Yesterday I picked it up. The box and the bottle look as good, interesting and colorful, as expected.
Those few bottles I bought were the only bottles the proprietor of the Wine Trading Company’s (San Francisco) had. He ordered them especially for me. He, Gary, said he can do it for anyone who asks and can mail it, too.

 
You may contact him at: (415) 731-6222 or toll-free at 1-800-681-WINE.

a

 
Update 3

Yesterday I got a call from the owner of a liquor store: he is getting a limited amount of Special Edition Remy Martin and will hold a couple of bottles for me.Update 2According to my sources, Chicago will be getting some of Special Edition Rémy Martin.  No, I don’t know which stores.

 

Update 1
My visit to the same neighborhood liquor store revealed the following: no distribution of Special Edition Rémy Martin to CA is planned. I’ve contacted my friends in other states to see what can be done about purchasing a few bottles of this cognac. Then, of course, I’ll have to devise a way to receive it, because mailing of liquor by UPS is against the law. 

 

How it all started:

 
About 15 years ago (or more) I walked into a nice liquor store in the neighbourhood to buy a bottle of cognac for a friend who, I knew, would appreciate it. Among many bottles on a shelf I choose one I liked: a somewhat pear-shaped decanter with an unusually designed label, which seemed to be painted on the front of the bottle and was vaguely familiar (all I remember now: small clusters of tiny blue flowers).

 
The price, displayed underneath this decanter by little plastic digits, attached to the edge of the shelf, showed 499.I figured, while zero at the end of $49.90 is missing and the price range is a bit over my limit, the bottle is definitely intriguing and unusual, absolutely worth it, and I’ll buy it. At that moment the proprietor of the store came over to help me. I pointed to the ornamented glass bottle, said I intended to buy it, and handed him $60. He looked at me questionably, and said something along this line: “The price of this fine cognac is $499.00″.

 
I will omit the details of my reaction to this piece of information, except to say, that I was blushing and thought feverishly of the graceful ways to disquise my ignorance on this subject. Then he proceeded to explain me, that said cognac was a collectible item, from the Courvoisier Collection created by Erte and ingraved with his work, and that in a couple of years the value of this decanter and its content will be estimated in thousands of dollars. After the lesson, which I really appreciated, I bought a bottle of reasonably (for my needs) priced cognac and left. 

 
Read about Courvoisier’s history and spirits. 

 
See some of the available Courvoisier’s Erte Collection items at Bottleshop. 

 
All 7 decanters of Courvoisier’s Erte Collection Cognac are pictured at Luxury Reporter. 

 
According to the research I’ve done for this article, the decanter from the 1st Courvoisier Erte Collection can be obtained today for $7,500.00. That fateful visit was my first introduction to the collectible wines and spirits.

 

Why am I writing about it today?

 

The reason is, Remy Martin introducing “its first-ever limited-edition VSOP bottle by David LaChapelle.” Remy Martin VSOP cognac is the best-selling in the U.S. and David LaChapelle, who worked with Andy Warhol, directed Elton’s John show and Madonna’s video, who has 4 books of celebrities’ portraits published, seemed a logical choice for promoting company’s new product.

 
The artist’s vibrant and intense style epitomizes the taste and vigor of the Remy Martin cognac. The design on the bottle, inspired by Paris cabaret’s scene in 1927, depicts a women dancing in a jungle and a graceful movement of a leopard in the jump, both projecting a energy and sensuality in their lithe bodies motion. 

 
“No more than 150,000 of the Rémy Martin VSOP… will be available at spirits retailers nationwide beginning in June. Suggested retail price is $50.00 for a 750ml bottle…”  Only time will tell, if this venture by Remy Martin be as succsessful as Courvoisier’s Erte Collection, but I am going to buy a couple of bottles of this cognac anyway, because I like it in its present state just fine, and holding on to it for a couple of years to see the result of this offering may be fun, too. 

 
Read about and see work by David LaChapelle at Design Boom.
(Images contained in the article may not be suitable for viewing at work). 

 
Source article and the Picture of the new bottle at: Cocktail Times. 

 

a

 
If you wish you knew all this, but don’t, read an article in Times Online and learn how to invest in wine. A lot of interesting information, where you don’t have to pay for the education: only for the wine.

 
You could experiment with it: drink a bottle now, write down your findings. Open another bottle some time later and try to compare what have changed. You should know, that not all wine is intended for maturing, and if yes, then only for a certain number of years.

 
And the best advice is: if you don’t like the wine you got: drown your sorrow in it. Consider your money well spent, not thrown away, and learn from the experience. If your wine appreciates in value: sell it and enjoy something less expensive, if you can’t afford your own anymore.

a

photo credit: biskuit

 
Since we are on the subject of wine tasting (see my post Nose Insurance: $8 Million), I think you should know, that according to a study conducted by the team of researchers of Stanford University, “The more wine costs, the more people enjoy it, regardless of how it tastes”.

 
They also concluded, that consumers expect more expensive wines to be higher quality, taste better, and with an interesting label on top of it ( good marketing), people already predispositioned to enjoy it.

 
Really? Do you think it’s true? First of all, let’s start from the process of buying the wine. Do you always know what kind of wine you are buying? Do you make your decision based on the brand and the year? Or the brand, the year and the price? How much attention do you pay to the bottle’s shape and the label?

 
I am sure, most people know what kind of wine they prefer and judge the taste by something they already expect to find. From then on, it’s probably relative, on a scale of whatever a person compares it to. What I think is most important, is that we all have different tastes and we don’t always voice our opinion in front of other people.

 
I guess, it is the same theory, as with many other items: cereal (brand name or store name), clothing (Target store or the designer’s T-shirt), furniture, etc.
We could see the difference in the items, when we touch the fabric or try the shoes on, but unfortunately, we have to bring a bottle of wine home and open it in order to decide if we like it. Will you voice your pleasurable experience and drink the wine, even if you don’t like it? Or will you politely nurse the glass  in your hand for a while, and pour it away discretely at the first opportunity?

 
By the way, in case you decide to pour the wine you don’d like down the drain, don’be too quick. Many cooking experts recommend, that you freeze it in cubes (especially white wine), and use it later for cooking or add it, when necessary, in your next glass of wine to keep it cool and less watery (not recommended mixing with different types and brands).
And this is my gift of information to you today. If you have an interesting wine experience or preffered wine, please share your thoughts with us.

 
To find out more details about the study read Reuters News. And keep in mind, that better marketing does not always result into better quality wine. The motto here should be: “Know your wine and drink it”.

a

When you travel to Calistoga (Napa County), CA next time, don’t just enjoy the pools and massage, find time to visit new winery, which sits just a few minutes from downtown Calistoga. It’s a castle.

When you click on the link, you’ll see changing pictures: consider it your preview of the place.

http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/ 
And here is some more info:

www.goldenhaven.com 

a