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January 31, 2007
Sales of Wine with Screw Cap Closures Surge in U.S. Market
ACNielsen Reports Nearly 25% Sales Growth in Wines Under Screw Cap in the U.S. Over 2006...
Unified Wine & Grape Symposium:
U.S. wine sales under screw cap have increased 24.6% in 2006 according to research released yesterday by ACNielsen at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California. In a joint winemaking and marketing/public relations panel focused on wine closures and acceptance in the marketplace, Paige Poulos, founder of the Alliance for Innovative Wine Packaging (AIWP) and President of Paige Poulos Communications, presented the latest 52-week ACNielsen research sales data on screw cap closures.
Initial results from ACNielsen's nationwide research project on consumer purchases of wines with screw cap closures were announced in April 2006 at AIWP’s “The New Innovators” press conference in New York City. ACNielsen’s latest scan data again shows strong growth, with screw cap closures winning market share as consumers learn of the closure’s inherent value based on quality control and convenience.
According to ACNielsen, sales of wines with screw cap closures surged 24.6% in 2006, 2.3 times faster than the total 750 ml bottled wine category. ACNielsen found white wines, imports and wines priced $8 to $11.99 to be the most developed within the screw cap segment. Grossing $191.9 million in retail off-premise sales (U.S. food/drug/selected liquor markets), screw cap finished wines contributed to 4% of total 750 ml table wine sales for the 52-week period ending December 16, 2006.
“The burgeoning market for innovative closures is not about direct competition with natural cork,” said Poulos. “This is about diversification and convenience, creating new opportunities for the enjoyment of wine as an everyday beverage, and expanding the market. In the immediate future, we see traditional packaging continuing to thrive, with screw caps and other innovative closures seeing widespread consumer acceptance. This is a very healthy market dynamic.”
The findings were presented at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, the largest wine and grape tradeshow in the nation, held annually at the Sacramento Convention Center in Northern California.
Contacts:
Paige Poulos Communications For copies of the session PowerPoint or interview requests:
Joel Quigley, 800-497-3376 or 510-684-0056 (mobile)
Paige Poulos, 800-497-3376 or 510-684-4719 (mobile)
NextInWine@paigepoulos.com
Source: Press Release; “Sales of Wine with Screw Cap Closures Surge in U.S. Market,” NextInWine, January 31, 2007
Posted by fortna at 12:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Global Warming Comes Home, Wine Country is Warming Up
The heat is on for the wine industry Could global warming drastically reduce the world’s wine regions?
There is a calculable temperature rise in California's wine country. What will the future effect of global warming be on this multi-billion-dollar industry? NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
Nightly News.
There are some real concerns that global warming might cool off the red-hot $15 billion-a-year California wine industry, and maybe even affect the famous wine regions of France — all within the next few decades.
In the vineyards they're only pruning now, but climate change experts like Dr. Greg Jones of Southern Oregon University say it's not too soon to wonder how many great California wine seasons might be left.
"We're looking at a 25- to 50-year horizon where I think the rate of change will become dominant enough to make some significant issues for the industry," Jones says.
Too much heat for too long upsets the delicate balance of sugar and alcohol and acids needed to produce great wine, and there's no disputing that California wine country has been getting hotter.
That's why Brad and Randy Lange now irrigate more frequently over their 7,000 acres of LangeTwins vineyards in Lodi, and why they hope the millions they've just invested to go from grape growers to winemakers won't be wasted.
"I get up in the morning and think about the weather. I go to bed at night and I think about the weather," says Brad Lange.
And about how long the warming weather will allow him to produce grapes good enough for the $12- to $15-a-bottle market they serve.*
New climate study shows California's vulnerability to global warming
UCSC researchers have produced a detailed picture of how California's climate is likely to change within the next 50 to 100 years as a result of global warming. Their study, complete with temperature and precipitation data for different parts of the state, goes far beyond the usual speculation about the potential impacts of climate change on the state.
Color-coded maps showing expected changes in temperature–(left click here)--for California based on computer projections of the climate response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Despite uncertainties in the climate models used to generate these scenarios, they are valuable tools for planning, said Lisa Sloan, an associate professor of Earth sciences. The findings of Sloan and her coauthors were published online on June 7 by the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
The study supports what many have already guessed--global warming will mean warmer temperatures and smaller snowpacks in California, with serious adverse effects on the state's water supply. But the study also reveals more subtle details, and offers regional specificity and precise numbers backed by a statistical analysis.
"Everybody has guessed at the effects on water resources, but now we have numbers and locations. It's a lot different from the standard arm-waving," Sloan said. "Our hope is that this kind of study will give state and regional officials a more reliable basis for planning how to cope with climate change."
Sloan's research group used a sophisticated computer model of the regional climate system to look at the response of California's climate to changing concentrations of carbon dioxide, the heat-trapping "greenhouse gas" released by burning of fossil fuels.
Sloan worked with graduate students Mark Snyder, who is first author of the paper, and Jason Bell, now a computer programmer in the Earth Sciences Department, to develop a regional climate model centered over California.
The regional model offers much finer spatial resolution than larger models used to study the global climate. Since the regional climate is driven by global processes, the regional model was coupled with a global climate model.
The researchers looked at the effects of doubling the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere compared to the preindustrial level. The latest projections of carbon dioxide emissions indicate that the atmospheric concentration will be twice the preindustrial level well before the end of this century and possibly as soon as 2050.
With atmospheric carbon dioxide doubled, the California regional climate model showed higher average temperatures every month of the year in every part of the state. The extent of the warming varied, however, with the greatest increases in temperature occurring at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. For example, the average temperature in June in the Sierra Nevada increased by 11 degrees Fahrenheit.
The model also showed rainfall increasing in northern California but staying largely the same in southern California, while snow accumulation in the mountains decreased dramatically. In March, for example, it showed an additional 8 inches of rain falling in the central Sierra, while the height of the snowpack at the end of March dropped by 13 feet. By the end of April, the snowpack was almost completely gone.
"With less precipitation falling as snow and more as rain, plus higher temperatures creating increased demand for water, the impacts on our water storage system will be enormous," Sloan said.
Snyder said this report is only the first step in an ongoing effort to understand the implications of climate change for California. The results represent an "average" year, based on 15 years worth of data generated by the model for each carbon dioxide concentration. Additional studies will try to capture the natural variability of the climate and how that variability may change in the future, he said.
"This opens the door for a lot more studies to look at regional climate change in more detail, and to understand the variability that is likely to occur," Snyder said. "It's important to consider not only the average conditions but also what the extremes will be."
The researchers are also exploring refinements in the model that would yield even higher spatial resolution. Already, the model provides more detail than any previous study, showing how climate change is likely to affect different parts of the state, such as the Coast Ranges, the Central Valley, the Mojave Desert, and the Sierra Nevada.
All of the major features of the results were statistically significant, Sloan said. She added, however, that the results are not predictions.
"The model gives us scenarios of what the future may look like," Sloan said. "There are only two ways to tell how good the model is: One is to wait for 50 years and see what happens, and the other is to model the present day. We've done the latter quite rigorously and have satisfied ourselves that the model does a good job of representing the present climate. So our confidence in these scenarios is pretty good."
In addition to Sloan, Snyder, and Bell, the paper's authors include Philip Duffy and Bala Govindasamy, both climate researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Sloan's research is supported in part by a fellowship from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.**
*Source: “Wine country is warming up,” Mike Taibbi, Correspondent, NBC Nghtly News w/VIDEO, LODI, Calif.--January 31, 2007
**Source: “New climate study shows California's vulnerability to global warming,” Tim Stephens, U.C Sant Cruz CURRENTS, January 31, 2007
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Fortune Brands Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results
Company Achieves 4th Quarter and Full-Year Growth Goals, Fueled by Share Gains and Success of Spirits & Wine Acquisition Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Courvoisier, Titleist and FootJoy Help Drive 22nd Consecutive Quarter of Double-Digit Growth in EPS Before Charges/Gains Company Exceeds Free Cash Flow Target for 2006.
Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), a leading consumer brands company, today announced record results for the fourth quarter and full year 2006. Quarterly results benefited from strong performance for the company’s premium and super-premium spirits and wine brands plus continued share gains in key home products and golf categories. Results also reflected a net gain due to a one-time deferred tax benefit related to reduced international tax rates.
“The advantage of Fortune Brands’ unique breadth and balance continued to deliver powerful benefits, as we comfortably achieved the fourth-quarter EPS target we announced three months ago as well as the full-year target we established a year ago,” said Fortune Brands chairman and chief executive officer Norm Wesley.
“Fortune Brands recorded its 22nd consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in EPS before charges/gains as each of our three businesses performed in line with our expectations. The strong fourth-quarter performance of brands like Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Courvoisier, Clos du Bois, Titleist and FootJoy helped offset the increasing impact of the U.S. housing market on our home products brands.
“We’re building brands and outperforming our markets with share-gain initiatives that include developing successful new products, extending brands into new markets and expanding customer relationships,” Wesley continued. “As expected, the benefits of our spirits and wine acquisition accelerated as the year unfolded. Notably, this was the first full year in our history in which spirits and wine was our largest profit contributor, reflecting the success of our major acquisition."
