2012

Our sincere thanks for the support we have received from all of our clients and friends from the first Mourchon vintage 1998. Your appreciation of our wine has contributed to the increased awareness of the Mourchon brand on a world-wide basis.

We wish you all a healthy and trouble free 2012.

Baroque and Barriques

Playing to a full house in the vineyard’s cuverie a group of musicians recently gave a delightful rendition of Baroque music including pieces by Bach and Handel.




The musicians: Markus Hunninger (harpsicord), Ruth Phillips (cello), Maja Peter (flute) et Agnes Coakley (soprano). As can be seen from the photo, the stainless steel fermentation tanks in the cuverie make a special setting for soirées of this nature.

We are the Champions

Forgive us for this immodest leader however we are very proud to have become the 2012 the Rhône Category Class Champion at the Houston Rodeo Wine Competition. Our winning wine was the Mourchon Côtes du Rhône Villages Tradition red wine from the 2009 vintage.



The Rodeo Wine Competition featured 2,454 wines from 736 worldwide wineries at this the ninth annual event, and the Houston Livestock Show Rodeo together with an auction of the champion wines raises in excess of $13,000,000 annually. This money funds 25 full college scholarships to qualified high school students lacking the financial means to acquire a college education.

Mourchon Texas Wine Dinners

Just back from yet another enjoyable visit to Houston Texas where Walter McKinlay spent a busy few days supporting our regional importer/distributor Dionysus in furthering sales of Mourchon wine.

Four different Houston restaurants invited us to host dinners featuring our wine, which they matched with their specific cuisine. At the start of each event, McKinlay described the Family history at the vineyard and then presented a different wine at each course explaining how the wine was made. The restaurants were the Stella Sola, Dharma Café, the Vine Wine Room and Farrago and all provided excellent food.



Also during the visit, the Mourchon wines were tasted at a newly established wine bar Memorial Wine Cellar and with José Perez-Montufar, the Sommelier at the RDG Bar Annie restaurant.

Pruning

The pruning season is here again and with in excess of 120 000 vines to trim back, we shall be working at this through until next March. Malika and Deborah, seen here at work, will cut back the vines leaving just two buds – in order to manage the coming season’s yield.

2011 Harvest - Perfect Conditions

This year’s harvest went smoothly with an excellent team of cosmopolitan pickers – of Polish and French/Moroccan nationality. The weather gave us perfect conditions and with eighteen pickers it proved to be the most rapid harvest – 10 days – we have experienced. The quality of the grapes was first class and we have expectations of another good vintage.

At the end of the harvest, the pickers enjoyed a superb couscous lunch pictured here.

International Grenache Day - Friday 23 September 2011

The food matching Grenache wines at our international Grenache day celebration were well received. Probably the favourite pairing was Ronnie McKinlay’s chestnut cake with our 100% Grenache family reserve.

We were delighted with the amount of restaurants and wine shops from around the world who were featured on the Grenache Day Google map. All seems to be going well with our endeavour to raise the profile of the Grenache grape!


If you wish to know more click on Grenache Day or contact Marlene Angelloz of Grenache Association at marlene@grenachesymposium.com.