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Fri, 28 May 2004
- Mafia vineland given to coops in Sicily
Corleone may be a name more synonymous with Al Pacino than Nerello Cappuccio, but
it is in this Sicilian village that confiscated mafia land is being given over to
wine production. As part of an Italian government move to put confiscated mafia property
to more legitimate use, Sicilian land owned by incarcerated dons has been given over
to local cooperatives.
Canadian
Giant and French Partner Bring Bordeaux to British Columbia
A intercontinental partnership between two major wine companies -- one in a well-established
region of France, the other with holdings in North America -- has produced its first
wine: a Bordeaux-style red from a burgeoning area of British Columbia.
Brazilian,
Thai viticulture has a new latitude
Frank Norel is a wine writer based in Thailand. For a talk he gave late last year
at a conference in Bangkok on the expanding world of wine, he coined a phrase which
I suspect will become increasingly familiar to us -- New Latitude Wines.
Robinson,
Parker have a row over Bordeaux
BORDEAUX , France -- It's been called a storm in a wine glass, a row about a wine
that most of us will never taste. But as the Bordeaux 2003 futures pricing campaign
opens this week, the squabble has not just challenged the palates of two of the world's
most respected wine writers, it has also brought into the open a battle of styles
that is dividing the fine-wine world.
AUS: Hardy Wine
Company sets wine crush record
A new record has been set in the wine grape industry: the Hardy Wine Company has
increased its crush by 28 per cent on last year, to set a record for its 2004 vintage.
Chief winemaker Peter Dawson says the company crushed 329,000 tonnes of grapes.
Foster's Still Struggling In Key US
Wine Market
Weak U.S. sales data provides more evidence that Australian beverage company Foster's
Group Ltd. (FGL.AU) is struggling to turnaround the performance of its California-based
Beringer Blass wine business, analysts said. Beringer's U.S.-produced wine shipments
fell 28% in March and were down 24% for the first three months of 2004, Morgan Stanley
said in a note to clients, citing the latest monthly Gomberg-Fredrikson Report.
Thu, 27 May 2004
- EU Seeks More Convergence
in Alcohol Taxes
Huge differences in alcohol taxes across the European Union are distorting the market
and aiding smugglers, the European Union's head office warned in a report Wednesday.
But while concluding that "more convergence" is needed, the European Commission
shied away from making any proposals because of "widely differing views"
that pit the interests of wine and beer producers against those aiming to raise public
revenue and curtail alcohol abuse.
US: Wine Spectator
and Airborne Entertainment Announce Mobile Partnership
Wine connoisseurs and enthusiasts are about to find guidance from a most unique source:
their mobile phones. Wine Spectator, the world's leading wine publication, today
announced a wide-ranging partnership with Airborne Entertainment, one of the world's
leading mobile entertainment publishers. The agreement will bring several features
based on the category-defining magazine to mobile phones around the world.
US:
Justices weigh value of 'Napa' on a wine label
SAN FRANCISCO - The Napa Valley Vintners' legal effort to wipe the Napa name off
out-of-county wines may have taken a step forward Monday in the California Supreme
Court. The seven justices listened to arguments from NVV and Ceres-based Bronco Wine
Company for an hour. At issue are inexpensive Bronco wines with names like Napa Creek
and Napa Ridge that are made with Central Valley grapes
Wed, 26 May 2004
- New World wines
siphon EU share
Exports of wine from the southern hemisphere and the United States surged by 20%
last year, cutting the market share of the EU's five main wine-producing countries,
the International Office of Vine and Wine (OIV) says.
Matariki
attracting world attention
Tourism New Zealand is beginning to tout annual Matariki celebrations in Hawke's
Bay next month as a great reason to visit the country during the southern hemisphere's
winter. The organisation has sent invitations to overseas media, with 14 people from
the UK, Europe, Asia and Scandinavia answering the call.
SA wine exports
hit a high
Wine exports from South Africa have surged by 23% which puts the country at the forefront
of production increases by wine-producing countries.
US:
Court to rule on Internet wine
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in a thorny dispute about whether
wine can be sold directly to customers between US states, including over the Internet.
The highest US court agreed to consolidate three cases on appeal from the states
in an effort to resolve a dispute involving two apparently conflicting elements of
the US constitution.
US:
Justices weigh value of 'Napa' on a wine label
SAN FRANCISCO - The Napa Valley Vintners' legal effort to wipe the Napa name off
out-of-county wines may have taken a step forward Monday in the California Supreme
Court. The seven justices listened to arguments from NVV and Ceres-based Bronco Wine
Company for an hour. At issue are inexpensive Bronco wines with names like Napa Creek
and Napa Ridge that are made with Central Valley grapes.
Tue, 25 May 2004
- Researchers
target deficit irrigation for wine grapes
Research recently conducted on the Texas South Plains may help wine grape growers
conserve irrigation water without reducing grape yield or quality. "The concept
is known as deficit irrigation. You give the vines less than 100 percent of their
actual water needs prior to veraison, or ripening," said Ed Hellman, Texas Cooperative
Extension viticulture specialiast based in Lubbock. Hellman has a joint appointment
with Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University.
AUS: Record grape
crush adds to red-wine glut
This year's record grape crush is a mixed bag for Australia's 1700-plus wine producers.