“Even though comparable sales for our home and hardware brands were down at a mid-single-digit rate in the quarter, our faucet, cabinetry and security brands performed well and continued to gain share. We faced challenging marketplace conditions for our home products brands, but our proactive cost controls helped limit the adverse impact on margins in Home & Hardware to about one-half percent on an underlying basis,” Wesley added.
For the fourth quarter:
-- Net income was $252 million, or $1.62 per diluted share, up 38% from $1.17 in the year-ago quarter.
-- Comparisons benefited from a net gain (23 cents per share) from a deferred tax benefit (31 cents per share) related to reduced international tax rates, partly offset by restructuring-related charges (8 cents per share) principally for supply-chain initiatives in the home products business.
-- Excluding one-time items in both the current and prior-year periods, EPS before charges/gains was $1.39, up 14% from $1.22 in the year-ago quarter.
-- These results comfortably achieved the company's previously announced fourth quarter target of high-single-digit to low-double-digit growth and were four cents above the mean estimate of Wall Street securities analysts (source: Thomson First Call).
-- Net sales were $2.28 billion, up 16%.
-- On a comparable basis - assuming the company had owned acquired brands in the year-ago quarter, and excluding excise taxes - the company estimates total net sales for Fortune Brands would have risen modestly in constant currency.
-- Operating income was $381 million, up 25%.
For the full year, on a continuing operations basis:
-- Net income was $824 million, or $5.39 per diluted share, up 39% from $3.87 in 2005.
-- Excluding one-time items in both years, EPS before charges/gains was $5.30, up 15% from $4.62 in 2005.
-- Net sales were $8.77 billion, up 24%.
-- On a comparable basis, the company estimates total net sales for Fortune Brands would have risen in the range of 4-5% in constant currency.
-- Operating income was $1.50 billion, an increase of 29%.
-- Free cash flow reached $584 million after dividends and capital expenditures, above the top of the company's previously announced target range of $450-500 million and well above the $385 million in free cash flow generated in 2005.
-- Return on equity before charges/gains was 18%.
-- Return on invested capital before charges/gains was 10%.
-- The dividend increased 8% to an annual rate of $1.56 per share.
Breadth & Balance to Benefit 2007 Results:
“Looking to 2007, our breadth and balance will continue to be an important advantage, especially as we confront the strong headwinds of lower housing activity in the U.S.,” Wesley continued. “Our continued global growth in the premium spirits and wine market, our technological and brand leadership in golf, and our share-gain and new-market initiatives across attractive home products categories position us well to navigate the challenges 2007 will bring.
“As we’ve previously announced, our Home & Hardware business will face very challenging market conditions, as well as very tough comparisons, especially in the first half of 2007. Importantly – while our current assumption is that the overall home products market could decline at a double-digit rate in 2007 – we believe our brands will continue to outperform the market. We also expect second-half results in our home products business – while potentially down – will be better than the first half as market conditions begin to improve and our comparisons ease. In this environment, we’re aggressively managing costs, aligning supply chains with expected demand and partly offsetting higher commodities costs with select price increases."
“In 2007 we expect continued strong performance in Spirits & Wine and growth in Golf will help offset lower results in our Home & Hardware segment,” Wesley said. “For the full year, we expect earnings per share before charges/gains for Fortune Brands will be in the range of down mid-single digits to up low-single digits. Underlying our goal are these full-year targets for our businesses:
Spirits & Wine operating income before charges up in the mid-to-high single-digit range.
Home & Hardware operating income before charges down in the mid-to-high single-digit range.
Golf operating income before charges up in the low-to-mid single-digit range.
“We expect the first quarter will be the most challenging quarter of the year for our home products brands, especially as compared to last year’s very strong first quarter when operating income before charges in Home & Hardware rose 19%. We also expect to be adversely impacted by higher year-over-year costs for certain raw materials. We’re implementing price increases to help offset these higher costs, but we do not expect to bridge the gap in the first quarter. For the first quarter, we expect diluted earnings per share before charges/gains for Fortune Brands may be down in the range of 20%, principally as a result of the challenging home products market, difficult comparisons in Home & Hardware and the impact of commodities costs,” Wesley concluded.
About Fortune Brands:
Fortune Brands, Inc. is a leading consumer brands company with annual sales exceeding $8 billion. Its operating companies have premier brands and leading market positions in spirits and wine, home and hardware products, and golf equipment. Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. is the company’s spirits and wine business. Major spirits and wine brands include Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbons, Sauza tequila, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, DeKuyper cordials, Starbucks™ liqueurs, Laphroaig single malt Scotch and Clos du Bois and Geyser Peak wines. Home and hardware brands include Moen faucets, Aristokraft, Omega, Diamond and Schrock cabinets, Therma-Tru door systems, Simonton windows, Master Lock padlocks and Waterloo tool storage sold by units of Fortune Brands Home & Hardware LLC. Acushnet Company’s golf brands include Titleist, Cobra and FootJoy. Fortune Brands, headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FO and is included in the S&P 500 Index, the MSCI World Index and the Ocean Tomo 300™ Patent Index.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains statements relating to future results, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the company does not assume any obligation to update, amend or clarify them to reflect events, new information or circumstances occurring after the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: competitive market pressures (including pricing pressures); consolidation of trade customers; successful development of new products and processes; ability to secure and maintain rights to intellectual property; risks pertaining to strategic acquisitions and joint ventures, including the potential financial effects and performance of such acquisitions or joint ventures, and integration of acquisitions and the related confirmation or remediation of internal controls over financial reporting; ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; general economic conditions, including the U.S. housing market; weather; risks associated with doing business outside the United States, including currency exchange rate risks; interest rate fluctuations; commodity and energy price volatility; costs of certain employee and retiree benefits and returns on pension assets; dependence on performance of distributors and other marketing arrangements; the impact of excise tax increases on distilled spirits and wines; changes in golf equipment regulatory standards and other regulatory developments; potential liabilities, costs and uncertainties of litigation; impairment in the carrying value of goodwill or other acquired intangibles; historical consolidated financial statements that may not be indicative of future conditions and results due to the recent portfolio realignment; any possible downgrades of the company’s credit ratings; as well as other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Fortune Brands Website: www.fortunebrands.com
For Complete Report Contacts :
Fortune Brands, Inc.
Media Relations:
Clarkson Hine
(847) 484-4415
or
Investor Relations:
Tony Diaz
(847) 484-4410
To receive company news releases by e-mail, please visit www.fortunebrands.com.
Source: “Fortune Brands Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results,” Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO), DEERFIELD, Ill.--January 31, 2007 07:04
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United States Readied to Become Global Wine Leader by 2008
A new study shows that after France and Italy, the United States is the world’s third-largest consumer of table wines. And if that growth stays steady, the U.S. will become the global leader by 2008.
Take a bow, United States. You now qualify as a true wine-drinking nation, according to the survey of 1,400 core and marginal wine drinkers commissioned by the Wine Market Council, a California-based trade group whose mission it is to grow the consumer base of the United States wine market.
According to data from the Adams Beverage Group cited in an annual study conducted by the Merrill Research firm, 2006 marked the 12th consecutive year that total table wine consumption increased in the U.S. In fact, for the first time in history, more than 250 million cases of wine were sold in the U.S. last year, a 3.3% gain over 2005. Meanwhile, adult per-capita consumption reached 2.88 gallons last year, with all signs pointing to increased consumption in future years.
And why are such trends being looked at so fondly by the U.S. wine industry? Because there are currently an estimated 70 million Americans that fall into the category of Millennials (ages 13 to 30), and it’s this class of consumers—even if many are not yet old enough to legally drink?that is showing a greater interest in wine than any preceding population segment.
Other key findings:
-Roughly 70% of wine purchased in America was domestic, down from 77% in 2003.
-Among the factors that are driving wine purchasing, wine type or varietal is the most influential, followed by price, brand, origin, vintage and packaging.
-With wineries operating in all 50 states, more than 60% of consumers have tried a wine from their home state.
-Among those who drink wine, the U.S. is split 50-50 between “core” wine drinkers (defined as at least one glass of wine per week) and “marginal” wine drinkers (at least once glass of wine every three months.
-Core wine drinkers purchase 92% of the wine bought in America, while marginal drinkers buy only 8%.
-Males comprise the majority of core wine drinkers while women comprise the bulk of the marginal wine drinkers category.
-70% of wine consumed in the U.S. last year was purchased for between $6–15.
-30% of all wine consumed is drunk in restaurants or bars, while 41% of on-premise sales are by-the-glass.
Wine Market Council reports are available only to its members: www.winemarketcouncil.com, info@winemarketcouncil.com.
Source: “U.S. Poised to Become Global Wine Leader by 2008,” Michael Schachner, Wine Enthusiast, January 30, 2007
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New Cuca Fresca Cachaça Coming Soon
Araci Ferreira Slasinki, a fifth-generation cachaça maker, has collaborated with Agudente Caribena Ltd., to create Cuca Fresca, a new premium line of Brazilian cachaças made specifically for the international market. This 40-percent alcohol-by-volume spirit, named after the Portuguese translation for “cool head,” had its debut in Miami this month and is set to begin rolling out in the Northeast.
