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Fri, 04 Jun 2004
- Housing
shortage aggravates wine industry labour problems
Vineyard workers are being forced to sleep in cars and vans throughout Marlborough
as the region's accommodation shortage bites. That is aggravating the wine industry's
annual labour crisis, as word spreads nationwide and deters workers from moving to
the region, says contractor Peter O'Malley.
AUS:
Wine rebate may breach NZ trade deal
Senior trade officials yesterday told a Senate committee that Treasury had designed
a budget rebate for small wine producers without asking if it would breach Australia's
treaty obligations.
AUS:
Peter Lehmann's joins the wine lake
Peter Lehmann Wines Limited (PLW) saw the total crush for its 2004 vintage rise 32%,
to a record level of 18,947 tonnes. Despite this PLW indicated at half year, that
the second quarter takeover battle, in which Hess Group AG successfully bid for 85%
of the group, had affected the financial performance of the Company.
Australia's Foster's To Unveil Wine
Review June 8
Australian alcoholic beverages company Foster's Group Ltd. (FGL.AU) said Friday it
plans to unveil details of a review of its wine business on Tuesday, June 8.
AUS:
Hopes of sales lift despite wine glut
Grape prices are down but McGuigan Simeon Wines is confident of beating the world
glut and increasing sales from this year's vintage. The Adelaide company announced
yesterday a 40 per cent leap in its 2004 vintage to 245,000 tonnes.
AUS: Domestic wine
sales drop: ABS
Domestic wine sales slipped 4.9 per cent in April, the Australian Bureau of Statistics
said. Domestic sales fell to 34.4 million litres, and were five per cent down on
the same period last year.
RUSSIA: Wine plant
explosion denied
Officials in Moscow have denied reports that an explosion in a wine production plant
earlier today has injured 40 people. The Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies reported
that a blast had hit the Mosazervinservis plant in the south-eastern part of the
city, but emergency officials and police quickly denied it.
Experts
proclaim British wine better than French champagne!
A panel of professional wine tasters who took part in a blind taste test have claimed
that sparkling British wine is far superior to French champagne.
One small glass
of wine may be enough to harm fetal brain
Just one small glass of wine. It may not seem like much alcohol, but expectant moms
should beware. Research done in Alberta points to new dangers from drinking while
pregnant.
Chocolate
and wine flavoured cigarettes come under fire!
Britain's largest tobacco company, British American Tobacco (BAT) has recently been
testing chocolate and alcohol-flavoured cigarettes. According to The Independent,
anti-tobacco campaigners are complaining that flavoured cigarettes are aimed at enticing
children towards smoking.
Thu, 03 Jun 2004
- New
Research on UK Market
For the fourth year running, Waverley TBS* presented their recent research into the
UK market, especially the on-trade sector. Last year was a good year for wine in
the on-trade with volume up by 9 percent and value up by 12 percent. This was a substantially
bigger increase than that achieved in the off-trade that grew by 3 percent by volume
and 5 percent by value. The on-trade now has 20 percent of the UK's 94 million case
market with the regions growing faster than London.
New
World Wines Gain Momentum
The US and southern hemisphere continued to gain momentum during 2003. Globally,
wine exports from the US and the southern hemisphere increased by 20 percent during
2003. In contrast, those of the five largest European Union producing countries (France,
Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany) increased by only 5 percent. The details were
given by Federico Castelluci, the director general of the International Office of
Vine and Wine (OIV) at a press conference on May 25 and reported by AFP.
US: California Grape
Acreage Report, 2003
California's 2003 grape acreage is estimated by the California Agricultural Statistics
Service (CASS) at 882,000 acres. Of the total acres, 819,000 were bearing and 63,000
were non-bearing. The breakdown by type is as follows: Raisin type totaled 260,000
acres with 255,000 bearing and 5,000 non-bearing; Table type totaled 93,000 acres
with 85,000 bearing and 8,000 non-bearing; Wine type totaled 529,000 acres with 479,000
bearing and 50,000 non-bearing.
US:
Wine, without the vine
Philip Zorn and Brent Shortridge are among the latest entrants in a relatively unknown
tribe of boutique winemakers -- operators of "virtual wineries." They don't
own a vineyard or a winery, but buy all the materials and services they need from
others. And unlike some custom winemakers in the past, "they're not wealthy
moguls, they're scrambling to make ends meet," notes spokesman Sam Folsom. "They're
a new category of vintners."
GERMANY: Red wine
production on the rise in 2003
Red wine production in Germany last year rose slightly, according to figures released
yesterday. The Federal Statistical Office data shows that production of red wine
in 2003 accounted for 34% of output, compared to 31% in 2002, Agence France Presse
reported today.
Tuscan-style houses plan gets consent
Living among the vines as part of Trophy Ridge Wines is possible after the Central
Otago District Council granted resource consent for the project.
