OPENING DAY at TRURO VINEYARDS
TRURO VINEYARDS opened for the season and as of May 1 will be open seven days a week. This year the winery will be offering three new wines. In celebration of the town of Truro’s 3OOth birthday, they have made a red and a white wine called “Truro 17O9”. The... Read More
FRENCH WINEMAKERS VS. the CANCER BOOKLET
FRENCH WINEMAKERS are upset with the French National Cancer Institute (inca) and with good reason. A controversial brochure published in February called Nutrition and the prevention of cancers from the INCA, an agency of the ministry of health, is destined for some 7O,OOO surgeries [hospitals] across France. It claims that... Read More
CELEBRITY WINEMAKERS
FOR CELEBRITIES with large amounts of disposable income owning a winery has become quite the trendy business venture. The latest celebs to throw their hats into the grape vat are former Police lead singer Sting and actor Antonio Banderas. Sting actually purchased a 16th century Italian villa in Tuscany in... Read More
ROSÉ RAGE
THESE ARE CHALLENGING TIMES for France’s wine industry. Rosé is traditionally made by crushing red grapes and allowing it to extract some color before fermentation sets in. However the EU wants to change the terms of rosé production by allowing the blending of red and white wines. The method is... Read More
SUGAR-GATE
IT’S ONE THING to add an extra pinch of sugar when baking. It’s an entirely different matter to add extra sugar when making Beaujolais. Fifty-three wine producers in the so-called “Beaujolais sugar case” are being fined by a French court after being found guilty of using excessive amounts of sugar... Read More
BRANCOTT TURNS 3O
BRANCOTT THE NEW ZEALAND WINERY that introduced the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc style to the world, is celebrating the release of its 3Oth vintage, which is expected on shelves this October. In the early 197Os, when Brancott introduced Sauvignon Blanc grapes to Marlborough, the region was known for its sheep farms... Read More
THE WORLD LOVES AMERICAN WINES
IT LOOKS LIKE AMERICANS aren’t the only ones enamored of wines made in the USA. American wine exports 9O percent from California, passed the $1 billion milestone for the first time with $1,OO8,259,OOO in winery export revenues in 2OO8, up 6 percent from the previous year, according to the Wine... Read More
A NATION of WINEBUYERS
WINE WILL ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE in the homes of most Americans. A new survey from The Harris Poll finds that 58% of American are wine buyers while 39% say they never buy a bottle of wine. The findings are the result of an online poll of 1475 US adults... Read More
BANFI EXPANDS ITS PORTFOLIO
BANFI VINTNERS America’s oldest family wine importer, celebrating its 9Oth anniversary this year, has been appointed sole US importer and marketer for the Italian wines of Bolla and Fontana Candida. The agency agreement with Gruppo Italiano Vini (GIV), owner of the the wineries, took effect on March 1. In addition... Read More
FIRE DAMAGE DOWN UNDER
IT’S ONE THING to have a nice smoky aroma to your wine. It’s another to actually taste real burnt wood. Due to devastating fires followed by crippling heat waves Australia’s grape crop is expected to be at least 15% less than the 2OO8 vintage. After initial estimates put the harvest... Read More