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Fri, 14 May 2004
- Men, women, red
and white
No surprises. Red wine is preferred by more men (57 percent) than women (31 percent),
according to a recent online survey of U.S. wine drinkers for Vinexpo Americas, a
wine industry trade exhibition taking place in Chicago June 20-22.
Winemakers plan
screwcap symposium
Registration has begun for the International Screwcap Closure Symposium to be held
in Marlborough in November. The symposium will bring together international and national
speakers and delegates focused on the technical and taste implications of sealing
wine by screwcap rather than cork.
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Wine consumption up in 2003
Wine consumption in the Czech Republic last year rose by almost 10% last year, according
to figures released yesterday. Market research agency GfK Praha has reported that
over 150m litres of wine were sold on the Czech market last year, an increase of
9.7% year-on-year.
Wine tax concerns
to be raised with Australia
Australia appears to have breached its CER obligations and potentially overstepped
WTO rules by introducing what was effectively a subsidy for local wine producers,
Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton said today.
AUS: Wine grape
growers struggle despite record harvest
New South Wales wine grape growers say this season's record harvest in the Murrimbidgee
irrigation area may not necessarily make them better off.
2
European Winemakers Join Forces
Two of Europe's leading wine producers announced a strategic partnership Wednesday
to take on U.S. and Australian competitors in a global battle for emerging markets.
Wine
book caters to female connoisseurs
Barbara Nowak and Beverly Wichman are two grapes from the same vine. The Saucy Sisters,
as they refer to themselves, have recently published the "The Saucy Sisters'
Guide to Wine: What Every Girl Should Know Before She Uncorks". The book, not
a typical "wine 101" guide, focuses on women and wine and includes fun
wine commentary in addition to basic facts and etiquette. For example, in the chapter
called "Men and Sex," the personalities of men are compared to the type
of wine they drink.
Sotheby's to Auction Wine from the Earl
Spencer Collection
Sotheby's May 26 auction in London will include 108 cases of fine wine from the cellar
of the Earl Spencer (brother of the late Princess Diana), located at Althorp, Northampton.
Said to reflect "the tastes and drinking habits that have defined the palate
of the English nobleman," the consignment includes rare Vintage Port, Champagne,
claret, Cognac and Madeira.
Thu, 13 May 2004
- Wine a must-have for India's urban chic
When BBC News reported recently that the total wine consumption for India last year
reached 3.5 million litres, it was difficult to know how to react. That's not a lot
of wine for a country that has such a vast population but then again, it is an impressive
figure if you consider that grape wine has never formed part of mainstream Indian
culture.
Now,
smell your wine from a computer!
Technology is all set to make the wine connoisseur extinct. The domain which has
for long been the preserve of sophisticates who regard it as an intellectually rigorous
act is soon to be overtaken by computers.
Designing A Winery
The design of a new winery combines echoes of both a simple, traditional, farming
shed and a French vintner's storage caves.
NOBLE
ROT: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution
The title of this account of revolution and reaction in the Bordeaux wine-producing
region of France is derived from an organic process that is essential to the production
of Sauternes and (in Hungary) Tokay, perhaps the world's most famous sweet wines.
France
Debates Creating Super Appellations to Win Back Wine Drinkers
In an attempt to offer consumers better wines at all price points, France is considering
radical reforms that would overhaul its celebrated but flawed appellation system.
US:
R.H. Phillips hands brand over to screwcap
The Vincor-owned R.H. Phillips Winery has become the second North American winemaker
this week to announce it is switching an entire line of wines to screw caps. Earlier
in the week Corbon Canyon made a similar announcement.
US:
Brown-Forman debuts low-carb wines
Brown-Forman has squeezed carbs out of its newest wines. Even the brand names reinforce
the carbohydrate-counting craze. The wine and spirits maker expects to make a splash
with its low-carb vintages, which will reach shelves nationally starting around Memorial
Day.
Low-carb wine: So
what?
U.S. regulators gifted the wine industry with the next best thing to a license to
steal last month, when they eased a long-standing prohibition against nutritional
claims on alcoholic-beverage labels to permit qualifying wines to declare themselves
"low-carbohydrate."
Australian move
will hit Kiwi wine exporters
A move by the Australian Government to give tax relief to wine producers will put
New Zealand wine exports at a huge disadvantage, says National's Foreign Affairs
and Trade spokesman, Dr Lockwood Smith. He is commenting on an announcement in yesterday's
Australian budget of a $290,000 annual rebate to every producer, resulting in A$300
million of tax relief to the industry over four years. It will apply from 1 October
this year.
AUS:
Tax changes to please wine industry
Four years of complaints from the wine industry were finally rewarded today when
the government overhauled its contentious wine equalisation tax. Treasurer Peter
Costello announced a rebate worth up to $290,000 would be available to every Australian
wine producer.
