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Fri, 12 Mar 2004
- Screw Caps Make
the Turn in America, Canada
Screw caps are continuing to gain popularity with North American vintners, who are
embracing the closure as a taint-proof alternative to natural cork. Whitehall Lane
Winery in Napa Valley, known for its high-end Cabernet Sauvignon, will release 1,800
screw-capped half-bottles of its 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, at $22 each,
in May. The release is a test run, and winemaker Dean Sylvester will track the aging
process in the half-bottles to see how it is affected by the Stelvin closure. "As
a winemaker, I'm excited to see how the wine evolves," Sylvester said.
New
Winery in Sicily Teams Italian Aristocrat With Top Veneto Winemaker
Eager to make world-class whites and reds in Sicily, Italian businessman and multimillionaire
Paolo Marzotto has invested $12 million in a gravity-flow winery and cool-climate
vineyards on the island, and hired well-known Veneto winemaker Fausto Maculan as
his consulting enologist.
U.S.
wine drinkers becoming creative in their selections
Question: What do a Barossa shiraz, an Austrian gruner veltliner and a primitivo
from Apulia have in common? Answer: American wine drinkers in restaurants are more
liable to order them today than they would have been two years ago.
AUS: Chemical spray drift blamed for
vineyard losses -
Chemical sprays used on broadacre farms in South Australia are being blamed for big
losses in the state's vineyards. Vignerons claim the sprays are drifting onto the
vines, causing long-lasting problems. Riverland Vineyard Manager, Andrew Weeks, says
he's lost grapes worth $300,000, and is only one of 20 cases in the region.
Gallo to launch French wine in America
California-based E&J Gallo is planning to launch a new French wine named Red
Bicyclette, destined for the American market this summer. A spokesperson for Gallo
said that details were still under wraps, but Rich Cartiere, publisher of the Wine
Market Report, said the wine will be produced in the Rhône and Languedoc,
and will probably retail for US$9.99.
Leaked document fuels French wine debate
The French government is considering proposals to reduce annual alcohol consumption
in the country by 20% per head over the next 5 years, according to French newspaper
Libration. Libration quotes a leaked report produced by the MILDT (the Inter-Ministerial
Mission for the Fight against Drugs and Drug Abuse), which predicts that wine consumption
in France will decline by 50% over a five-year period.
AUS:
Ripe time to trust in grapes
The cyclical low in the wine industry is presenting the best investment opportunities
in five years, Berren Asset Management chairman Mike Terlet says. He said the best
time to invest in wine stocks was when they were "out of favour" and the
industry cycle was "approaching its low point".
Bumper grape harvest underway
New Zealand's wine industry has started harvesting its biggest grape crop, and producers
are predicting good quality wines. The national harvest is expected to be between
150,000 and 170,000 tonnes, New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan
said yesterday. The previous record, in 2002, was 118,000 tonnes.
The
wave of wine
Leading wine industry players forecast a dramatic shake-up over the next two years
as many small to medium sized wine companies come to terms with the economics of
finding a market for their product.
Thu, 11 Mar 2004
- AUS: Wine workers in high demand this
season
Demand for grape pickers will be difficult to fill in South Australia this vintage,
a wine industry recruitment firm says. Karen Evans, McLaren Vale branch manager for
Wine Workforce, said an extended picking season and bumper crop would create up to
500 positions within her region alone.
AUS: Berren confident
of wine potential
A cyclical low in the Australian wine industry provides the best investment opportunities
in five years, according to Barren Asset Management chairman Mike Terlet.
Australia to increase
wine exports
"Despite higher customs duties and complicated licensing regime in India, Australia
is optimistic on increasing wine exports to New Delhi. We are incredibly optimistic
about India. We see quite exciting prospects and good opportunities for Australian
wine," said David Dean, Marketing Manager, Australian Wine Export Council.
US:
Screw caps might kill the cork
There's no mistaking the romance that comes with pulling a cork from a bottle of
wine. But what romance is there when the wine turns out to be corked? This is a growing
problem in the wine industry, where some estimates say as much as 10 percent of all
wines are tainted. In any other business, that kind of percentage would be wholly
unacceptable. ("Yeah, but those seatbelts really do work 90 percent of the time
...")
