Wine
• Bacteria, not blending, brings complexity to wine
Complexity in wine is a function of soil bacteria and not winemaking, according to Michel Chapoutier. Defending his decision to make his Châteauneuf-du-Pape Barbe Rac and Croix de Bois purely from Grenache, he stated, when speaking at the first trade tasting of his 2011s, “Complexity is coming from the blending of bacteria in the soils… I [...]
• New wine glasses aim to balance “water and fire”
Could a wine glass shaped roughly like a closed tulip blossom revolutionize the savoring of fine vintages by taming the alcohol in the wine? That’s the hope of French luxury crystal glassmaker Baccarat, which recently began sales of its new line of glasses in Hong Kong, where wine imports have remained strong on the back [...]
• Top 10 100-point Napa Cabernets
Cult wines and Cabernet Sauvignon, the two go hand in hand and may even be practically synonymous to most people. But while there are technical and theoretical arguments that Lafite, Penfolds or Ornellaia are cult* (Saint-Emilion’s micro-châteaux don’t count in this instance because they’re predominantly Merlot), it is in California’s Napa Valley that the original [...]
• Bordeaux’s second wines affordable, exceptional
We Americans don’t realize it, but the Chinese are determining what wine we drink. They’re not flooding the market with knockoffs or gray-market bottles. Instead, their voracious appetite for big-name Bordeaux has relegated us to buying the leftovers. Fortunately, there is a silver lining. Bordeaux’s so-called “second wines” are exceptional, and are an affordable way [...]
• Alleged Wine Counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan Indicted
Federal grand jury hands down charges against the wine collector; he could be extradited to New York soon. A federal grand jury in New York has indicted accused wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan on four counts of mail and wire fraud to sell counterfeit wine, of defrauding a finance company, of double pledging collateral, and of [...]
• Fine Italian Wines, Vintage Cars & the Ghost of Biggie Smalls
Sometimes when cursing the gods you forget they let you go to amazing events like today’s Dalla Terra Winery Direct Annual Portfolio Tasting. Done on the roof-top of the Peterson Automotive Museum (yes, the one where Biggie was gunned down by the unknown assailant) -– it had 19 Italian Wineries for perusing. I thought it would [...]
• When it comes to wine, sweet is the new black
WAY BACK in the Paleolithic era of American Wine Drinking — a time coinciding with leisure suits, fern bars and the Carter administration — sweet wines ruled. People loved their cheap Mateus and Blue Nun and Andre Cold Duck. Then, all of a sudden, everyone got all sophisticated and savvy and demonstrated this by eschewing [...]
• “Wine is no different than toilet paper”
One of the most powerful wine buyers in the world, Annette Alvarez-Peters of Costco, has slammed wine as “just a beverage” and “no different than toilet paper.” Speaking in a CNBC news report this week, the director of wine buying for the world’s largest wine retailer said: “Is wine more special than clothing? Is it [...]
• Only 2011 Ausone gets 100 point potential from Parker
Ausone was awarded 96-100 points, while Lafite was awarded only 90-93 in the estate’s worst performance since its 88 points in 1993. The scores were described on Twitter as “incredible” and “making a lot of sense”. Lafite’s poor scores echo Liv-ex’s merchant round-up which pointed to the estate as the “disappointment of the vintage”. Parker [...]
• Sauternes appears best value in latest releases
The 2011 en primeur campaign came to life again yesterday with a small flurry of releases. Chasse Spleen, Bellevue (Saint Emilion), Suduiraut, Carillon Angélus and Doisy-Védrines were among the releases but for the most part prices remained above 2008 release prices by 7% to nearly 50%. Chasse Spleen at €17.70p/b is only 1.6% down on [...]
• Wine co-ops prove to be a highly competitive solution
Wine co-operatives have proven to be resilient during recessionary trading as well as successful businesses when the times are good. Their ability to pool resources and guarantee sales can make them a useful, if not crucial solution for producers both in Europe and elsewhere. Hence, the drinks business has looked closely the performance of these [...]
• Natural wine guru admits 60-80% of natural wines can’t age
Flag bearer for the natural wine movement Doug Wregg has admitted he doesn’t think the majority of natural wines can age. 60-80% of natural wine should be drunk within the first year, after that they fall apart,” the director of sales and marketing for Les Caves de Pyrène told the drinks business. “Most of the [...]
• Moroccan Wine Thrives in Face of Religious Bans & Heat
It’s easy enough to say “When in Rome drink as the Romans do,” but what’s a wine lover to do in Marrakesh? For starters, Morocco is predominantly Muslim, and consumption of alcohol is forbidden in Islam, (though oddly enough, the word “alcohol” derives from the Pre-Islamic Arabic word “al-kohl”). Its production is allowed, and historically [...]
• Buh Bye to Fine Wine Deals Due to California Grape Shortage
Say goodbye to snagging fine wine at a value price. As demand increases and inventories experience an extended shortage, consumers will have to choose between paying more, trading down or buying foreign imports, according to a wine industry report released on Tuesday. Silicon Valley Bank, which provides the wine industry with commercial banking services, predicts [...]
• Oregon Wineries See Record Breaking 2011 Harvest
A new report shows Oregon vineyards harvested a record amount of grapes last year. Winemaker Jonathan Oberlander agrees 2011 was a big year for wineries when it comes to harvesting. Between good weather and better farming, yields in Oregon were 28 percent higher than 2010. One report out of California says Oregon wineries are in [...]
