For Channel Four to devote a whole hour to the Wine Trade, at peak time, is a rare enough event - good news one might think. But wait, do I not recognise the Dispatches correspondent? Is it not The Sun’s fragrant trouble-maker at large, Jane Moore? A putative ignorance of wine is of course essential, so that the questions and observations, seemingly innocent, are able to expose some seemingly rather dubious practices, things such as inconsistencies in ingredient labelling and, in terrifying counterpoint, an exposition of some of these ingredients. Shocking things like tannins, yeasts and, horror of horrors…sugar.

Champagne was a suitably easy target; the sanguine Françoise Peretti from The Champagne Information Bureau did, it has to be said, struggle to justify ’sur lattes’ trading, trying to defend the indefensible perhaps. Then there were the shots of carefully manicured Champagne vineyards…manicured with what purported to be Parisian rubbish, to expose the rather unusual practice that persisted until fairly recently, whereby the vignerons covered their land with the contents of domestic rubbish bins in a dubious attempt to extract goodness from their residue.

Left: No rubbish at Jacquesson!

And of course endless discussion of the fact that the Champenois use far more pesticides than other French vignerons…ignoring the reality that this is as a result of its relatively northerly location and that it is, as a practice, currently diminishing. As a pièce de resistance, came the revelation that there is sugar…yes sugar…in Champagne. All most astonishing.

For the Champagne producers, wrestling still with the enviable dilemma of not having enough wine to satisfy growing demand, this will all have caused wry amusement more than anything. The only shard of displeasure may have been fired by Jancis Robinson MW, the most respected UK wine critic of them all. Jancis affirmed that only 30% of all Champagne is worth its elevated price…by inference there were 27.3 million bottles of over-priced poor value fizz shipped to the UK last year, and 27 million consumers whose sparkling experience was, is, or is to be not quite as good as it ought to be.

Pol Roger have already issued a statement to the effect that there is no residue, let alone Parisian domestic rubbish, in their vineyards, that they never buy ’sur lattes’ and that their practices in the vineyard use a minimum of fungicides and pesticides. All very re-assuring but interesting that they feel the need to make this defence.

Right: Benoit Marguet; closer to the soil with an organic approach

This will be especially annoying to an industry, if that’s the correct word, which has done a lot to put its qualitative house in order, and so it should, some may argue, given the large profits generated over the years. There has been, for example, work in the vineyards to improve both the location and the mechanics of the press houses, a more rigorous adoption of ‘viticulture raisonnée’ and even a move, in the name of a carbon foot-print, to reduce the weight of the famously heavy bottles. And those 40 new villages identified to ease the demand problems have only been selected at the end of a rigorous process, and in any event will not be producing viable fruit until 2019.

Champagne, in short, is well regulated and environmentally aware, despite the famously high yields of the vines and a sometimes rather unceremonious rush to the market place, post disgorgement. Programs such as Dispatches, however, tend to inspire in me an almost Pavlovian defence of Champagne’s finer points, of its cultural integrity and of the fundamental quality of its product. But such programs are not without value, in warning, albeit in rather simplistic terms, against commercial cupidity and hubris, both seen by some as inevitable by-products of the privilege and success of the region.

The description of wine is a very personal matter. Some think in terms of cherries, gooseberries and the like (which can be difficult for those of us brought up in cities), others more simply in terms of structure, class, balance. I am in the latter camp: ask me what aroma jumps out at me from Ch. Lynch-Bages, for instance, and I’ll invariably say “Pauillac” as opposed to cassis and cedar.

One way to make the expression of a wine’s quality easier is of course to award it a mark. Robert Parker scores out of 100, Jancis Robinson out of 20 and BBR out of 20 too. This does make sense, particularly when one is marking within a consistent context such as the wines of one vintage from a specific region.

Parker’s scoring system has more structure than many think. A wine gets 50 points for turning up, up to 5 points for colour and appearance, 15 points for aroma and bouquet, up to 20 points for flavour and finish, and finally, up to 10 points for overall quality and potential for further ageing.