San
Francisco's No. 1 wine-lover takes the keys to City Hall
Gavin Newsom seems to have it all -- a successful business centered around wine,
restaurants and resorts; good looks, charm and sophistication; a wife who is a former
model turned city prosecutor; a politically connected father; and a billionaire family-friend
and financial backer. Now, at age 36, he is also the new mayor of San Francisco and
a rising star in the Democratic Party.
Warm up to Ohio
ice wine
With spring so close we can almost taste it, it's time to step back and savor one
of winter's gifts: ice wine.
For The Love Of Grenache
From excellent and expensive Châteauneuf-du-Pape to better-value Vacqueyras
and Gigondas, Southern Rhône producers are now getting better extraction
and riper fruit from this notoriously difficult-to-grow grape. Meet some of Grenache's
greatest champions.
Wed, 10 Mar 2004
- SA: Deracializing
the Wine Industry
It's harvest time for the vineyards outside Cape Town and a group of black laborers
snipping grapes say they are not optimistic about owning a wine farm as the traditionally
white-dominated industry sets out to 'deracialize'. "Wine farms are for the
rich, not for people who pick grapes", says a young black woman wearing a dress
dotted with red stains.
Babies
Born To Mothers Who Drink Alcohol Heavily May Suffer Permanent Nerve Damage
Newborns whose mothers drank alcohol heavily during pregnancy had damage to the nerves
in the arms and legs, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health.
The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Chile.
FRANCE:
French accept Shiraz as legitimate term
French winemakers will from now on be able to label their wines using the term Shiraz
for wines made from the Syrah grape. The French Government, through the Conseil de
Direction de l'Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins, ONIVINS, and the Ministry
of Agriculture, has confirmed that the term Shiraz can be used as a synonym for Syrah
on French wine labels.
FRANCE: Wine exports
deliver sobering message
Figures from France's drinks trade federation, the FEVS, show that the value of French
wine exports in 2003 totalled (euro)5.76 billion, a rise of 2.3% on the previous
year, on a 2.4% dip in volume. This was well down on the growth rate of 6.4% posted
in 2002.
US: Constellation
restructures US wine division
The US division of Constellation Wines has created a new sales and marketing company,
called North Lake Wines (NLW). The company also unveiled a streamlined brand portfolio
for Canandaigua Wine Company (CWC); and changes to the sales organisations of CWC,
NLW, and Pacific Wine Partners (PWP).
US
wine family buys brands
The Reynolds and Little Boomey wine brands have been bought by leading American wine
company Trinchero Family Estates, according to media reports. The two brands were
owned by the troubled Reynolds Wines company, which has its headquarters and production
facilities near Cargo. Trinchero formed a strategic alliance with Cabonne Limited,
the predecessor to Reynolds Wines, in late 2000.
Tue, 09 Mar 2004
- Wine
prices drop as companies clear 2002 stock
A number of Marlborough wine companies are offering cut price 2002 sauvignon blanc
as the 2004 season looms. "One hundred per cent Marlborough sauvignon blanc"
is hitting the shelves at $10, nearly half the normal price, as companies move 2002
stock.
Southcorp pins its
hopes on Penfolds
Southcorp has started promoting the specific "bins" of its flagship Penfolds
brand for the first time since 2000 as the embattled winemaker tries to fix the marketing
problems that have plagued it in recent years and driven its profits into the ground.
AUS: Evans &
Tate looks at Barossa wineries
Evans & Tate remains in the hunt for acquisitions, particularly in South Australia,
following the initial success of its $100 million acquisition of the cash-strapped
Cranswick Wines last year. The Perth company's chief executive and 30 per cent shareholder,
Franklin Tate, said that although a Cranswick-sized acquisition was probably "about
18 months to two years away", he was looking to fill in gaps in the group's
portfolio.
US:
Wineries, supermarkets push for wine sales in stores
New York's wineries and the state's largest supermarket chains Monday called for
the legalization of wine sales in grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores,
gas stations and anywhere else beer is sold.
US:
New wine horizons
For years U.S. winemakers have been dependent on marketing to what they perceive
as their stereotypical customer -- the educated white male. That worked until the
recession, a glut of grapes, and a surge in wine imports combined to leave the domestic
wine industry struggling.