With the Australian Wine and Brandy Corp estimating the national crop at 1.755 million
tonnes - up 9 per cent on the previous record set in 2002 and 25 per cent above the
drought-affected 2003 harvest - the glut of reds is forecast to continue for at least
another two years.
EUROPE: Anger over
'Illegal Plantings'
Struggling producers throughout Europe have been antagonised by the recent revelation
that more than 100,000 hectares (ha) of vines have been illegally planted in Europe
since the last meeting of COPA-COGECA (Comites des Organisations Agricoles et des
Co-operatives de l'Union Europeene). According to French review VSB, the protesters
have been further incensed by the legitimisation by the European Commission (EC)
of some 150,000ha planted without permission since 1998.
Constellation Looks
for European Expansion
Stephen Millar, the head of Constellation Wines, said that he wants to expand in
Europe. 'We are looking at Europe,' he told Harpers in an exclusive interview. 'We
have the ambition and drive to be a truly global wine company and that includes the
biggest production area in the world.'
US:
Process begins in Chalone Wine Group buyout
Employees at Chalone Wine Group in Napa are still trying to figure out what their
future will be if a proposed buyout of Chalone by three major wine industry players
is successful. On Monday, Constellation Brands, Inc., Domaines Barons de Rothschild
and The Huneeus Family agreed to form a joint venture that, after it acquires Chalone,
would become a holding company to produce high-end wines, centered around Chalone's
diverse portfolio of wines.
US:
The Napa Valley Vintners square off with the Central Valley's Bronco Wines over what
defines a 'Napa' wine
The label on the wine reads "Napa Creek," but its producer is based in
the Central Valley, far from the watercourse that flows through downtown Napa. Monday
morning, the California Supreme Court will decide whether that should be legal or
not, hearing from lawyers from Ceres-based Bronco Wine Company and the Napa Valley
Vintners.
US:
Supreme Court says wine import fight is ripe for a ruling
The Supreme Court said Monday it will referee a modern-day fight over state control
of alcohol that recalls the days of Prohibition. The high court agreed to hear three
cases involving state bans that prevent consumers from buying wine directly from
an out-of-state supplier. The dispute pits states and an established network of alcohol
wholesalers against independent wineries that want to sell their products over the
Internet or by phone.
Mon, 24 May 2004
- Who
Rules Now?
Fausto Maculan is one of Italy's great wine success stories. The bulk winery that
Maculan inherited in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy got its start by supplying
the Italian army. (You didn't expect them to drink water, did you?) Now 53, Maculan
has transformed his father's winery into a prestige producer by issuing ever-finer
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, among others. His signature wine is
Torcolato, a Sauternes-like botrytized dessert wine of uncommon refinement.
The Changing Face of Retail
Wine Enthusiasts have never had more choice in how they buy their wine. Local retailers,
supermarkets and other traditional sources have never seen such a dramatic change
in fortune. Who are the winners in the age of the Web and the big-box store?
SA: Novel Slant to Winecorp Delisting
The JSE Securities Exchange SA's (JSE's) smallest listed wine producer, Winecorp,
gave a novel reason yesterday when announcing plans to sell its assets and delist.
Winecorp which is 73,5% owned by Hollard Holdings said it would be delisting from
the local bourse because it would need funding from its major shareholders after
its recent poor performance.
UK:
Buying wine comes down to a matter of taste
A leading wine retailer is to group bottles according to taste rather than by country
of origin in a move which will horrify purists. The Unwins Wine Group, which has
388 branches nationwide, said its new format would simplify the process of choosing
a bottle and challenge the way wine has traditionally been sold.
US:
2-Buck Chuck gives judges a jolt at International Eastern Wine Competition
Wine competitions are usually benign affairs in which judges, after a 3-day marathon
of tasting hundreds of wines identified only by a number, anoint the very best in
what is known as the "sweepstakes" round. So it was at the prestigious
28th International Eastern Wine Competition held May 15-17, which amassed 2,309 wines
from 16 countries, 34 states and four provinces of Canada.
Sun, 23 May 2004
- Bordeaux
from the Bay
Donning their marketing hats shortly after the bumper harvest, Hawke's Bay winemakers
recently presented a Hot Red roadshow in Auckland and Wellington. For lucky media
types, the winemakers offered an absorbing comparative tasting of 16 Hawke's Bay
and Bordeaux reds.
AUS:
Wine glut bears fruit for blossoming Tassie outlets
The oversupply of wine in Australia has seen two Tasmanian businesses start to bear
fruit. Owner of Prospect Wines in Hobart, Joe Giedl, said Australia was producing
more wine than the market could handle. Mr Giedl, along with his wife Anne Lynch,
own the Hobart franchise of a discount wine centre. They specialise in selling cleanskins
or unbranded wines.
German
Winemaker Bernhard Breuer Dies
Bernhard Breuer, co-proprietor and winemaker of Weingut Georg Breuer in Germany's
Rheingau region, died Wednesday. He was 57. The official cause of death has not been
determined.
US: In winemaking, a few feet often
separate good from great
Location. It's why a house on the north side of Hulbert Avenue will command a higher
price than one on the south side. It's why a tomato grown at Bartlett's Farm can
make a person swoon, while one found in a bin at the supermarket hardly merits their
attention. For wine drinkers, it's also why one wine is rapture and another is plonk
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