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April 30, 2006
Looking Back At One of The New Closure For Your Wine
Screw caps are now being place of French Grand Cru wines, Wines of Alsace, New Zealand and virtually everywhere. I though it might be interesting to look back art the information presented, in this article by Paul Tudor, from less than a year ago. Paul presents views on the surge in screw cap use ss nothing short of a revolution in wine packaging. Is it the most significant technical evolution that the wine industry has faced since the glass bottle was introduced 250 years ago? And has the controversy waned to acceptance by now?.
Paul Tudor
The screw cap revival owes much to the wineries of the Clare Valley in Australia, who, as a group, bottled their vintage 2000 Rieslings under screw cap. However, it is in New Zealand that screw caps have really found their home. In less than four years, the screw cap has become the standard closure for bottled New Zealand wines.
The New Zealand Screwcap Wine Seal Initiative, formed in May 2001, has 51 wine company members. However, many more of New Zealand's 500 wine producers are using screw caps for some or all of their production.
One of New Zealand's biggest contract bottlers, the Marlborough Bottling Company, reports that over 80 percent of its output last year was under screw cap. In one month, October 2004, Marlborough's screw cap rate topped 93 percent. Other contract bottlers around the country report similar rates.
Villa Maria, New Zealand's third largest producer, with an annual crush of over 8,000 tons, has committed to 100 percent screw cap, for both domestic and export markets. Some wineries have adopted caps for lesser-priced wines and retained natural corks for premium or super premium wines. Te Mata Estate, for instance, uses screw caps for the entry level Woodthorpe range and high-grade natural corks for its flagship Coleraine, one of the country's most prestigious red wines.
In the past year, the numbers have been boosted even further with New Zealand's largest wine company, Allied Domecq Wines New Zealand, employing screw caps for standard production lines, not just for airline bottles. Formerly Montana Wines, producers of the Brancott and Stoneleigh brands, Allied Domecq now bottles a third of all its brands under caps. The company's overall screw cap percentage is higher than this, however, as caps seal some of its highest volume lines, such as the Montana Classics range.
A few high profile producers, notably Dry River and Stonecroft, have stuck with natural cork for their total production. Nevertheless, pundits claim that around 70 percent of all bottled New Zealand wine is now under screw cap.
The issue has received regular attention from the mass media. Screw caps have captured the attention of the New Zealand public, from high-involvement wine aficionados to everyday drinkers who often buy what is on special at their local supermarket. And, increasingly, these people are choosing screw-capped wines.
Despite this remarkable performance, screw caps have a long way to go. There are issues relating to consumer acceptance, allegations that they are causing reductive or sulphidic wines, and questions about their performance, especially for long-term aging. Technical standards are still evolving. International success is not yet guaranteed.
Excessive Sulphides: Fact or Fiction?
Critics argue that screw caps are acceptable for short-term drinking but that corks are superior for wines intended for lengthy bottle maturation.
A Wellington-based American wine writer, Paul White, has publicized what he sees as excessive sulphide levels in wines sealed under screw cap. "The Screwcap Initiative over-promised perfection without having perfected the process and set themselves up for criticism whective potential is there, but is the character reductiveness or flintiness? Or is it something derived from the winemaking, the oak or the lees aging?"
Some of the information is contradictory.
For instance, the chief judges' report at the recent Air New Zealand Wine Awards expressed concerns that "too many wines were showing sulphides that were under screw cap." Yet of the 16 wines that won trophies in that competition, including the champion and runner up, all but one was under screw cap. And the exception? A bottle-fermented sparkling wine.
My own regular tastings have not revealed anything like the problems alleged by Paul White and his panel of "professionally qualified" judges. And, in a couple of instances, the tastings have been remarkably similar in subject matter.
However, as Australian author Tyson Stelzer noted, "Many people remain unconvinced. And a perceived problem is still a problem." Research is starting to provide some answers.
Peter Godden, industry services winemaker-manager at the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), presented ongoing data from the institute's "Wine Bottle Closure Trial" at the first International Screwcap Symposium, hosted by the New Zealand Screwcap Wine Seal Initiative in Marlborough last November. This trial commenced in 1999, with the first results published in June 2001. It was this paper that first raised the alarm regarding "reduced" aromas in screw-capped wines.
Godden also spoke of other work that the AWRI has been conducting, including a commercial closure trial funded by manufacturers, which commenced in 2002. Initial results from this trial, first published in August 2004, do suggest that screw caps have a slightly higher occurrence of reduced aromas or "struck flint" character as the AWRI refers to sulphide aromatics.
The AWRI now has an overriding project called "Wine and Oxygen," led by Dr. Elizabeth Waters. In one experiment conducted by Waters' team, a reference wine was bottled under cork, under screw cap and in glass ampoules sealed with airtight stoppers. The ampoules showed a much higher incidence of "struck flint" or "rubber" characters than the screw cap version, which was in turn higher than the standard cork version.
Godden is particularly concerned that the AWRI's own information is being used incorrectly. "There may be problems," he said, "but we need to deal with them in an open and objective way. The closures do not cause reductive characters to form. Indeed, there have always been reductive wines; it is basically a winemaking issue."
In contrast to the above examples, Godden mentioned a recent AWRI Advanced Wine Assessment course. The AWRI runs these courses for the Australian wine industry, and students are asked to rate wines for certain characters. At the September 2004 course, attendees rated a higher proportion of reductive wines under natural cork than under screw cap.
Godden would also like to dispel one myth: "Oxygen does get into screw caps. Not much, but it does." The rate of permeability is low but remarkably consistent as AWRI data shows (see Table below).
Some technical corks, made from cork crumbs held together with glue, also maintain a consistent rate of oxygen ingress. Altec, one of the best-known brands, performed well in this regard.
Natural corks, on the other hand, display a wide range of oxygen permeability. Nevertheless, the very best corks are more initial dip, however, the SO2 decline evened out to a constant rate (Charts 1 and 2).
A similar pattern was found with screw-capped wines, albeit that average DO levels were initially much lower and hence sulphur levels started out from a higher base. Overall, screw caps resulted in higher levels of total and free SO2 retention, though the long-term rate of SO2 decline was about the same as natural corks.
Brajkovich surmises that natural corks provide an initial hit of oxygen at bottling, thanks either to the "pistoning" effect of the cork entering the bottle neck or because the compression of the corker jaws squeezes air out of the cork into the bottle headspace. This explains why wines sealed with natural corks generally show higher levels of dissolved oxygen (and lower sulphur dioxide) than screw-capped wines from an earlier stage. However, once that initial bottle shock period is overcome, in the long term, good corks provide as good a seal as screw caps and have similar rates of permeability.
A recent paper published by the Australian Closure Fund supports these conclusions. Clare Valley producer Jeffrey Grosset established the Australian Closure Fund to sponsor research into wine closures. The fund's first project was based on in-house trials conducted by Southcorp research winemaker Allen Hart, with support from the AWRI. The wines in the trial were Seppelts Great Western Sparkling Shiraz, which had been stored on lees for some years under crown seals, and Penfolds Bin 389. Bin 389, a red table wine, was sealed under ROTE screw cap, natural cork and two types of synthetic corks. The Bin 389 was aged in bottles for up to six and a half years and evaluated at regular intervals (Charts 3 and 4).
Hart's analyses of dissolved oxygen and sulphur levels in various Bin 389 samples provide uncannily similar results to the Screwcap Initiative trials. The figures show extreme variability between bottles sealed with cork, with some bottles showing high levels of additional oxygen and others relatively little. Hart suggests that this variability is the ultimate cause of "random oxidation." However, the oxygen permeability of screw caps was very consistent from sample to sample.
The principal conclusion of Hart's paper, which backs up research first published by French academic Jean Ribereau-Gayon in 1931, is that oxygen is not a vital component for the aging and development of bottled wine.
Randall Grahm, who has been a major supporter of screw caps at Bonny Doon Vineyards in Santa Cruz, California, believes that claims of reduction problems are total rubbish. "Reduction always is and always was a winemaking issue."
He points out that certain Italian wines, such as Dolcetto, are highly reductive when bottled under cork. "It is the winemaker's job to determine that the wine's reductive potential has been sufficiently diminished before bottling," said Grahm. "This is easily done by doing a test bottling some time in advance of the actual bottling. We have observed no problems so far, but that is not to say there might not come a wine that will surprise us. But my sense is that for any competent winemaker this is no biggie."
Grahm also dismisses claims that wines age better under corks than with screw caps. “and bottling as it relates to screw caps. The book was published with the backing of both the New Zealand Screw Cap Initiative and the Australian Wine Closure Fund. A major concern is that substandard wines, including poorly made, reductive wines, may give screw caps a bad name.
"It is not enough for the screw cap to be superior," said Stelzer. "It must also be perceived as being superior by the average consumer. Consumers must be convinced that screw caps give them a tangible advantage over corks."
He harks back to 1984 when screw caps were last launched on a widespread basis in Australia. The wines that were bottled under screw cap back then were low-priced white wines and wines served in economy class on airlines, helping to create an image of a cheap closure.
"There is no statement that we can make that speaks louder than the message sent by committing our best wines to screw cap first," said Stelzer. "And it makes so much sense. If there is any wine that is deserving of a closure that maintains fruit definition, surely it is the wine that is made from the very best fruit. If there is any bottle that demands an airtight seal, surely it is the bottle destined for a long life in the cellar. And if there is any sector of the market that understands the advantages of screw caps, is it not the same sector that is prepared to pay a little more to purchase a premium wine?"