London International
Wine & Spirits Fair 2004
Whether you buy for the on-trade or the off-trade, whether you are a shipper, producer,
or a wholesaler, the LIWSF is the one event you cannot afford to miss.
KOREA:
Wine sales brisk despite slump
The economy may be in limbo but the wine market enjoyed a significant growth spurt
last year, making the greatest gain in the vast consumables market. According to
the latest survey by ACNielsen Korea, domestic wine sales in 2003 soared 58 percent,
the highest growth among the 98 consumer product categories surveyed.
FRANCE: Gallo orders
1m cases from Languedoc
French wines from the south-western Languedoc region have been given a considerable
boost with news that Gallo has agreed to buy 1m cases (6m bottles) from the Limoux
co-operative by 2006, French newspaper La Tribune reports.
Wed, 12 May 2004
- AUS:
Wine tax win
Taxes on wine will be slashed by more than $250 million in today's Federal Budget
in a victory for struggling small producers in South Australia. The wine equalisation
tax cuts will be staggered over four years and will be worth $56 million in the first
year, rising to $80 million in the fourth.
US: Vineyard value
on the rise
Vineyard value in Sonoma and Napa counties appears on the upswing again, after a
slump last year that had vineyard and winery owners deeply troubled about sagging
grape prices and competition from bargain brands.
Tues, 11 May 2004
Foster's
bears up after US wine slide
Foster's is preparing for a $100 million writedown alongside another $150 million
in cost-cutting as the company restructures its wine business. Shares in the Australian
brewer have surged in recent weeks in the hope the company can break out of its problems
in the US, where a grape glut has caused sharp discounting and a slump in sales.
Lion
Nathan Takes A$34 Mln Charge on Victorian Pubs
Lion Nathan Ltd., Australia's second- biggest brewer, will take a A$34 million ($23.9
million) charge on the sale of its Victorian hotels, retreating its attempt to take
on bigger rival Foster's Group Ltd. in its home state.
AUS:
Botique winemakers want a tax hand up from Australian government
Botique Australian winemakers are pushing for a break on taxation that could allow
them to drop retail prices by up to 25 per cent -- great news for them, if it happens,
but bad news for low-priced New Zealand imports.
UK: Chilean wine
imports up 30.6%
Chilean wine exports to the UK were up 25.2% in volume over the first quarter of
the year, and, more impressively, up 30.6% in value.
US: Washington State
Vineyards Could See 15 Percent or More Crop Reduction
Those bone-chilling January temperatures, where the mercury plummeted to minus 10
and 20-plus degrees below zero in Eastern Washington, may have taken its toll on
the state's vineyards, but at surprisingly lower elevations.
US:
Schramsberg Turns To Cabernet
It took 40 years, but now the Davies family vineyards in Napa Valley are planted
to the best grapes for the property. The result is a new Cabernet Sauvignon bottling
from a top producer of sparkling wines.
Winemaker at large
Dividing his time between his winery in Eger and numerous other wine ventures both
at home and abroad, winemaker Tibor Gal relishes working outside the confines imposed
on Hungarian wines by a lack of marketing muscle.
Mon, 10 May 2004
- Discovering Uruguay
Uruguay is sometimes called "the New Zealand of South America," a complimentary
allusion to its peaceful democracy, strong agricultural economy and highly literate
population in a relatively small place. And like New Zealand, unfortunately, too
many people in other parts of the world aren't completely clear on just exactly where
it is.
What
does it mean to say that a wine has been chaptalized?
Chaptalization is a process in which sugar is added to the grape must before or during
fermentation in order to increase the alcoholic content of the wine. This practice,
also referred to as "must enrichment," is common in the colder climates
of northern Europe, where the grapes' sugar levels are too low to produce wine with
the desired alcoholic content.
Genetic secrets of good wine
Discovering the genetic secrets of good wine is at the heart of a project launched
by Spanish and Canadian scientists, who are conducting the first large-scale, integrated
genomics effort focused on single-model cultivars for wine and table grapes.
Tax
slashes port, sherry sales
An increase on the excise tax on fortified wine a year ago has "effectively
destroyed" the market in New Zealand, winegrowers say.
Aussie
wine-tax relief plan a disaster for NZ
A scheme to give tax relief for Australian wine producers will put New Zealand wine
exports at a huge disadvantage, say Hawke's Bay winemakers.
AUS: Wine exports
up in March
Australian wine exports were up 10.6% in value in March this year, compared to the
previous month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said yesterday.
AUS:
Wine seized in raid
A major wine retailer is under investigation after inspectors seized 40,000 bottles
of wine in raids on the Sunshine Coast. Liquor Licensing officers and police executed
a search warrant on the Kawana premises of Get Wines Direct after a surveillance
operation last month.
Wine.com Names George
Garrick as President and CEO
Wine.com, the leading online wine retailer, today announced the appointment of George
Garrick as the Company's CEO, President and member of the Board of Directors. The
Wine.com Board of Directors made the appointment following a unanimous vote on March
29th.
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