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Fri, 02 Jul 2004
- Champagne makers turn to finger-print
technology
Scientists from the University of Seville, Spain, have developed a method of finger-printing
champagne, cava, and other wines to prevent cheaper products being passed off as
the more expensive varieties.
A
Gentler Destemmer
The new EuroSelect destemmer made by Scharfenberger Company has no rotating basket.
Instead, it relies on a continuous feed and mechanical "fingers" to remove
stems. "It's as close as we have come with today's technology to taking the
berries off by hand," Matt Eiser of EuroMachines USA told Wine Business Monthly.
Marketing by the
glass
Fred Tibbitts started sweeping warehouse floors in New York when he was 16. Now at
58 he heads Fred Tibbitts & Associates (FTA), and is the wine by the glass consultant
to more chain hotels than anyone else in the world. Starwood Hotels & Resorts
(Asia-Pacific), Raffles Hotels International, Accor Asia (Novotel & Sofitel)
and the Inter-Continental Hotels Group South East Asia are just some of the giants
on his "wine list".
Public dips out
in Delegats issue
Delegats Group Ltd placed its $35 million worth of capital notes entirely with brokers
and institutions, the wine maker said yesterday. The privately owned company said
there would be no public pool for the unsecured, subordinated notes, the proceeds
of which will be used to pay down debt and free up funds for expansion.
Wine puts locals
on rich list
Money flowing from the fruits of the wine industry has bumped two multi-millionaire
Marlborough families on to the National Business Review's Rich List. The Marris family,
which sold its Wither Hills winemaking business to Lion Nathan two years ago, and
Wairau River Wines owners Philip and Christine Rose feature on the list for the first
time.
Selling
bumper vintage will be challenge
Marlborough's wine industry is facing a huge challenge to sell its biggest ever vintage.
New Zealand exports need to increase from approximately 1.5 million cases to 4 million,
representing "a considerable challenge", said Marlborough Winegrowers chief
executive Michelle Beckett.
Beston makes NZ$7m
acquisition in Marlborough
Australia's The Beston Wine Industry Trust has acquired for $NZ7.1m ($A6.5m) the
Rarangi Vineyard in Marlborough, New Zealand. The trust will also provide $NZ7.02m
for the continued development of the property over the next three years.
Sabate's
Diamond Closures Reach the US Market
Sabate USA has announced that Diamond closures, technical corks treated with a new
TCA-extraction process, are now available in limited quantities in the US. The Diamond
closures are made using a "Supercritical CO2 extraction" process.
FRANCE:
Sales cut as Bordeaux goes into red
Faced with what some are calling its greatest crisis for 150 years, France's most
prestigious winegrowing region has decided to cut back the amount of wine it sells.
2004
Winemaker Closure Survey Results
Wine Business Monthly conducted their third annual Winemaker Closure Survey online
during March and April. Approximately 150 wineries completed the survey. The purpose
of the survey was to determine wineries' perceptions of the four types of closures
and to see how these perceptions might influence which closures wineries choose for
their wines in the future. The four types of closures we asked about were:
France considers
loosening rules on wine ads
Embattled French winemakers, struggling with sagging sales but backed by a powerful
alliance of lawmakers, have a message for those who like a tipple: Drink more.
Moderate
Wine Drinking May Decrease Ovarian Cancer Risk, Study Finds
Women who drink wine in light to moderate amounts may have a lower risk of developing
ovarian cancer than nondrinkers do, according to research conducted at the Queensland
Institute of Medical Research in Australia. Women who drink beer and spirits may
not get the same benefits, and their risk for the disease does not appear to differ
significantly from nondrinkers
Italian
Producer Opens New Cultural Center for Visitors
One of Southern Italy's most dynamic estates, Feudi di San Gregorio, has opened to
the public its new $20-million winery and cultural center, a monumental structure
set in the hills of Campania.
Wed, 30 Jun 2004
- Export drive follows
record vintage
New Zealand wine companies are gearing up for a big export push to market the record-smashing
2004 vintage. Wineries harvested 166,000 tonnes of grapes this year, New Zealand
Winegrowers reported yesterday.
AUS: Winemakers compromise quality
Australian winemakers had compromised quality in a bid to cash in on the popularity
of shiraz, said a wine magazine publisher. Winestate publisher Peter Simic said a
tasting of Australian shiraz had revealed poor quality at the low cost end of the
market.
AUS:
The tip of the icewine
For many of us, Canada equals moose, mounties, maple syrup and ice hockey. But as
Melburnians join in Canada Day celebrations at Federation Square on Thursday, another
Canadian classic will be on show: icewine.
Tue, 29 Jun 2004
- Second Vinexpo Americas
Attracts Downsized Crowd to Chicago
At this week's Vinexpo Americas in Chicago, French officials expressed frustration
over their country's declining share of U.S. wine sales, but it was an American company
that was trying to reverse the slide.