The Marketing Dilemma
One who is concerned about wines aged on lees, in a reductive environment, is New Zealand Chardonnay specialist John Hancock, winemaker and part owner of Trinity Hill. At this stage, his premium wines, including his Gimblett Chardonnay, are still under cork.
Hancock would like to dispel any rumors that he has moved away from screw caps. "I don't have concerns about screw caps; however, we just don't know at this stage. Our wines are slow evolving, and we don't want to make a rapid decision. We are flexible."
Hancock points out that 50 percent of Trinity Hill's production is under screw cap, including all their aromatic white wines. "We are certainly not against using screw caps, but they could be another impediment for people not to buy those top-end wines from us."
John Thorogood, from UK wine merchants Lay & Wheeler, agrees with Stelzer that producers should put their best, rather than the least expensive, wines under screw cap. He labels the wine bottled under caps in the 1970s as "pretty dire." "We need a positive quality statement," he said.
In short time screw caps have come from nowhere in the UK to be commercially significant. And, as Thorogood observes, three or four years is a very, very short time in the wine industry.
Lay & Wheeler's own records put the figures for corked wines at around six percent, with wines that are "cork affected" much higher still.
Lay & Wheeler have conducted consumer surveys, in both the off-trade and the on-trade, on various aspects of wine consumption. In their most recent survey, several questions about screw caps were posed.
When asked whether they would consider purchasing a white wine under screw cap, 81 percent of respondents said that they would whereas only 65 percent would consider a red under screw cap. In a restaurant situation, 70 percent might buy a white under screw cap while only 60 percent might go for a screw-capped red. However, if a sommelier discussed the issue of screw caps with them, less than 10 percent said "No."
"We need to create more information for retailers and consumers," said Thorogood. "And we have a responsibility to the consumers that our wines get to them in the b have to work with revised memories for wines in such closures. Laroche has researched the closure field for several years after toting up the numbers on wines that were corked or had other problems and becoming dissatisfied with corkage losses of approximately 5 percent. He has been asked to discuss his tests and complaints by officials of major Portuguese cork-producing associations.
His feelings about such losses proved out at the tasting. Of the 56 bottles opened by sommelier Andre Compeyre of Restaurant Alain Ducasse, one was tainted and a second was discarded as questionable.
In addition to Laroche, Bordeaux's Andre Lurton is bottling three of his Bordeaux Blanc whites from the 2003 vintage in screw caps. The wines are Château Couhins-Lurton (Cru classé de Graves), Château La Louvière (Pessac-Léognan) and Château Bonnet (Entre-Deux-Mers). wbm
—Mort Hochstein
"The good news is that Americans are unusually open, pragmatic, unfussy and not nostalgic. They are not wedded to cork for any reasons of history, tradition, economics or geographic self-interest. Americans are not sentimental about cork; young drinkers have no association of screw caps with Skid Row wine."
Franz feels that it is possible to push the screw cap message too hard in the United States and that there is still the need to educate. The small population of wine drinkers makes for an easy target. However, having an alternative closure introduces "more complexity." And Franz believes that screw caps will be challenged by both synthetic closures and "higher end bag-in-the-box wines."
"Universal acceptance at the retail level is not yet a fact, and there has also been reluctance from restaurants to stock screw-capped wines," said Franz. "However, once Americans are convinced that caps are acceptable for any wine, then they are going to demand that all wine be under screw caps."
Chuck Hayward from The Jug Shop in San Francisco believes that one of the problems in America is that the wine media did not support the move to screw caps as strongly as they did in other countries.
He is marginally more optimistic about the screw cap's prospects in the U.S. and notes that the technology has gone through three distinct phases: the novelty phase, the resistance phase and is just now entering the acceptance phase.
"The biggest resistance to screw caps came from the restaurant side of the industry. At the more formal, white tablecloth restaurants, sommeliers were concerned about the appearance of screw cap bottles on the table as well as opening the wine in accordance with accepted procedures from the Court of Master Sommeliers. So it was left to the retail segment of the market to introduce the new closure to the public."
Chuck Hayward also believes that consumer acceptance is riding high in the U.S. "It is at the trade level where the need for education is most critical. That is because the trade is listening closely to the success stories as well as the problems that are arising with screw caps. We can expect to hear much conflicting and confusing information over the next few years."
Hayward is especially critical of larger American wineries holding back, with a wait-and-see attitude. "Unfortunately, our country lacks a screw cap consortium to educate the trade and the press about the need for new closures. There is a danger in America that screw caps will be marginalized as 'something crazy Kiwi and Aussie wineries invented.' Larger American wineries can wait for the furor of bad points due to cork taint, as well as debates regardinrs at bottling, can also have a huge influence on how wine develops in bottle. "Understanding how to manipulate all of these bottling variables to optimize how wine flavor and aroma develops is the future, and it is extremely exciting.
"In this context, closures will be considered as part of the winemaking process, as the changes in a wine that can be induced by the closure are profound, and in many cases of far greater magnitude than many vineyard or winemaking variables. One thing that flows from this acceptance is that one will need closures that are manufactured to ever-tighter specifications in order to predict and reproduce performance," said Godden.
Godden notes that there are already screw cap liners with different levels of air permeability on the market. He predicts an even greater array of "designer closures." "There is likely to be an ever-increasing number of widely accepted alternatives. TCA-free technical corks will certainly be a major part of the closure mix for a long time. Into the future, TCA will not be the cork industry's biggest challenge."
Nevertheless, there is a growing body of evidence that bottled wine does not need oxygen in order to age properly. And as screw caps are used on an ever-increasing range of wine styles and varieties, knowledge is being accumulated on how to prepare wine for bottling and how to carry out bottling successfully.
If there are ongoing problems with sulphides or reductive characters, solutions may be at hand, with emerging technologies such as micro-oxygenation and lees fining. Or perhaps, as Alastair Maling MW has suggested, winemakers need to go back to basics and handle their fruit, their ferments and their maturing wine properly to begin with. wbm
References:
Allen Hart and Andrew Kleinig "The role of oxygen in the aging of bottled wine," Australian Closure Fund research paper, 1 February 2005
Michael Brajkovich MW "Bottle maturation," International Screwcap Symposium, Blenheim, New Zealand, November 2004
Peter Godden et al. "Results of the AWRI trial of the technical performance of various wine bottle closures up to 63 months post bottling, and an examination of factors related to 'reductive' aroma in bottled wine," International Screwcap Symposium, Blenheim, New Zealand, November 2004
Paul Tudor
Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Paul Tudor is an independent wine critic and consultant who has been writing about wine for over 12 years. Currently studying for the Master of Wine examinations, he has had an interest in the closure debate since the launch of the New Zealand Screwcap Wine Seal Initiative in August 2001.
Source: “Is This The Closure For Your Wine?,” Paul Tudor, WineBusiness, June 15, 2005
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Miller Nominates Anheuser-Busch Flip-Flops for List of America's Most Famous Fibs
The roster of America's most infamous falsehoods grew longer this week, thanks to the St. Louis-based maker of Budweiser and Bud Light.
In 1988, Vice President George H.W. Bush promised, "Read my lips, no new taxes." In 1998, President Bill Clinton said, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." And in 2005, Anheuser-Busch's head brewmaster, Douglas Muhleman, stated, "The recipes for Budweiser and Bud Light have not changed."
But in a front-page story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Anheuser-Busch chairman August Busch III and Muhleman admitted to having made several changes over the last 20-plus years to their flagship Budweiser and Bud Light brands, after vehemently denying it for months.
In written statements to the media last November, Muhleman repeatedly claimed that Anheuser-Busch had not changed the recipe for its beers. In a Nov. 11, 2005, statement, he said, "To suggest that we have made a formulation change in the way we brew our beers is a marketing ploy and is simply false. The recipes for Budweiser and Bud Light have not changed." Three days later, he reiterated the point: "It's a winning formula and we haven't changed it."
The Wall Street Journal story delved into the adjustments the country's largest brewer has made over the years to enable its products to appeal to the varying palates of a mass audience. But as consumers have become more willing to make active brand choices to meet their individual tastes, Anheuser-Busch has found itself vulnerable to smaller and more distinctive brands. The publication's focus on the challenge facing Budweiser and Bud Light resulted in a stark about-face from Anheuser-Busch.
"Moreover, for all its devotion to consistency, Anheuser concedes Budweiser has changed over the years. It quietly tinkered with its formula to make the beer less bitter and pungent, say several former brewmasters...," the Journal reported yesterday.
Later, the article reports: "Mr. Muhleman... says the company didn't set out to make the beers less bitter. He calls the change 'creep,' the result of endlessly modifying the beer... this is a change over 20, 30, 40 years,' says Mr. Muhleman... 'Over time, there is a drift.' "
And finally: "Anheuser didn't talk publicly about it, but the brewer also recently made changes in its brewing process to correct for over-lightening. In August 2003, Mr. Busch met with hops growers in Oregon and Washington and told them that Anheuser was planning to increase the proportion of hops used in its beers, according to several people who were there. Mr. Busch confirms the account, saying in a written statement: 'I told the growers of our desire to use more hops in our brewing for the purpose of delivering more amplitude and hop flavor in Budweiser.' "
Despite these now-admitted changes, Miller Lite still has more taste than Bud Light. Thanks in large part to a marketing message focused on making sure America's beer drinkers know that Miller Lite has more taste than Bud Light, Miller Lite has enjoyed steady growth since summer 2003.
