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Fri, 23 Apr 2004
- Antinori
rocks the boat by taking its flagship Sangiovese out of Chianti Classico
Piero Antinori, who literally changed the face of Chianti 30 years ago, says he's
going to do it again. Antinori says he will remove the Chianti Classico designation
from his most popular wine with the 2001 vintage - at the very moment when Chianti
Classico is trying to regain its image for quality wine after a decade of criticism
of the region.
Look to US for wine success, maverick
says
One of the country's most unconventional and successful wine companies is urging
budding wine exporters to look to the US for success rather than the traditional
target, the UK. Kim Crawford wines - the country's 10th largest wine company by production
but fourth-largest exporter to the US sees huge growth opportunities in the US and
better margins to boot.
France
to Consider First New AOC Classification Since 1935
Winemakers throughout France could have the chance to tout the excellence of their
wines on their bottles, if the president of the Institut National des Appellations
d'Origine, which oversees the country's appellation laws, gets his way.
Allied
Domecq First-Half Profit Falls as Dollar Drops
April 22 (Bloomberg) -- Allied Domecq Plc, the maker of Malibu rum and owner of Dunkin'
Donuts, said fiscal first-half profit dropped 9.2 percent because of the dollar's
decline against the pound and slower demand for liquor outside the U.S.
US:
Napa crops rose in value in 2003
Napa County agricultural production values grew slightly in 2003 on the strength
of higher wine grape prices and more acres devoted to grape production, according
to a crop report released to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. All crops and livestock
produced last year showed a total value of $392,929,000 - 1.3 percent more than in
2002, according to Agricultural Commissioner Dave Whitmer.
Thu, 22 Apr 2004
- Cancer
Claims for Red Wine Supplement Suspect
A chemical found in red wine and heralded for its cancer and heart disease fighting
abilities is unlikely to work at all on most cancers, according to a small study.
Researchers unveiled results showing that resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grape
skins, wine, and peanuts, barely enters the human bloodstream when taken by mouth.
Wine molecule slows
aging
A molecule that is an active ingredient in red wine can slow the aging of human cells.
It extends the life expectancy of every organism that, so far, has been fed on it,
including yeast, worms, and fruit flies. Called resveratrol, the wonder substance
seems to work in the same way as drastic calorie cutting.
Cahors pins hopes on new fruity wine
Producers of France's Cahors wine could soon be supplementing the range with a fruity,
early-drinking version to be sold at an affordable price. A new wine is the appellation's
best hope of halting plummeting supermarket sales, Jean Roche, president of the federation
of independent winemakers of the Lot departement, of which Cahors is the only AC,
said.
US:
Wine yesterday, wine today, wine tomorrow
On a bad day, everybody wonders why you do what you do for a living. For the salt
miner, the rock seems just a little harder on Monday than on Friday, and some days,
the CEO can barely bring himself to pick up that big heavy bag of money. When I read
the latest numbers from The Wine Institute (www.wineinstitute.org) about wine consumption
in America today, my tasting glass was left half empty, not half full.
AUS: Wineries back
calls for tax exemption
South Burnett wine producers have thrown their support behind the Queensland Wine
Industry Association's calls to exempt small producers from the Wine Equalisation
Tax. The association has asked the Federal Government to introduce a tax exemption
on the first 600,000 litres of wine sales to improve the profit margins of small
producers.
AUS:
The hellfire harvest
Everything was looking promising for a vintage that would be memorable in terms of
both quantity and quality. But over a spell of a couple of weeks in February, when
the temperature hovered around 40 degrees Celsius in the vast inland wine producing
regions based around the Murray River, much of that thinking changed.
AUS:
Margaret River wine put in cask
Margaret River, a region synonymous with world-class wines and weekend cottages for
the chattering classes, has produced its first casks in a move some fear will damage
the area's reputation for high quality.
New
wine makes Canadian history
OLIVER, B.C. - A nice round "pop" marked a milestone in the history of
Canadian wine last week. Officially uncorked for the first time was a bottle of Osoyoos
Larose, the result of a joint venture between the French Groupe Taillan and Canada's
Vincor International.
Wine
Group raises bid for Golden State
The Wine Group, California's No. 3 winemaker, has made another offer for Golden State
Vintners, keeping alive the bidding war for the Napa bulk wine producer. The San
Francisco-based company Monday night submitted an offer of $8.25 a share, which includes
$82 million cash and the assumption of $29 million in Golden State Vintners' debt.
EUROPE: EU revival
plan targets Macedonian wine
The European Union (EU) organisation tasked with reviving the war-damaged south-eastern
Balkans has released a plan to move Macedonia's wine industry from a bulk producer
of cheap wine towards a higher-end sector, tapping western export markets. The country
has a wine-making tradition, still exhibits a (former) communist command economy
inspired indifference to quality.