Our scores aren’t quite so structured and, unless I’m wrong, nor are Jancis Robinson’s. Where they do excel, though, is that they are almost always the product of collective opinion - what we all think about a wine rather than one person’s opinion. This is vital I think, particularly when tasting young wines and cask samples as there are frequently wines that one simply doesn’t “get”: I almost always leave Ch. Palmer scratching my head whilst my colleagues are raving, for instance.

Ultimately, though, I don’t really like scores. If pushed I’ll give my scores (out of 100, just to confuse things) but the rare 100-pointers aside (1927 Taylor being one of a few Fowler 100s - this wine is sheer perfection) it does seem rather odd that the sheer beauty of something like, say, 2005 Margaux, can be summarised by a number. Parker’s note for this wine is summed up by “98+”. My note finishes “love”: I had ran out of words and a number just wouldn’t do the job.

Dr Bailey Carrodus, much-loved founder of the highly acclaimed Yarra Yering vineyard in Australia’s Victoria wine region, passed away peacefully yet unexpectedly this morning at the Yarra Yering vineyard surrounded by his dedicated team.

In 1969 Bailey founded Yarra Yering after a lengthy search for the perfect vineyard site and chose a deserted but promising territory near Coldstream in the Yarra Valley, Victoria - a wise choice which has resulted in one of Australia’s best made wines.

Bailey was one of the wine industries true individuals, famous for the winemaking philosophy “If it doesn’t work I’ll just tip it out”.  Indeed today his wines command such high demand that the cellar door only opens for two days each year and most of the annual production is sold within the first hour - a great testament to the work of a great man. Dr Bailey Carrodus will be sadly missed by all who were lucky enough to know him.

Martin Hudson has been awarded the wine world’s top honor joining four of his colleagues at Berry Bros. & Rudd and 278 MWs globally, The Institute of Masters of Wine announced on Friday 5th September.

Martin’s achievement brings Berrys’ MW total to five, resulting in the UK’s leading independent wine merchant boasting more Masters of Wine than any other company.

Martin, who works as a Wine Advisor for Berrys’ Factory Outlet in Basingstoke and lecturer for Berrys’ Wine School, says: “This is the culmination of four years of hard work which I didn’t ever expect to result in me becoming an MW. I am delighted and wish to thank Berrys for giving me so much support without which this wouldn’t be possible.”

“This week has seen a double dose of good news - not only did I hear from the Institute, but on Sunday 31st August I won the Belgian 350cc Classic Motorcycle championship,” adds Martin.

A long time avid consumer of wine, Martin passed the WSET Diploma whilst working as a Technical Director designing computer cables. In 2002 he joined Oddbins as a Wine Advisor, becoming a Manager within six months, before leaving in August 2003 to join Berry Bros. & Rudd.

Alun Griffiths MW, Berrys’ Wine Director, adds: “Martin passed both the written and practical papers at the first attempt, a rare achievement, and this year completed his dissertation to achieve the coveted MW recognition. Given that Martin’s available time for study had to be fitted in between his work and race-riding in the upper echelons of competitive motorcycling, his success is all the more commendable.”

Martin will receive his certificate at the Institute’s Annual Reception and Awards Ceremony at Vintner’s Hall in London on November 5th 2008.

Fifteen candidates became MWs this year including Jeannie Cho Lee, Head of The Fine Wine School, in partnership with Berry Bros. & Rudd, in Hong Kong.

Domaine Perrin et Fils, owned and operated by the Perrin family of the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate Château de Beaucastel, has now upped its stake in France’s Southern Rhône appellation with the purchase of Domaine des Tourelles in Gigondas.

As with the wines at Beaucastel, Domaine Perrin wines are impeccably made and reflect the true nature of the terroir from which they come, earning the Perrins an excellent repulation as one of the most reliable wine families in the Rhône valley, so it is unsurprising that the purchase has been widely praised as great exposure for Gigondas.

The sale, completed last Wednesday 27th August, includes approximately 22 acres of vineyards, planted mostly to Grenache, and a 17th century turreted monastery in the heart of the village.

“We wanted to get bigger in Gigondas because we love this appellation. This is the property we really wanted to buy. We think it is outstanding terroir for Grenache-based wines.” said Domain Perrin et Fils’ General Manager Marc Perrin.