Cuca Fresca ($19.95 per 750-ml. bottle) is produced from sugarcane juice that’s distilled in copper pots. The artisan-crafted cachaça is packaged in a bottle depicting the Brazilian flag and comes with a wooden stirrer.
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Dating back more than 400 years, cachaça is Brazil’s most popular spirit and is beginning to gain favor in the U.S. amidst a growing interest in cocktails with Latin flair like Capirinhas.
Prestige Chateaux & Domains distributes the spirit in the on- and off-premise throughout the Miami-metro area, and ACE Distributors recently signed on as its Northeastern distributor. Next month, Cuca Fresca Pura Gold—which is aged in oak barrels up to five years to produce the sipping cachaça’s vanilla and oak notes—will also launch in the U.S.
Source: “New Cachaça Begins Rollout,” Bridget Eldridge, Wine Spectator, January 30, 2007
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Celebrity Wine Sighting
In the vain of celebrity sightings and wine connectivity, “Rumor Has It Howard Stern is Buying a Long Island Winery,” by Lenn. And having developed somewhat of a polite state with Stillman Brown, the wine maker for Red Zeppelin Winery. With long thought I present to you this “Celebrity Wine Sighting”:
Robert Plant, whom most of you should have heard of–remember the late 60s rock band ‘Led Zeppelin,’ was in a little beach town in Southern California know as Cayucos last weekend, January 29, 2007.
While of course he dined at the well known Hoppe's Bistro, and picked out a familiar--2004 Red Zeppelin Winery, Bear Valley Ranch, Syrah, from the wine list, which no doubt paired well with and enhanced his dinning experiance.
According to Stillman’s friend Troy, the owner of Schooner's, Mr. Plant, “liked the Zeppelin Syrah very much.” Appropriately the folks in Cayucos took it in stride while not really noticing Mr. Plant “looked like a bum" during his short visit, and which given his fame, was perhaps not such a bad move...
“We don't know that we would have seen through the disguise, but then again the last time we saw Robert Plant, Elvis was still alive,” said Brown.
Short of a trip to the little town of Cayucos, one well worth the making I’m sure, we can at least have the experience of sipping the wine of the stars by ordering a bottle of Red Zeppelin Winery’s Wine–does Hoppe's Bistro, or Schooner's over-night meals?
Here’s all the links and maps that will get you to Cayucos, Hoppe's Bistro and the Red Zeppelin Winery, more information.
So much for short stories and celebrity sightings...
Oh, and apparently another point of interest while in Cayucos, CA, is Schooner's Wharf–Plant went across the street and visited there, too. Something about “the wine list, [at Schooner's Wharf], is shorter and therefore the Zeppelin is easier to find . . .”
Posted by fortna at 03:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 30, 2007
Beer and Super Bowl Party Pairings
Once upon a time, the Super Bowl was simply the championship game between football’s two conference winners. Half-time entertainment consisted of a college marching band.
In the 40-plus years since the first Super Bowl, the game has taken on a life of its own. Being chosen to sing the National Anthem is a badge of honor. Advertisers spend millions of dollars to roll out their latest commercial campaigns and productions like movie premiers.
As the game, pre-game hype and entertainment have escalated, so have the parties. Like every championship caliber coach, we exhort you to elevate your game. Or, to be precise, elevate your party.
With that in mind, here are some suggestions to help you to raise the bar (no pun intended) at your game day celebration, and, most importantly, give you some ideas for fabulous food and beer pairings.
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Cold Smoked Salmon Pizza:
The salty smoky flavor of the fish is tamed by the slightly hoppy aroma of Moretti, delicate malt flavor and smooth finish of Birra Moretti Pilsner.
1 cup sour cream
1 sprig fresh dill, finely chopped
½ teaspoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Lavash bread or crackers
Smoked salmon, sliced thin
Capers
Red onions, finely chopped
Blend 1 cup of sour cream with dill, rice vinegar and Worcestershire. Spread a thin layer of sour cream on a full size lavash or individual lavash crackers. Cover Lavash with a slice of smoked salmon. Garnish with capers and finely chopped red onions.
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Spicy Dry Rubbed Short Ribs:
The deep red color and caramelized barley flavors of Moretti LaRossa compliment the carbonized meat from the grill. Moretti LaRossa has the strength to stand up to the powerful flavor of BBQ.
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
3 pounds short ribs
Combine all ingredients; apply to meat and refrigerate for at least an hour before cooking. Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Cover pan; bake for 2 ½-3 hours or until tender.
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Other pairings suggestions:
St. Agur Blue Cheese on toasted baguette:
The cheese is so rich it spreads like butter. The Saaz hops in Paulaner Pilsner allow a cleansing herbal component, while the dryness of the beer contrasts with the decadently rich cheese.
Source: “Super Bowl Party Pairings,” Wine Enthusiast, January 30, 2007
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ZAP’s 16th Annual Tasting Festivals Was Celebrated by Well Over 9,000 People!
An estimated 9,000 people attended and the 16th Anniversary Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Tasting on January 27 at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. 273 Zinfandel wineries poured at least one wine each, with a total field of wines available to taste approaching 550; the wines were primarily the 2004 vintage and barrel samples of the 2005.
The Friday night event, “Evening with the Winemakers Benefit Auction and Dinner,” alone raised more than $80,000 for The Heritage Vineyard Projects!
A mariachi band greeted tasters at the entrances to the two pavilions, embodying the theme “Viva Zinfandel!”
Two lines, of approximately 1,000 people each, lined up in front of the two pavilions before the tasting opened. More than 1,500 pounds of international cheeses and 8,000 half-loaves of French baguettes were consumed.
More than 300 volunteers helped keep the event proceeding smoothly. Zinfandel Advocates & Producers has been told that this is the biggest single varietal (wine) event in the world and possibly also the largest single-varietal single-day wine event worldwide!
The Tasting is the only place where Zin aficionados can purchase the Heritage Vineyard Zinfandel; this year the 2004 vintage was available, made by Kent Rosenblum of Rosenblum Cellars. Each attendee received a commemorative wineglass (to use and keep) as well as a baguette upon entering. Logo’d merchandise and mixed cases of Zinfandels were available for purchase as well.
Water, coffee, cheeses, breads and fruits were available throughout the two pavilions.
“The Festival was a smashing success and overall ZAP was able to show the diversity of Zinfandels being made today,” commented Justin Boeger of Boeger Winery and the President of the Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Board of Directors. “We heard over and over that we lived up to the theme ‘Viva Zinfandel!’ We now know that the Festival is a way to demonstrate how Zinfandel is such a unique grape and wine which thrives in so many different California growing regions,” he adds. “There is such a diversity of Zinfandel winemaking styles that it keeps people curious and enthusiastic in returning every year to the Festival,” he said. “The range of different events also contributes to our success---what other wine organization puts on four days of very different events which attracts different people to learn about one varietal?!” he commented.
“The Festival was a smashing success and overall ZAP was able to show the diversity of Zinfandels being made today,” commented Justin Boeger of Boeger Winery and the President of the Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Board of Directors. “We heard over and over that we lived up to the theme ‘Viva Zinfandel!’ The Festival is a great way to demonstrate how Zinfandel is such a unique grape and wine which thrives in so many different California growing regions,” he adds. “There is such a diversity of Zinfandel winemaking styles that it keeps people curious and enthusiastic in returning every year to our Festival,” he said. “The range of different events also contributes to our success---what other wine organization puts on four days of very different events which attracts different people to learn about one varietal?!” he commented.
“ZAP offers something unique: a chance to develop personal relationships between consumers and producers as well as providing an unparalleled opportunity to learn about Zinfandel,” Boeger adds.
“We now see how our popularity has become cumulative over the 16 years of the Festival,” explains Rebecca Robinson, ZAP’s Executive Director. “There are so many factors, which include Zinfandel being California’s heritage wine, recognized recently by both houses of the California state legislature as well as interest in new releases from wineries. Our sponsors add an entirely other dimension, whether bread, water, olive oil, chocolate, coffee, cheese,” she added.
The 16th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Festival encompassed a total of four events:
1.) Flights on the 24th
2.) Good Eats on the 25th
3.) An Evening With The Winemakers 26th
4.) The Saturday Tasting on the 27th
---------------1-------------
On January 24 Flights:
A Showcase of California Zinfandels consisted of an afternoon of panel discussions and tastings-seminars led by Zinfandel winemakers and experts concluding with Terroir & Zin, a walkaround tasting reception which showcased 37 Zinfandels from many growing regions of California. Students from the City College of San Francisco Culinary Arts & Hospitality Program designed hors d’oeuvres. There were two seminars; Zinfandel: Defining Quality was moderated by Laurie Daniel, wine columnist for The San Jose Mercury News.