Wed, 21 Apr 2004
- In
praise of B.C.'s Pinot Noir
You know how sometimes you have a day where you are trying to accomplish something
specific and for whatever reason it just doesn't seem to happen? The other morning
I pulled two bottles of wine from Summerhill Pyramid Winery out of a box and put
them into the fridge to chill. Before lunch I took them out and onto my desk to taste,
got sidetracked, went for lunch, came back and returned them to fridge to chill once
again.
Old World and New
World wines
Now, which approach do you prefer? The more romantic one borne out of experience
and an observance of nature, or a scientific one based on an analysis of weather
patterns? It is not such a silly question, because it encapsulates the difference
in approach between the Old World and the New World to winemaking and wine marketing.
Light on the subject
of vines
The hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic reached record size last spring,
the United Nations' World Meteorological Organisations (WMO) reports, in spite of
strict government controls over the use of ozone depleting chemicals.
Leading-Edge
Cork Technology Gets Attention of Nation Leading the Charge for Screw Caps
In a twist of opinion over the latest developments in wine closures, Sabate's new
technical corks treated with a TCA-extraction process are winning positive reviews
and recognition in Australia as well as excellent results in tests conducted by the
Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI). This turn of events is particularly significant
in that Australia owns a reputation as a leading region in the trial and endorsement
of new and less traditional wine packaging and marketing techniques.
Foster's rally keeps
market topped up
Alcohol group Foster's led the sharemarket higher following upgrades to its outlook
for wine sales in the US and a worldwide thirst for beer stocks, highlighting a day
of mostly stock-specific trading and few broad themes.
US:
Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines Announces 'Low Carb'Wines
Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines (DC&E), part of Diageo, the world's leading premium
drinks business, announced that three of its wine brands, BV Coastal Estates, Sterling
Vintners Collection and a new brand offering, Century Cellars, all meet the definition
of a 'Low Carb'alcohol beverage as recently established by the Alcohol and Tobacco
Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).
Tue, 20 Apr 2004
- Vineyard smoke angers Marlborough council
Smoke billowing from vineyards fighting frosts is getting up the nose of Marlborough's
council, community and wine industry. Last week Marlborough District Council received
complaints of vineyards burning waste oils and oil-based paints in drums on vineyards,
as growers tried to warm the air against frost.
What
kind of wine is Chinon?
Chinon is a major red wine of the Loire Valley. The Chinon appellation, about 20
miles southwest of Tours, produces whites from Chenin Blanc, as well as rosés,
but is best known for its red wines made from Cabernet Franc.
Is a glass of wine (or two) good for
you?
First, I must warn you that alcohol consumption is a leading cause of car accidents
and traumatic death. Three in 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related
car accident at some point in their lives. In addition, because women do not process
alcohol as effectively as men, they will become inebriated faster and develop disease
from alcohol more quickly.
Raising
a glass to cork-safe wine
Wine lovers could avoid sipping a ruined Merlot or Shiraz because of a bad cork thanks
to a new solution in the shops, its makers claim. Corked wine has been a bane for
wine lovers since the development of these natural stoppers, but a hi-tech process
which blasts the cork with carbon dioxide is said to remove all traces of the stale
taint.
Botry-Zen's remedy starts to bud
The success of a product improvement programme means listed biotech minnow Botry-Zen
will be able to keep its manufacturing base in New Zealand, says its chief executive
John Scandrett. Botry-Zen, one of the of the companies fostered by the late Howard
Paterson, has developed a biological control for the grape-rotting disease botrytis.
Drinkers Should
Prepare For Tax Hikes
Consumers are being warned to brace themselves for upcoming tax hikes on their favourite
alcohol beverages, following the Consumers Price Index (CPI) inflation figures, announced
today (Monday 19 April).
New Zealand wines
shouldn't be smoked
Green MP Ian Ewen-Street says vintners need to use their heads and not their matches
when combating frosts. He was responding to a Marlborough Express report that some
vineyard owners are burning paint tins, arsenic-treated timber and waste oils to
prevent their grapes from freezing.
FRANCE: Hot wires
boost grape expectation
Two chablis wine growers, infuriated at regularly losing up to half their annual
grape harvest to spring frosts, have launched an electric heating system for vineyards.
"A lot of growers will be looking at it closely," said a spokeswoman for
the Burgundy Wine Association. " A few cold nights in April or May and a whole
year's production can go."
AUS: Vincor consolidates
sales force
Vincor is consolidating its Australian wine operations, following its acquisition
of Amberley Estate earlier this year. The company is looking to consolidate its sale
force in the country. Vincor currently has two sales groups, one for Goundrey and
another for Amberley Estate. It is now planning to create one direct team of about
28 people to service the entire country.
