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Column: Love by the Glass
Two Stunners from Australia, With a Backstory
Everyone loves a good creation story. Will Berliner, owner and winemaker of Cloudburst, has a doozy. -
Young Guns of Napa
Julien Fayard
Trained in Bordeaux, where he worked for the esteemed First Growth Château Lafite-Rothschild, and in Provence, Fayard moved to Napa Valley in 2006. -
Feature
Settling on Scores: Hedges Family Estate and Wine Spectator
Christophe Hedges of Hedges Family Estate expresses his displeasure at publications scoring his wines. Harvey Steiman of Wine Spectator responds.
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Interview
Out in the Vineyard: Celebrating Wine and The LGBT Community
Mark Vogler of Out in the Vineyard, a Sonoma-based wine tourism company, talks about the LGBT community in the wine industry and wine country. Plus, his recommendations on where to eat, drink, and...
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Interview
Why Can a $15 Wine Taste Better Than a $50? Christy Canterbury MW Answers
Find out how you can get a chance to chat with Christy Canterbury MW and ask her why you might prefer a $15 wine over a $50 one. And more.
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Interview
Showing the Lemberger Love: Kiona Vineyards and Winery
If you haven't tried Lemberger from Washington State, you're missing out on one of the best pizza and BBQ wines! JJ Williams of Kiona Vineyards and Winery has the details on this grape.
Latest News
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News
Anti-Hail Rockets, ARELFA, and Burgundy
by Jameson Fink on 3/7/2014With hail decimating vineyards in Burgundy over the last decade-plus years, the region has formed a new association for the study and fight against atmospheric issues: AREFLA. Decanter has the details of Burgundy looking to go high-tech in the struggle against hail.
Anti-hail rockets (!) were considered, but deemed too expensive. And, as Philippe Garrey, from the Mercurey AOC explained, would not be a boon for the candidature of Burgundy's vineyards as a UNESCO site. What technology are they considering now? "Attention has now switched to ground generators that cause tiny particles of silver iodide or copper acetylacetone to rise to the clouds above, where they stop the formation of hail stones."
What do you think of these high-tech efforts to control the weather? Would the presence of these generators in the vineyards detract from the region aesthetically and/or environmentally? Or is it worth the expense and effort?
Attention has now switched to ground generators that cause tiny particles of silver iodide or copper acetylacetone to rise to the clouds above, where they stop the formation of hail stones.
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99
Attention has now switched to ground generators that cause tiny particles of silver iodide or copper acetylacetone to rise to the clouds above, where they stop the formation of hail stones.
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99
Attention has now switched to ground generators that cause tiny particles of silver iodide or copper acetylacetone to rise to the clouds above, where they stop the formation of hail stones.
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99ew regional association for the study and fight against atmospheric issues, or ARELFA f
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99association for the study and fight against atmospheric issues, or ARELFA
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99association for the study and fight against atmospheric issues, or ARELFA
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99ew regional association for the study and fight against atmospheric issues, or ARELFA fread more »
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99ew regional association for the study and fight against atmospheric issues, or ARELFA f
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99ew regional association for the study and fight against atmospheric issues, or ARELFA f
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99ew regional association for the study and fight against atmospheric issues, or ARELFA f
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99ew regional association for the study and fight against atmospheric issues, or ARELFA f
Read more at http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584893/burgundy-winemakers-go-hi-tech-in-fight-against-hail#bvHhvceSUiPBjP0W.99 -
News
Oil, Gold, S&P 500? Put Your Money in Wine
by Jameson Fink on 3/7/2014Is it time to divest from gold and oil? Take your money out of the stock market? It might be time to start thinking abut wine as an investment, especially if you can go long on Ornellaia. The Drinks Business has the details of a report commissioned by the Super Tuscan winery and put together by Liv-ex and Sotheby’s, claiming the wine ”...has proved itself more solid than all the main asset havens such as gold and commodities like oil, as well as the leading indexes, such as S&P 500 and FTSE 100.”
How do you feel about wine as an investment? Do you prefer to just drink it? Or are you intrigued by the opportunity? At least with wine, unlike gold or oil, you can always drink your investment.
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News
The Country Where They Drink 74 Liters of Wine Per Person A Year
by Jameson Fink on 3/7/2014Ok, which country leads the world in per-capita wine consumption? France? Nope. Italy? Getting closer.
The Wellington Daily News reports on a study conducted by California's Wine Institue, whose statistics show that it's actually the smaller (very small) countries that consume the most wine. Here are the top 3:
3. Andorra (46L/person)
2. Luxembourg (56L/person)
1. Vatican City (74L/person)
Factors that lead to Vatican City being number one? "Residents are overwhelmingly male, highly educated and tend to eat in large groups." It probably also doesn't hurt that the Vatican's supermarket (who wouldn't want to check that place out?) sells wine almost tax-free.
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Wake Up Call
Wine news March 7, 2014
by Christopher Barnes on 3/7/2014"And yet we feel forsaken, unheard, like Alice Feiring at a UC Davis Winemaking 101 course. " The Hosemaster gives The Wine Blogger's Prayer.
Vente-Privee.com to start wine flash sale site in UK, reports Harpers.co.uk.