About Miller Brewing Company:
As one of America's oldest brewers, Miller Brewing Company continues the commitment of founder Frederick J. Miller to brew 'confoundedly good beers' with 'uncompromising quality.' Through more than 150 years of innovation and brewing excellence, Miller has built a broad portfolio of award-winning beers that capture approximately 18% of the U.S. beer market. Miller's flagship brand, Miller Lite, is the great tasting, less filling beer that defined the American light beer category in 1975. The company also brews smooth, golden rich Miller Genuine Draft using a unique cold-filtering process Miller introduced in 1985. Miller's oldest brew is Miller High Life, the champagne of beers. Miller imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Foster's, and brews regional craft beers Leinenkugel's and Henry Weinhard's. Near-premium beers include Milwaukee's Best Light, Olde English 800, Mickey's Malt Liquor, Icehouse and Sharp's, a non-alcohol brew. Miller is a wholly owned subsidiary of SABMiller plc, the world's second largest brewer. For more information, visit www.MillerBrewing.com.
Contacts
Miller Brewing Company
Peter Marino, 414-931-4973
marino.peter@mbco.com
Source: Press Release; “Miller Nominates Anheuser-Busch Flip-Flops for List of America's Most Famous Fibs,” MILWAUKEE--April 27, 2006
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April 29, 2006
Soil Conductivity May Be Key To Soil Productivity
By knowing the electrical conductivity of their soils, farmers can make more precise management decisions about fertilizer applications, irrigation, use of nematicides, and other pesticide applications, according to Clemson University researcher Ahmed Khalilian.
Though it sounds high tech, and the science behind it has been, the use of electrical conductivity, or EC, is really an extension of the good old common sense farmers have been using for thousands of years.
They’re keenly aware of the strong and weak places in fields and have adjusted inputs accordingly. Precision agriculture techniques, such as using EC to develop zone maps, allows them to be even more selective in using the right input at the right time in the right place.
Khalilian explains that the same hardpan that hampers crop production in Coastal Plain soils from Virginia to Texas is particularly troublesome for farmers in South Carolina. These soils can be dramatically different from the top to the bottom of the root zone, even at the 16-inch depth needed to break up the hard pan.
Clearly, soils with higher sand than clay content will need different nutrients, provide a different environment for pests, and require different amounts of moisture to produce a crop. Knowing these differences is critical to the efficient use of zone sampling, variable rate application, and other time, labor, and money-saving benefits of precision farming.
Will Henderson, an Extension precision agriculture specialist and colleague of Khalilian at Clemson’s Edisto Research and Education Center at Blackville, S.C., has taken the EC findings from test plots to grower fields — with some astonishing results.
In one 50-acre cotton field, Henderson used EC ratings to develop three zones, and composite soil samples were used to create a soil profile for each zone. Fertilizer use was based on the zone soil samples.
Using grid sampling, or more typically, just taking random samples based on observations, most cotton farmers in the area would have applied nitrogen and other nutrients based on an average of the 50-acre field. In that case, the farmer would have wasted a lot of money on both ends of the productivity spectrum.
In the most productive areas, the farmer would tend to use more fertilizer than is needed. In the less productive areas, an average amount of fertilizer wouldn’t be enough for the plant to reach maximum productivity. In today’s economic environment, with spiraling fuel and fertilizer costs, losing at either end of the productivity spectrum can cost big dollars.
Using yield monitors to harvest the 50-acre cotton crop, Henderson found the EC ratings for the field, which were combined with aerial maps to produce zone maps, were right on target in predicting yield in each zone of the field. In one zone with high EC ratings, 1,200 pounds per acre was harvested, in another zone, 600 pounds, and in the third zone, less than 300 pounds.
Khalilian points out that each of these zones will require different amounts of fertilizer to reach optimum growth. In the least productive areas, the grower may even consider other land management options than growing row crops.
“We will go back and further evaluate the data from this 50-acre field, using aerial maps, and we may add a fourth zone for sampling,” Henderson says. By further refining the map, the grower will add another level of precision in making decisions on applying fertilizer.
“Using EC to develop zone sample maps tells me that grid sampling techniques currently being used are a thing of the past in South Carolina,” Henderson says. “Our soil type doesn’t change in a square. In a 2.5-acre grid, in a composite sample, we may have three different soil types that are being combined in one.
“We know, for example, that sandier soils leach out nutrients faster than heavier soils, so for the next crop, you’d have to apply more nutrients to one area. Unless you know where the soil characteristics change, you can’t be precise in applying fertilizers.”
In the 2006 season, Henderson and Khalilian will work with South Carolina cotton growers to zone-map over 400 acres of land using EC correlation as a basis for inputs.
Obtaining EC ratings and using these to develop zones for nutrient sampling is where the high-tech science comes into play.
The Clemson scientists use a Veris 3100 machine that measures electricity movement in the soil. The higher the clay content, the better the soil conducts electricity, and thus the higher the EC number. Sandier soils have less conductivity. “Unless soil is in a noticeably wet area or erosion area, the higher the EC number, the more productive the soil will be,” Khalilian says.
Simple in design, the Veris system uses electrically-charged disks or coulters that send electric impulses to a box mounted on the machine’s frame. One set of sensors is set at a 12-inch depth and a second set at 36 inches. The composite data provides an accurate understanding of soil textures up and down the root zone of a plant.
By using global positioning satellite imagery maps and overlaying the Veris data, the researchers can build a field map that is laid out in zones based on the electrical conductivity recorded in the soil by the Veris.
“Soil texture is important in making all sorts of management decisions, whether for applying irrigation, fertilizer, or pesticides, or determining whether to deep-plow to break up the hardpan,” Khalilian says.
For making tillage decisions alone, the information is valuable. In South Carolina, some growers have to plow twice a year to break up the hardpan, and with the cost of diesel fuel soaring and farm labor expensive and scarce, knowing precisely where to deep plow can save a lot of money in a large acreage operation.
For the past six years, Khalilian has documented the correlations between EC and different crop inputs, documenting these at multiple sites over multiple years. “The correlations are unmistakable,” he says. “Yield data have consistently supported the EC correlations with water, fertilizer, and pesticide use.”
Despite the popularity of glyphosate-tolerant cotton varieties, he says 60 percent of South Carolina’s cotton growers still use soil-applied herbicides to combat weeds, such as Florida pusley, that glyphosate doesn’t control.
To test his EC theories, Khalilian separated a field at the Edisto Research Center into three zones, as determined using the Veris 3100. With a variable rate applicator, he applied different rates of Cotoran.
On sandier soils with low EC ratings, it took only a quarter-pound of active ingredient in the herbicide to get 80 percent control of morningglory. On heavier soils with higher EC ratings, it took up to five times that amount to achieve the same level of control.
He found similar correlations for nematodes. Using the zones developed by EC ratings from the Veris 3100 to manage Columbia lance nematodes, cotton production was increased by 7 percent, while Temik use was reduced 34 percent.
In zones where EC ratings indicated heavier nematode pressure, he used Telone II to manage the microscopic soil-borne pests. Using zone management, he increased cotton yields by 5 percent, while reducing Telone use by 78 percent. Earlier tests indicated similar correlations between irrigation water and EC-driven zone management. Using variable rate irrigation technology to bypass poorly-drained areas of a field, roadways, even farm ponds, can save farmers a lot of money.
At the end of the day, farmers are more interested in bottom line economic results than in small plot findings under controlled conditions. Using data from the Veris 3100 to develop zones, in six on-farm tests, Khalilian says the proof comes from overlaying a yield map, developed long after the crop is harvested, and comparing that to an EC map developed before the crop is planted. The two maps match perfectly.
Currently, systems for measuring electrical conductivity of soil are available commercially. The Veris 3100 system retails for approximately $12,000. Most crop consultants in North and South Carolina can help farmers in mapping their fields using this equipment.
Khalilian points out that the Veris 3100 can be used in the off season and is ideal for growers who want to share its cost with other farmers in the area. He says farmers in the state who want to borrow the Edisto Research Center machine can do so, based on availability, by contacting their county Extension office. Already, more than 20 farmers have used the system to map fields on their farms.
The possibilities for precision agriculture are virtually limitless, says Henderson. Using the EC ratings provides a relatively low cost, research-proven system for determining exactly what is going on in the soil. By using this system and currently available computer-driven variable rate application methods, farmers can be very precise with all their inputs, he says.
The obvious benefits of such precision agriculture techniques are reaped by the farmer, but the environment also benefits from reduced chemical use and less tillage. And in the long run, the profitability, and even survivability, of many farming operations may hinge on how well this type of technology is applied.
By knowing the electrical conductivity of their soils, farmers can make more precise management decisions about fertilizer applications, irrigation, use of nematicides, and other pesticide applications, according to Clemson University researcher Ahmed Khalilian.
Though it sounds high tech, and the science behind it has been, the use of electrical conductivity, or EC, is really an extension of the good old common sense farmers have been using for thousands of years.
They’re keenly aware of the strong and weak places in fields and have adjusted inputs accordingly. Precision agriculture techniques, such as using EC to develop zone maps, allows them to be even more selective in using the right input at the right time in the right place.
Khalilian explains that the same hardpan that hampers crop production in Coastal Plain soils from Virginia to Texas is particularly troublesome for farmers in South Carolina. These soils can be dramatically different from the top to the bottom of the root zone, even at the 16-inch depth needed to break up the hard pan.
Clearly, soils with higher sand than clay content will need different nutrients, provide a different environment for pests, and require different amounts of moisture to produce a crop. Knowing these differences is critical to the efficient use of zone sampling, variable rate application, and other time, labor, and money-saving benefits of precision farming.
