Wine & Spirits
Chateaux Margaux
or n
in an that hi o any
has only a handful of requests a year
for such careful treatment of even
the most expensive wines.” Unquote.
Reefer in Burgundy
Temperature controlled trucks
and vans are mainly used for top
Burgundy wine. Producers like
o ain
ai a on oth r
will never allow their wine to be
transported in standard trucks:
merchants have no other choice but
to comply. Top producers are fully
aware that their reputation also
depends on the type of trucks used.
Reefer in Bordeaux
Thin ar iff r nt in or a a
th r i th n o iant t r th
producer sells to the négociant and
the négociant sells to traders and
merchants. Wines are generally
collected by merchants/ traders
at the négociant warehouse in
Bordeaux. The producers are
generally not aware of the type
of equipment used and cannot s
top non-reefer shipment from
happening. The négociant cannot
interfere with his client shipping
decision/ quality approach.
temperature on wine is a matter
of tasting skills. Provided that the
wine has not been exposed to
extreme temperature for days or
week, the product will still be
drinkable. In case of minor loss of
quality from 5% to 25%, would a
customer with average tasting skills
noti th iff r n on a in h
ha n
r ta t
or
Wine temperature
transparency
Far from the lavish wine tasting
th r i th o t ff ti an
non-transparent world of wine
shipping. Wine lovers/ collectors
and investors paying 100% of a price
should receive 100% of the quality
they are paying for.
It seems that exposing wine to
ambient temperature during long
transit is acceptable for most
wine traders and merchants, it
is therefore easy to see why
temperature monitoring is not a
priority. From a trader’s point of
view, temperature transparency is
more of a problem than a solution as
the immediate impact of
transparency will be the increase of
shipping and storage cost, higher
insurance cost and greater liability.
Tasting skills
Understanding the true impact
of wine shipping or storage
If low cost perishable can be found
in your local shop there is a high
probability that one day you will
a or
i
i ry o yo r n
Bordeaux at the correct shipping
temperature too.
Note: Author Gabriel Matagne
represents Thermoveritas and uses
the warehouse shown in the photo
that belongs to Dartess.
95