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If French is the only language spoken at a wine event in the German-speaking part of Zurich, it is almost certainly Bordeaux. Because only the representatives of the "most famous wine region in the world" can afford - where a lot of money is at home - to speak their own language, at best - graciously - switching to business English. It then sounds something like this: "70% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot" - as far as this can be understood in all languages - and then, almost litany-like: "...The palate is medium-bodied with mulberry and dark plum fruit intermingling with Chinese tea and a touch of cloves..."But now it is imperative to put on a serious face, not to contradict (or even detect new aromas); it is much better to scratch out the very best school French, look deeply into the glass and nod devoutly, otherwise you will be showered with a torrent of "Français". So it goes from table to table, from château to château. A ritual...

Primeur tasting - a ritual (Photo: P. Züllig)

In the past, it was only wine merchants and journalists who were able to enjoy the very latest Bordeaux wines, every year around Easter time. That's when the new vintage is put into the barrel and it's time to create the first "wine compositions" to present the "new vintage" to the professional public. The world's best tasters (unfortunately not only these) then stick their noses into the tasting glass, test the young wine with (almost) all their senses and pass their judgement. A judgement that is decisive for the subscription process, in which the latest vintage is already sold worldwide, even though it will remain in the barrels at the châteaux for almost two years before it is bottled and delivered. It is a futures business, so to speak, in which the judgement of the wine gurus can influence everything: high profits or even losses for the wineries and the merchants. Those who speculate are stuck with the wines, have high storage costs and finally have to sell them at a discount. The whole thing is called the Bordeaux system, it has quite a long tradition and is a popular playground for post-born soldiers of fortune who missed out on gold digging in the 18th century.

Potential valuation - also a game of chance (Photo: P. Züllig)

What's new in this game: you no longer have to travel (fly) to Bordeaux to have your say. Bordeaux comes to the consumers; the châteaux tour their most important sales regions with their unripe new wines: Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, even the Far East is "cultivated" in this way, especially China and Japan. The "pre-financier" of a harvest, the buyer and consumer, can thus play judge himself and is no longer entirely at the mercy of the wine journalists. The testing period lasts only a few hours (in Zurich it was four), during which he has to drink (or taste) wines that are actually not yet drinkable: so-called barrel samples. Professional wine experts call this an "evaluation of potential", which means: What could become of the wine in a few years? And the oracle sounds something like this: "An introverted classic with medium pressure but a long back aroma. It could end up with 19 points (out of 20), but it is already the best of..." In addition, there is chatter about mocha notes, nutty bouquet, black bread crust, Damask plums and all the other aroma analogies that might come up. The potential buyers nod approvingly when they roll the - basically undrinkable - wine-like liquid through their mouths, preferring to spit it out again immediately and dispose of the rest of the miniration in the spittoon as quickly as possible. Or they shake their heads after the first contact with the wine and empty the glass, only to rinse it out with a little water if they really dislike it.

A social event (Photo: P. Züllig)

Actually, these occasions are less about the wine than about the social event, about the legitimacy of having a say, of not being completely at the mercy of the speculations and rumours surrounding primeur sales (subscription). All those who put a lot of money into the futures business have long been in Bordeaux, have made their opinions and their deals. What matters most now is the end consumer and his social acceptance in wine circles. The message: I have done 40 primeur tastings in only four hours, now I know! But - do you really know afterwards? Six minutes per château, including waiting in the crowds at the highly prized wineries, neatly disposing of the residue of wine in the glass and in the mouth, notes that you can still read afterwards and the constant caution not to spill wine on yourself (which is a problem especially for those who are not used to spitting). In addition, you meet acquaintances (who also love Bordeaux) at every turn, exchange a few words, but soon agree: "Not a particularly good vintage", the wine posters have already trumpeted it all over the wine world, "but nevertheless a few nice wines discovered". At such Je-Ka-Mi tastings (entrance fee 100 francs) there are always "a few good drops" and even - don't tell anyone! - one or two insider tips. That's part of the game.

The verdict is in (Photo: P. Züllig)

I, too, have been through this for many years. Spent many hours with the Bordeaux-Primeur, put in a lot of effort (with endless lists of ratings from all the renowned wine critics and magazines), not only evaluated and added up points, also scanned descriptions and compared them with each other, renewed the rather expensive databases from Gabriel (Bordeaux Total), Parker (The Wine Advocate), Betane (b+d), Guide Hachette to Robinson year after year, and... one day stopped with the busyness around Bordeaux. It was initially like a separation from a "great love", with all the familiar withdrawal symptoms. The separation was not preceded by a quarrel, a falling out, not even a living apart. I could no longer (and above all did not want to) meet the disproportionately increased demands of the beloved. Her bottle dance around the golden calf - actually an idolatry - became more and more pagan for me and no longer corresponded at all to what I understand by wine love. My Bordeaux bottles, which I acquired even before the practices on the gold parquet, never joined in this dance, remained quietly waiting (and maturing) in the cellar, hoping for the day when they could make me happy. And they did please me, and they still please me. They are strangers - like any true lover - to any speculation of ever ending up with a rich prince or an even richer princess. Their destiny remains: To give pleasure, not by their external value, but rather to convince by their inner quality.

Primeur tasting in Zurich (Photo: P. Züllig)

After years of inner distance, I went to the Primeur tasting once again to see what had become of the "old love". How did I feel? Good, but wistful; it was the encounter with a wine to which one has remained faithful in one's heart, but no longer in love as before, rather familiar, reminiscent, close and definitely also full of appreciation. But I was disgusted by the golden dress that had been put over my head and the dance floor - which, to be sure, was already crumbling valiantly. The dream is over; the dream of Bordeaux bought to give wine pleasure. The traditional ritual of valuing potential is increasingly reduced to the question: "How well can the increase in value (in hard currency) be anticipated and predicted?"One possible answer: "In five years, an increase in value of 200, 300 per cent, then the wine is good." Whether it is then good for drinking as a mature wine - 200, 300 per cent better - has long ceased to be of interest.

Sincerely
Yours

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