Will Henderson, an Extension precision agriculture specialist and colleague of Khalilian at Clemson’s Edisto Research and Education Center at Blackville, S.C., has taken the EC findings from test plots to grower fields — with some astonishing results.
In one 50-acre cotton field, Henderson used EC ratings to develop three zones, and composite soil samples were used to create a soil profile for each zone. Fertilizer use was based on the zone soil samples.
Using grid sampling, or more typically, just taking random samples based on observations, most cotton farmers in the area would have applied nitrogen and other nutrients based on an average of the 50-acre field. In that case, the farmer would have wasted a lot of money on both ends of the productivity spectrum.
In the most productive areas, the farmer would tend to use more fertilizer than is needed. In the less productive areas, an average amount of fertilizer wouldn’t be enough for the plant to reach maximum productivity. In today’s economic environment, with spiraling fuel and fertilizer costs, losing at either end of the productivity spectrum can cost big dollars.
Using yield monitors to harvest the 50-acre cotton crop, Henderson found the EC ratings for the field, which were combined with aerial maps to produce zone maps, were right on target in predicting yield in each zone of the field. In one zone with high EC ratings, 1,200 pounds per acre was harvested, in another zone, 600 pounds, and in the third zone, less than 300 pounds.
Khalilian points out that each of these zones will require different amounts of fertilizer to reach optimum growth. In the least productive areas, the grower may even consider other land management options than growing row crops.
“We will go back and further evaluate the data from this 50-acre field, using aerial maps, and we may add a fourth zone for sampling,” Henderson says. By further refining the map, the grower will add another level of precision in making decisions on applying fertilizer.
“Using EC to develop zone sample maps tells me that grid sampling techniques currently being used are a thing of the past in South Carolina,” Henderson says. “Our soil type doesn’t change in a square. In a 2.5-acre grid, in a composite sample, we may have three different soil types that are being combined in one.
“We know, for example, that sandier soils leach out nutrients faster than heavier soils, so for the next crop, you’d have to apply more nutrients to one area. Unless you know where the soil characteristics change, you can’t be precise in applying fertilizers.”
In the 2006 season, Henderson and Khalilian will work with South Carolina cotton growers to zone-map over 400 acres of land using EC correlation as a basis for inputs.
Obtaining EC ratings and using these to develop zones for nutrient sampling is where the high-tech science comes into play.
The Clemson scientists use a Veris 3100 machine that measures electricity movement in the soil. The higher the clay content, the better the soil conducts electricity, and thus the higher the EC number. Sandier soils have less conductivity. “Unless soil is in a noticeably wet area or erosion area, the higher the EC number, the more productive the soil will be,” Khalilian says.
Simple in design, the Veris system uses electrically-charged disks or coulters that send electric impulses to a box mounted on the machine’s frame. One set of sensors is set at a 12-inch depth and a second set at 36 inches. The composite data provides an accurate understanding of soil textures up and down the root zone of a plant.
By using global positioning satellite imagery maps and overlaying the Veris data, the researchers can build a field map that is laid out in zones based on the electrical conductivity recorded in the soil by the Veris.
“Soil texture is important in making all sorts of management decisions, whether for applying irrigation, fertilizer, or pesticides, or determining whether to deep-plow to break up the hardpan,” Khalilian says.
For making tillage decisions alone, the information is valuable. In South Carolina, some growers have to plow twice a year to break up the hardpan, and with the cost of diesel fuel soaring and farm labor expensive and scarce, knowing precisely where to deep plow can save a lot of money in a large acreage operation.
For the past six years, Khalilian has documented the correlations between EC and different crop inputs, documenting these at multiple sites over multiple years. “The correlations are unmistakable,” he says. “Yield data have consistently supported the EC correlations with water, fertilizer, and pesticide use.”
Despite the popularity of glyphosate-tolerant cotton varieties, he says 60 percent of South Carolina’s cotton growers still use soil-applied herbicides to combat weeds, such as Florida pusley, that glyphosate doesn’t control.
To test his EC theories, Khalilian separated a field at the Edisto Research Center into three zones, as determined using the Veris 3100. With a variable rate applicator, he applied different rates of Cotoran.
On sandier soils with low EC ratings, it took only a quarter-pound of active ingredient in the herbicide to get 80 percent control of morningglory. On heavier soils with higher EC ratings, it took up to five times that amount to achieve the same level of control.
He found similar correlations for nematodes. Using the zones developed by EC ratings from the Veris 3100 to manage Columbia lance nematodes, cotton production was increased by 7 percent, while Temik use was reduced 34 percent.
In zones where EC ratings indicated heavier nematode pressure, he used Telone II to manage the microscopic soil-borne pests. Using zone management, he increased cotton yields by 5 percent, while reducing Telone use by 78 percent. Earlier tests indicated similar correlations between irrigation water and EC-driven zone management. Using variable rate irrigation technology to bypass poorly-drained areas of a field, roadways, even farm ponds, can save farmers a lot of money.
At the end of the day, farmers are more interested in bottom line economic results than in small plot findings under controlled conditions. Using data from the Veris 3100 to develop zones, in six on-farm tests, Khalilian says the proof comes from overlaying a yield map, developed long after the crop is harvested, and comparing that to an EC map developed before the crop is planted. The two maps match perfectly.
Currently, systems for measuring electrical conductivity of soil are available commercially. The Veris 3100 system retails for approximately $12,000. Most crop consultants in North and South Carolina can help farmers in mapping their fields using this equipment.
Khalilian points out that the Veris 3100 can be used in the off season and is ideal for growers who want to share its cost with other farmers in the area. He says farmers in the state who want to borrow the Edisto Research Center machine can do so, based on availability, by contacting their county Extension office. Already, more than 20 farmers have used the system to map fields on their farms.
The possibilities for precision agriculture are virtually limitless, says Henderson. Using the EC ratings provides a relatively low cost, research-proven system for determining exactly what is going on in the soil. By using this system and currently available computer-driven variable rate application methods, farmers can be very precise with all their inputs, he says.
The obvious benefits of such precision agriculture techniques are reaped by the farmer, but the environment also benefits from reduced chemical use and less tillage. And in the long run, the profitability, and even survivability, of many farming operations may hinge on how well this type of technology is applied.
Source: “Electrical conductivity of soil a key to precision farming,” By Roy Roberson, Farm Press News, April 28, 2006
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Salmon Populations Get Kelp From Wine Maker
Australian wine maker Banrock Station is teaming up with the LCBO on a five-year project to return Atlantic salmon to Lake Ontario.
Atlantic salmon are native to Lake Ontario, but have been absent for more than 100 years because of a loss of habitat.
Banrock Station will contribute $1.25 million to the plan, and the LCBO will provide $250,000 to what is called one of the most significant species restoration projects in the world.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and local volunteers will release millions of fry, yearlings and fingerlings over the next five years into selected spawning streams.
The hope is they will build a self-sustaining population of the prized salmon in Lake Ontario.
Banrock Station is known for supporting environmental projects in Australia, including a 3,400-acre wetlands restoration project.
Source: “Wine maker helps restore salmon populations,” Canadian Press, TORONTO--April 27, 2006
Constellation Brands' Banrock Station Wines Announces C$1.25 million Milestone Sponsorship to Return Native Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario
One of the world's leading environmentally conscious wine brands, Banrock Station Wines, announced today that it is donating C$1.25 million through the Banrock Station Wetlands Foundation Canada to Bring Back the Salmon, a five-year project to restore reproducing populations of native Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario.
Native Atlantic Salmon disappeared from Lake Ontario over 100 years ago as a direct result of human infringement on their habitat. The milestone sponsorship is Banrock Station Wines' largest single donation anywhere in the world in its 11 year history.
Banrock Station Manager Tony Sharley stated, "Bring Back the Salmon is one of the most exciting and challenging projects Banrock Station has been involved with. Banrock Station Wines is globally-renowned for its support of wetland and native species restoration. Our C$1.25 million contribution to help restore native Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario will create a legacy of which every member of the Banrock Station team around the world can be proud."
Sharley said Banrock Station -- through its global environmental partnerships -- has shown exceptional leadership in the area of wetland restoration, most notably at Banrock Station itself, a 4200-acre wetland and bushland on the banks of the River Murray, in South Australia. Banrock Station has worked with various environmental organizations over the past eleven years to rehabilitate the property, which in 2002 received the RAMSAR Wetland Conservation Award and was recognized as a "Wetland of International Importance".
Bring Back the Salmon brings together three conservation-minded partners - Banrock Station Wines, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) -- in an enterprise that will see the return of a significant part of Ontario's natural heritage.
Once abundant in Lake Ontario, Atlantic Salmon provided an important source of food for Ontario's Native people and its early European settlers. By 1900, the species disappeared because of human infringement on its habitat.
The announcement today at the historic Balmy Beach Club on the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto, was made jointly by David Orazietti, Parliamentary Assistant to David Ramsay, Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources, LCBO President and COO Bob Peter, Mike Reader, OFAH Executive Director, and Andrew Thiele, Hardy Wine Company, Vice President North America.
Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay commented that "the Ontario government is working to protect the natural environment and improve our biodiversity. Restoring Atlantic Salmon will have wide-ranging environmental benefits throughout the Lake Ontario watershed and will help improve the health of the aquatic ecosystem."
As part of the Bring Back the Salmon announcement, Banrock Station today unveiled its new, environmentally-friendly 1 Litre Tetra Pak wine packages. Available in three varietals -- Unwooded Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon -- these new wines will be highlighted on feature displays from April 27th to May 20th in LCBO stores across Ontario.
