News Archive: November 2006

• Editorial: Alcohol, tobacco both tax targets

  Increasing Indiana’s state tax on cigarettes is a quick and superficially efficient way to raise money for Hoosier health care.

  Posted on 2006-11-30 at 02:02  ·  Category: Industry

• Raising a glass to wine traditions

  What is the purpose of the capsule on a bottle of wine?
  
  Why does the host taste the wine first?
  
  Why is the glass raised when making a toast?
  
  These and many other interesting, and perhaps little known, facts about wine were disclosed by Paul Wagner of Balzac Communications during a recent meeting of WineSpirit, a Napa-based organization that brings people together to celebrate life’s precious moments.

  Posted on 2006-11-30 at 02:01  ·  Category: Miscellaneous

• Imposter French Wine Bottlings on the Rise

  There are ample warnings that more and more fake wines are in circulation, particularly of top Bordeaux wines, but the châteaux are reluctant to take legal action, stating it is not their problem.

  Posted on 2006-11-30 at 01:58  ·  Category: Industry

• Georgia's wine frozen out by Russia

  Shota Kobelia, chief marketing manager of one of Georgia's biggest wine producing companies, has a problem.

  Posted on 2006-11-30 at 01:57  ·  Category: Industry

• Winemaker reality show made in Paso premieres

  The new series “Corkscrewed: The Wrath of Grapes” – filmed in Paso Robles – goes to a lot of trouble to get viewers’ attention.
  
  It won’t be getting the attention of local viewers, however, unless they have satellite television service. Charter Cable does not carry Fox Reality, the channel that broadcasts the reality show.

  Posted on 2006-11-30 at 01:55  ·  Category: Miscellaneous

• EU seeks WTO talks with Canada over 'discriminatory' new wine and beer tax

  The European Union said Wednesday it will seek World Trade Organization talks over Canada's "discriminatory" wine and beer tax that it claims punishes European imports while giving Canadian drinks a free ride.

  Posted on 2006-11-29 at 01:09  ·  Category: Industry

• The Weighty Responsibility of Drinking for Two

  Drinking during pregnancy quickly became taboo in the United States after 1981, when the Surgeon General began warning women about the dangers of alcohol. The warnings came after researchers at the University of Washington identified Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, a group of physical and mental birth defects caused by alcohol consumption, in 1973. In its recommendations, the government does not distinguish between heavy drinking and the occasional beer: all alcohol poses an unacceptable risk, it says.

  Posted on 2006-11-29 at 01:07  ·  Category: Miscellaneous

• Leona Valley Winery Bears First Fruit Since Prohibition

  With the tens of thousands of people who drive Bouquet Canyon daily, I wonder how many know that if you keep going, past Plum Canyon, past Lombardi Ranch, even past that big lake up there, you’ll be in wine country.

  Posted on 2006-11-29 at 01:06  ·  Category: Miscellaneous

• CANADA :All smiles over early icewine harvest

  The mercury dropped low enough for one of the earliest ice wine grape harvests in recent memory Monday.
  Bruce Nicholson, winemaker for Jackson-Triggs Vintners winery, said crews were busy for close to eight hours at a vineyard south of Oliver, as temperatures remained below the necessary -10C mark throughout the day.
  “It’s been a great day for it,” he said. “The wind was brutal, but there’s something to said about doing it during the daytime.”

  Posted on 2006-11-29 at 01:04  ·  Category: Industry

• Paso Robles Named ''The Up-and-Coming'' California Wine Region

  In a recent survey conducted by The California Wine Club, Paso Robles, American Viticultural Area (AVA) was selected as the next up-and-coming California wine region. Paso Robles, AVA received the highest number of votes, with more than 28 percent of the votes cast for this wine region.

  Posted on 2006-11-29 at 01:02  ·  Category: Industry

• aUSTRALIA : Grape growers urged to lock in contracts

  Grape growers have been urged to lock in supply contracts with wine companies but not accept low prices as frosts and the drought combine to produce a smaller harvest.

