau Cheval Blanc）总经理勒顿（Pierre Lurton）说，大自然对我们太仁慈了。

2009年葡萄酒的美誉今年3月不胫而走，当时一位葡萄酒专家品尝了最新的葡萄酒。全球最有影响力的批评家之一帕克（Robert Parker）在他的《葡萄酒倡导者》（Wine Advocate）简讯里写道，某些2009年波尔多葡萄酒“可能是我32年来报道波尔多葡萄酒的历程中见过的最好的”。

他写道，就2009年拉菲罗斯希尔庄园葡萄酒来说，这一绝妙葡萄酒的技术指标（酸度和酒精含量）打破了旧纪录。

这些酒的价格尤其非比寻常之处在于，它们直到明年或2012年还将存在酒桶里。波尔多顶级的200或300家酒厂为部分产品使用预售机制。每年夏初，他们与交易商交易期货合约，然后交易商将这些葡萄酒期货合约卖给收藏者、投资客和上等葡萄酒零售商。

通常情况下，葡萄酒装瓶后价格将上涨。人们认为2008年拉菲罗斯希尔葡萄酒不错，但不杰出，去年从庄园出来的售价为每瓶185欧元 (合238美元)。据英国葡萄酒投资企业Cult Wines Ltd.销售经理吉尔林（Philip Gearing）说，目前售价已涨至逾1,000欧元。他说，2009年拉菲罗斯希尔葡萄酒从庄园出来的售价为860欧元。拉菲罗斯希尔一位女发言人拒绝讨论定价问题。

吉尔林说，2009年葡萄酒的定价远超过此前任何年份的葡萄酒。

一个重大因素是中国。根据波尔多葡萄酒行业协会数据，去年波尔多瓶装葡萄酒对中国的出口量是2000年的39倍。2009年波尔多葡萄酒对中国的出口量较2008年增长97%，出口额增长40%。

玛歌庄园总经理庞坦勒维（Paul Pontallier）说，中国目前是我们最重要的市场，甚至超过法国。该庄园最近在香港开设了一家办事处，他说，在过去六到12个月中，中国市场已经开始腾飞了。

酒商认为香港投资者在买入期货，预计未来几年将把葡萄酒卖给中国内地买家，目前内地人已成为年份较长葡萄酒的大买家。这帮助大幅推高了酒价，据Cult Wines公司说，1982年的拉菲罗斯希尔的价格在过去10年增长了14倍。

香港零售业者Altaya Wines销售经理罗厄尔（James Rowell）说，我有种直觉，许多投机性需求是间接由中国内地需求带动的。

诗密拉菲特庄园（Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte）共同拥有人卡蒂亚尔（Florence Cathiard）说，中国人购买的预售酒比以往都多，其庄园已开始提供中文简介。

她说，这真让人难以置信，因为中国人过去并不习惯期货。

卡蒂亚尔说，诗密拉菲特庄园在不到六个小时的时间里就出售了80%的2009年波尔多葡萄酒，价格是2008年的两倍。她预计2009年葡萄酒零售价将为每瓶100美元左右，而平常年份的葡萄酒一般卖50-60美元。