Panelists were winemaker Paul Draper (Ridge Vineyards), known as a pioneer in the production of long-lived, complex Zinfandels; winemaker Jerry Seps (Storybook Mountain Vineyards), known for the intensity and longevity of his Zinfandels and winemaker Bill Easton (Easton Wines), respected for the power and finesse of his Zinfandels. Wines featured were 1977 Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel; Ridge Vineyards 2004 Geyserville Zinfandel; Storybook Mountain 1981 Reserve; Storybook Mountain 2003 Reserve; Easton 1994; Easton 2004.
The other seminar, Flavors of Zinfandel: Tasting Outside the Box, was moderated by Barbara Haimes, Wine Buyer, Cafe Rouge and Wine Instructor, City College Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management. Panelists were winemaker Joel Peterson (Ravenswood) and Master Chef Tony Lawrence (Chef For You, Philadelphia).
Featured wines:
2004 Edmeades Mendocino; 2002 Hendry, Block 28;
2004; Robert Biale, Aldo’s Vineyard;
2004 Rosenblum Cellars, Monte Rosso;
2003; Montevina, Terra d’Oro, Deaver Vineyards;
2004 Ravenswood, Dickerson Vineyard.
---------------2-------------
On January 25 Good Eats & Zinfandel:
This event was a lively walk-around food and wine tasting which paired Zinfandel wineries with restaurants. The complete list of wineries, restaurants and dishes follow. This event attracted 1,100+ people to Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason Center on Thursady evening.
Wineries, listed alphabeticly with the restaurants and dishes they pared with, at the 2007 Good Eats event:
Abundance Vineyards
Café Gibraltar, El Granada
Lavender marinated guinea hen with a Zinfandel green peppercorn glaze
Acorn Winery/Alegria Vineyards
Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar, Healdsburg
Smoked Brisket Bruschetta with Texas Tapenade
Alexander Valley Vineyards
The Panama Hotel Restaurant & Inn
Grilled Pork Loin skewers with fig pear chutney
Artezin
Knickerbockers' Catering, St. Helena
Slow cooked Lamb Shank and Olive Tart with Roasted Roma Tomato Salsa
Atelier Winery
Mateo Granados Catering
Smoked Pork Shank with Green Lentils and Pork Cracklings
Ballentine Vineyards
Bridges Restaurant and Bar
Seared Duck Breast with pomegranate soy glaze and toasted almonds on crostini
Boeger Winery
First Crush Restaurant, Wine Bar & Lounge
Corn & Shrimp Fritters with red pepper cream sauce
Bonneau Wines
Plaza Bistro, Sonoma
Meat Ravioli with Zinfandel Cream Sauce and shaved Asiago; Zinfandel Poached Pear with Vanilla Gelato and Zinfandel Honey Sauce
Bourassa Vineyards
Montclair Bistro
Chocolate Truffles
Brutocao Cellars
The Crushed Grape, Hopland
Chicken Satays with a Spicy Peanut Zinfandel Sauce
Cakebread Cellars
Brian Streeter, Cakebread Cellars’ Culinary Director/Resident Chef
Slow roasted pork shoulder with balsamic vinegar and radicchio on rosemary potato buns
Carol Shelton Wines
Monti's Rotisserie
Cotechino Sausage "Panzanella" - Tuscan Pork sausage with warm spices, Beluga Lentils & Roasted Tomato
Cartlidge & Browne Winery
The Bell Tower
Bacon-wrapped Pork in a Zin Sauce
Claudia Springs Winery
Mendo Bistro
Warm lambs’ neck terrine
Cline Cellars
Piatti Restaurant, Danville
Mini "Ham & Cheese" Panini with Gorgonzola Dolce, Prosciutto, Fig Jam & Zinfandel Vinaigrette
Collier Falls Vineyard
FAZ, San Francisco
Pomegranate Glazed Duck Breast With Roasted Butternut Squash
Dry Creek Vineyard
The Larkspur Melting Pot
Dark Chocolate Fountain with Strawberries
Edmeades
Edmeades Estate Chef Taki Laliotitis
Zinfandel Chile with Bison and Cranberries
Esterlina Vineyards
Ottimista Enoteca Cafe
Veal and porcini meatballs
Gnarly Head Cellars
Tres Agaves
Albondigas
Graeser Winery
Magic Flute Garden Ristorante
Gruyere with Seared Beef Tenderloin, Horseradish Aioli & Sausalito Springs Watercress
Harvest Moon Estate & Winery
Charizma Wine Lounge & Deli
Mustard-crusted ham with Zin-braised red cabbage and chewy mocha cake with whipped cream
Javelina Leap Vineyard & Winery
Oakville Grocery
Pomegranate Braised Bacon with pickled onions & Winter Squash Puree
Mara Winery
Willie's Wine Bar
Bacon "Burgers" - Slow braised fresh bacon on Rosemary & Smoke Salt Dutch crunch rolls
Marcucci Farms
Relish Culinary School
Braised Chukar with Poached Figs
Martin Family Vineyards
Trader Vic's Restaurant, San Francisco
Crispy duck & shiitake mushroom on fried wonton with a Zinfandel hoisin sauce
Mauritson Family Winery
John Ash & Co.
Braised Buffalo Osso Buco over creamy polenta with Bellwether Farms Carmody cheese, wild mushrooms and olives
Mazzocco Winery
Santi Restaurant
Trippa alla Fiorentina con Fagioli, Florentine-style beef tripe braised tomato, basil, chili flake, and Parmigiano
Mitchell Katz Winery
The Pleasanton Hotel
Crostini topped with dried strawberries, Gorgonzola and pancetta
Montevina Winery-Trinchero Family Estates
Restaurant Taste
Eggplant cannelloni
Moss Creek Winery
Tulocay’s Made In Napa
Pork Tenderloin with Napa Valley Meritage Rub with Blackberry Balsamic with Pear
Murphy-Goode Winery
Joe DiMaggio’s Italian Chop House
Braised Oxtail with creamy mascarpone and herb polenta
Napa Wine Company
Hurley's Restaurant & Bar
Zinfandel Braised Wild Boar on Truffled Polenta
Orchid Hill Vineyard
Ruth's Chris Steak House, San Francisco
Lamb lollypops in a Pomegranate Zinfandel Sauce
Peachy Canyon Winery
Alfred's Steakhouse, San Francisco
New York Strip open faced sandwich with Creamy Horseradish
R & B Cellars
Angela's, Alameda
Duck Strudel with Mushroom and Wild Rice in a Flaky Pastry with Caramelized Shallots and Cranberry Wine Sauce
Rancho Zabaco Winery
Q
Duck confit in Zinfandel-Cascabel Chili Colorado on polenta squares topped with Cypress Grove goat cheese
Ravenswood
Central Market
Mussels with Chorizo and black beans
Ridge Vineyards
Manzanita Restaurant
Zinfandel Braised Pozzi Ranch Lamb with Picholine Olives and Baby Carrots
Robert Rue Vineyard
Flavor Bistro
“Sonoma County”
Rosenblum Cellars
Asena Restaurant
Stuffed Pork Loin
Saddleback Cellars
PlumpJack Cafe, San Francisco
Red onion tartlette, sherry syrup, Jamon Serrano
Seghesio Family Vineyards
Blaze and the Seghesio Pit Team
BBQ Ribs
St. Amant Winery
A Chef for You, Philadelphia
Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich and Chocolate Spring Mix Salad with Blue Cheese, Zin Raisins & Chocolate Vinaigrette
Starry Night Winery
Pazzo Restaurant, Petaluma
Stuffed Pitas with Grilled Marinated Lamb, Fresh Tomatoes, Feta Cheese Dill & Cucumber Sauce
Storybook Mountain Vineyards
STOMP Restaurant
Venison Loin with Savory Bread Pudding and Celery Root Slaw
Sunset Cellars
Firmenich, Inc.
New Jersey State Championship Chili
Teira Wines
Annabelle's Bar & Bistro
Beef tartare crouton with sea salt, chicory and saba dressing
Trentadue Winery
Stella's Cafe, Sebastopol
Cold Smoked Duck Breast with Zinfandel Charmoula Sauce
Trinitas Cellars
The Meritage Resort at Napa – Siena
Braised Tamarind-Glazed Lamb with Napa style coleslaw and jalapeno cornbread
Turley Wine Cellars
North Main BBQ, Euless, TX
Peppered BBQ Suckling Piglet
Wente Family Estates
The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards
Applewood-Smoked Niman Ranch Pork Zinfandel Marinated and Pastrami Spiced with Persimmon Slaw
XYZin
Forbes Mill Steakhouse
Kobe Beef Skewers
Z-52
ZinsValley Restaurant
Curried Chicken Sausage and Flatbread with Apple-Raisin Chutney
---------------3-------------
On January 26 an Evening with the Winemakers Benefit Auction and Dinner:
The evening drew 200 people to The Fairmont Hotel for an elaborate evening which began with a walk around tasting/reception--The reception highlighted the 2005 Heritage Vineyard!
After the walk around tasting/reception followed by the auction and then dinner.
Zinfandel (made by Bill Knuttel of Dry Creek Vineyard). The auction catalogue can be found by–(left clicking here).
