Home » 2009 » May
Archive for May, 2009
 |
The first comprehensive survey of women's attitudes toward wine has overturned several preconceived notions. Over 4,000 women in the UK, France, Japan, Germany and the US responded to a survey commissioned by Vinexpo, revealing a preference for red wine and skepticism for marketing campaigns that target them specifically (e.g. White Lie and Slender Wines). Among the more surprising results were that women prefer red wine to both white and rose, and consider wine compatible with a balanced diet. 79% of the women said they drink wine because they like the taste – as opposed to its compatibility with food or fashion status. Of the 1300 UK-based respondents, 80% choose the wine for their household, with price as the main criterion, followed by varietal and country of origin; and 54% said they were undeterred by government health warnings. Consultant and presenter Angela Mount said other results, notably that women continue to be more price-led than brand or quality-led, was worrisome, with only 10% choosing wine over $15 a bottle.
TagsSlender Wine, White Lie, wine price, wine sales, wine survey, women
Posted in Wine Price and Sales
1. The longest recorded Champagne cork flight was 177 feet and 9 inches, 4 feet from level ground at Woodbury Vineyards in New York state, on June 5, 1988.
2. Marilyn Monroe was said to have once taken a bath in 350 bottles of Champagne. Vintage not confirmed.
3. The largest cork tree in the world is known as The Whistler Tree. This tree is located in the Alentejo region of Portugal and averages more than 1 ton of raw cork per harvest, which is enough to cork 100,000 bottles of wine. Or one really big keg of beer.
4. Demi Moore tried to seduce Michael Douglas in the 1994 movie Disclosure with a bottle of the limited edition Pahlmeyer 1991 Chardonnay (Napa Valley, California). She seduced Ashton Kutcher in real life with a case of Red Bull.
5. A jar of red wine was found in Tutankhamen's tomb, inscribed with the winemaker name, Khaa, and the vintage, "Year 5." Those who tasted it remarked that it was "kinda funky."
TagsAshton Kutcher, Champagne, chardonnay wine, Demi Moore, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Douglas, Tutankhamen, wine facts
Posted in Champagne
According to an obituary published yesterday by the Corriere Fiorentino, Bettino Ricasoli, 87, the great-great-grandson of “Iron Baron” Bettino Ricasoli and steward of one of the leading families of Chianti Classico, has died.
Although he never published a “formula” or “recipe” for Chianti (as many erroneously claim), Bettino Ricasoli (1809-1880) reshaped the history of Chianti and Tuscan winemaking in the 19th century when he famously declared that Sangiovese (or Sangioveto, as the Tuscan clone of Sangiovese was known then) was the ideal grape for the production of fine wine there. In an often cited but rarely revisited 1872 letter to Professor Cesare Studiati of Pisa, Ricasoli described the process of study that led to the replanting of his Castello di Brolio estate in Gaiole in Chianti (one of the core townships of Chianti Classico).
TagsBettino Ricasoli, chianti classico, chianti wine, Sangiovese, winemaking
Posted in Wine News
The wine industry was battered and bruised in 2008, the astronomical prices for top-level wines plunged, and as if in an act of repentance more winemakers went green. For example, Boisset, the second-largest producer of Beaujolais Nouveau,
bottled its entire 2008 harvest in lightweight plastic bottles. Biodynamic and organic wines increased. Yet many still doubt the wine industry's sincerity when it comes to carbon neutrality because they still ship wine in wooden crates as opposed to the much lighter corrugated cardboard. The Liv-Ex 100 Fine Wine Index, the wine world's Dow Jones Index, has fallen more than 20 percent from its all-time high. Among the hardest hit was Domaine Romanee Conti 1990, which commanded more than $20,000 a bottle in November 2007, but sold last fall for $6,500 - a 67.5 percent drop. The global credit crisis has threatened Bordeaux's en primeur sales. And as wine buyers search for bargain-priced bottles, Bacchus seems to be favoring Chile and Argentina.
TagsCarbon Neutral Wine, Chile wine, economic crisis, green wine, Liv-Ex 100, Plastic Wine Bottles, wine price, wine sales
Posted in Carbon Neutral Wine, Economic Crisis, Plastic Wine Bottles, Wine Price and Sales
 |
A San Francisco cooperative is selling futures in a new wine called "Bailout," inspired by the economic crisis. Crushpad, a custom crush facility, will sell the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at $39 per bottle. But there's a twist, for every 100-point drop in the Dow Jones from the date of purchase to the projected bottling date of 14 August 2009, the final price will be discounted $2 per bottle. If the Dow is higher on the bottling date, the price is still $39 a bottle, making Bailout futures a minor hedge on the economy. Only 500 cases will be produced. Crushpad is doing this for fun and exposure, but it may be instructive for high-end Bordeaux winemakers who refuse to lower their exorbitant 2008 futures prices given the current environment. According to those in the wine trade, Bordeaux must lower it's prices by 50% or the 2008 en primeur campaign could be a disaster. Crushpad is an urban winemaking facility that enables budding entrepreneurs to make their own wine with the expert help of the staff.