US:
More California Counties to Vote on Banning Genetically Engineered Crops
In March, Mendocino County made national headlines when its residents voted to ban
the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), becoming the first county in the
nation to prohibit genetically engineered livestock and produce.Second
Vinexpo Americas Attracts Downsized Crowd to Chicago
At this week's Vinexpo Americas in Chicago, French officials expressed frustration
over their country's declining share of U.S. wine sales, but it was an American company
that was trying to reverse the slide.
US:
More California Counties to Vote on Banning Genetically Engineered Crops
In March, Mendocino County made national headlines when its residents voted to ban
the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), becoming the first county in the
nation to prohibit genetically engineered livestock and produce.
Grape
harvest sets new record
A survey by New Zealand Winegrowers shows this year's grape harvest is an all time
record. Chief executive Philip Gregan, says wineries processed 166,000 tonnes of
grapes - more than double last year's frost affected crop.
Australian Alternative
Varietites Wine Show Appoints Honourary Chairman
The 2004 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show is pleased to announce that Robin
Day has been appointed as Honorary Chairman.
AUS: Crannswick
buy to boost Australia Evans & Tate profit
MELBOURNE: Australia's eighth largest wine group, Evans & Tate Ltd, said yesterday
its 2004 financial year earnings would rise sharply due to a full-year contribution
from its Cranswick wine acquisition.
Australian wine
sells more but pays less
Has Australian wine lost its allure in its biggest market? Australians have been
selling more litres in Britain than ever, surging ahead of the French and Italians
but they are getting fewer dollars on the sales. Who's to blame? According to some
British wine critics, Australian wine has become bland and boring.
AUS:
Southcorp slashes staff
SYDNEY - It will cost Southcorp, Australia's second-biggest winemaker, A$93 million
($ 103.5 million) to fire workers and close plants as a slump in global wine prices
forces the company to cut costs.
Mon, 28 Jun 2004
- The New Edge in
Design : Stemless Wine Glasses
Want to know if your sommelier is hip and up-to-date? The next time you order a Bordeaux
or Chardonnay, ask for it to be served in a tumbler instead of a wine glass.
Enough
tax
The Government has a funny attitude to the wine industry - it gives with one hand
and takes with the other, writes The Marlborough Express in an editorial. Earlier
this year the Government gave $2 million from its regional partnership programme
to Marlborough's wine centre of excellence. It was a vote of confidence in the region
and the industry, and has been greatly appreciated in the province. Then the Government
turns around and hits the industry with yet another tax.
Has
Australian wine lost that whiff of allure and excitement in the playing fields of
its biggest market?
Has Australian wine lost that whiff of allure and excitement in the playing fields
of its biggest market? Australians have been selling more litres in Britain than
ever, surging ahead of the French and Italians, but they are getting fewer dollars
on the sales. Who's to blame? According to some British wine critics, Australian
wine has become bland and boring.
US: The new shape
of wine
Cork-sniffers beware: A new crop of vintners is joining the cubist movement, selling
their wine in boxes. Boxed wines have been popular for decades and account for between
15 percent and 20 percent of wine sales by volume, according to industry officials.
What's different this time is that wines that have won good ratings and competition
medals are being released in boxes; they've also given the boxed wine genre a name
upgrade, to "cask wines."
UK faces bird 'menace'
Britain's wild parakeet population has exploded and will exceed 100,000 within a
decade, a study warned yesterday.
Sun, 27 Jun 2004
- Tax grab just goes on, says wine industry
A new wine tax intended to fund alcohol education is just another strike against
profits, say wine industry members. The tax to fund a $3 million-a-year alcohol awareness
campaign will add just one cent per bottle of wine, but comes in the wake of an excise
tax on fortified wines last year and recent news that Australian wine makers will
receive a tax break worth $NZ400 million.
Mid-range Australian producers squeezed
Most medium-size Australian wineries failed to make a profit in 2003, according to
a report published earlier this month. 'Unfortunately, more than half the small wineries
that participated in the study generated a loss before tax,' said industry analyst
Stephen Harvey, part of the team that produced the report.
Foster's US wine
review moves on
Foster's has not ruled out a distribution alliance with global beverage companies
as part of its review of its US wine business. The review of Beringer Blass, which
has already dealt with supply-chain problems, will now move to wine distribution
in the US.
US:
Wine industry on the rise
Despite struggling through some lean times, the California wine industry is pumping
$45 billion a year into the state's economy, up significantly from four years ago,
a new report says.
US:
Sharpshooter funding continues
The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Pierce's Disease/Glassy-winged
Sharpshooter Board last week voted to maintain the current wine industry assessment
rate of $2 per $1,000 of grape purchase value for the 2004 harvest, to fund the board's
research and programs.
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