BLUE BUBBLY COMING SOON . . .

For better or for worse, blue seems to have become a trend in wine production.  First there was Gik, the blue wine from Spain made by mixing red and white wines together along with a blue plant-based dye.  After being told it could not label its product as “wine” the company went back to the drawing board and is pending re-release.  Now there’s an Italian blue bubbly on the horizon: Blumond Blue Wine.  It’s a 7% ABV blend of Prosecco and blue curacao that’s destined to become a wedding shower staple.  However, that lower alcohol level might cause trouble when Blumond launches in its native country this year.  In Italy, wine has to be 1O percent alcohol by volume or higher to be labeled wine.  And then there’s the blue issue.  “It’s embarrassing,” a member of Italy’s Sommelier Association was quoted as saying.  “These are not wines but colored liquids, dumb-downed hybrids with a watered-down percentage of alcohol.”