A Crowning Achievement
for Sparkling Wine
There's little doubt now that the Screwcap has now become an accepted alternative
closure for still wines, and in particular for aromatic whites it appears to be the
preferred choice for the 2003 vintage in Australia and New Zealand. This will no
doubt increase for the 2004 vintage currently underway.
New
Subappellation Proposed in Chile's Maipo Valley
A group of leading Chilean vintners is looking to distinguish themselves further
by creating a new subappellation within the country's famed Maipo Valley. The newly
proposed Alto Maipo designation has a ways to go before gaining official government
approval, but with wineries such as Concha y Toro and Viña Santa Rita
involved, the idea is likely to gain momentum.
A
rather elegant 'little blackbird'
In the traditional Bordeaux tongue, merlot means "the little blackbird",
writes wine writers Deborah Walton and Peter Morice. Although merlot is Bordeaux's
most widely planted black grape variety, its precise origins are unknown.
Wed, 02 Jun 2004
- A
Glass of Wine a Day
Scientists have know for years that red wine in moderate doses can decrease the risk
of cancer, and they have now discovered the chemical mechanism that gives wine this
health benefit. Resveratrol is the key; an antioxidant found in grape skins, as well
as in raspberries, mulberries and peanuts. Scientists at the University of Virginia
Health System have discovered that the compound helps starve cancer cells by inhibiting
a key protein called nuclear factor ñ kappa B which the cancer cells need
to survive.
French
show how to make wine food
Wine is to be reclassified as a natural food rather than an alcoholic drink under
French law, if the combined forces of the country's wine industry and a majority
of its MPs have their way.
AUS: Wine group
disgruntled over unclear clean skin policy
Tasmania's consumer watchdog says the state has no clear guidelines on selling label-free,
or "clean skin" bottles of wine. The Tasmanian Vineyards Association has
raised concerns the Government is clamping down on industry standards of labelling,
but not on those selling the unlabelled bottles.
Record vintage set
to boost Australia wine exports
A record grape crush this year could boost Australia's competitiveness in international
wine markets, but was unlikely to lead to widespread price slashing of existing brands,
industry analysts say.
AUS:
Southcorp hails harvest despite grape glut fears
Southcorp has shrugged off warnings about an extended grape glut, claiming its record
vintage for 2004 was exactly what it wanted and would help meet demand after the
company spent the past year reducing its bulk wine inventory.
Wine Masters Challenge
2005
The holding of the Wine Masters Challenge 2005, the 7th World Wine Contest, is a
legitimate tribute to producers, wine experts, distributors, retailers, clubs, official
organisations, regulating commissions, specialized press and all those directly,
or indirectly, connected to wine worldwide.
US:
Vague law corks vineyard
It's taken 27 years for Gerard Bentryn to turn what started as a plot of land in
Winslow into an island icon known as Bainbridge Island Winery. Yet it's taken only
the past few years for economic woes and a little-used city ordinance to threaten
the winery's existence.
France Warms Up
to Foreign Wine
Foreign wine producers are enjoying success from their efforts to break into the
French market. Less than 50 percent of the wines at some cafes are from France, and
many new restaurants are offering wines from around the world, from South America
to Asia. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.
Tue, 01 Jun 2004
- China's wine imports
grow nearly 50 per cent
Chinese wine imports increased by nearly 50 per cent last year, according to figures
released by the Beijing customs authorities, with a value amounting to almost Ä26
million, an increase which is being attributed to lower import tariffs and increasingly
westernised consumer tastes.
SA
must build wine tourism to boost exports
If the South African wine industry wants to become a serious player in the international
wine market, the local industry has no option but to embrace wine tourism as an important
component for future success in international wine markets, according to Pietman
Retief, member of the South African Wine and Brandy Company's executive committee.
US:
Indiana wineries growing
Brenda and David Simmons, along with Brenda's mother, Jean Kelsay, are bottling wine,
the green glass clinking out a melody as the bottles pass through this three-person
assembly line.
US:
Courts shouldn't bottle up Washington's wines
Chris Figgins of Leonetti Cellar was standing in front of the Empire State Building
and hollering into his cellphone. On the other end, I wasn't sure if it was because
the Walla Wallawinemaker wanted to be heard over horn-happy New York drivers or he
was so fired up over an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that inhibits the growth
of Washington's 275 wineries.
US:
Weighing a case of wine
CHICAGO - Life in New York involves many frustrations that can drive a person to
drink. But stressed-out Gothamites seeking solace in the bottle may find they don't
have their choice of bottles. New York does not allow residents to order wine from
out-of-state wineries. So if they happen across a heavenly Cabernet while traveling
through the hinterlands, they may be out of luck upon returning home.
UK: Wine from Windermere?!
Wine connoisseurs could soon be sipping Chateau Windermere or Maison Lancaster as
global warming heats up Britain. Scientists are claiming that parts of the North
West could become wine producing areas if temperatures continue to rise.
