HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 2020

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 2020

YEAR OF THE RAT

Happy Chinese New Year 2020
by ©LeDomduVin 2020
Remy from Ratatouille courtesy of Disney-Pixar 

Cheers! Santé! And best wishes for the year 2020 to all of you and your family and friends. 

LeDomduVin a.k.a. Dominique Noël

Happy New Year, Chinese New Year, Happy Chinese New Year, @ledomduvin ©ledomduvin2020 #happynewyear #newlunaryear #chinesenewyear #bestwishes #ledomduvin #lesdessinsadom #lesillustrationsadom #lescreationsadom

A HUGE THANK YOU !!!

A HUGE THANK YOU !!!

No 85 Feedspot Top 100 Wine Blogs Websites & Influencers in 2020
by ©LeDomduVin 2020

WOW!!! I'm speechless... 

A few minutes ago, I was just googling the name of my blog "LeDomduVin" as I do occasionally from time to time (as every other blogger does 😊) to check the various links to websites and articles citing or containing my blog's name. 

So, I scrolled down the first page, and pretty much all the links were mine (Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Wix, etc...). Then, logically, I went to the 2nd page, and to my surprise the first link was https://blog.feedspot.com/wine_blogs/  

I was not expecting much of it and I even thought that it was a mistake. I mean, I remember joining and submitting my blog to "Feedspot" once, about a years ago, to promote my blog, but I did not go back to visit it for a while. And I did not think they will have kept my blog's name in their database. I thought that it was one of these websites were you have to submit your blog's name every year to be a participant and eventually enter the list (maybe I didn't the fine print properly). 

So, intrigued and curious to see if my blog's name was contained in that website, I clicked on the link. 

And the first thing I saw was that

Feedspot Top 100 Wine Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020
(screenshot courtesy of https://blog.feedspot.com )

Well... What !?! Top 100 Wine Blogs, Websites and Influencers in 2020... 

Could the name of my blog be on that list? 

I immediately scrolled down towards the bottom of the list, slowly to check all the names of the blogs and websites, and not to miss mine, if it was there. Scroll, scroll, scroll... scroll more.. the end was near but I wanted to be sure. 

Then suddenly, my heart stopped. Here it was at number 85. My blog "LeDomduVin" was at number 85. I was so happy (still I'm now as I'm writing this post 😊), I couldn't believe it. Not sure how I  manage to make it to the Top 100, but who cares. I'm IN !!!!  And that's really satisfying, trust me!

LeDomduVin No 85 of Feedspot
Top 100 Wine Blogs Websites & Influencers in 2020
(screenshot courtesy of https://blog.feedspot.com )

It's exciting as back in April 2019, I discovered that I also made the "Feedspot Top 100 list Wine Blogs, Websites and Influencers", but back then I was number 92 (read the post here). And this year, I'm number 85. And that's GREAT!!!

It may not mean much to you, or for the big bloggers out there, who have already certain notoriety and public recognition and thousands of followers. But, it is a big deal for me, as I'm just a small independent wine blogger, who only writes about 20-25 posts per year (in average), which is far from some bloggers I know who write about 5-6 posts a week (or even more). 

I don't write much as I don't have the time or do not necessarily make the time to do so. Moreover, my posts are usually very, very, very long, full of details and apartés, (and usually take time to write), which for most people is too boring and too lengthy to read even one post until the end. And I received lots of criticisms for it. But I don't care, this is my way of writing and I like it that way (hoping you do too). 

I love sharing my knowledge and telling stories about wines. This is the reason why I created this blog in the first place, to be able to share with you about all sort of things related to wine and life in general.  

And obviously, some of you probably enjoyed reading some of my posts, otherwise, I will have never made that list, and for that, I would like to give all of you a BIG HUG and a HUGE THANK YOU. 

Being on that list means a lot to me. It makes me feel proud and motivates me to continue writing even more. So THANK YOU again.  This is AMAZING!

And if "LeDomduVin" made it to that list, it is because of YOU, not me, YOU !!!

YOU, all the readers and followers, so THANK YOU / MERCI. You made me a very happy wine blogger. 