Mon, 08 Mar 2004
- Wine Council of Ontario launches leading-edge
environmental initiative
The Wine Council of Ontario is launching a program aimed at making Ontario's leading
wineries among the best in the world in environmental practices. WCO President Linda
Franklin will announce the initiative at "Leading Edge 2004", an environmental
and smart growth conference in St. Catharines today.
Planning made easy
for visitors to Cape Wine 2004
Knowing how overwhelming delegates can find huge wine exhibitions, Wines of South
Africa (WOSA), who are hosts to Cape Wine 2004, South Africa's biggest ever wine
industry showcase, have come up with a highly innovative search tool to simplify
the process.
Bumper
harvest and more vines send grape prices tumbling
Spot market prices for wine grapes have plunged from last year's frost-affected high
of $3800 a tonne. Most contract prices have stabilised below last year's average
of $2559 a tonne, and the big prices paid on the spot market have slumped as much
as 40 per cent.
Bottle of wine causing
headaches for Qld Govt
Queensland's corruption watchdog is investigating the circumstances in which the
inexpensive bottle of red landed in the alcohol-restricted community of Lockhart
River late last week. The Crime and Misconduct Commission wants to know who knew
it was on the State Government jet and to examine the behaviour of senior members
of the Queensland Government, including the Premier.
CANADA: Bring Your
Own Wine to Dinner
The Ontario Government may soon allow you to bring your favourite bottle of wine
to a restaurant. Sources say Consumer Minister Jim Watson has started a series of
consultations with restaurants on the idea.
Sun, 07 Mar 2004
- US:
'Women of wine' are slowly gaining respect
Although more women are making and learning about wine, completing stringent sommelier
courses and asking for their own wine menus at restaurants, the universe still leans
toward Mars rather than Venus. One of my first discoveries of this fact was during
a solitary visit to a fancy Kansas City, Mo., restaurant more than a dozen years
ago.
Fresno State Enology
Wins International Wine Awards for Fourth Year
California State University, Fresno student-produced wines have again won international
acclaim ñ including four gold medals, three best of class, and two best
of variety -- all from grapes grown in the San Joaquin Valley. Leading the vintage
awards are several new releases.
US: Battle of the
$1.99 wines is in offing
Ladies and gentlemen, a challenge has been issued to determine the "ultravalue"
wine champion of the world. On this coast, the original and still undefeated champion,
Charles "Two Buck Chuck" Shaw. Born at Bronco Wine Co. in Ceres, Chuck
invented the category and dominates it, defeating all comers and setting the wine
industry on its ear.
AUS:
Domestic wine sales drop
Australia's domestic wine sales slipped 2.5 per cent in January, the Australian Bureau
of Statistics said. In its monthly wine figures, the bureau said sales fell to 33
million litres. It was 5.2 per cent down on the same period last year. White wine
sales lifted 0.8 per cent, but red wine sales slipped 2.7 per cent.
US: Bill to benefit
wine industry passes House
A legislative bill that could provide $1.3 million to boost Oklahoma's growing wine
industry has cleared its first hurdle in the state House of Representatives. House
Bill 2219, sponsored by state Rep. Elmer Maddux, R-Mooreland, and Sen. Harry Coates,
R-Seminole, is modeled after successful programs in Washington and Missouri. The
20 wineries that make up the Oklahoma Grape Growers and Winemakers Association are
the driving force behind the legislation.
US:
Part-Timers No Amateurs With Wine
Amateur-turned-professional has become a familiar resume among North Fork vintners.
But in today's competitive climate, traces of amateurism are not quickly evident
in new brands coming to market. This means that first-time customers need not hesitate
when buying their bottles from Waters Crest Winery, in Cutchogue, which opened in
October.
US:
Winery real estate market is picking up
In a sign that the general outlook for the California wine business is improving,
the pace of vineyard and winery sales activity has been increasing in 2004. "The
level of activity has picked up appreciably," one real estate source reported.
"The general perception out there is we have seen the worst of it, so that now
is the time to pick up your bargains."
Prominent
Producers From Australia, Bordeaux and Champagne Team Up on New Venture
Australian wine icon Brian Croser has formed a grapegrowing and winemaking partnership
with French Champagne producer Bollinger and Jean-Michel Cazes, the owner of Bordeaux
fifth-growth Château Lynch-Bages. The venture, which was revealed today,
has purchased Koppamurra Vineyard in Wrattonbully, a rapidly growing region near
Coonawarra and Padthaway in South Australia.
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