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Fri, 20 Aug 2004
- Canada Finds
its Napa
British Columbia's emerging
Okanagan Valley has the makings of a serious wine region
AUS: Southcorp appoints US boss
Southcorp today announced
the appointment of Scott Weiss as president Southcorp Wines the Americas. Weiss will
join Southcorp on 30 August 2004.
Environmentalists block Rhone plantings
Environmental activists
have dealt a severe blow to future vineyard projects in the Seyssuel vineyards, north
of Vienne, in the Rhône valley.
Red Wine Protects Against Heart Disease
A recent study again points to red wine as an agent to protect against heart disease.
According to the study by Jefferson Medical College, researchers compared the effects
of drinking either red wine or gin on several biochemical markers in the blood, and
red wine had a much greater effect in lowering levels of substances that are hallmarks
for heart disease and stroke.
Wine making waste: a natural weapon
to beat bacteria
Grape pomace extract can
be used as an effective anti- microbial agent to destroy pathogens and help preserve
food, according to new research by Turkish scientists published in the Journal of
the Science of Food and Agriculture.
Thu, 19 Aug 2004
- AUS: Waiter, waiter, there's a fly in
my wine
Fruit flies and microscopic
worms may lend their ultrasensative 'noses' to winemakers searching for wines with
the perfect smell, an international conference will hear next week.
AUS: Southcorp
tastes turnaround
Winemaker Southcorp today
booked annual net profit of $46.24 million, turning around its fortunes from a loss
of $923 million last year following massive writedowns of goodwill and the value
of some of its brand names.
Mount Riley Launches Two New Wines To
Support Breast Cancer Research Trust
Breast cancer research is getting a helping hand in a unique collaboration between
Mount Riley Wines, and the Breast Cancer Research Trust which will benefit from sales
of a specially vinted Winemaker's Selection.
French Wine Makers
Sued Over Lack of Alcohol Warnings
Three mothers in France have started legal action against wine manufacturers, saying
they failed to warn pregnant women about the dangers of alcohol, the British Medical
Journal reported Aug. 14.
US: Atlanta International Wine Summit
Names 2004 Competition Winners
ATLANTA--Winners in the 2004 Atlanta International Wine Summit competition were announced
today with top awards won by wineries from Australia, Canada, Italy, California,
Georgia, Missouri and New York. A Spannish winery won one of five runner-up awards.
Wineries in California and Australia tied for Winery of Distinction honors.
US: Grow grapes
and provide great-grandchildren with fruit
Just when you think you've
figured out how many products you can squeeze from a grape, along comes some others.
Several California growers are selling zinfandel vinegars, chardonnay-teriyaki marinades
and black truffle-grapeseed oils with their bottled wines. That's in addition to
the more traditional culinary products: jellies and unfermented grape juices, raisins,
and grape leaves used for wrapping around such things as rice and lamb before cooking.
Sauvignon
blanc lightens the atmosphere
The combination of August's heat and humidity with even mildly spicy fare, like chicken
fajitas, is an impediment to enjoying the rich white Burgundies or California Chardonnays.
Lighter and zestier wine, such as sauvignon blanc, is the order of the day.
Canadian
white wines worth trying, eh?
Walk into any halfway-decent liquor store in New Jersey and you'll see hundreds of
imported labels from all over Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand, South
America and South Africa, even the Middle East (some very good wines are made in
Israel and Lebanon). It's hard to imagine there are any wines anywhere in the world
that haven't already been discovered by American importers.
Wed, 18 Aug 2004
- Warming threatens California wine
California will get hotter and drier by the end of the century, threatening its valuable
wine and dairy industries, US researchers have announced.
Australian beer and wine makers' earnings
battle US headwind
MELBOURNE: A wine glut
and fierce competition in the United States has eroded the profits of Australia's
largest beer and wine makers, and the earnings headwind looks set to continue this
year
French Plans
to Test Genetically Modified Vines Prompt Outcry From Many European Winemakers
Stirring up controversy in
Europe, French researchers may plant genetically modified grapevines in a test vineyard
in Alsace this fall if the government approves the project, which is backed by government
scientists but strongly opposed by some leading winemakers.
UK: Rosé wine sales back in the
pink
It's not the sort of record
anyone is aiming for in Athens but here in the low-exertion sector of summer activity,
statistics show that sales of rosé wine have increased by 50 per cent in the
UK year on year.
US: California
Winemakers Report Unusually Early Start to Harvest
"Start early, finish early" looks to be the theme for the 2004 California
growing season. Many estates are already hip deep into harvest, which kicked off
during the last week of July, at least two weeks ahead of the normal schedule.
AUS: Investors
take aim at Southcorp
Shareholders in struggling
wine company Southcorp are starting a campaign aimed at removing director Bob Oatley
and chairman Brian Finn. The Australian Shareholders Association plans to issue a
petition today seeking at least 120 signatures to step up pressure on the company.
Tue, 17 Aug 2004
- US: Founder of Napa's Pride Mountain
Vineyards Dies
Jim Pride, founder of
Pride Mountain Vineyards in Napa Valley, died Wednesday morning after a three-year
battle with cancer. He was 66.
US: Record harvest
predicted for state
Kansas City ? A cool, wet summer should mean a record-breaking fall harvest for Missouri's
corn farmers, the Agriculture Department and state officials said Thursday.
Australia to host the First International
Biodynamic Wine Forum
Australia is leading the
way forward in Biodynamic Wine with the development and hosting of a unique 3 day
forum later this year. The First International Biodynamic Wine Forum will be held
from the 19-21 November 2004, at La Trobe University in Beechworth, Victoria, bringing
together leading vignerons from Europe, Australia, the USA and New Zealand.
Study Finds Climate Shift Threatens
California
A scientific study released on Monday presents an alarming view of climate changes
in California, finding that by the end of the century rising temperatures could lead
to a sevenfold increase in heat-related deaths in Los Angeles and imperil the state's
wine and dairy industries.
US: Vintners
still searching for closure
The problem of cork taint
is one that's unparalleled in any other industry. While conservative estimates put
the level of cork taint at 5 percent, a recent four-year study conducted by Hogue
Cellars in Washington concluded that 17.6 percent of wines are consistently corked.
In addition, corks don't always create a perfectly tight seal in a wine bottle, and
for this reason, oxidation is a problem. It's a miracle, really, that people continue
to buy a luxury product that's so unreliable.
California Wine vs. Two-Legged Pests
California is under attack by parasites, of both the six-legged and two-legged variety.
The former are glassy-winged sharpshooters, leaf-hopping insects that are among the
state's most insidious agricultural pests. They carry Pierce's disease, a lethal
bacterial infection of grapevines and other major crops, for which there is no cure.
The two-legged parasites are the activists and regulators who are making safe, effective
new agricultural technologies unavailable in California.
AUS: Yellow Tail
to release top-end wine
The Australian winemaker behind the phenomenally successful Yellow Tail brand has
plans to release a high-margin wine on the Australian domestic market.
SA: Matching the
noblest late harvests
For some foolish reason, they've become known as 'dessert' wines. One suspects that
this is because many people simply don't quite know when to pour a wine that is so
seductive in appearance and presence - and one that often costs a lot and is frequently
a top topic of conversation among wine cognoscenti. Because it is sweet, it is delegated
to the 'pudding' side of the menu. How wrong.
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