The virtues of quality bulk wine in Punch.
Forbes.com on the West Sonoma Coast.
David White sparks a Robert Parker Jr. controversy - check out the comments. Dr. Vino adds his take.
Ornellaia claims to be a more solid investment than oil and gold, reports The Drinks Business. Riedel releases a horse sipping decanter, also The Drinks Business.
Luxury magnet Francois Pinault buys on Bordeaux's right bank reports Winesearcher.
Decanter has awarded Jean-Pierre and Francois Perrin of Chateau Beaucastel the Decanter Men of the Year accolade for 2014.
Five to six percent of wine is corked, Houston Press examines.
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News
A Dragon-Themed Instant Wine Cellar
by Jameson Fink on 3/6/2014Themed lots are becoming more and more popular, and Christie's is betting on sets to be auctioned off in Hong Kong to be particularly attractive to Chinese buyers. The auction house's “Fine and Rare Wines” sale, taking place March 21st, centers on lots with names like “Dragon,” “Phoenix,” and “Qilin” (a mythical hoofed creature).
So how much does Christie's expect to get from the top lot, named after the dragon, "the most auspicious creature in Chinese culture"? And what wines up for auction from 1959 and 1990 pair best with Teochew beef balls and Dezhou braised chicken, respectively?
Find out the answers on Jing Daily.
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News
Saint-Émilion: Parking Lots, Patronage, and Profit in Bordeaux
by Jameson Fink on 3/6/2014Isabelle Saporta, a French journalist who has recently published a book called Vino Business has some harsh words for those in control of the powerful chateaux in the storied Bordeaux wine region of Saint-Émilion. She claims, as reported in The Drinks Business, the quality and taste of a wine counts for less than a third of its judgement for top Grand Cru Classé designations. So what makes up the the rest? "Surreal criteria" that include "...the size of the visitor car park, the comfort of the conference rooms and the overall architecture."
Daily Mail has a retort from Director of the Council of Saint-Émilion Wines Franck Binard. He calls the book "excessive and hollow."
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News
High School Terroir
by Jameson Fink on 3/6/2014Cafeteria? Check. Football field? Check. Vineyard? Uh, check? Thanks to a grant from the California Department of Education, the Middletown Mustangs of Middletown, CA will now have their own four-acre vineyard. Lake County News has the details. According to Principal Bill Roderick, learning about grape growing will provide job training, and even help students master a few subjects: "What the kids will learn is there is a whole batch of math and science before grapes are ever turned into wine." There's still plenty of planting to do, and no word yet on what grapes they hope to grow at Middletown (Estate?). Also, where will the grapes go to be made into wine, and will provisions be made for the students to be involved in the making and tasting process? Stay tuned.
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Wake Up Call
Wine news March 6, 2014
by Christopher Barnes on 3/6/2014Rebel, bearded, French Biodynamic winemaker fights the appellation system reports Winesearcher.
Red grape chemical to aid muscle disease reports The Drinks Business.
Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars wins lifetime achievement award, reports Wines and Vines.
W. Blake Gray on Hannibal Lecter's sashimi wine pairing. The LA Times offers 10 wines to drink with Sushi.
Winefolly compares French Malbec to Argentinean Malbec.
Record Washington harvest and other news in the Oregonian.
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News
Meet The 2 Million Dollar Bottle of Champagne
by Jameson Fink on 3/5/2014Coming across a list of the Top 10 Most Expensive Champagnes on The Drinks Business, I did what most people would do: I jumped straight to number one. But I wasn't prepared for what I found. A limited-edition, Alexander Amosu-designed bottle of Goût de Diamants Champagne would set you back 1.2 million pounds. Considering today's exchange rate, you're looking at a 2 million dollar bottle of Champagne. Suddenly, Krug doesn't seem that expensive.
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News
How Did The Barossa Valley Get Its Name?
by Jameson Fink on 3/5/2014Australia's Barossa Valley is a wine region famous for Shiraz. So what does Cadiz, Spain have to do with origin of its name? The Drinks Business reminds us of a batttle fought 203 years ago today in that Spanish city between combined Spanish and English forces versus the French The former gained a "surprise tactical victory" at a hill known as Barrosa Ridge
A veteran of the winning side of that battle, Colonel William Light, ended up becoming South Australia's Governer a couple decades later. He happened upon an unnamed valley and decide to call it "Barrosa". Due to an error in transcription, the name was recorded as "Barossa". No word on whether the Colonel was upset by this mistake, nor if his anger was assuaged by red wine.
See an 1824 painting of the battle.
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Feature
Exploring Matanzas Creek Winery Sauvignon Blanc and Oysters
How many California wineries are making 5 Sauvignon Blancs? Explore Matanzas Creek WInery with Winemaker Marcia Monahan. With a side of oysters.
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Feature
Twitter Talk: Robert Parker at the Wine Writers Symposium
Giving the keynote at the Wine Writers Symposium, would Robert M. Parker Jr. address his critics?
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Feature
Rioja At the Crossroads
Kristen Bieler considers Rioja's old and new winemaking methods
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Feature
Alto Adige: Comparing Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco
What is the difference between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco? Help comes from Colterenzio Winery in Alto Adige.
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