The event raised more than $80,000 for The Heritage Vineyard Projects!
Auction lots included a Nebuchadnezzar (15 L) of the 2005 Heritage Vineyard Zinfandel, a collection of old vine Zinfandels, elaborate visits based at wineries in Paso Robles, Napa, the Sierra foothills, Sonoma and Mendocino; lodging and accoutrements in Mexico, Las Vegas and the Caribbean; a cruise and dinner with Zinfandel winemakers on San Francisco Bay; apaella party and paella-making class, a taco truck fiesta.
---------------4-------------
An estimated 9,000 people attended the 16th Anniversary Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Tasting on January 27th at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. 273 Zinfandel wineries poured at least one wine each, with a total field of wines available to taste approaching 550; the wines were primarily the 2004 vintage and barrel samples of the 2005. The 273 wineries at the 2007 ZAP Tasting, (of which 36 wineries were new to ZAP this year), are listed below:
Abundance Vineyards
Accademia dei Racemi
Acorn Winery/Alegria Vineyards
Adelaida Cellars
Adobe Road Wines
Alderbrook Winery
Alex Sotelo Cellars
Alexander Valley Vineyards
Amphora Winery
Arente Family Winery
Artezin
Atelier Winery
August Briggs Wines
Ballentine Vineyards
Barclay & Browning Wines
Barefoot Cellars
Bargetto Winery
Barra of Mendocino
Bartholomew Park Winery
Beaulieu Vineyard
Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves
Benessere
Benson Ferry Vineyards
Blue Moon Marketing
Bluenose Wines
Boeger Winery
Bogle Winery
Bonneau Wines
Borra Vineyards
Bourassa Vineyards
Brochelle Vineyards
Brown Estate Vineyards
Brutocao Cellars
Bucklin
Bugay Wines & Vineyards
C.G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery
Cakebread Cellars
Calcareous Vineyard
Calistoga Cellars
Cardinal Zin
Carlisle Winery
Carol Shelton Wines
Cartlidge & Browne Winery
Cedarville Vineyard
Charles Spinetta Winery
Charter Oak Winery
Chase Family Cellars
Chateau Montelena Winery
Chateau Potelle Winery
Chateau Souverain
Chatom Vineyards
Chiarello Family Vineyards
Claudia Springs Winery
Clay Station
Cline Cellars
Clos du Bois Wines
Clos du Lac Cellars
Clos LaChance Winery
Cloud 9 Winery
Collier Falls Vineyard
Cosentino Winery
Coturri Winery
CrauforD Wine Company
Crushpad
Curtis & David Wines
Dashe Cellars
Davis Family Fineyards
D-Cubed Cellars
Deer Ridge Vineyards
DeLoach Vineyards
DePaola Vineyard
Deux Amis Wines
Dogwood Cellars
Don Sebastiani & Sons
Dono dal Cielo
Dover Canyon Winery & Vineyard
Downing Family Vineyards
Dry Creek Vineyard
Dynamite Vineyards
Easton Wines
Eberle Winery
Edmeades
Elyse Winery
EOS Estate Winery
Esterlina Vineyards
F. Teldeschi Winery
Falcor Wine Cellar
Fife Vineyards
Four Vines Winery
Frank Family Vineyards
Fritz Winery
Gallo Family Vineyards
Gamba Vineyards & Winery
GiaDomella
Girard Winery
Gnarly Head Cellars
Graeser Winery
Gravity Hills
Graziano Family of Wines
Grey Wolf Cellars
Grgich Hills Estate
Guglielmo Winery
HaGafen Cellars
Handley Cellars
Hartford Family Wines
Harvest Moon Estate & Winery
Hawley Wines
Haywood Estate
Hendry
Homefire Cellars
Hook and Ladder Winery
Howell Mountain Vineyards
Hunt Cellars
Inspiration Vineyards & Winery
J. Benton Furrow Winery
Javelina Leap Vineyard & Winery
Jeff Runquist Wines
Jessie’s Grove Winery
John Tyler
JR Wines
Jus Soli Winery
Karly Wines
Kenwood Vineyards/Heck Estates
Klinker Brick Winery
Kokomo Wines
Kuleto Estate Family Vineyards
Kunde Estate Winery
Lake Sonoma Winery/Heck Estates
Lambert Bridge Winery
Lang Wines
Lava Cap Winery
Ledson Winery & Vineyards
Limerick Lane Cellars
Lolonis Winery
Loxton Cellars
m2wines
Macauley Vineyad & Winery
Macchia
Magito Wines
Mantra Wines
Manzanita Creek/Salerno Healdsburg Estate Winery
Mara Winery
Marcucci Farms
Mariah Vineyards
Marr Cellars
Martin Family Vineyards
Mauritson Family Winery
Mazzocco Winery
McNab Ridge Winery
Medusa Wines
Meeker Vineyard
Michael-David Vineyards
Milliaire Winery
Minassian-Young Vineyards
Mitchell Katz Winery
Montevina Winery/Trinchero Family Estates
Moss Creek Winery
Mt. Aukum Winery
Mountain View Vintners
Murphy-Goode
Mutt Lynch Winery
Napa Wine Company
Neese Vineyards
Nichelini Winery
Norman Vineyards
Oak Ridge Winery
Opolo Vineyards
Orchid Hill Vineyard
Orfila Vineyards
OTTIMINO
Outpost Estate Wines
Papapietro Perry
Paradise Ridge Winery
Peachy Canyon Winery
Pedroncelli Winery
Peju Province Winery
Pellegrini Family Vineyards
Pena Ridge Wines/Piccetti Family Vineyards
Perry Creek Vineyards
Pezzi King Vineyards
Puccioni Vineyards
Quivira Estate Vineyards & Winery
R&B Cellars
Rancho Arroyo Grande Winery & Vineyards
Rancho Zabaco Winery
Ravenswood
Ravenswood Quarry
Renwood Winery
RHR
Ridge Lytton Springs
Ridge Vineyards
Robert Biale Vineyards
Robert Rue Vineyard
Rodney Strong Vineyards
Rombauer Vineyards
Rosenblum Cellars
Roshambo Winery
Rotta Winery
Rubicon Estate
Rued Wines
Rusina Wines
Russian River Vineyards/Topolos
Saddleback Cellars
Santino Wines
Sapphire Hill Vineyards & Winery
Saucelito Canyon Vineyard
Sausal Winery
Saxon Brown Wines
Schrader Cellars
Scott Harvey Wines
Sebastiani Vineyards
Seghesio Family Vineyards
Selby Winery
Sextant Wines
Sharp Cellars
SideJob Cellars
Silver Stone Wines
Simi
Sobon Estate
Solaris
Spelletich Cellars
St. Amant Winery
St. Francis Winery & Vineyard
Starlite Vineyards
Starry Night Winery
Steele Wines
Sterling Vintner’s Collection from Sterling Vineyards
Stonehedge Winery
Storrs Winery
Storybook Mountain Vineyards
Stryker Sonoma
Sunce
Sunset Cellars
Talty Vineyards & Winery
Talus Collection
Teira Wines
The Terraces
Thurow Vineyards
Tin Barn Vineyards
Topfanelli Family Vineyard
Toucan Wines
Trecini Cellars
Trentadue Winery
Tres Sabores
Trinitas Cellars
Truchard Vineyards
Trust Winery
Turley Wine Cellars
Twisted
Unti Vineyards
V. Sattui Winery
Valdez Family Winery
Valley of the Moon Winery/Heck Estates
Van Ruiten Family Winery
Venge Vineyards
Viano Winery & Vineyards
Villa Mt. Eden
Vina Robles Winery
Vino Con Brio
Vino Noceto
Volante Vineyards
Watts Winery
Wente Family Estates
Wilson Winery & Vineyards
Woodenhead
XYZin
Z-52
Zefina Winery
Zenaida Cellars
Zig Zag Zin
ZinAlley Winery & Vineyards
Zingaro
Zoom Wines.
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In 2008 the 17th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Festival will take place January 23-26, 2008. Stay tuned at www.zinfandel.org for more detail.
ZAP wineries will be staging tastings for the trade and consumers May 7-12 in Scottsdale, Austin and Minneapolis. Check www.zinfandel.org for more details.
ZAP commissioned extensive research about Zinfandel consumption and production in 2006: details are at www.zinfandel.org/pressroom.
Visit www.zinfandel.org to join ZAP, research Zinfandel and more! The Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) is a non-profit, educational 501(c)(3) organization. ZAP is dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history. Winegrowers, winemakers and wine enthusiasts combine to form the membership. The common focus is the preservation and recognition of Zinfandel as America’s heritage wine. ZAP’s membership includes approximately 300 winery-members, 6,000 advocate-members and 50 associate members.
Press release; “ESTIMATED 9,000 PEOPLE CELEBRATE ZAP’S 16TH TASTING/FESTIVAL,” ZAP, Rough & Ready CA, January 30, 2007
2007 AVENUE VINE, ZAP FESTIVAL AD BANNER:
2007 AVENUE VINE, ZAP FESTIVAL VERTICAL AD:
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Sonoma County Vintners Partner With Visa Signature Card
A Partnership to Bolster Visa Signature Epicurean Offering with Exclusive...