As the list is regularly updated, I'm not sure how long I will remain at number 85, but for today I am number 85 (😊). 

Take good care of yourself, and stay tuned for more posts this year. 

Cheers! Santé!

LeDomduVin (a.k.a. Dominique Noel) 

NB: I love writing so much in both French and English and telling stories about everyday life situations too, that I created a second blog called "Really!?! The Adventures of the courteous stickman" where I write about people behaviours and their lack of courtesy and politeness in big cities, illustrated with stickman put into various situations. If interested go check it out at    https://ledomduvin.wixsite.com/reallybydomelgabor

   

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #feedspot #feedspottop100winebloglist #top100winebloglist #topwineblog #thankyou #bigthankyou #hugethankyou #lesillustrationsadom #lesdessinsadom #numbereighhtyfive

When is "too much" too much?

When is "too much" too much? 

Domaine Clarence Dillon Happy New Year Card 2020
©LeDomduVin 2020

Like every year, we received countless amount of "Happy New Year" cards from the Chateaux in Bordeaux. It is a nice gesture and it is much appreciated... 

Domaine Clarence Dillon Happy New Year Card 2020 (2)
©LeDomduVin 2020

Look how beautiful this card from Domaine Clarence Dillon signed by Prince Robert of Luxembourg is, isn't it ?... 

Domaine Clarence Dillon Happy New Year Card 2020 (3)
©LeDomduVin 2020

And after opening the envelope, the card itself comes into, not 1, not 2, but 3 more folders. Isn't it nice? Or a bit too much (should I say)? And I can't even imagine how high their marketing budget must be.?... 

Domaine Clarence Dillon Happy New Year Card 2020 (4)
©LeDomduVin 2020

However, as nice and beautiful as it is, it is also discouraging and sad.

Domaine Clarence Dillon Happy New Year Card 2020 (5)
©LeDomduVin 2020

Discouraging because, in an age where we are asking people to pay more attention to the environment, their carbon footprint, to recycle, to consume less to reduce their waste, prestigious Chateaux should be leading the way and showing the right example. But that is not the case unfortunately. . . 

Domaine Clarence Dillon Happy New Year Card 2020 (6)
©LeDomduVin 2020

And sad because in an age where climate change is induced by pollution and deforestation (among other things), I can't help thinking about the trees and nature, when I have to unfold so many folders to read a "Best Wishes" card that will end up in the trash bin few minutes or a few days later. . .

Domaine Clarence Dillon Happy New Year Card 2020 (7)
©LeDomduVin 2020

Don't get me wrong, I love the wines from Domaine Clarence Dillon (Haut-Brion more especially being my favourite wine in the world), and I have the utmost respect for Prince Robert of Luxembourg, but still, I'm asking you the question again (even for luxury goods):

When is "too much" too much ?...

In my opinion, this type of elaborated "Happy New Year" cards are terribly bad for the environment, as for example, this particular card comes into 1 envelope + 3 folders inside before you can get to it. It is a lot of waste for a card that will last only a few minutes before being trashed in the bin (as I was saying above).

And it is true, the intention and the gesture are nice and very much appreciated.

However, it is still bad for the trees, and it generates more useless trash and frankly travelled all the way through from France to Hong Kong to arrive on my desk for basically nothing.

I can even risk myself saying that this is the kind of things that has to stop if we want to save our little planet.

Of course, we can also take the problem on a different angle by saying that if we stop the Christmas card then the graphic designer, the printer, the postman, and the people on the chip or the plane may have less work or even end up losing their jobs.... but, at some point, we are going to have to make a choice... (sigh)

What should we save? The Christmas and New Year cards or our planet?

I let you meditate on that...

Santé! Cheers!

