grapes, creating a vital link that brings the
best of Bordeaux to the Far East.
DUTCH, NOT THE FRENCH
Of course, it is the French vintners of
Bordeaux and their grapes that are the
wellspring of the world’s most celebrated
beverage. But the Dutch had a key role in
developing the system of determining who
gets the world’s best wine
en primeur
.
En primeur
is the term used to describe the
futures system for allocating the limited
supply of Bordeaux wines from the top
200 producers while the wine is still in the
barrel, long before it is bottled.
The Dutch were among the first
négociants
– buyers, storage providers
and distributors of Bordeaux – as early
as 1620.
Négociants
, many of which (like
T
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2017
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VENERABLE VINTAGES
he experience of buying and
selling wine diverges wildly
for the billions around the
world, from dabblers
in vinology to those who
have spent a lifetime in the business. From
the quickly grabbed New World wine,
chosen for a funky label and to fulfil a
dinner party obligation, to those who taste
with the aim of importing containers full
of consumer-friendly plonk, wine buying is
a many-splendoured thing.
But nothing compares to the history,
maturity and sophistication of the
centuries-old system whereby the finest
Bordeaux wines, from the finest châteaux,
are evaluated, chosen and then distributed
to the world’s most discerning – and
highest spending – oenophiles.
The evolution of this system not only
delivers wines, but also remade the
physical terrain of Europe. Today, that
system affects how wine reaches from
the terroirs of France to the palates of
Hong Kong and China. Watson’s Wine
participates in this age-old dance of the
Beyerman), are still active today, invested
in road systems in Northern Europe to
better enable them to bring quality wines
to their clients. They enabled wealthy
château owners to focus on producing
their wines, and these were increasingly
becoming known by name. Names like
Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Haut-Brion
rose to prominence at this time.
Négociants
helped to handle much of
the business that the aristocracy had no
interest in being involved in. They even
have their own museum in the Chartrons
region of Bordeaux, the “Musée de Vin
et Négoce”, located in the original wine
cellars of the official wine merchant of
France’s King Louis XV.
Courtiers
played a role in helping pass
communications between the wine
producers and
négociants
in the age of
horse and carriage. Their two per cent fee,
a fixture of the business, earned many the
moniker of “Monsieur 2%” among insiders.
In 1680, “The Sun King”, Louis XIV, made
their role a legal necessity as go-betweens
for
négociants
, with
courtiers
negotiating
pricing and allotment in an impartial
manner. Even today, a vineyard may work
with anywhere from five to a hundred
négociants
, but they must all work through
a “Monsieur 2%”.
Final allotments and pricing are a closely
held secret. So is the amount the
négociants
turn around and sell
en primeur
to buyers –
buyers like Watson’s Wine.
The French vintners of Bordeaux
and their grapes are the wellspring
of the world’s most celebrated
beverage.
Alfred Tesseron (right) of Château Pontet-Canet communing with Jeremy Stockman on the 2016 vintage.
Credit: UGCB
From barrel to bottle, the
en primeur
sales happen when the wine is still in its infancy.