  Posted on 2006-11-29 at 12:59  ·  Category: Industry

• So, How Did We Get Here? A Reflection On Those Who Paved The Way

  Fall is upon us once again with the crop finally settling in tanks throughout our lovely wine country. Yellow and crimson fill the countryside with the chill of winter not far off. It is once again time to give thanks for our families, friends and our beloved wine country as the holiday season is here. Upon further reflection, the next time you are enjoying your favorite glass of wine think about what our forefathers had to overcome in order for us to enjoy this fortunate way of life. In our latest article we are going to look at an abbreviated history of how the wine country in Northern California progressed into one of the premiere wine growing regions in the world

  Posted on 2006-11-28 at 12:59  ·  Category: Miscellaneous

• Grape and Wine Industry Develops Sharply in Northwestern China

  Recently, Dynasty Winery Ltd, one of the three largest wine brands cooperated with Ningxia Imperial Horse Winery Ltd. to build up a winery of Dynasty and Imperial Horse, the most powerful winery in Chinese mainland.

  Posted on 2006-11-28 at 12:56  ·  Category: Industry

• Prince Charles designs Mouton label

  The Prince – a well-known watercolourist who delights in capturing rural scenes around the royal residences of Balmoral, Sandringham and other retreats both at home and abroad – now adds his name to a list which includes Braque, Picasso, Miró, Chagall, Henry Moore, Warhol, Francis Bacon and Balthus.

  Posted on 2006-11-28 at 12:54  ·  Category: Miscellaneous

• Canada : Wineries prepare for icewine harvest

  Put on your woolies – it’s icewine time.
  With temperatures forecast to hit –17 C tonight, Okanagan wineries are preparing to harvest frozen grapes and press them before the weather warms up Thursday. Dozens of pickers are pulling out extra socks and gloves to get ready for the overnight frenzy.

  Posted on 2006-11-28 at 12:52  ·  Category: Industry

• Foster's Wine Taps Vizeum

  NEW YORK Aegis Group's Vizeum took another step toward establishing itself in North America, winning the domestic planning and buying account of Foster's Wine Estates following a review, the agency has confirmed.

  Posted on 2006-11-22 at 03:13  ·  Category: Industry

• Secrets of making Three Rivers wine

  On my first visit to Three Rivers winery, just after it opened, Mike Januik, who was visiting his friend and fellow winemaker Charlie Hoppes, backed his brand new pickup off the loading dock and fractured an axle.

  Posted on 2006-11-22 at 03:11  ·  Category: Industry

• Double Honour For Vineyard Manager

  Hard on the heels of becoming the country’s first young viticulturist of the year, Marlborough’s Marcus Wickham has won the supreme title in the horticulture industry to cap a rare double honour. Marcus, the national vineyard manager for Waipara Hills Wine Estate Limited, won the HortFertplus Young Horticulturist of the Year title and over $20,000 in prizes at the final competition at Auckland last week.

  Posted on 2006-11-22 at 03:08  ·  Category: Industry

• Plantagenet to supply 3000 semillon cases to Sweden

  Mount Barker wine producer Plantagenet Wines will send 3,000 cases of its semillon sauvingnon blanc blend to Sweden's government controlled liquor outlets, supplying the only new Australian white to the range.

  Posted on 2006-11-21 at 03:24  ·  Category: Industry

• Nomacorc synthetic closures at wine contests

  Just in case wine professionals were still in any doubt, synthetic closures are making bigger and bigger inroads, with international competitions supplying the proof. The statistics from the last three most important wine events held in 2006 speak for themselves. The results from the Vinalies Internationales in Paris, Mondial du Rosé competitions and the Mundus Vini, were conclusive every time. Synthetic closures are gaining ground and Nomacorc is the sector’s leading authority.

  Posted on 2006-11-21 at 03:22  ·  Category: Science & Technology

• Bordeaux Wine Prices Show Signs of Cooling After 12-Month Surge

  Prices for leading Bordeaux wines in the London market are showing signs of cooling after a 12-month surge fed by demand for top vintages such as Latour and Petrus.

