Bordeaux 2011 hits Vancouver

This week-end sees Bordeaux’s i-Phone moment in Canada with the 2011 release

Château Petrus – grab it while you can.

In a sight to gladden French hearts, overnight queues are expected for tomorrow’s release of the 2011 Bordeaux in Vancouver, BC.

All wine sales in the Canadian province are handled by BC Liquor stores and, with an allocation of 3,500 cases, brisk trading is anticipated. Portfolio manager for European wines, Barbara Philip MW, told the local BC paper, “The Province” that it was a “little bit like” the release of a new iPhone except for the limited supply.

She predicted that “most of it, probably 60% to 70%, will sell this weekend. There will be a line-up outside. There will be a mad rush. All of the big names, all of the very highly rated wines, will sell out right away.”

Sommeliers and private customers have to queue together, with some likely to arrive before 5am on Saturday morning. Among the most expensive wines will be sixty bottles of Château Petrus 2011 which Philip expects to sell out “before the doors open.” Despite costing $2,800 (£1,558) a pop.