The LCBO will be contributing C$250,000 to Bring Back the Salmon from its Natural Heritage Fund, proceeds for which are raised through the sale of reusable cloth Envirobags at LCBO stores across Ontario.
Philip Olsson, LCBO Acting Chair and CEO, said "we're delighted that Banrock Station is making such a strong commitment to Ontario's natural environment and helping restore this native Ontario species. We're also pleased they are offering their popular wines in packaging that allows consumers to support a healthy environment."
LCBO President and COO Bob Peter noted that "we are pleased that our Environmental Strategy has been the catalyst for such an important achievement for Ontario's Natural Heritage."
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters will bring its many years of species restoration expertise to Bring Back the Salmon. "We are pleased to welcome the support of the LCBO and Banrock Station Wines for this major conservation project," said Mike Reader, Executive Director of the OFAH. Together with the Ministry of Natural Resources staff and our many dedicated volunteers, we can now move ahead swiftly to deliver this massive conservation project."
Banrock Station Wines, the LCBO, and the OFAH will be working with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Sir Sanford Fleming College (Lindsay Campus), Trout Unlimited Canada, and numerous other conservation-minded organizations to accomplish the work of Bring Back the Salmon - Lake Ontario.
That work will begin immediately and a website (http://www.bringbackthesalmon.ca/) has been established so that anyone interested in charting the project's progress can do so.
Website: http://www.cbrands.com/
Website: http://www.bringbackthesalmon.ca/
Source: “Constellation Brands' Banrock Station Wines Announces C$1.25 million Milestone Sponsorship to Return Native Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario,” TORONTO and FAIRPORT, N.Y., PRNewswire-FirstCall--April 27, 2006
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April 28, 2006
Chocolate Sushi As Art
Suedy’s Kooki Sushi takes the centuries-old art of sushi and applies it to chocolate. Extremely detailed and realistic, these cookie and chocolate creations are designed to look like popular sushi dishes and other traditional Japanese designs such as a Lucky Cat and a sake cup.
The “sushi” can be ordered as individual pieces served on edible plates or as a collection of pieces in beautiful traditional Bento or Washi boxes. As is typical with Japanese art, each piece is handmade, but using premium chocolate, crispy rice cookies and candies instead of seaweed, rice and fish. Each component of these creations has a distinct and exotic flavor such as green tea, piña colada, lemon and caramel.
For a special treat, try the sake cups, aptly named the Kanpai (pronounced “kom-pi”) for the Japanese word for “Cheers!” These hand-decorated cups are available in green tea, strawberry, white chocolate and dark chocolate marble and can be used to serve your favorite after-dinner liqueur before feasting on the cup itself. It’s like living in Willy Wonka’s world where everything is edible.
You can see the entire line of Suedy’s Koo-ki Sushi and order some for yourself at www.kookisushi.com, call them at (800) GO-KOOKI or visit their retail location:
830 Jury Court, Suite 1
San Jose, California.
Source: “The Art of Sushi in Chocolate,” Dana Lepene, Wine Enthusiast, April 27, 2006
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Merchants Dismayed by Bordeaux prices
The first huge price rise of Bordeaux 2005 has sent the UK wine trade into a predictable flurry.
St Emilion's Quinault L'Enclos has been released and will sell in the UK at around £250 per case – an increase of 85% on last year.
And while many in the trade shrug their shoulders, others are explicitly blaming Robert Parker for the inflation.
Adam Brett-Smith of London merchants Corney and Barrow says that he “admires and respects” Parker, as do his customers, “but we don't use him” – that is, they don't quote his scores.
Corneys consider a “reasonable” price rise is 10-20% on the 2003 price (2004 is discounted as “irrelevant” for the purposes of pricing).
“If a price goes into orbit because of Robert Parker, or the Wine Spectator, or any number of influences, then we wouldn't buy that wine,” Brett-Smith says.
But major Bordeaux merchant Farr Vintners worries that Parker's score for Quinault (“a wine that we didn't particularly like… [it] cannot be recommended”) has prompted the rise and will influence other chateau owners.
“With an impressive 92-95 point score in The Wine Advocate the owner has seized the opportunity to increase the price by a staggering 85%,” the company says, adding that this sort of price rise “is certainly not to be encouraged”.
Meanwhile, Simon Staples at Berry Brothers confesses he is “perplexed” by some of Parker's results. Though he agrees with the American critic's views on the Medoc and Left Bank in general, “we are slightly confused that he has given very high ratings to many, mostly of them on the Right Bank, which we found over-extracted, over-oaked and totally un-Bordeaux in style.” This, Staples says, is misleading.
But why should merchants not simply ignore Parker and trust their customers to follow their – the merchants' – counsel? Brett-Smith is happy to do that, though he concedes it would be “regrettable” if the Quinault price had a knock-on effect.
But for Stephen Browett at Farrs, which has a much larger en primeur operation, it's a different story.
“Our en primeur campaign will be ruined if all the chateaux put their prices up by 85%. We must show producers that just because they have a good Parker score they can't increase prices to that extent and expect people to accept it.”
In this respect, Browett says, he's not displeased that he's only sold two cases of Quinault so far.
“We're not particularly attacking Quinault, but it is a good thing it's not selling. It should encourage the others to keep prices reasonable.”
The Bordelaise themselves are phlegmatic. Quinault's proprietor Alain Raynaud has the reputation of a maverick. “He has done great things but he is extreme, and unreliable,” one senior member of the trade said, and added, “in no way is he a reference for the rest of Bordeaux.”
Laurent Ehrmann of negotiant firm Barriere Freres the Quinault price “would have no impact on the Cru Classe market”.
He added he was “immensely confident” there would be no knock-on effect. “You won't be seeing 80% increases across Bordeaux. The first growths might show huge rises but they don't need to look at Quinault L'Enclos to sharpen their pricing position.”
Alain Raynaud was not available for comment at the time of going to press.
Other releases include Sauternes Doisy Daene, Doisy Vedrines, d'Arche Lafaurie Cuvée Madame and Filhot, and St Emilion vins de garage La Gravière and Lucia.
Source: “Bordeaux prices: merchants dismayed,” Adam Lechmere, Decanter, April 27, 2006
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WinePod: A Home Winemaking Revolution!
If you're like most wine lovers, you've fantasized about making your own wine. At the winery inside your head, you live among picturesque vineyards and spend peaceful hours crafting marvelous wines that inspire praise from friends and wine critics alike.
Then reality sets in. You can't keep a Chia Pet alive, let alone 50 acres of grapevines; you barely passed high school chemistry and the thought of spending 12-hour days hosing down tanks is about as enticing as dropping a wine barrel on your foot.
The good news is you don't need a green thumb, an enology degree or a penchant for tedious manual labor to become a winemaker: All you need, according to one Bay Area company, is a WinePod.
.
.
.
–[ OR COULD THIS BE JUST MORE WINE PARAPHERNALIA? ]--
If the name conjures images of "The Jetsons," the reality isn't far off. Styled to look like a sleek, stainless steel egg, the WinePod is a high-tech home winemaking machine that promises to turn enophiles into instant winemakers -- just add grapes. Set for release in July, the reusable, all-in-one device handles everything from grape crushing to fermentation to acting as a personal winemaking coach. And at $1,999, it's much cheaper than buying a winery.
According to Greg Snell, founder of Provina, Inc., the San Jose wine technology company that developed the WinePod, the idea came to him a few years ago, when he was working in the semiconductor industry. Though he loved visiting wineries and dreamed of someday owning a winery, Snell realized that it would not be financially feasible or practical.
"So I had an idea," he says. "What if I could make it possible for other people like me to enjoy the wine lifestyle, without owning a vineyard, living in Napa and being a gazillionaire?"
Expert input
The first step in developing the WinePod, Snell says, was to get input from wine industry insiders. He reached out to the Sangiacomo family -- well-known Sonoma County grape growers and longtime family friends.
"The Sangiacomos introduced me to the best winemakers they knew, and I introduced the winemakers to the best scientists from the Silicon Valley," Snell says.
Winemaker Greg La Follette of Tandem Winery and DeLoach Vineyards in the Russian River Valley tested the first prototype of the WinePod during the 2004 crush and provided Snell with feedback.
"It made decent wine without a lot of input from the winemaker," La Follette says. "It kept good temperature control, gave nice extraction, good color -- essentially by itself, or at least without me having to babysit such a small lot."
In 2005, Snell met T.J. Rodgers, co-owner of San Mateo County's Clos de la Tech winery and the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor. After discovering their mutual interests in winemaking and technology, they decided to collaborate on the 2005 crush.
"Together, we created inexpensive wireless controllers, sensors and software to monitor and control fermentations with incredible precision," Snell says. "T.J. is an expert winemaker and a brilliant technologist. Together with my team of scientists and engineers, we were able to solve a number of problems very quickly."
Snell also consulted with Roger Boulton, professor of enology and chemical engineering at UC Davis, who helped with alternative measurement approaches, analyzing fermentation curves and tweaking some of the recommendations in the pod's advice-giving function.
The result of all that research and development is a high-tech mini-winery that uses the Internet, overnight shipping and sophisticated technology to help amateurs become competent winemakers.
So how does it work?
First, the WinePod establishes a wireless link to the user's home computer. Then, the home winemaker goes to Provina's Web site, personalwinemaking.com, and orders grapes -- Beckstoffer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. Prices start at $2 per pound; it takes about 160 pounds to make 60 to 70 bottles of wine.