The high desert
benefits grapes in New Mexico
What's New Mexico's best-kept secret? The rugged artist's colony at Madrid? The sensational
restaurants of Taos? My vote is for the wines.
'War
crimes' wine wins award
A Wine produced by a jailed Croatian general awaiting a war crimes trial in The Hague
has won the top prize at a local fair.
Mon, 31 May 2004
- CANADA: Ontario
wines earn increased market share and sales volume
Ontario's wine industry continues to post gains in both market share and volume according
to the Wine Council of Ontario's, (WCO), first-ever "annual review" of
most of the 2003 market year and according to figures released by the Liquor Control
Board of Ontario, (LCBO), for the last fiscal year.
Starving the Mafia
with pasta and wine
MONREALE: Forget about French vintage wine that can set you back a week's pay. If
you really want to impress guests and spice up the table talk, try a bottle of Sicilian
red from vineyards that once belonged to Mafia dons.
AUS: Chandon release
sparkling wine under 'beer-bottle top'
Australian sparkling wine producer Chandon has released the first ever high-profile
bottle of sparkling wine under a crown seal. Chandon's Green Point Z*D (known as
Vintage Blanc de Blancs 2000 in Australia) was unveiled earlier this year in Melbourne
and Syndey.
Australian
wine producer to float on AIM
Australian wine producer Palandri is hoping to bag a bumper crop of investors next
month when it floats on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), looking to raise
about 163;3m for expansion and possibly acquisitions. The firm is based in the fertile
Margaret River region of western Australia, where the climate tends to be cooler
than in south eastern Australia, where much of the country's wines are produced.
US:
Wine lovers await court ruling on interstate shipments
TRENTON, N.J. -- Last week's U.S. Supreme Court decision to hear three cases involving
interstate wine shipments could finally give relief to New Jersey residents searching
for that special Shiraz or pining for the perfect Pinot Noir.
Seoul
Wine Expo 2004 Offers New Blends and Brands
The Seoul Wine Expo, first launched during the 2002 World Cup Games, is enjoying
a larger turnout by the year as more Koreans opt for wine because of its much-touted
health benefits.
World
Wine Russia 2004
This exhibition is the first dedicated forum for both domestic and international
wine producers on the Russian market.
The
Chronicle's Wine Selections: California Riesling and Gewurztraminer
Here are the panel picks from the 37 California Rieslings and Gewurztraminers from
2001, 2002 and 2003 tasted for today.
Sun, 30 May 2004
- AUS: Warning on wine medals
Wine-lovers beware - the award-winning bottle you've just opened may not be all it's
corked up to be. Consumers are being exposed to a plethora of gold, silver and bronze
medals plastered across wine labels.
Smell
While You Surf: Burgundy Web Site Hopes to Offer Virtual Tour With Wine Aromas
Taking an online tour of the vineyards and wine cellars of Burgundy may not be limited
to just sights and sounds in the future. A trade group plans to offer the smells
of Burgundy through its Web site as well.
US:
Drink in the fragrant history of Napa Valley
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. - As tourism shifts into high gear this month in the country's
best-known wine-producing region, visitors will be able to add three distinctive
stops to their tasting room itinerary.
UK: Vineyards seeking 'wine tourists'
Thousands of wine lovers are expected to visit the growing number of English vineyards
this weekend.
SCOTLAND: 100% proof
we're a nation of wine buffoons
I'm getting great galloping whiffs of ignorance with an underlying hint of total
bemusement. A cheeky little survey about wine-buying habits in Scotland has found
that despite the best efforts of TV experts, knowledge of the noble grape remains
at screw-cap levels.
On the nose - label
fraud
Dodgy practices may mean it's time to take the wine off the pedestal. It has an invitingly
rich aroma, with surprising green notes and a good grip down the middle but it's
hard to swallow. Most examples show an intriguing blend of prestige, greed, cunning
and secrecy. Mmm, it's the smell of a good wine scandal.
AUS:
Hardy has the biggest crush of all
Hardy Wine Company yesterday announced a grape crush of 329,500 tonnes, the largest
ever in Australia. The figure represents about 19 per cent of the total figure of
1.75 million tonnes forecast last week by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation,
up 9 per cent on the previous record set in 2002 and 25 per cent above the drought-affected
2003 harvest.
Sainsbury's Backs
Aussie Regions
The contentious concept of Australian regionality got a big boost from one of the
UK's biggest retailers last week when Sainsbury's announced big changes to its Australian
range at its spring press tasting.
UK: Sotheby's sells Spencer cellar selection
A 105-lot collection from the cellars Earl Spencer - the brother of the late Princess
of Wales - fetched over 100,000 pounds (euro 150,000) at Sotheby's yesterday. The
wines, mainly a collection of vintage claret, Champagne, Port and Madeira, went under
the hammer at Sotheby's in London yesterday morning.
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