The drought in August inhibited the ripening process so growers had to keep their nerve in the face of worrying long-range weather forecasts

The drought in August inhibited the ripening process, so growers had to keep their nerve in the face of worrying long-range weather forecasts. If they picked early, they missed out on an extra degree of ripeness. If they hung on, they brought the grapes in in optimum conditions. Many have made great wines.At this early stage in a young wine’s life, it is hard to predict, other than in general terms, how the unfinished wine, tasted as a barrel sample, will turn out once it’s been bottled.What the early barrel tastings can do is offer a snapshot of the vintage and help potential customers decide whether or not to buy Bordeaux en primeur (pre-release) when wine merchants offer the wines over the next couple of months, and if so, which ones.Of the Famous Five icons (Ch?au Haut-Brion, Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Mouton-Rothschild), Margaux and Lafite are great, monumental wines capable of outliving us all.

But with prices to match their stature, these great standard-bearers are out of most people’s reach. In a first-rate vintage, it’s the scores of other classified ch?aux and the hundreds of middle-ranking wines (crus bourgeois) that can offer the real value. 2000 is that vintage.”This is a timely vintage for us, the quality is there across the board,” says Jean-Michel Cazes, the well-respected owner of Ch?au Lynch Bages. “Some of the better crus bourgeois are excellent this year and the better-classified ch?aux are wines for the future. It’s a vintage of powerful wines, and although the tannins are the highest on record, they’re not aggressive or herbal They have built-in approachability.”I’d second that.

This is going to be a year of great values, price permitting, among well-selected ch?aux, particularly at the middle- to high-ranking levels in the M?c.Although voluble about their wines, producers went quiet when the subject of price was raised. But you could still see the mental calculators working overtime. Despite the undoubted demand for 2000, there are brakes on Bordeaux’s financial aspirations. It may still be France’s wine capital, but it is no longer automatic flavour of the month overseas.

And the shameful overpricing of the no-better-than average 1997 vintage still haunts producers.According to Mr Cazes, even in the face of enormous demand for vintage 2000, there’s a collective feeling Bordeaux should make a special effort to be responsible on its pricing A rise of 5 to 10 per cent is being bandied about. This is all very well, but it is also dependent on restraint by the intermediaries in the chain, brokers, Bordeaux negociants and wine merchants overseas. If the market is as keen to get its hands on Bordeaux 2000 as it appears, lovers of fine Bordeaux can only hope that common sense will prevail.¿ As prices are gradually released in Bordeaux over the coming weeks, specialist UK wine merchants will be sending out opening offers. I’ll return to the subject with a guide to the best wines and values, and how to buy en primeur. Meanwhile, here is a selection of top M?cs to watch out for:Beychevelle, Brane-Cantenac, Calon-S?r, Cantemerle, Cos d’Estournel, L?ille-Barton, Gruaud-Larose, Lagrange, La Lagune, L?ille-Poyferr?Lynch-Bages, Palmer, Pichon Longueville, Pavillon Rouge du Ch?au Margaux, Rauzan Gassies, Rauzan-S?a, Talbot. At middle-ranking level: Chasse-Spleen, Lab?rce Z?, Le Boscq, Malescasse, Maucaillou, Monbrison, Pibran, Poujeaux, Ramafort, S?jac, Siran.. As every driver of a white van (and all those lorries pounding arterial routes between supermarkets) ought to know, Monday 23 April is St George’s Day.

But the 4th-century martyr St George isn’t just the patron saint of England, but of farmers, too

As every driver of a white van (and all those lorries pounding arterial routes between supermarkets) ought to know, Monday 23 April is St George’s Day. But the 4th-century martyr St George isn’t just the patron saint of England, but of farmers, too.
And heaven knows they could really do with some saintly intervention just now. As well as shopping at farmers’ markets, you can do your bit to support British farmers by ordering their food directly over the internet. One new website is www.realproduce.co.uk which directs you to producers who can arrange mail order, though on my visit to the site I was slightly disappointed by the small number listed and the range of products ­ too much fudge and chocolate. In contrast, www.donaldrusselldirect is a straightforward way to order Scottish produce, especially meats, direct from the farmer.Donald Russell has long been established ­ before all this internet malarkey ­ as a supplier of high quality meat and game and its colour brochure (order online, or phone 01567 629666) is also beautifully produced.¿ With so many food websites claiming to have scoured the country for small producers, you can imagine artisan chutney-bottlers, cheese-makers and cake-bakers having to make new internet “farmers’ markets” representatives form an orderly queue. Like Realproduce, www.grangegourmet.co.uk also claims to be an online farmers’ market, although the Fresh Food Co ( www.freshfood.co.uk) came up with that idea years ago when it started delivering organic food boxes direct from producers. Grange Gourmet (01673 818500 if you would rather phone for a brochure) has a wide range of “delicious specialities from around Britain” that suggests many farmers are busier cooking than they are farming.Heedless of London Farmers’ Market’s recent statement that “rogue farmers’ markets selling olives don’t help” to make clear what farmers’ markets are, Grange Gourmet kicks off with snacks including Australian olives.Its ready-made meals include carbonnade of beef and vegetarian lasagne, there are carrot batons, broccoli florets, and desserts.