Château Mouton Rothschild elevated from Second Growth to First Growth class in the 1855 Classification of Medoc wines, the only significant change in the 154-year-old classification.

Robert Parker, America’s powerful and controversial wine writer/expert, is named a Chevalier dans l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur. Only wine critic ever to receive the award.

Wine and prosperity flow along on the same current of joy. A recent Wall Street Journal story by Laura Santini reports that Hong Kong has become an international wine hub, thanks to the growing appreciation of wine and luxury accompanying the new Chinese economy. (Hong Kong is now Sotheby’s leading wine-auction market.) The city has seen an especially large uptick in business because of the elimination of a 40 percent tax on wine imports (it’s 43 percent on the mainland). The preferred bottle to cement and celebrate a business deal? The 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, which sells for roughtly $5,000 in Hong Kong. Although local wine experts suspect a lot of it is counterfeit. 12/5/09.

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