TagsBailout wine, bordeaux futures, Bordeaux Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Crushpad, Dow Jones, economic crisis, en primeur, Napa Valley, wine price, wine sales
Posted in Bordeaux Wine, Economic Crisis, Wine Price and Sales
Recent research indicates that different types of music stimulate different parts of the brain, and prime us to taste wines in a corresponding way. For example, powerful rock music like Jimi Hendrix or The Rolling Stones is a good accompaniment to a Cabernet Sauvignon, while opera buffs might prefer a 2006 Syrah. "This is the first time it has been scientifically proven that music can affect perception in other senses and change the way wine tastes," said Professor Adrian North of Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. The idea for the study was triggered by Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes, who plays Gregorian chants to his maturing wines, arguing that the gentle vibrations improve the quality of the wine. Researchers recommend the following wine / song pairings: Cabernet Sauvignon - All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix; Chardonnay - Atomic by Blondie; Syrah - Puccini's Nessun Dorma. Merlot - Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding. Sorry, no Reggae.
TagsAdrian North, Aurelio Montes, Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Jimi Hendrix, music, Wine Tasting
Posted in Wine Tasting
When People magazine reported seeing an unopened bottle of
Kendall-Jackson chardonnay in the Obamas' kitchen, the California winery fired off a couple of cases to No. 44. Just another gift? Hardly. Winning over the presidential palate is a big deal for the wine industry, leaving vintners and vinophiles curious about what's on tap for the next occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Wine and the White House go back to No. 1, who tried his hand growing vines at his Mt. Vernon estate in Virginia. But it was Thomas Jefferson who really embraced enology, building and stocking White House Cellars. He also introduced guests, not always successfully, to fine, dry vintages vs. the sweet, fortified wines then in vogue. Kendall-Jackson hasn't heard back about its shipment. But Lettie Teague, executive wine editor for the magazine Food & Wine, said K-J chardonnay seems a good choice for modern times, popular and reasonably priced at around $11 a bottle.
TagsBarack Obama, chardonnay wine, George Washington, Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, People Magazine, Thomas Jefferson, wine price, wine sales
Posted in Wine Price and Sales
Who woulda thunk it? That a small organic wine from Chile would cause such an uproar. Palin Syrah, now in its second release, and named for the ball used to play Chilean field hockey is losing sales, at least in San Francisco. The reason? The similarity of its name to Sarah Palin, the now famous hockey mom and Vice-Presidential candidate. Before politics played a role, Palin Syrah was described as a good organic, affordable wine, now it's likened to moosemeat and gunpowder, and it doesn't help that it's red. Perhaps a white wine would do better. Obama Sparkling Wine, made by Larry Mawby in Suttons Bay, Michigan might fit the bill. However, unlike Palin Syrah, this wine has political purpose. For every bottle of Obama sold one dollar is donated to the Obama campaign. I wonder if San Franciscans are also boycotting Budweiser. Given Cindy McCain's family business, there's no doubt Sen. John McCain's a Busch man.
TagsChile wine, Larry Mawby, Obama Sparkling Wine, organic wine, Palin Syrah, presidential election, Sarah Palin
Posted in Wine News
So what's the new thing in the wine world these days? Plastic Bottles. That's right the same PET bottles used for fruit drinks and soda pop, with a nudge from environmentalists, has become a viable wine-packaging alternative to glass. One of the latest producers to embrace the new trend is French wine giant Boisset who recently announced that all Beaujolais Nouveau wines imported to the US this year (for their annual November release date), will be shipped in plastic bottles. According to Jean-Charles Boisset, PET bottles, would reduce shipping weight by 42 percent (and thus fuel use), while PET packaging would produce 50 to 60 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than glass throughout its life cycle. The company is also unveiling
Fog Mountain Merlot, a domestically sourced California wine, also in PET. It already sells its Mommessin Beaujolais Grande Reserve in aluminium bottles.
Click here for more information on
plastic wine bottles and the carbon-neutral wine trend.
TagsBeaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais Wine, Boisset, Carbon Neutral Wine, Fog Mountain Merlot, greenhouse gas emissions, PET bottles, Plastic Wine Bottles, wine shipping
Posted in Carbon Neutral Wine, Plastic Wine Bottles
Is the
wine cellar passe? Some French wine buffs believe there's a better place for storing wine, at the bottom of the sea (OMG!). A couple years ago, French winemakers began submerging hundreds of bottles of wine at a depth of 30ft in Saint-Malo Bay off the coast of Normandy. After being "massaged by the sea" for a year, it is said that "underwater whites" have more obvious wood aromas, and "submerged reds" evolve more slowly than cellared wine. Recently, Champagne house, Louis Roederer, sent divers to place several dozen bottles of its
Brut Premier at a depth of 50ft in Saint-Malo bay (hidden of course). In a year's time experts will assess if they have matured with a different or better taste than in the traditional cellars of the Champagne region. The sea may be the ideal wine cellar (i.e. constant temperatures, high humidity, no UV light), but it seems more like bored winemakers playing "Pirates of the Caribbean".
Click here for more information on
wine bottle storage.
TagsChampagne, Louis Roederer, Pirates of the Caribbean, Saint-Malo Bay, Wine Cellar, wine storage
Posted in Champagne, Wine Cellar
