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Mon, 03 May 2004
- Americans
fall for Riesling
Things were tough for those trying to sell Riesling to Americans in the early 1990s.
The most literate and passionate US importer of German wine, Terry Theise, now with
Michael Skurnik Wines, had to devise cunning stratagems to persuade wine drinkers
to even try them.
US:
Wine trails give tourists chance to sample vintages, towns and more
As Michigan wines grow in quality and quantity, auto tours along the four designated
"wine trails" have become a popular way to spend an afternoon or a weekend.
Bordeaux in Name Only
I suspect there has always been -- long before Messrs. Parker and Coates got into
the act -- a tendency for Bordeaux winemakers and others elsewhere to produce a special
batch, or a cask or two, that showed well when the gates opened and the wines were
first put on the market: glossy and seductive barrel samples that would earn good
notes and produce large orders. Such wines display impressive colors, large amounts
of almost over-ripe fruit, soft tannins and low acidities.
AUS:
Fleurieu finesse
Undulating green hills, dramatic coastline and fine food and wine; the Fleurieu Peninsula
has enough of everything to ensure a relaxing, picturesque holiday or weekend break.
Alcohol's Deadly Triple Threat
Women get addicted faster, seek help less often and are more likely to die from the
bottle.
A bottle of wine
The practice of drinking wine and then finding something to say about it has always
had a certain national character. English wine writers, for example, are fusty and
understated; Americans, democratic and exuberant (Europeans might say bombastic);
and the Frenchóneed it be said?óhave a penchant for lustily
anthropomorphic descriptions that involve big-boned ladies and dancing girls.
JAPAN: A winery
with a special mission
The winery is owned by the mentally disabled adult students of Cocoromi Gakuen, who
built the vineyard and winery from scratch. Its production is over 200,000 bottles
a year, and their winemaker is Bruce Gutlove, an innovative American with a master's
degree in wine making.
SA: Paarl wine farm's
label are expected to blast off into space
Cape Town - Wine bottle labels from a Paarl wine farm in the Cape are expected to
blast off into space when the world's third space tourist embarks on a trip of a
lifetime.
Sun, 02 May 2004
- Champagne' for kids
sparks anger
Grape juice packaged as "kiddy champagne" has angered health groups who
claim they are fighting a losing battle against a barrage of products glamourising
booze. Teddy Bear, a "party drink for children", packaged in a wine bottle
with a champagne-like pop-top, has come under attack for its colourful cartoon images
of bears playing.
California 2003 well-received
California producers are pleased by critics' reception of the 2003 vintage at the
annual tasting of new wines sponsored by the California Cabernet Society. It is now
clear there's little likelihood of a repeat of the poorlyñreceived 1998
and 2000 ñ and the devastating affect on sales of those vintages.
World Wine Market
Announces Winners of 2004 International Wine Competition
World Wine Market LLC has announced the winners of the 2004 World Wine Market International
Wine Competition recently coordinated and conducted by Affairs of the Vine. Wineries
from five continents participating in the World Wine Market Exhibition were eligible
to submit entries for awards.
AUS:
Festival will provide major tourism boost
Organisers of this year's Grampians Grape Escape Festival in Halls Gap are predicting
records to tumble, with crowd numbers in excess of 4000 expected over the two days.
Can
putting old wine into new bottles help France?
France's winemakers are planning to create a premier league of wines as part of revolutionary
changes designed to haul the country's most emblematic industry out of its deepest
crisis in nearly 150 years.
Alleged cocaine smuggling in wine
Two British men have been arrested in Argentina for an alleged scheme to smuggle
$10 million of cocaine inside wine bottle, officials said.
Red wine leads UT
scientists to juice up potency of solar cells
Red wine, what can beat it? It reduces your risk of heart disease. It's full of cancer-fighting
compounds. And now, researchers at the University of Toledo reveal yet another use
for the juice of the grape. It makes better solar cells.
Printing for aluminium
wine closures
APEX Printer has developed an inline printing system for the decoration of aluminium
wine closures. It is available from HBM Packaging Technologies.
Southcorp
eyes restaurant sales
Southcorp chief executive John Ballard says he wants to sell more wine at restaurants
such as Melbourne's Circa, where the cheapest bottle of the company's Penfolds red
is a Bin 707 cabernet sauvignon that sells for A$195 ($228).
SA Chenin pricing
low in the UK
Chenin Blanc pricing in the UK market is amongst the lowest but the upside is that
the quality message is spreading. This was the strongest message received from local
and international commentators at the Chenin Blanc seminar at Cape Wine 2004. The
success of raising the profile of South African Chenin Blanc in the local market
has not spilled over to England, it seems.
US: Screw-on caps
uncork a trend in wine industry
Two years ago, the announcement that a well-known winery, or a little-known winery
for that matter, was switching to screw caps for its bottles was news. Winemakers
were divided on the subject. "Right on," said the younger vintners. "Waste
of time," said older and presumably wiser types. Or "Money down the drain."
Or, more often, "The consumer will never accept it."
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