A predicted harvest date for the grapes is posted on Provina's Web site. A week or two before the grapes are picked, the company sends a "notice of harvest" e-mail to the customer, followed by a "grape shipment notice" that lets the winemaker know the grapes will arrive in three days. The whole-cluster, crushed or whole-berry grapes are shipped to the customer, ready to go into the pod.
Step-by-step guide
The pod then guides the user step-by-step, from pressing the grapes through fermentation. An alarm lets the user know if adjustments need to be made (for example, if the wine's pH level is too high). Winemaking instructions and recommendations are offered through the interactive software on the winemaker's home computer.
Pod users have two options for oak aging. They can add oak chips or staves to the pod, or they can transfer the wine to a 50-liter barrel. French, Hungarian and American oak barrels at various toast levels can be purchased through Provina's Web site, along with anything else the winemaker might need, from corks to chemicals.
When it comes time to bottle, the user can buy a hand-cranked machine from Provina for about $100, or rent an automatic bottling machine from a home winemaking or brewing supply store, such as Napa Fermentation Supplies in Napa (napafermentation.com).
"The WinePod is more sophisticated than 99 percent of all wineries in the world," Snell says. "It virtually eliminates winemaking mistakes."
Tool or toy?
But will buyers use it more than once?
"This machine could easily fit in that dark, out of the way corner in the house along with the bread machine, your slicer-dicer and the hula hoop collection wrapped around your old Nehru jackets," cracks Andy Cutter of Duxoup Wine Works, who runs a two-person artisan winemaking operation in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley. "People will have fun with it, and it may drive them nuts at the same time. One thing is for sure, they will really learn to appreciate a good bottle of wine."
–[ TWO GRAND-($1999.00), THINK ABOUT IT, MAYBE? ]--
Bonny Doon Vineyard's Randall Grahm says he doesn't believe the WinePod will change people's buying habits, though it may reinforce their inclination to take the easy road.
"On the one hand, it does seem like a fun gizmo for people to play around with," he says. "But I think that I feel about the device more or less the same way I feel about the recent phenomenon of 'wine camp,' where very wealthy dilettantes can play at being winemakers. Everyone wants to think of himself or herself as a creator, an artiste, but few are willing to put in the real blood, sweat and tears to make it happen in any sort of profound way."
–[ GUESS IT WOULD BE COOL TO WATCH YOUR CRUCIBLE OF JUICE ON YOUR COMPUTER, OR CELULAR PHONE ? ]--
Winemaker Kris Curran, who produces small amounts of premium Santa Ynez Valley wines under the Curran Wines label, has a more positive view of the WinePod concept.
"I hope this works," she says. "I can't comment on whether this is viable, but I think it's a very cool idea, and I think it will be very popular."
Curran's main concern is that the device -- which Snell says requires minimal assembly and is made mostly of stainless steel for the parts that come into contact with the juice and wine -- may require more attention than users realize, especially since flaws are more noticeable in small lots of wine than in larger ones.
"The smaller the container of wine you make, the greater the ability to screw it up," she says. "I'm a professional winemaker, and if I tried to make a 5-gallon jug of wine, I would have a much greater propensity for having that wine be flawed."
Tapping the grapevine
Whether or not the WinePod is sound from a winemaking standpoint remains to be seen, yet its popularity has already been established. In February, Snell leaked information about the WinePod to wine industry public relations agent Tom Wark, who wrote a teaser about the device for his wine blog, fermentation.typepad.com.
According to Snell, news of the home winery spread over the Internet at an astonishing rate, resulting in a long waiting list of wine lovers eager to purchase WinePods. At just 4 feet tall, the stylish mini-wineries should fit nicely in the average high-end kitchen, somewhere between the Viking range and Sub-Zero refrigerator.
"We eliminate about two-thirds of the cleaning steps of a normal winemaking operation," he adds, "because most of the lab work is automated, and most of the winemaking steps occur in the WinePod rather than in separate devices like a press and fermenter."
Snell won't say how many WinePods have been pre-sold, yet says the number is more than the company's capacity for the 2006 crush, based on available grapes. He says he hopes to have more WinePods available by the 2006 holidays.
–[ COULD/WOULD THAT TWO GRAND-($1999.00), BE BETTER SPENT AT A PLACE LIKE “CRUSH PAD,” MAYBE? ]--The companies Web site is personalwinemaking.com.
Source: “Home winemaking made easy,” Tina Caputo, San Francisco Chronicle, April 27, 2006
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United Kingdom Awards, For The First time, A Sommelier Prize To Woman
The final of the Ruinart UK Sommelier of the Year competition for 2006 has been won by Claire Thevenot, of the Hotel du Vin et Bistro, Winchester. Claire, who is 27, becomes the first woman to win the competition that selects the country's top sommelier in the fifteen years of Ruinart’s sponsorship of the event.
The competition, organized by the Academy of Food & Wine Service, saw three finalists – all from France - selected from a semi-final line-up of fifteen sommelier from across the UK. The semi-finalists had been chosen from 210 original entrants.
In the final, the sommelier were judged on their practical skills, including a blind tasting, food and wine matching advice in a mock-up restaurant situation, identifying errors on a printed wine list, and advice on choosing cigars.
All this took place in front of an audience of fellow sommelier and members of the wine and restaurant trade.
For the last task, the finalists had to pour a magnum of Ruinart Rosé champagne into sixteen glasses, without revisiting any of the glasses, aiming to pour each of them to equal levels and to have as little champagne as possible left in the bottle at the end.
Presenting the award, the President of Champagne Ruinart, Bernard Peillon, said: “The presentation of wine in Britain’s top hotels and restaurants and the knowledge these young people are bringing to service is equal to any in the world”.
The other two finalists were Nicolas Clerc, of the Milestone Hotel, London, who came second, and Jean-Marie Pratt of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxford. It was Jean-Marie’s first year in the competition this year. Both Nicolas and Claire were also finalists in 2005, the first year for both of them in the competition, when they finally lost out to Matt Wilkin, MS.
Source: “First woman wins UK sommelier prize,” Richard Ross, Wine & Spirit, April
25, 2006
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April 27, 2006
For The First Time Alsace Grand Cru Goes Under Screw Cap
For the first time ever, screw-capped Grand Cru wine from Alsace will be sold commercially in major markets, including the UK, said Alsatian winemaker Frederic Blanck of the well-known Domaine Paul Blanck in Kientzheim.
Blanck, who has been selling lower tier wines under screw cap since 2001, will sell the 2005 vintage of his Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru without cork closures in the UK, the US, Australia and other markets, “though probably not yet in France, because the French are not as open minded about this as they should be,” he said.
“People should remember that after the steam engine, there was electricity,” remarked Blanck sarcastically, and condemned the “irrational attachment” to corks. He plans to sell about 60% of his wine – about 140,000 bottles – under screw cap next year.
“I have never seen wine improved by corks, but too often wine ruined by corks,” he added, explaining that corks lose their effectiveness over time and have to be replaced, while screw caps can last indefinitely.
He drove the point home over lunch at a restaurant in nearby Kaysersberg, where he served two Riesling Patergarden 2001 wines blind: one under screw cap, the other with cork. While the former had a slightly more evolved nose and palate, the latter possessed greater verve and complexity.
“Wines under screw cap do evolve more slowly, but it is a myth to think that they cannot evolve at all because they are completely hermetic,” he explained, pulling out a copy of an article in the March 2006 issue of La Vigne, a technical French wine magazine.
The article summarized results of a two-year study from Bordeaux’s wine faculty, which showed that screw caps are porous, if only slightly, and much less so than corks are.
Blanck stressed that a wine evolves according to reduction, and not so much according to the porous nature of corks: “Indeed, corks cannot maintain their hermetic function indefinitely and create greater risks for wine – not to mention “the inevitable and immediate chance of opening a corked bottle or two in the wine case you buy.”
He also cited other studies to support his argument, such as a four-year study by Hogue Cellars in Washington State, which concluded in 2004 that screw cap closures hold fruit and maintain freshness more effectively than natural and synthetic corks.
Source: “Alsace grand cru under screw cap for the first time,” Panos Kakaviatos, WineInt., April 27, 2006
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Fruit Flavored Wines Are The Bomb In Australia
Southcorp, Hardys and other major Australian wine companies are infusing wines with fruit flavors – to universal satisfaction, it seems.
South Australian company Kingston Estate is the latest to try flavored wines with the Nautico range which was released recently into hair salons.
"We're trying to get to real people," marketing manager Lynda Schenck said. "The hairdressers loved it."
The crimpers in question sent out Christmas cards offering a free bottle of Nautico with every AUS$150 hairdo. Customers could choose from the berry-flavored white Shiraz, the tropical fruit infused Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, or the unwooded Chardonnay enhanced with citrus flavors.
The response was so good that Nautico now sells in Woolworth supermarkets in New South Wales and South Australia.
There are also flavored sparkling wines on the market: Southcorp's strawberry-flavored Killawarra Dusk and Hardys Omni Citrus. These wines, introduced in the past three years, are aimed squarely at novice wine drinkers and those who prefer the spirit and soft drink combinations of the ready to drink (RTD) category.
The category is evolving quickly. Last July Southcorp added the ginseng and passion fruit flavored Killawarra Krush to their range, after research showed the word 'ginseng' suggested health. Southcorp says it's not making any health claims for the wine. 'The amount of actual ginseng is fairly low.'
The market has responded with enthusiasm. According to ACNielsen, sparkling wine is one of Australia's fasting growing wine segments, with Rosé and flavored sparkles leading the way: the sub-category grew by more than 150% to May 2005.