一些批评人士，包括助长了这种疯狂的人说，尽管2009年波尔多葡萄酒尝起来不错，但价格也在高涨。帕克的秘书说，他认为25种左右的顶级葡萄酒的价格高得离谱。

Kimberly Peterson / Jason Chow

体味北京夜生活 After Hours: Beijing

After Hours: Beijing 2010年 09月 30日 08:42 Beijing doesn't have quite the pizzazz of its rival Shanghai. It's a more monumental city, from its imposing government and company offices to mammoth sites like Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. But dotted around the capital are several intimate areas -- both modern and ancient -- for an evening's entertainment. Start in the hutongs, the network of back streets lined with courtyard homes that are still the heart of the city, despite years of destruction and redevelopment. Two of the best courtyard restaurants offer food from Yunnan province, in southern China: longtime favorite Dali Courtyard, down a hutong not far from Beijing's Drum and Bell Towers, and Dianke Dianlai. The form is to enjoy the dishes the chef chooses on a particular evening. Unusually for a Beijing restaurant, Dianke Dianlai's highlights are seafood, particularly the lobster with mint salad and salmon roasted on a bamboo stick. Dali usually serves tilapia fish to share, along with other Yunnan specialities such as spicy mushrooms and fried shrimp. Beer is the best accompaniment to the sometimes spicy food, but there are hutong experiences for oenophiles, too. Palette Vino, tucked down an alley near the Dongsishitiao junction, focuses on wines from Australia, Italy and Spain on its 330-bottle list. Prices are reasonable by Beijing standards -- import duties make wine a little expensive in China -- with bottles ranging from around 160 to 900 yuan (about $23.50 to $132.50). The food is Mediterranean-inspired. In Sanlitun, Beijing's liveliest night-life area, Nali Patio is an enlosed six-story courtyard area filled with bars and restaurants that attract quite a crowd on weekends. The best dining option is Mosto, on the third floor. The menu is high-end -- try the seared foie gras or octopus salad to start, followed by the Australian rib-eye steak or the New Zealand rack of lamb -- and the setting is relaxed and intimate. Just next door is Apothecary, a haunt of Beijing's beautiful people that takes its cocktails seriously: A thick menu details the origin of its key drinks, both classics and Apothecary's own. A more cultural approach to drinking is just a five-minute walk from Nali Patio, off Sanlitun South Street. The Bookworm, one of the city's best sources of English-language books, doubles as a coffee shop and late-night bar, as well as a venue for the likes of literary talks and musical evenings. Two minutes farther on is another take on the courtyard theme, in the 1949 Hidden City complex -- former home of the Beijing Machine and Electricity Institute. Duck de Chine's signature dish is of course Beijing roast duck. Outside the restaurant is the outdoor Bollinger bar -- again, the speciality is no surprise: the namesake Champagne. Some of Beijing's trendiest night spots are in hotel complexes. In Sanlitun, just up from Nali Patio, the boutique hotel Opposite House has great places to eat and drink from breakfast through to the small hours, including the bars Mesh and Punk. A little further away, on the 66th floor of the Park Hyatt -- on the south side of Jianguomen Avenue and just off the popular Jianwai Soho area of offices, shops and cafes -- is China Grill, a steak-focused restaurant with arguably Beijing's best view, at least when the smog lifts. Down on the sixth floor is the bar Xiu, with live music and a wide-open terrace, which in its first year has already become one of the city's most popular. Causing a buzz, too, is Room BMK, a