The historic Cellars beneath our London shop at 3, St James’s Street are the perfect venue for entertaining and, as part of our programme of events for Wine Club members this year, we are delighted to be holding an informative and enjoyable tutored tasting exclusively for members in the Pickering Cellar on the evening of the 11th of September.

Following a glass of Champagne on arrival, our resident Rhône buyer, Simon Field MW, will guide guests through the myriad of styles from the Northern and Southern Rhône. White Wines to taste include Condrieu and Hermitage whilst reds to be enjoyed include St Joseph, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie. The tasting will be rounded off with a delicious Beaumes-de-Venise.

This event is exclusive to Wine Club members and tickets are available at a subsidised cost of £60 per person. Please call 0870 900 4300 or log in to your Wine Club account online to order up to three tickets, or click here for further information about the benefits of joining The Wine Club.

The Scottish drinks industry has criticised government plans to restrict the availability of alcohol to cut misuse.

A government consultation paper is proposing minimum prices per unit of alcohol, increasing the minimum age for buying alcohol in off-licences to 21, raising the minimum age of checkout staff to 18, bringing in ‘alcohol only’ checkouts and restricting advertising.

Gavin Partington of the WSTA warns the proposals would not be confined to north of the border: ‘There is no doubt that politicians south of the border will be looking at the Scottish experience with a view to replicating it in England and Wales.’

The WSTA is concerned that raising the buying age to 21 would ‘result in the ludicrous situation where an 18/19/20 year old…could serve in the armed forces, vote, get married and have children’ but not be able to buy a drink to have at home – although they could drink in the pub.

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A 115-year-old bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne, the oldest ever found, has been unearthed in a drinks cabinet in a Scottish Castle.

Chris James, the owner of Torosay Castle on the Isle of Mull, found the wine in an old drinks cabinet. Veuve Clicquot have confirmed the 1893 bottle is the oldest in existence and it can now be viewed in its visitor centre in Reims, France.

Fabienne Huttaux, Head of Communications at Veuve Clicquot, said the bottle was “priceless”, telling the BBC: “It is a one off and therefore unique. We would never consider selling it as it is far too important to us. It is a unique piece of Champagne history.”

• Discover more about Champagne
• See Champagne Producers
• View a list of Champagne Wines

The intriguing topic of food and wine matching is a perennial favourite of most people in the wine trade (and a lot of people out of it) and as the new manager of Berrys’ Wine Club, I’m no exception!

A successful pairing should enhance the enjoyment of both the food and the wine involved and this was one of the reasons we recently created the Reserve Dinner Party Case for wine club members. The idea is to match the wines in the case with specially created recipes compiled by our talented in-house chef, Stewart Turner, so that some of the stress and strain is taken out of planning a dinner party.

In this month’s case, Stewart’s fabulous recipe for Slow Roast Pork Shoulder with Barbeque Onions, Wood Roasted Peppers and Braised Butter Beans perfectly complements the Sequillo Syrah/Mouvedre/Grenache blend from South Africa. The pork goes very well with the earthiness of the Sequillo, whilst the spices & smokiness of the barbecue onions and peppers complement those characters in the wine.

To find out more about the Wine Club and its benefits visit us online, and if there’s anything which we haven’t covered in our Wine Club FAQs, feel free to ask me by submitting a comment below.

In 50 years’ time, Berrys believes wine is unlikely to be sold in glass bottles. Using glass will be unrealistic as retailers and importers try to cut costs, waste, and reduce the environmental impact of wine being shipped around the globe.

The average weight of a wine bottle is 500g, but there have been recent moves to produce more lightweight bottles.

Berrys believes the cost and environmental impact of shipping pre-bottled wine around the world means, in the future, we’re likely to see ‘wine tankers’ crossing our oceans. Bulk shipments of wine could arrive, before being put into plastic or reinforced cardboard containers in a bid to reduce environmental emissions and create a domestic bottling industry.

“I see a far greater range of packaging on the shelves in 2058. Cartons will be the obvious choice for much of the wine and will dominate the shelves for the mass market. Variety will be greater – we’re already seeing 500 ml and 1 litre options. Cartons will mean far more tailoring to consumption and branding opportunities for big brands.”

Ian Williamson, Tetra Pak UK