Source: “Aussies go bananas over fruit flavored wines,” Felicity Carter, Decanter, April 27, 2006
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Portman Named By Bush As Director of OMB
President Bush named U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman to be director of the Office of Management and Budget. Portman will replace Josh Bolten, who recently became the White House chief of staff.
The president nominated Susan Schwab, Portman’s deputy at the office of the USTR, to replace Portman. Schwab will now direct the U.S. efforts to complete the Doha Round negotiations in the World Trade Organization.
Although some said Portman’s transfer to OMB indicated a lowering of administration expectations for the Doha Round, other analysts said they expected Schwab, a veteran agricultural negotiator with the USTR, to be a strong replacement for the former Ohio congressman.
Schwab began her career as an agricultural negotiator for the trade representative’s office in the late 1970s and served as legislative director for former senator John C. Danforth in the 1980s. She headed the Commerce Department’s U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service before joining Motorola Inc. in 1993. She was dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy before becoming deputy USTR last November.
As deputy USTR, Schwab has been responsible for trade policy development, negotiation and implementation of several issues and regions, including Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. She has also been involved in the U.S. strategy in the WTO Doha Round talks. Schwab also concluded bilateral free trade agreements with Colombia and Peru.
Schwab now faces confirmation from the Senate
Source: “Bush names Portman director of OMB,” Western Farm Ptess, April 21, 2006
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New Bordeaux Labels Reveal What’s Inside The Bottle
Wine lovers may notice something unusual on the labels of new releases from Saint-Emilion, Medoc and other Bordeaux areas this spring. Bottles whose labels in the past displayed little more than a fancy crest and a bunch of French regulatory gobbledygook now reveal something else: what's actually in the wine.
CVBG Dourthe-Kressmann recently placed "Sauvignon Blanc" prominently on the label of its Dourthe No. 1 wine, now hitting retail shelves. It previously hadn't disclosed the varietal, or grape type, it uses. Yvon Mau added "Merlot Cabernet" and "Sauvignon Blanc" in large type to the current releases of its Premius wine. Diageo PLC's Barton & Guestier will put "Merlot-Cabernet Franc" on the front of its forthcoming gold-label Saint-Emilion.
The moves reflect a concerted effort among Bordeaux winemakers -- a group best-known for producing some of the most highly sought after and expensive wines on the planet -- to more fully disclose their varietals. They also reflect an emerging eagerness on the part of French wine producers, which have struggled with declining world-wide market share for years, to reach out to Americans, who are drinking more wine overall -- but generally fewer bottles from France. Indeed, dollar sales of French table wine represent about 11 percent of dollar sales of all the imported table wine sold in U.S. grocery stores, mass merchandisers and liquor stores, according to the research firm ACNielsen. Today, many Americans base their wine-buying decisions on the type of grape in the wine, rather than the vineyard or region.
For casual wine drinkers, knowing varietal composition makes wine seem less intimidating. It tells them what they can expect, and makes it easy to compare broad categories of wines from around the globe. But for wine producers, there are some risks. Varietals can go in and out of style quickly -- witness the pinot noir craze, and the growing demand for trendy pinot grigio and shiraz. Merlot -- lately fallen from favor with some American oenophiles -- is a vital component in many Bordeaux blends. "The danger of using varietals (to market a wine) is that it makes your product more generic and opens up the possibility that anyone can compete from anywhere in the world," says Michael Quinttus, president of Vintus, an importer of Chateau Margaux and other Bordeaux chateaux wine.
The labeling change affects all Bordeaux wine including that which is regulated under France's Appellation d'Origine Controlee, or AOC, a system that lays out strict guidelines. (Any French wine that is marked as a Bordeaux, Saint-Emilion or Medoc is an AOC wine.) The change presents a particular challenge for high-end Bordeaux producers, who need to balance the desire to make their wines seem more accessible with the need to protect their cachet.
"Wine producers need to connect, to make it as simple as possible to shop this category, without making people feel like they have to be a connoisseur just to buy what they like," says Dustin Longstreth, director of strategy at Wallace Church Inc., a brand-identity consultancy in New York.
So-called New World wines -- from Australia, Chile and California -- have long marketed themselves based on their grape varieties, such as chardonnay. But French wines, as well as many Italian and other Old World wine producers, have emphasized the so-called terroir of a wine -- a term that encapsulates a vineyard's soil, geography and climate. For centuries, the French have adhered to the notion that a vineyard's specific site and ecology have more to do with the flavor and character of the wine than the grape variety used.
Producers of Bordeaux AOC wine also traditionally followed strict French wine rules forbidding them from disclosing varietals on labels. The rules, which were a part of French law, were that only wines that happened to be 100 percent merlot or 100 percent sauvignon blanc could specify their grapes on the front. Most Bordeaux wines are blends. Created in 1935, France's AOC system also guarantees that when consumers buy a Bordeaux, the grapes came from the Bordeaux region and were treated in a specific way.
Concluding that the existing French rules were too restrictive, some producers are choosing to follow far more lenient standards set forth in 1999 and 2002 by the European Economic Community, a predecessor of the European Union. EEC rules not only allow appellation blends to disclose varietals on front labels, but also allow wines to characterize themselves as say, cabernet, as long as a mere 85 percent of the wine was made from that grape, according to Le Conseil Interprofessionnel du vin de Bordeaux in France, a group of Bordeaux producers.
Maison Sichel is adding "Merlot 55 percent Cabernet 45 percent" or "Semillion 65 percent Sauvignon 35 percent" to Sirius red and white releases that will hit Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Georgia and other states this summer. The wines sell for about $12. "In the past, it wasn't in the philosophy of the Bordeaux producers to do this. But one has to admit that our AOC system is quite complicated," says James Sichel, export manager for Maison Sichel.
Diageo's Barton & Guestier will clearly indicate varietals on the front next to the appellation of its gold-label wines not just from Bordeaux regions such as Saint-Emilion and Medoc, but also from Chablis, Cotes du Rhone and Pouilly Fuisse. The changes take effect with its gold-label wines that will be released to stores in the coming months. Yvon Mau, a Bordeaux wine specialist with roots that go back more than a century, added varietal information to newly released wines under its key brand Premius, but only for bottles sold in English-speaking countries.
Jean-Francois Mau, president of Yvon Mau, and other Bordeaux producers say that today there are two distinct, and increasingly divergent, markets in wine: the high-end niche market in which Bordeaux remains a clear leader with its highly respected appellations and its grands crus classes; and a $15-and-under "premium" wine market which is increasingly dominated by New World brands.
In this $15-and-under sector, "Bordeaux is no longer a player," says Mr. Mau, whose company has distribution contracts with around 30 chateaux. "We have come to the conclusion that the appellation controlee is no longer perceived as a priority for consumers of the premium wine category."
Although the new marketing efforts largely concern $15-and-under wines, even chateau wines in the $16 to $19 price range are revealing new information about their blends. One of the top-selling chateau-bottled wines in the U.S., Chateau Greysac changed its back label several years ago to list its grapes. The 2001 vintage, now on store shelves, says Greysac is first a "well-balanced wine which reflects the planting of its vineyard -- 50 percent cabernet sauvignon, 40 percent merlot and 10 percent cabernet franc."
Source: “Bordeaux winemakers reveal what's in the bottle,” Vanessa O'Connell, The Wall Street Journal, April 20, 2006
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April 26, 2006
2001 Silkwood, Selected Reserve Syrah–REVIEWED
Silkwood was founded in 1979 by John R. Monnich, a UC Davis General Agriculture graduate, and was originally located in Napa Valley. The first wines were produced at the old Spring Mountain facility in North St. Helena and were sales-propelled by a stellar barrel-fermented Chardonnay that won immediate critical acclaim.
Only 2500 cases of the original 1979 vintage were produced but some managed to catch the attention of a wine consultant who scouted wines for the Reagan White House. Once availability was secured, Silkwood wines graced the tables of a number of White House dinners and functions and were featured at three summit meetings held in France, Canada and Mexico.
“100% Selected Reserve Syrah, Stanislaus County--Elegant and smooth wine. Fourteen months longer than 2000 Syrah on new oak wood. Wine judges and writers frequently refer to this wine as a "classic" Syrah.”
Review:
2001 Silkwood, Selected Reserve Syrah: #28.00, (86 points)–APPEARANCE: Bright, clean medium deep purple ruby; NOSE: Clean, pronounce, fruit, floral, spice and oak–red cherry, blueberry, pepper, rhubarb, sage, toasted oaks and hints of leather; PALATE: dry, medium crisp acidity and balanced tannins, full with pronounce flavors of berry fruit and spice; CONCLUSION: A well made Syrah with lots of berry, spice and oak on a moderately long finish.
ADDITIONAL TASTING NOTES: Berry, rhubarb, spice, fresh, herbal, wrapped in sweet toasted oak-- integrated yet youthful.
More About the Wine:
Blend: 100% 2001 Syrah
R.S.: Dry to 0.5%
Alcohol: 14.1%
Time in Wood: 30 months
Type of Wood: French toasted oak, Hungarian toasted oak, American oak, 2nd year
Vineyard Source: Their own vineyards in Modesto, Stanislaus area.
Winemaking techniques:
Cold soaking and traditional yeast. Two punch downs each day for two plus weeks.
Production: 250, 12 x 1 btl. cases
Bottling date: July 2004
Release date: September 2004
Viticultural Practices:
From 10 acres of clone 7 Syrah from Silkwood Vineyards on the Tuolomne River. Totally 6.4 tons/acre with cluster removal, side hedging, top pruning and leaf removal. All grapes are hand harvested and hand sorted to remove clusters with raisins, mold, pinkos, and greenies. Care is directed to full development from green to brown seeds for mature fruit and firm smooth tannins. Hangtime is lengthily which produces mature balanced fruit.