Visa USA and Sonoma County Vintners today announced an agreement that gives Visa Signature cardholders special benefits at Sonoma County Vintner member wineries and access to exclusive wine and food events nationwide. The relationship also makes Visa Signature the presenting sponsor of Sonoma County Showcase of Wine & Food, one of the country's premier wine and food festivals.
"Our relationship with Sonoma County Vintners is just one example of how Visa Signature delivers card benefits in alignment with cardholders' interests," said Jim McCarthy, senior vice president, Visa USA. "Visa Signature cardholders have an appetite for unique epicurean experiences, and we are pleased to offer them opportunities to taste the best food and wine in the wine country."
"This innovative collaboration matches a large, affluent audience with the benefits they're looking for: exclusive access to the unparalleled quality and diversity of Sonoma County wine and the entire wine country lifestyle experience," said Honore Comfort, executive director, Sonoma County Vintners.
Year-round Visa Signature cardholder benefits with Sonoma County Vintners include "Show Your Card" perks at participating member wineries: ranging from complimentary wine tastings to discounts on wine purchases; custom-designed "Signature Sonoma" Access events at winery locations exclusively for Visa Signature cardholders; and the "Signature Sonoma Winemaker Dinner" program, held throughout the year at select restaurants in key Visa Signature markets. As the Presenting Sponsor of the Sonoma County Showcase of Wine & Food, Visa Signature will also feature prominently in all event marketing and promotional materials, and special offers and events will be created for Visa Signature cardholders.
While providing special benefits to Visa Signature cardholders, the program also offers Sonoma County Vintner member wineries valuable brand exposure with an active and affluent Visa Signature consumer base.
From benefits that save time, to benefits that safeguard purchases, Visa Signature helps cardholders get the most out of life. In addition to a choice of numerous airline, hotel and other premium reward partners, cardholders enjoy access to round-the-clock complimentary concierge services through the Visa Signature Concierge, exclusive reservations at the hottest restaurants, as well as premium merchant offers and access to exclusive events like the Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl, or the Tony Awards. Since the Visa Signature card is accepted at millions of merchants worldwide, cardholders have even more opportunities to make their Signature wishes come true.
For additional information about Visa Signature Sonoma County Vintners packages, and other offers from Visa Signature, please visit www.visa.com/signature.
About Visa:
Visa USA is the nation's leading payment brand and largest payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumers and business customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives tailored to meet their evolving needs. Visa USA is committed to increasing the choice, convenience, acceptance and security of Visa payments for all stakeholders in the payment system - members, cardholders and merchants. Through its 13,369 member financial institutions, more than 500 million Visa-branded cards have been issued to cardholders in the United States. Worldwide, cardholders in more than 150 countries carry more than 1 billion Visa-branded cards, accounting for more than $3 trillion in annual transaction volume. VisaNet, Visa's global processing system and the world's largest financial network, processes transactions with unparalleled reliability. Visa offers a trusted, reliable and convenient way to access and mobilize financial resources - anytime, anywhere, anyway.
About Sonoma County Vintners:
Sonoma County Vintners is the leading voice of Sonoma County wine, dedicated to increasing awareness and improving the quality image of its wines to consumers, media, and trade locally and globally. With almost 65,000 vineyard acres planted among the county's 13 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), Sonoma County is considered one of the world's premier winegrowing regions, producing an unparalleled range of varietals and wine styles. SCV has promoted this diversity and quality since 1944, and currently represents more than 150 member wineries. For more information on the wines and wineries of Sonoma County, visit www.sonomawine.com.
Source: Press Release; “VISA SIGNATURE PARTNERS WITH SONOMA COUNTY VINTNERS TO OFFER CARDHOLDERS THE BEST IN WINE AND FOOD,” San Francisco, CA--January 30, 2007
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New Web Site, American Winery
Lloyd Benedict, of Walla Walla, Washington, has launched a new website that aims to give American wine consumers information direct from American wineries. The goal is to build a premier online destination for American wine. This destination would be a single location at which both consumers and wineries could gather.
AmericanWinery.com (www.americanwinery.com) users can rate wine, review wines, create an online cellar and wish list. Users also have access to a growing database of wine related articles and wine-paired recipes. In addition, they can search and find American wine and wineries, and American wine related news. Wineries will be able to sign up and launch their online virtual tasting room next week. This will enable wineries to freely provide detailed information about all current and past releases, revise and update information about the winery as well as add images. This service is free of charge.
American Wine Website: www.americanwinery.com
Posted by fortna at 10:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 29, 2007
The 2007 Global Warming Threat Strike Fear In Winemakers
Winemakers around the world are voicing their concerns following predictions that 2007 is set to be the warmest year on record, along with a potential recurrence of the El Niño phenomenon.
“It is imperative that we begin to address the issue of global warming by defining and implementing long-term solutions,” Opus One winemaker Michael Silacci, said. “We need to do this before we see the equivalent of shrinking snowcap on Mt. Kilimanjaro in our vineyards.”
Frank Mitolo, of Mitolo Wines in Australia's McLaren Vale, describes the situation as, “one of the scariest periods in history in terms of weather patterns and the impact on our agriculture.”
“It is quite a wake-up call to anyone believing that global warming isn't their concern,” said Mitolo. “Even if it's not on your doorstep, at the very least it's still going to tiptoe up and make itself felt on your supermarket shopping bill.”
Meanwhile, winemakers along the eastern Pacific Rim, including those in Chile and California, are bracing themselves for the rains and unstable weather patterns caused by the unusually warm oceanic currents of El Niño, an ocean-atmosphere phenomenon causing major temperature and rainfall fluctuations.
Winemaking consultant Paul Hobbs, who works in both California and Chile, is more worried about El Niño than global warming.
“My greatest concern is El Nino and the added precipitation and instability it can bring,” he said. “Strong El Nino years are usually problematic vintages (because of the rain) and also because they tend to be cooler.”
TJ Evans of the Chilean Córpora group said that El Nino combined with high temperatures would be a “grim scenario” needing careful planning in the vineyard to avoid high-alcohol, sweet or defective wines.
Though global warming is causing widespread concern in the global winemaking community, many urge caution.
“The ability of scientists to predict changes in the weather (albeit much better than before) is still not that impressive,” said Professor Dr Ron Jackson. “There are still too many unknown or poorly understood variables in global warming equations to permit precision in any predictions.”
“My personal feeling is that the effects [of global warming] on wine will be more indirect than direct - by disrupting agriculture in the poorer countries, with resulting consequences on world trade and economy.”
Nonetheless, Francisco Baettig, of Chilean winery Errázuriz, urges a wider engagement with the issue.
“For me [global warming] is a very big issue,” he said. “The effects are showing that the problem is real and that it will affect agriculture, wine production included, as well as people's way of life. We should all take this thing seriously.”
Source: “Winemakers fear 2007 global warming threat,” Peter Richards, Decanter, January 29, 2007
Note: For further information on “Global Warming” just copy what’s in the QUOTES and paste it in the search box on the right hand side of the front page–you’ll get, to date, 30 articles on the subject...
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Allied Grape Growers Releases Most Recent "Allied Press"
Know your potential:
In our last “Allied Press” newsletter, we discussed the fact that the average California winegrape vineyard yield will increase in the future from the levels of the past. This is mostly due to the fact
that well over half of the winegrape vineyards in California are no more than a dozen years old.
Our average yields have been calculated based on bearing acres, but many of those acres were only in their first few years of production, and by definition, not at their full yield potential. In addition to the fact that these vines were establishing themselves as fully productive mature vines, our farming has been improving. This has the potential to create higher yields as well, while maintaining quality (at least that is the goal). Annually, Allied Grape Growers evaluates winegrape yields in an effort to better understand the supply situation in California.
For complete ".PDF" file --(left click here)
You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view the ".PDF" file above.
Click here for the latest version.
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Rumor Has It Howard Stern is Buying a Long Island Winery
Picked this up off LENNDEVOURS this morning–Lenn speculates?...:
Should we be looking for H. Stern Cellars or Chateau Stern to open in Long Island wine country?
I have no idea. This isn't based on a single thread of news or even rumor.
But, Howard Stern, the only person on the radio worth listening to, not only loves wine, but is a Long Island native who is building a mansion on the East End.
Oh, and he also has plenty of money with that big Sirius contract.
With wineries like Sherwood House Vineyards, Castello di Borghese and Galluccio Family Wineries for sale--all under $10 million--Howard can probably buy one with the change in his couch.
Just think of the marketing and promotion opportunities. He's got a huge group of loyal fans who I'm sure would plunk down $20 for a bottle of:
Bababooey Bordeaux Blend
Whack Pack Pinot
Stripper Syrah
Eric the Midget Merlot
Crazy Cabbie Cabernet Sauvignon
Sioban (pronounced Chevon for non-fans) Chardonnay
Source: “Howard Stern to Buy a Long Island Winery?,” Lenn Thompson, LENNDEVOURS, January 29, 2007
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New Grey Goose Pear Hits Markets
Grey Goose, the fastest-growing spirits brand in the U.S., has unveiled Grey Goose La Poire, its fourth flavored extension and the first since 2003’s introduction of La Vanille. The new offering, hitting shelves in February, bills itself as the first super-premium pear-flavored vodka in the U.S. market.