AUS:
Our wine beating France in the US
Australian wine is going down a treat in the US, with sales soaring 39 per cent during
2003. Australia's reds and whites now rank second to Italy's among the imported wines
most preferred by US drinkers ñ unseating France from second spot. It
slipped to third with an 11 per cent sales slump during last year.
European
wine consumption: consumers still prefer a pop
Various attempts have been made by the wine industry to overcome the problem of corking.
The most obvious solution, to introduce new bottle stopping materials such as screw
tops and plastic corks, have proven unpopular - especially among more discerning
wine drinkers. Now, a cork manufacturer has found a way to eliminate the problem
and continue using traditional cork.
Mon, 19 Apr 2004
- Wine
Lost in Time
Doris Duke, dubbed "the world's richest girl" by the tabloid press of the
1920s, lived and entertained on a grand scale. Her everyday wine, for example, was
La Mission Haut Brion 1929. On June 4, 1,900 bottles of great and now rare wine Duke
never got around to drinking will go on the auction block at Christie's New York,
material testimony to a vanished age.
Tax-time
imports you can't afford to write off
Sporting some of the wildest packaging on store shelves, the newly released 2002
Georges Duboeuf Chardonnay Reserve and Merlot Reserve ($8 each) win prizes for visual
appeal. With a floral motif and blocks of color resembling a Picasso painting, the
bottles will lift anyone's tax-weary spirit.
AUS:
Display something to crow about
The Montara Vineyard has come alive once again for the ninth annual Scarecrows in
the Vineyard display. Participants from across the state have provided 16 scarecrows
for the display. The scarecrows had to be contemperary winged creations dressed in
a festive manner. The scarecrows have to be able to survive all weather conditions
until May 2.
Bob
Dylan Teams Up With Italian Winemaker
"Vintage Bob Dylan" has taken on a new meaning. A term that once referred
to dusty LPs and rollicking harmonica riffs now can be applied to fine wine, as the
legendary folksinger has teamed up with Italian winemaker Antonio Terni to produce
a blended red wine.
Bordeaux's
Quiet Vintage
In Bordeaux these days, few people are talking about the wines from 2001. The region's
newest vintage, now arriving in the market, is almost completely forgotten, even
though many outstanding reds were produced. Only Sauternes and Barsac, which made
fantastic sweet wines, are generating any real excitement.
Shiraz Alliance
Program - Nature Vs Nature Released Online
What makes Shiraz the leading grape variety in the world at the moment? Why have
consumers from New York to Newcastle, California to China, Oxford to Ottawa embraced
the rich flavours of this historic grape? Where do the best Shiraz wines come from
and what makes them special? These will be some of the questions answered by hundreds
of the world's leading Shiraz lovers at the first International Shiraz Alliance,
a celebration of the variety to be held in the Barossa, Australia from July 30 to
August 2.
Italians
get taste for NZ wine
The purchase by a Tuscan wine family of a 12.7ha vineyard in Marlborough will help
put the northern South Island wine-producing district on the world map. The Antinori
family with a seven-century history in the wine business paid $2.8 million through
its company Campo Di Sasso for the vineyard said by locals to be a good vine-growing
site.
Christie's
Auction House Appoints New Head of Wine Department
David Elswood has been appointed head of Christie's international wine department,
a position that had been left vacant since the departure of Christopher Burr in 2000.
Elswood, who joined Christie's in 1985, had been head of the auction firm's European
wine sales since 2001. He briefly left the company in 2000 to become managing director
of Winebid.com's European wine business.
Hope
Floats -- When It's Made of Cork
If a cork floats, then so should a boat made of corks, right? That hypothesis was
proposed by 6-year-old John Pollack shortly after his first boat -- made not from
cork, but from orange crates and firewood lashed together with bumper stickers --
sank on its maiden voyage, in a pond near his boyhood home in Ann Arbor, Mich. It
was a simple enough idea, this boat made of corks, but it took Pollack three decades
to turn his childhood fantasy into a buoyant reality, a feat he chronicles in his
book Cork Boat (Pantheon, $21).
US:
The Chalone Wine Group Completes Unrivaled Pinot Noir Portfolio with the Inaugural
Release of Orogeny
April 15, 2004 -Focusing on cool-climate Pinot Noir from Green Valley, the coolest
region of the Russian River Valley, Orogeny Vineyards' inaugural release is from
the critically-acclaimed 2002 vintage. With the debut of Orogeny Vineyards, the Chalone
Wine Group, Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHLN) has completed its portfolio of California Pinot Noir
wineries.
US:
Wine region attracting more visitors
Visitors to Washington's wine region in the southeastern part of the state increased
29 percent over the last three years, according to survey commissioned by the state.
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