Prince Charles's Label, Feng Shui in Chile: Wacky Wine in 2006

By Elin McCoy

Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Every year has its wacky wine stories, and vintage 2006 had a bumper crop.

Forget the almost predictable global-warming tales of French and California winemakers scouting for vineyards in England, or the report that corpulent lab mice can get away with eating a high-fat diet as long as they ingest resveratrol, an extract of red wine. (I knew that would work!)

What really caught my interest was the news that Prince Charles is the latest artistic titan to illustrate a Chateau Mouton-Rothschild label. His tepid Sunday-painter watercolor of pine trees at Cap d'Antibes emblazons the just-bottled 2004 ($180), due to arrive in the U.S. next year. The ostensible reason for picking the prince is that 2004 was the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, but let's just say the P.R. value of his name can't hurt.

Charles joins a roster of creative types who've tossed off something for the Mouton label since 1945, including Picasso, Braque, Dali, Miro, Chagall, Warhol and Balthus.

OK, the Prince of Wales may not be in the artistic big leagues, even if he has exhibited in Windsor Castle and a wine shop in the French village of Margaux, but at least his tame scene won't offend, as Balthus's nude nymphet did. After complaints from women's groups, that drawing was left off the label for the U.S. market.

Cosmic Energy in Chile

Feng shui, the popular ancient Chinese practice of designing and arranging spaces to achieve alignment with cosmic energies, has finally made it to the wine world. What took so long? Vina Montes's ultra-modern La Finca de Apalta winery in Chile's Colchagua Valley, which I visited a month ago, claims to be the first to incorporate feng shui concepts in its design.

The architect worked with a feng shui guru, who advised positioning basic elements of water, earth, wood, fire and metal to enhance the distribution of positive cosmic energy throughout the winery. It sounds like an update of pyramid power, but Victor Baeza, a winemaker, claims ``it is easy to work here.''

``People are happy,'' he says. ``I don't know why. It seems less stressful no matter how intense the work. And if it is good for human beings, it is better for the wine.''

Of course, that might be due to the recordings of Gregorian chants playing in the barrel room.

Out of This World

Then there's the spaciest wine question of all: what to drink in orbit.

A few weeks ago, astronauts living aboard the International Space Station finally ate a decent French meal, a dinner designed by Michelin-starred celebrity chef Alain Ducasse. The roast quail, duck breast confit, celery root puree and more -- delivered in tins via a Russian supply ship -- were reported to be delicious. But, according to the European Space Agency Web site, German astronaut Thomas Reiter said they would have tasted even better with wine.

Surely the ideal space wine would have been the two bottles of 2267 Chateau Picard, from the family estate of ``Star Trek's'' Captain Jean-Luc Picard, which were sold two months ago at Christie's New York for $6,600, or 10 times the estimate. Alas, being only movie props, they contain no actual wine.

My next-best suggestion for this thirsty astronaut is a new, no-expense-spared Chilean red, 2002 Altair ($60), named for a first magnitude star in Aquila, the Eagle constellation. It's plush and concentrated, with hints of black currant, spice and cedar, perfect for drinking in dark, cold space.

Unfortunately, swirling and sniffing won't work in zero- gravity space; you have to use straws. But there's an even bigger obstacle. Prohibition is still in effect: All alcohol is banned at the Space Station.

Count me out on a long trip to Mars until repeal.

For more information about Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, see http://www.bpdr.com ; for Altair, http://www.altairwines.com ; for Montes winery, http://www.monteswines.com

(Elin McCoy writes on wine and spirits for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are her own.)