“This is another example of the efforts being made by Grey Goose vodka and flavored vodkas to remain at the forefront of cocktail culture by providing quality offerings,” said Monsell Darville, vice president and group director of Grey Goose vodkas. “In a cluttered flavored vodka market, La Poire provides bartenders, chefs and consumers with an entirely new flavor category to experiment with and create new and exciting recipes.”
Grey Goose La Poire will be packaged in frosted glass bottles, with a clear window in the shape of a goose silhouette that reveals ripening pears and an arrangement of pear blossoms and will be available in 750-ml and 1L sizes. In support of the launch, Grey Goose has created a signature cocktail for La Poire—The Peartini—which is available on the GreyGoose.com Web site.
The Grey Goose portfolio, owned by Bacardi, includes Grey Goose L’Orange, Grey Goose Le Citron and Grey Goose Le Vanille. Last year the popular vodka brand sold 2.7 million cases in the U.S.—including flavors—posting 28.2% growth.
Source: “Grey Goose Unveils Pear Extension,” Paula Pou, Wine Spectator, January 29, 2007
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January 28, 2007
Canadian Tax Break Sparks Fury to European Union Challenge
Bulk Wine Backlash? Puritanical Legislation? Local Grape ‘Guardianism?’
Canadian vintners are fuming over the European Union's decision to challenge a small tax break they're getting for wine they make from purely Canadian grapes.
"I am shocked that countries like France apparently aren't satisfied with Europe owning 50 percent of our market," said Ed Madronich, owner of Flat Rock Cellars in the Niagara region.
George Heiss, owner of Gray Monk Cellars in Kelowna, British Columbia, suggested a boycott of European Union wines might be in order. "Canadians need to let the European Union know that they won't stand for such bullying tactics," he said. "The public can certainly send a message with their purchasing decisions in provincial liquor stores."
The European Union filed a formal challenge with the World Trade Organization last week. Some of Europe's largest wine producers, led by France, urged the European Union commission to act. Mariann Fischer Boel, the European Union's commissioner for agriculture and rural development, said the exemption discriminates against European products by preventing them from enjoying a level playing field within the Canadian market.
Dan Paszkowski, president of the Canadian Vintners Association, regards the situation very differently. "This is simply a matter of greed on the part of some of Europe's largest wineries who aren't satisfied with 50 percent of the market in Canada and want to jeopardize the future of our small and mid-sized wineries," he said.
All of the controversy began last summer when the Canadian government announced it would increase the excise tax for larger Canadian wineries on wines that included some imported grapes, but give smaller wineries a break on wine they produced from 100-percent Canadian grapes.
The exemption per liter of 100-percent Canadian wine totals about CAN$10 million in tax breaks annually. It works out to most of Canada's 250 producers getting $10,000 to $15,000 based on their small production volumes.
"Most wine-producing countries do not charge excise tax, and both the United States and Australia provide rebates to their smaller producers," notes Paszkowski. "Yet the heavily subsidized European Union has chosen to focus exclusively on Canada."
The European Union's challenge further bewilders Canadian vintners since the exemption applies to only about five percent of domestic retail sales in Canada - half of which doesn't even compete with imports for shelf space because this wine is sold at the wineries. "This further means that 95 percent of Canadian wine retail sales face exactly the same tax system as wines exported to Canada by European Union countries," Paszkowski emphasizes.
It's the precedent being set that's dangerous, according to European Union officials.
"Our primary concern is to address an issue of principle, namely to avoid distortions of international trade," stated Dorian Prince, ambassador and head of delegation of the European Commission to Canada.
While Canadian vintners insist the tax advantage is too small for the European Union to squabble over, they maintain it's essential for small- and medium-size Canadian estate wineries to invest in employee training, new technologies, or vineyard improvements they might not otherwise be able to afford because of the small scale of their operations.
So Canada is ready to compare its small assistance with European initiatives.
"The Europeans provide more than $US 2 billion in grape and wine subsidies which ultimately assist European products in entering export markets and giving them the ability to do so at a competitive price," Paszkowski said. "When our country provides minimal assistance to a very small portion of our industry, the European Union
suddenly claims it's unfair."
So the CVA, British Columbia Wine Institute, and others within the Canadian wine industry are pointing to the US$120-million program that France announced in 2005 to help its wine industry deal with an oversupply. They're also noting the European Union agricultural subsidies available to Europe's wine-producing countries to restructure, replant or convert vineyards. The program is estimated to have been worth US$1 billion in 2004/05 alone.
If consultations now taking place fail to resolve the matter, the European Union will likely ask the WTO to set up a panel to rule on whether the Canadian tax break is legal.
Source: “EU challenge to Canadian Tax Break Sparks Fury,” Julie Gedeon, Daily News Links, January 28, 2007
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Blake Gray, Catches Rex Pickett 'Sideways' Slurping
Imagine if Miles from "Sideways" actually sold his novel, then became famous and beloved by the entire Santa Barbara County winemaking community.
That's the reality for Rex Pickett, 54, who wrote the novel that became the film that switched Middle America's wine-by-the-glass preference from Merlot to Pinot Noir.
The novel, and the 2004 film, are surprisingly close to autobiographical. When he wrote it in 1998, Pickett was a lonely, divorced, down-on-his-luck screenwriter whose failures were almost comical.
Pickett wrote and directed the bleak 1984 film "California Without End," which sold only to German television. His follow-up, "From Hollywood to Deadwood," which he also wrote and directed, was released in 1989 into obscurity.
His agent had just died of AIDS without finding a taker for Pickett's previous novel. Pickett was living with a roommate and he was broke, so he decided to write a fictional version of his own existence.
Director Alexander Payne read an unpublished proof on an airplane and turned "Sideways" into cinematic and wine-industry history. We asked Pickett about how success has changed his wine drinking, whether he'll ever write a "Sideways" sequel, and why he drank from a spit bucket.
Q: What got you interested in wine?
A: I always drank wine. I didn't really know what I was drinking when I was married. I had gone to Napa and Sonoma but I didn't really know what I was tasting. There was a wine shop called Epicurious in my neighborhood. They had tastings for $4. I'd kind of gone into the Dixie Dumpster as a writer. Like Miles. I couldn't afford wines then. I was very isolated. I didn't have a lot of friends. I was really broke. The main salesperson there, Julian, he's in the book's dedication. Julian would call me and say, "Rex, we've got a bunch of bottles open." I'd come over. It gave me the opportunity to try a lot of wine.
Q: How did the tastings change you?
A: I didn't really approach it critically. I wanted to be part of a crowd. There was an elitism, a snobbery. It was a small group and always the same group. They were talking intellectually. I felt a little vinously challenged. I don't like to be put down. I felt the desire to learn more about the different varieties. I started reading about wine. The more I read, the more I became fascinated by wine. It's one of the things I like most about wine -- it's endless.
Q: What first attracted you to Santa Barbara County wine?
A: I initially went up to Santa Ynez Valley to play golf. Then I discovered the wineries up there. I'd go up there and think, "This is beautiful, being in wine country." People don't talk about being in Tequila country or Sierra Nevada (beer) country. I decided I'm going to make this my area of expertise -- Santa Barbara County wines. I couldn't afford Burgundies. A lot of these people at Epicurious were doctors and lawyers. They had cellars. They'd talk about their Screaming Eagles or whatever. I didn't have a cellar. I had to pick wines I could afford.
Q: What drew you to Pinot Noir?
A: Julian at Epicurious once said, "Let's have an impromptu Pinot tasting." He just started opening up bottles. It seemed like Pinot varied more from bottle to bottle. There was a consistency to other varieties that there wasn't to Pinots. Then I started to read about it -- how it's the most difficult grape in the world. I just genuinely like that grape variety more than any other. And it just so happened that Santa Barbara County was making it. I hyperbolized how great the Pinot was there. But I was ahead of my time. When I wrote the book, people hadn't really planted west of the 101 (freeway). That's where a lot of the great Pinot vineyards are now, Sea Smoke and some others. I don't think Santa Barbara Pinot was great in the mid-'90s. But it's come a long way in 10 years.
Q: How popular are you now in Santa Barbara County?
A: They love me up there. If your wine was in the movie, it sold out. Fess Parker, we trash his wines. And he still made out like a bandit.
Q: What did you drink last night with dinner?
A: Last night I had nothing. I've been going light on the grape the last few months because I'm really trying to focus on the novel. I turned down an Anthony Bourdain-type TV show where I was going to go into different wine regions and comment on the wines. I did a few wine shows down here and I got in front of a crowd and I was pretty funny. A producer said, "Let's take this on the road." I had to ask, "Am I going to be an Anthony Bourdain character or am I going to be a novelist?"