LeDomduVin (a.k.a. Dominique Noel)

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #domaineclarencedillon @domaineclarencedillon @chateauhaut_brion #hautbion #bestwishes #bestwishescard #happynewyear #happynewyearcard #pollution #environment #waste #reduceyourcarbonfootprint #lesphotosadom #lesmessagesadom #whenistoomuchtoomuch #wine #vin #vino #wein @ Hong Kong

Trump 100% Tariffs on French Wines

Trump 100% Tariffs on French Wines

Trump 100% Tariffs on French Wines by ©LeDomduVin 2020

As if the 25% Tax on European products was not enough (effective since October 18th, 2019),  late December 2019, the Trump administration threatened to impose a tariff up to 100% on French products (including handbags, clothing, wine, cheese and other products) after France passed a tax on digital services in July 2019. On Monday, January 6, 2020, France warned that it would retaliate if the US followed through with the proposal to slap tariffs on $2.4 billion worth of its products.

Such high tariff would be devastating on both sides of the Atlantic, at both ends of the process from the producers in France to the consumers in the US and everyone in between (importers, wholesalers, brokers, distributors, agents, promoters, retailers, restaurants, bistros, bars, hotels, etc, etc… and consequently would be catastrophic for both Americans and foreigners working in the wine and beverage industry overall in the US.  

So I wrote this post and made this illustration to express my discontent and the fact that I'm opposed to such high tariff on French products.  You will note how I intentionally wrote: "loosers" with 2 "o" and not only 1. The urban dictionary says that "loosers" are losers who can't spell losers, which seems appropriate for a guy like Trump. 

Regarding the 100% Tariff on French wines 

The tariff on French wines will do more bad than good on both sides of the Atlantic, but more especially on the American side. Thousands of people will be affected and a lot of them will lose their jobs. 

The tariff will affect all people at both ends: the producers, winemakers, growers, Negociants, agents, but also, importers, wholesalers, brokers, distributors, retailers, promoters, restaurants, bars, bistros, hotels, etc, etc... and even the consumers. 

The U.S. is the largest consumer of French wines and spirits, importing $3.5 billion worth of bottles in 2018, up 4.6 percent from the previous year, according to the Federation of French Wines and Spirit Exporters. 

The U.S. is also the 5th largest customer of French Wines based on sales volumes. 

No Wine Tariffs Sign

Therefore, it is wrong and would be a mistake to think that imposing a 100% Tariff on French wines would do any good to the US economy and all the people working in the wine industry in the US. 

And consequently, I think I that it would be wise to reconsider applying this tariff. 

The 25% tax effective on October 18th 2019, already deeply affected the wine market and the wine industry, a 100% tariff will kill it. 

There are two things you can do if you too are against the 100% Tariffs on French Wines. 

1. You can leave a comment on the government official websites, it is very important and the sooner the better, as the tariffs might be effective as of mid-February 2020 (click the following link) 

https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=USTR-2019-0003-2518

2. You can also join a Facebook group like "Organizing Wine Tariff Response" or others, and voice out your disagreement about the tariffs on French wines (French products in general). 

Thank you for your understanding and help on the matter. 

LeDomduVin (a French-American Sommelier) 

#winetariffs #nowinetariffs #trumpwinetariffs #tariffsonfrenchwines #wine #vin #vino #wine @ledomduvin #ledomduvin #lesillustrationsadom #lescollagesadom #lesdessinsadom 

Yquem Collection - Revisiting some old vintages

Yquem Collection

Revisiting some old vintages 

Chateau d'Yquem 1825 and 1826 labels ©LeDomduVin 2019

A bit more than two years ago, back in August 2017, I wrote a post about the company's "Yquem Collection" (*), proudly displayed at the time in the display cellar of "Le Pan Apicius" the French restaurant of the company work for, located at the ground floor of the company headquarters building in Kowloon Bay. (If interested read the post here)  

In this previous post, I was introducing to you to this quite unique "Yquem Collection" encompassing a bottle of Chateau d'Yquem 1825 and a bottle of Chateau d'Yquem 1856, as well as, at least, 1 or 2 bottles of each vintage produced at Chateau d'Yquem from 1856 to 2007, roughly a bit more than 140 different vintages displayed in that cellar at Le Pan Apicius. 

If interested to see some nice shots I took of some of these bottles, go back to the post (here), I must admit, some of the pictures are really good (I'm proud of myself for that 😁)

However, due to their fragility and their eventual degradation under the bright lights and natural light of the display cellar, I decided, a few months after putting them there, to remove all the vintages prior 1960 from the display cellar, and put these bottles back into a proper cellar with appropriate level of humidity (70-75%) and constant temperatures (12-13°C), and especially less light and fewer disturbances for these old ladies to be able to, once again, rest in peace in a quiet and peaceful environment in the dark.  