  Posted on 2006-11-21 at 03:20  ·  Category: Industry

• Choosing the Right Wine for America's Great Bird: John Mariani

  Thanksgiving dinner, as I am reminded annually by my family, is not about the trimmings but the bird. The things that come before, with and after the turkey offer their own delights, but the focus of the meal should be on a fat- breasted, golden-brown bird that deserves our respect.

  Posted on 2006-11-21 at 03:19  ·  Category: Miscellaneous

• Music Icon Luis Miguel Releases Signature Wine in U.S. Market Just in Time to Toast First Christmas Album

  Multi Grammy winner and Latin superstar Luis Miguel and award-winning Chilean winery Vina Ventisquero have announced the U.S. launch of UNICO Luis Miguel, an expressive, elegant 2003 Gran Reserva Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine, a result of a three-year collaboration between Luis Miguel and highly acclaimed Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes Del Campo, has already received rave reviews from some of the nation's top wine publications. UNICO Luis Miguel was previously launched in limited quantities in Chile and Mexico in late 2005, where it sold out in just days.

  Posted on 2006-11-21 at 03:17  ·  Category: Miscellaneous

• Prosecution looms for Uvine directors

  Administrators have reported the directors' conduct to the Prosecutions Section of the Department for Trade and Industry (Dti). They warn that 'there could be potential claims against the directors for misfeasance, preference, wrongful trading and even fraudulent trading if criminal intent could be shown.'

  Posted on 2006-11-21 at 03:13  ·  Category: Industry

• To Buy or Not To Buy - That is the Question.

  These are confusing times for wine buyers. Unless you are a super taster, an experienced wine connoisseur or know a trusty local merchant, you are left with the wine critics: A rare breed, gifted with a superhuman sense of smell, a million dollar palate and unending stamina, capable of tasting 100 wines per day and evaluating each one perfectly in just seconds. The mere presence of the wine critic brings on shivering sweats to most wine producers as his/her opinion can make or break a wine’s reputation and dash all hopes of making a profit.

  Posted by Patrice Breton on 2006-11-20 at 02:47  ·  Category: Exclusive

• Grape juice is for the birds: New method deals humanely with pests

  Narens said specialized machinery he has breaks down Concord grape juice extract into microns, vaporizing them and sending a plume of vaporized grape juice over the birds.
  
  
  That causes them to feel discomfort and, most importantly, associate that discomfort with where they are sitting. The point, said Narens, is to teach the birds to find “some other place to sleep.”

  Posted on 2006-11-20 at 12:55  ·  Category: Science & Technology

• New Italian prize for sustainable viticulture

  The first recipient, in the just-released 2007 edition of Italy's best-selling wine guide, best known for its 'Tre Bicchieri' (three glass) rating system, is Alto Adige producer Peter Pliger, of Kuenhof Peter Pliger.

  Posted on 2006-11-20 at 12:54  ·  Category: Miscellaneous

• Golden colors, golden tastes draw winemakers to Yosemite

  When harvest ends in the Napa Valley, you can almost hear a collective sigh from the vineyards: The days and nights of watching the sky, checking the sugar levels of grapes, reading weather forecasts, walking the vineyards — all the endless hours of work all come to a finish, more or less.

  Posted on 2006-11-20 at 12:52  ·  Category: Industry

• Wine industry toasts soaring white Burgundy prices

  The cost of white Burgundy has soared at an annual charity wine auction that traditionally sets price trends for the latest vintage.

  Posted on 2006-11-20 at 12:51  ·  Category: Industry

• Tasty wines emerge from potentially disastrous year

  A week ago today, the Sonoma County Vintners hosted its first-ever Vintage Report and New Release Tasting at Sebastiani Winery and Vineyards. The event featured a panel of five winemakers, each of whom are specialists in different varietals from different corners of the county. They represented 10 of the county’s 13 American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs.

  Posted on 2006-11-17 at 12:52  ·  Category: Industry

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