Q. Is the next novel a "Sideways" sequel?
A: A lot of people would love to see the Jack and Miles characters again. My agents didn't want me to go in that direction, but I might be leaning that way. If I do, I'm going to reverse them. Miles is like me. In '98, when I wrote this, I had process servers at my door. What if Miles is a novelist and a success? What if Jack is divorced and a failure?
Q: Do you ever drink Merlot?
A: Sure. I did a dinner with Dan Duckhorn in Manhattan Beach (Los Angeles County) and he gave me a hard time, but it was all good fun. That one line ("I'm not drinking any f -- Merlot") in the movie cost Merlot producers millions of dollars. It became anti-hip to order Merlot. Your date was going to leave you for even ordering it. Merlot wouldn't be the first wine I'd reach for. Merlot deserves its reputation because you can make bad wine cheaply from it. But I've had a couple Duckhorns that I thought were outstanding wines. It's a rounder wine, but it's great if it's done well.
Q: How many wines are in your cellar?
A: I have no cellar. I don't have any wine here. Alexander Payne has a wine locker. I could do it; I've got the wallet to do it. But a lot of people sit on wines and they wait too long. I'm the other way around. I've found more disappointment in older wines than I've found ethereal experiences. I'm likely to throw a party and drink everything I have.
Q: What was the first great wine you remember having?
A: I went to Europe when I was 17 years old. I came back and I loved wine, but I wasn't old enough to buy it. I'd go to this liquor store, and they had the 1967 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet. They were only $5 a bottle. But I couldn't buy them. I'd put them under my raincoat. They were amazing.
Q: If you were on Death Row and the warden allowed you one glass of wine, what would it be?
A: Part of me wants to say the Henri Jayer Richebourg. I rhapsodize about it in the book and they put it in the movie. I've never had that wine. I'd like to try it.
Q: How much is too much for a bottle of wine?
A: I'm not opposed to spending $50 for a bottle of wine. My upper level is about $100. I'm not rich. But I don't pay alimony. I don't have children. I live in a rent-control house in Santa Monica. Santa Barbara County Pinots run $30 to $100. I can afford that.
Q: Why did you drink from a spit bucket?
A: I was at Epicurious. It was a special tasting upstairs. It was high-end Cab. They weren't really spitting, they were dumping. Maybe a few had spit. You've got to understand, I was broke back then. I thought, "Wait a minute, there's a lot of good Cab in there." I picked it up and drank from it. They talked about that for months. I knew it had to go into the novel.
Q: So how did it taste?
A: I admit, I was a little drunk at this point. I think I said something like, "This is a great Meritage." Honestly, it's a true story. But I didn't guzzle from it. Let's get that straight.
Source: “Rex Pickett Spilling on 'Sideways',” W. Blake Gray, San Francisco Chronicle, January 28, 2007
Sedeways - $11.58, Amazon
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January 27, 2007
Wine Glut Vanishes As Industry Heads Calibrate
The nation has nearly drunk its way out of a six-year wine glut.
Whether that's good news or not depends, of course, on whether one is in the business of making wine or consuming it.
For the 10,000 U.S. wine business players who converged last week in Sacramento for the annual Unified Wine and Grape Symposium, the waning glut should mean some reprieve from years of low prices and slim profit margins.
"We're emerging from excess," said bulk wine broker Bill Turrentine, speaking during a panel discussion on the state of the wine business Wednesday morning.
The three-day convention, which ends today, draws representatives from many of the nation's 5,000 wineries, as well as from the vast array of affiliated businesses that fuel the country's $162 billion wine-related economy. Booths displaying hundreds of wine-related products -- from robotic pruning machines to automatic barrel-washers -- fill the Sacramento Convention Center's exhibition hall, and discussion sessions about the latest wine issues spill over into nearby hotels.
The shrinking surplus marks a recovery from a wave of vineyard overplanting in the late 1990s, Turrentine told a full house in the 1,300-seat ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento. That overplanting was driven by the era's scarce wine supplies and high prices -- as well as the excess cash and general exuberance that accompanied the Internet bubble. Since then, many vineyards have been ripped out, and consumption has risen steadily, drawing down the surplus.
For U.S. consumers, who bought a record 300 million cases of wine in 2006, the tightening supply signals a likely increase in prices -- but not necessarily a very steep one.
That's because the last few years also have seen a dramatic globalization of the U.S. wine market. Foreign wines, especially lower-priced brands from Australia and Chile, now make up a record 29.4 percent of the market, and that competition is not expected to go away.
In addition, the world's leading wine producers, France and Italy, face plummeting sales at home. That has led to an oversupply so grave that a great deal of French wine was used to make ethanol last year.
The increasingly competitive landscape has meant that wineries have had to innovate and develop products for every market niche. U.S. consumers now have 100,000 choices when buying wine, ranging from the type of wine to the size of the bottle or box that it comes in, said consultant and market analyst Jon Fredrikson, with Woodside-based Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates.
Fredrikson, whose read on the wine market carries an almost Alan Greenspan-esque authority, was the final speaker at Wednesday morning's keynote session. He opened his address by strolling through the aisles of the Hyatt ballroom, a wireless microphone clipped to his lapel.
"There are no one-liners in the wine business," he began as a way of explaining the complexity of the industry.
On the whole, Fredrikson's take on the U.S. wine industry is bullish. As wine becomes increasingly mainstream, and as new health benefits continue to be announced, he sees a continued growth in overall U.S. sales.
As a rule, the more expensive the wine, the more popular it is: Sales of bottles over $15 rose 27 percent last year.
But Fredrickson sees pockets of trouble, too.
So-called "extreme value" wines -- those less than $3 -- are struggling. Supermarket sales in that category fell 3 percent last year, while sales at virtually all other price levels rose.
Many farmers who grow the low-end grapes used to make those wines are ripping out their vineyards to plant almonds or other crops, said Nat DiBuduo, president of Fresno-based Allied Grape Growers.
"The bulldozers are working in Fresno and Madera counties," he said. Growers have taken out 10,000 acres (of a state wine-grape total of about 480,000 acres) since fall, DiBuduo said.
Fredrikson also praised several of the nation's more dynamic and successful labels, including Bogle Vineyards in Clarksburg.
Independently owned Bogle is now the 19th largest winery in the country, according to Wine Business Monthly, and it's growing fast.
In an interview after his address, Fredrikson called Bogle's achievement an example of developing a line of excellent yet moderately priced wines from grapes grown in a non-marquee region.
"It's like they do it with mirrors," he said.
Source: “Wine industry lifts glasses to vanishing glut,” Jim Downing, Sacramento Bee, January 27, 2007
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More About Bottle Label Warnings, Containing Allergens
Vintners have been using byproducts from milk, eggs, wheat and even fish guts in the wine making processes for centuries.
Grapes, milk, fish guts: Vintners may have to label allergens
But a new federal proposal could require American wineries to disclose such unsavory items - used as "fining" agents to remove grit - as ingredients. The proposal, which could be passed by the end of the year, would require companies to redesign the labels on every bottle to protect people who are allergic to certain foods.
Executives at Sonoma and Napa county wineries and their trade groups say few, if any, wine drinkers suffer allergic reactions from fining agents, which are nearly untraceable by the time consumers uncork or unscrew their bottles. They're rallying against the proposal, which they say would make even the biggest oenophiles turn up their noses.
"It's a solution in search of a problem," said Pete Downs, vice president of governmental affairs for Santa Rosa's Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates. "I kind of feel like its Shakespearean in nature. It's much ado about nothing."
Wine industry veterans say the labels could mislead consumers, leading them to believe wine contains milk or fish membranes. Vintners use a milk protein called casein and a substance derived from the inner membrane of the air bladders of sturgeon, called isinglass, to bind with yeast, bacteria and excess tannins that are naturally found in the winemaking process. Thanks to the binding agents, the larger molecules sink to the bottom of the barrel, leaving the wine above it clean.
"It's kind of like sweeping the wine," said Bill Nelson, president of the wine lobby Wine America.
The U.S. Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is expected to publish a final rule on the issue by late 2007. It has received comments from nearly four dozen consumers, trade groups and wine industry veterans.
The FDA adopted the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act in 2004. It requires labels on every food or drink that contains one of eight major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
The act came after Harvard University scientist Christine Rogers petitioned the government to add an allergen warning to alcoholic drinks. Rogers, who is allergic to eggs, said she would notice reactions whenever she tipped a glass of wine.
Food allergies affected 2 percent to 5 percent of children, send 30,000 people to emergency rooms every year, and kill 150 people annually, according to the FDA. Nine out of 10 allergies are from the eight major groups cited in the law.
Fremont resident Catharine Alvarez supports the proposal. Her 4-year-old son is allergic to eggs, and her 7-year-old daughter is allergic to peanuts.
"There are a lot of people I know who are willing to pay extra for products that they know to be safe," Alvarez said.
Source: “Grapes, milk, fish guts: Vintners may have to label allergens,” EXAMINER, SANTA ROSA, Calif.--January 27, 2007
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“New Bottle Label WARNING, Contains Allergies,” January 25, 2007
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