   

* To be continued and finished soon *




Santé! Cheers!

LeDomduVin (a.k.a. Dominique Noël)








(*) by "the company" I mean "the company I work for", but to keep it short, I refer it as "the company"



#yquem #yquem Collection @ledomduvin #ledomduvin #sauternes #bordeaux #bordeauxclassic #sweetwines #oldandrareladies #oldandrarevintages #oldandrarewines #oldandrarebottles  #vin  #wine #vino  #wein  #lesphotosadom #lesvideosadom #wineeducation #wineknowledge

THIS JANUARY... KEEP IT DRY!!!

THIS JANUARY... KEEP IT DRY!!!

THIS JANUARY... KEEP IT DRY!!! by ©LeDomduVin 2019

Unless you are hibernating in a cave somewhere in a remote place with no internet, no radio and no TV, you have surely heard about the "DRY JANUARY". 

But, what is "DRY JANUARY"? 

As per Wikipedia: "Dry January. ... The term "Dry January" was registered as a trademark by the charity Alcohol Concern in mid-2014; the first-ever Dry January campaign by Alcohol Concern occurred in January 2013. In the leadup to the January 2015 campaign, for the first time, Alcohol Concern partnered with Public Health England." - Wikipedia

England Dry January by ©LeDomduVin 2019

So, basically, it is understood that DRY JANUARY was created in England (in 2013) to encourage people (Britons mostly) to stop drinking for a whole month, to counter the "excessive" drinking habits of many, to dimish or prevent people from drinking too much (in general), and, to a certain extent, probably sober up after the end of the year holidays too, which usually end up becoming 2 full weeks of food and alcohol binging.

Coca-Cola French ad #survivingjanuary

The Brits have the reputation of being heavy beer drinkers, as well as spirits and cocktail drinkers, and, thus it is no wonder why such " NO ALCOHOL for a month" campaign would be initiated there. However, it would have been a good thing, if this idea would have stayed within the boundaries of the Brexiting Kingdom. But, NO! It crossed the Channel to contaminate the mind of its European neighbours (France in particular) and give ideas to some American companies (already ruling the soda world) on how to capitalize on it (see the Coca-Cola french ad above #survivingjanuary).         

THIS JANUARY... KEEP IT DRY!!! by ©LeDomduVin 2019

So, for those of you who probably won't be able to do the DRY JANUARY and/or to resist to the temptation of drinking any alcohol for 1 month, I came up with a selection of beverages for you to keep this January DRY!!! 😉 

• Dry Beer
• Dry Vermouth
• Triple Sec (meaning 3 x dry)
• Whiskey & Dry
• London Gin Dry
• Dry Martini
• Dry Sherry
• Muscadet (super dry white wine - France)
• Albariño (dry white wine - Spain)
• Sauvignon Blanc (dry white wine - New Zealand or elsewhere as you prefer)
• Grüner Veltliner (dry white wine from Austria)  

Of course, this list is non-exhaustive and other beverage (beers, sparklings, wines and spirits) could have been added, but this was just an example to show you what are your alternatives to keep this January DRY. 

Enjoy the whole rest of the month of January without drinking a drop of alcohol, if you can and if it is what you want. 

Personally, as a Sommelier and a Wine Lover, and as someone who made a career out of buying, selling, promoting, tasting and drinking wines (and spirits, and alcohol in general) for the last 28 years, I won't be able to do so, and I feel no shame about it.  

Life is too short! And if done with moderation, as Marie Lloyd used to sing it: a little (bit) of what you fancy does you good!     

Cheers! Santé!

LeDomduVin (a.k.a. Dominique Noel)

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #dryjanuary #januarydry #januarydryalternatives #beverageselectionfor dryjanuary #beverageselections #lesphotosadom #lescollagesadom #lesmemesadom #lescreationsadom #vin #wine #vino #wein #noalcohol #noalcoholforonemonth #noalcoholmonth