restaurant-cum-bar-cum-nightclub that recently opened in the same building as the Park Hyatt. Why the buzz? British-born Brian McKenna, Beijing's top celebrity chef. The look is splashy, too, including wall art by the fashionable Hugo Dalton. If you're looking to extend the evening further, head to the landmark Workers' Stadium. The site is home to some of the city's funkiest new bars, like the sleek, black-furnished George. Young cocktail specialist George Zhou says he gained an interest in bartending from watching the Tom Cruise movie 'Cocktail' as a boy, but luckily his place is about the craft of cocktails, not the flash. And you can enjoy them until five in the morning. 体味北京夜生活 2010年 09月 30日 08:42 Dali Courtyard 67 Xiaojingchang Hutong Gulou Dong Dajie Tel.: 86-10-8404-1439 Dianke Dianlai 8 Dafangjia Hutong, off Chaoyangmen Nanxiaojie Tel.: 86-10-6512-0930 Palette Vino 5 Dongsi Shiyitiao Tel.: 86-10-6405-4855 Mosto Third floor, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu Tel.: 86-10-5208-6030 Apothecary Third floor, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu Tel.: 86-10-5208-6040 The Bookworm Building 4, Nan Sanlitun Road Duck de Chine Gongti Beilu, behind Pacific Department Store Tel.: 86-10-6501-8881 Opposite House 11 Sanlitun Beilu Tel.: 86-10-6417-6688 Xiu Sixth floor, Yin Tai Centre, 2 Jianguomenwai Dajie Tel.: 86-10-8567-1838 Room bmk Yin Tai Centre, 2 Jinaguomenwai Dajie George's Gate 12, Worker's Stadium Tel.: 86-10-6553-6299 与 竞争对手上海相比，北京没有那么喧嚣的繁华，历史的气息更为厚重。这里有气势宏伟的政府和商业办公楼，有天安门和紫禁城这样壮丽恢宏的建筑，点缀其间的还有几片舒适宜人的夜生活娱乐区域──现代风格和古典风格皆有。 Stefen Chow for The Wall Street Journal 那里花园 从胡同出发，星罗棋布的小巷连接着依然是北京心脏的四合院群落，尽管历经多年的破坏和改造，依然有一些四合院留存下来。有两家最棒的四合院餐厅经营的都是云南菜：一家是一直以来备受食客青睐的大理院子 (Dali Courtyard)，位于钟鼓楼附近的一条胡同里，另一家则是滇客滇来 (Dianke Dianlai)。 这两家餐厅每晚的菜肴都是由厨师来决定的。与北京的众多餐馆不同，滇客滇来的特色菜是海鲜，尤其是薄荷色拉配龙虾以及香茅草烤三文鱼。大理院子通常会上一道罗非鱼让客人分享，另外还有其它一些云南特色菜，如辣炒蘑菇和干炸虾等。 Stefen Chow for The Wall Street Journal 派乐坊酒屋 这些餐馆的菜往往是辣的，啤酒可谓最佳搭档，但品酒专家也能在胡同里得偿夙愿。派乐坊酒屋(Palette Vino)位于东四十条路口附近的一条胡同内，酒单上有330种葡萄酒，主要来自澳洲、意大利和西班牙。按北京的标准来看，价格还是合理的（中国的进口关税让葡萄酒变得有点贵），从每瓶160元到900元不等（约合23.50美元到132.50美元）。菜肴则是地中海风味。 那里花园 (Nali Patio)地处北京最活跃的夜生活娱乐区三里屯，是一个四面围合的六层四合院建筑，里面有许多酒吧和餐厅，周末吸引了大量的人流。晚餐的最佳场所是三楼的Mosto餐厅，环境舒适而又亲切，菜品走高端路线，建议头菜不妨品尝一下煎鹅肝或章鱼色拉，主食点澳洲肉眼牛排或新西兰羊排。隔壁是Apothecary餐厅，一个北京的俊男靓女经常出没的地方，主推鸡尾酒，厚厚的酒单上列出了主要酒品的起源，有些是经典鸡尾酒，有些则是Apothecary特调的。 Stefen Chow for The Wall Street Journal 书虫吧 从那里花园步行五分钟，来到三里屯南街，这里拥有更具文化气息的品酒方式。书虫吧(The Bookworm)是北京最好的英文类书籍阅读场所，也是一个咖啡屋和深夜酒吧，还是各种文学和音乐沙龙的举办地。 再走两分钟，就能看到1949会所(1949 Hidden City)建筑群，其原址是北京机电研究院。这里的“全鸭季”(Duck de Chine)餐厅也是四合院风格，招牌菜是北京烤鸭。出了餐厅就是一个室外的Bollinger香槟吧──主推酒品想必你也想到了：Bollinger香槟。 北京一些最潮的夜生活娱乐场所位于饭店里面。在三里屯，从那里花园往北走，有一家名叫瑜舍(Opposite House)的精品酒店，里面有不少很好的餐饮场所，从早餐到休闲餐，应有尽有，比如Mesh和Punk酒吧等。 稍远一点是柏悦酒店(Park Hyatt)，位于建外大街南侧，建外SOHO餐饮娱乐办公区附近。柏悦酒店的66层有个名叫北京亮(China Grill)的牛排餐厅，有着全北京最佳的视野，至少在能见度高的时候是这样。第6层是秀吧 (Xiu)，有现场音乐表演和露天酒吧，开业首年就已成为北京最热门的娱乐场所之一。同在柏悦酒店的Room BMK集餐厅口酒吧口夜总会为一体，最近开业后也引起巨大反响。原因何在？因为这里有英国名厨布莱恩•马克南镇守，代表着北京最顶尖的美食水平。Room的室内装潢也很华美，包括时尚艺术家雨果•达尔顿(Hugo Dalton)绘制的 上作品。 如果你还没玩够，不妨移步北京的地标式建筑“工人体育场”，这里有许多这个城市最时髦的新式酒吧，比如，装饰豪华口以黑色为主题的George's酒吧。年轻的鸡尾酒调酒师乔治•周(George Zhou)说，自己小时候看汤姆•克鲁斯(Tom Cruise)主演的电影《鸡尾酒》(Cocktail)，从此迷上了调酒师这个职业；不过还好，他这间酒吧注重的是调制鸡尾酒，而不是电影中的泡妞调情。你可以在这些地方尽情畅游，直到凌晨五点天色发白。 详细情报 大理院子 地址：东城区鼓楼东大街小经厂胡同67号 电话：86-10-8404-1439 滇客滇来 地址：东城区朝阳门大方家胡同8号 电话：86-10-6512-0930 派乐坊酒屋 地址：东四十一条5号 电话：86-10-6405-4855 Mosto 地址：三里屯北路81号那里花园三楼 电话：86-10-5208-6030 Apothecary 地址：三里屯北路81号那里花园三楼 电话：86-10-5208-6040 书虫吧 地址：南三里屯路4号楼 电话：86-10-6586-9507 全鸭季 地址：朝阳区工体北路4号院1949内（太平洋百货南门对面） 电话：86-10-6501-8881 瑜舍 地址：朝阳区三里屯路11号院1号楼 电话：86-10-6417-6688 秀吧 地址：朝阳区建外大街2号银泰中心6层 电话：86-10-8567-1838 Room bmk 地址：朝阳区建外大街2号银泰中心 George's酒吧 地址：工人体育场12号门 电话：86-10-6553-6299 Andrew Peaple