Fining: None
Filtering: Rough only
Total Acidity: .63
pH: 3.47
Aging Potential: 15 years
Winemakers: Jim Yerkes and John Monnich
Vineyard Manager: Kirk Jensen
Winery Owners: John R. Monnich and Rodney Beard
Contract:
Silkwood Wines LLC
1420 F Street, Suite 100 - Modesto, CA 95354
(800) 550 - WINE 209 525 - WINE (9463) | Fax: (209) 575 - 0366
info@silkwoodwines.com
Website: SILKWOOD
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No Oak Chardonnay? Not Bad
Chardonnay is so popular that it accounts for one of every five glasses of wine poured in the United States. Only half as much merlot is sold, and it's the nation's second-most-popular varietal, accounting for one of every 10 glasses.
Not only is the ocean of chardonnay massive, it continues to grow. In California, nearly 100,000 acres of chardonnay are cultivated. It's the state's most popular wine grape, exceeding cabernet sauvignon by 20,000 acres.
But while the ocean of chardonnay is wide and deep, not many currents run through it. There is diversity in the styling of chardonnay, to be sure, but it isn't often dramatic. Most producers seem eager to emulate the California model - chardonnay that's fat, soft, warm, sweet, oaky and buttery.
But now some contrarians are raising their profiles. They are vintners who eschew the use of oak as they make chardonnay. The chardonnays they're putting out generally are easy to spot: The label will include such terms as "unoaked," "oak free," "naked" or "virgin."
They would be easy to spot, that is, if there were more of them. The movement is small and cautious. Today, chardonnay that hasn't seen wood is just a drop in the ocean.
No producer of chardonnay without oak is predicting that it will be the next big thing in wine, but all are optimistic. Each of them has been surprised by the reception for unoaked chardonnay.
"There are more people looking for this product than I expected, so we're trying to fill a demand that is much bigger than I thought," says Dan Lee, owner and winemaker of Morgan Winery in Monterey County.
With the 2001 vintage, Lee made 500 cases of his first "Metallico," a chardonnay whose name was inspired by the stainless-steel tanks in which it was fermented.
Demand for subsequent vintages has grown, with production of the 2005 version hitting 5,000 cases.
At St. Supery Winery in Napa Valley, small lots of oak-free chardonnay made in 2003 and 2004 sold so well to wine-club members that CEO Michaela Rodeno boosted production of the 2005 to 5,000 cases. With the 2005, St. Supery abandons entirely chardonnay that has been barrel fermented and oak aged, says Rodeno.
And Three Thieves, a brand of Rebel Wine, also in Napa Valley, just released its first white wine, a 2005 unoaked chardonnay in a screw-cap, 1-liter jug.
Three Thieves had been thinking of adding a sauvignon blanc to its lineup, but winemaker Joel Gott says two factors - buzz about unoaked chardonnay and a high-quality harvest of the varietal last fall - persuaded him and his colleagues to switch their thinking to chardonnay.
Gott and other winemakers taking the plunge with oak-free chardonnay attribute consumer interest in the style to burnout from chardonnays that have become just too weighty and complex to enjoy with the lighter styles of food now popular.
"I think people are getting tired of heavily oaked wines with very little fruit. When they come into the tasting room, they don't even want to taste chardonnay," says John MacCready of Sierra Vista Vineyards & Winery in El Dorado County.
Luisa Ponzi, winemaker at her family's Ponzi Vineyards in Oregon's Willamette Valley, where she has just released her first oak-free chardonnay, echoes MacCready: "There is a reaction to the big, buttery style of chardonnay. People are turning away from that, and this is a nice option."
Both MacCready and Ponzi, however, aren't giving up on chardonnay fermented and aged in oak barrels. "I still feel you can't beat a great barrel-fermented chardonnay if it is done correctly, with minerality and acidity in it," Ponzi says.
Wine drinkers accustomed to the typical California style of chardonnay need to revise their expectations as they start to familiarize themselves with interpretations that haven't seen oak.
With unoaked chardonnay, all they will taste is fruit, and chardonnay on its own isn't the most expressive of white wines.
"People might not get it, especially if they are looking for oak and butter," says Lee of Morgan Winery. "Unoaked chardonnay is fruit-driven. It's a little simpler, perhaps less complex, more monochromatic than polychromatic, but with good acidity."
Joel Gott of Three Thieves says of unoaked chardonnay: "You get the body but not the viscosity. You don't get that sweet oak flavor. You still end up with richness, but without that overbearing sweet heaviness."
Source: “Dunne on Wine: What's a chardonnay without oak? Not bad,” Mike Dunne, Sacramento Bee, April 26, 2006
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South Africa Wine Crosses America--Blog Announced
Wines of South Africa (WOSA) kicks off their Four Cities Tour in the US this week and Mike Ratcliffe is along for the ride. His itinerary includes stints as managing director of Warwick and partner in Vilafonté Vineyards, as well as others in his capacity as WOSA and SAWIT board member and Rootstock convenor.
The epic journey starts in Washington DC and winds it way from coast to coast, with scheduled stops in Baltimore, Maryland; Arlington, Virginia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania from where Mike will join up with the WOSA crew and South African contingent in New York City. The road show will then proceed to Chicago, San Francisco and onwards to Los Angeles, culminating in a tasting at the Beverley Hills Hotel.
This Wine Across America Blog has been commissioned by Wine.co.za and will be posted on the Rootstock Blog - www.rootstockforum.blogspot.com, with extracts published on WineNews. It is intended to be interactive and we invite you to post comments and participate.
Daily podcasting and video blogs will be a standard feature of the line-up, so watch this space!
Read Mike's initial observations on the US market and South African wine at www.rootstockforum.blogspot.com.
Source: “Announcing the Wine Across America Blog,” WineNews Editorial Team, April 25, 2006
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New Budget Savings Targets Issued By Republican Study Conference
There’s an old saying in Washington that it’s easy to cut government programs, or programs in the private sector for that matter, when you don’t understand the logic behind them or choose not to believe in it.
That’s one of the thoughts that comes into mind when you read a report prepared by the Republican Study Conference, entitled “RSC FY 2007 Budget: Contract with America Renewed,” or as some wags are calling it, “The Contract on Agriculture.”
The RSC budget plan calls for reform of agricultural production programs to save an estimated $20.4 billion in fiscal years 2007-2011, with $1.3 billion of the savings proposed for 2007. The plan also calls for the elimination of the Market Access and Foreign Market Development Programs and P.L. 480 Title I.
The RSC, which is comprised of more than 100 of the 232 Republicans in the House says that in 2005, the federal government spent $2.47 trillion — 49 percent more than it spend in 1995 after adjusting for inflation.
To reverse that trend, the Republican Study Conference would eliminate or greatly reduce funding for a number of agricultural programs and agencies, including the Agricultural Research Service, Cooperative States Research Extension and Education Service grants like the Great Plains Sorghum Initiative and the Food for Peace programs. (To see the proposal, go to http://www.house.gov/pence/rsc/.)
For openers, the plan would tackle the Foreign Agricultural Service, forcing a 30 percent reduction in the 97 ag attaches the Foreign Agricultural Service currently maintains at foreign posts to assist overseas development of markets for U.S. farm commodities. The attaches collect information on foreign government’s policies, market conditions, etc.
“This function could be performed by the private sector that benefits from such services,” the plan says. “This proposal calls for a 30-percent reduction in such attachés and a 10-percent reduction in all other activities, except the general sales manager.”
What the plan would actually mean is that the major grain companies and commodity trading firms could continue gathering marketing information in foreign countries, but farmers and “Mom and Pop” country elevators would be operating in the dark about conditions in competing countries.
Targeting agricultural research and Extension activities, the RSC says research and grants provided by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and the Economic Research Service replace funding from the private sector.
“Requiring the government to scale down this research would permit the private sector to finance more of its own research,” the RSC says. “This proposal would reduce funding by the ARS by 10 percent; it would eliminate all special research grants within the CSREES, thereby requiring all grants to be awarded competitively.”
The RSC also wants to reduce funding for the National Agricultural Statistics Service by 20 percent at a time when farmers are asking for more unbiased information on domestic crop and livestock production and market conditions, not less.
It would also reduce the budget of the secretary of agriculture by 10 percent to “eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy in the Department of Agriculture.”
The RSC paper assumes direct agricultural spending will be reduced by $20.4 billion from currently anticipated levels from fiscal year 2007 through 2011, with $1.3 billion in reductions required in FY fiscal year 2007.
It doesn’t say what it bases those assumptions on, but notes that farmers will benefit greatly from other provisions in the RSC budget, including the extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and the elimination of the estate tax scheduled in 2010 and increased domestic drilling to lower energy costs.
“As a result of the 2002 farm bill, the farm sector is currently enjoying historic levels of federal taxpayer support,” the RSC says. “At the same time, USDA continues to pronounce that the financial state of the U.S. agriculture sector is sound.
“For instance, according to USDA: ‘The two-year rise from 2002 to 2004 of $46 billion in farm sector net income is unmatched in the history of the U.S. farm income accounts.’ USDA says that farm business asset, debt and equity values are expected to rise through the end of 2005, supported by high levels of net cash income and profit realized in 2004.”
--[YOUR THOUGHTS?]--
Source: “Republican Study Conference issues new budget savings targets,” Forrest Laws, Delta Farm Press, April 21, 2006
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