Wal-Marts to get PA wine kiosk approval

HARRISBURG, PA -- The experimental self-service wine kiosk program being used in some Pennsylvania groceries is about to be expanded.

Stacey Witalec, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, said Friday the board has approved wine kiosks for 24 Walmart stores around the state. Contracts are being reviewed.

Witalec said it probably will be several months before Walmart has the automated wine-bottle dispensing machines in use.

The initial trial program of such kiosks in about 30 non-Walmart stores was reduced in December when many of the devices malfunctioned. However, Witalec said, those problems have largely been resolved.

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PA trail votes for name change this weekend

A Pennsylvania wine trail with a name that many saw as misleading and unoriginal is asking consumers to pick a new one.

The UnCork York Wine Trail, a name seemingly ripped-off the older "Uncork New York" marketing motto -- and an odd pick considering the fact that it meanders over several counties other than York County -- will be renamed and rebranded to better publicize the region that stretches across south central Pennsylvania.

Visitors to the wineries this weekend for the 4th annual "Tour de Tanks" will be asked to vote for a new name. Voting will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at four wineries:

• Adams County Winery/Farm Winery, Orrtanna, Adams County
• Allegro Vineyards, Brogue, York County
• Cullari Vineyards & Winery, Hershey, Dauphin County
• Nissley Vineyards & Winery Estate, Bainbridge, Lancaster County

"As the UnCork York Wine Trail continues to grow, it is important that the trail’s identity reflect the experience and footprint guests enjoy during their visit," said Anne Druck, president of the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "To achieve this goal, the UnCork York Wine Trail has been working on a rebranding effort to expand the trail’s identity, further establishing its reputation as one of the top Pennsylvania trails."

The trail began in 2005 with 10 member wineries. It now has 13 wineries across York, Lancaster, Dauphin and Adams counties. It is the largest of Pennsylvania's 11 wine trais.

Voters will get to select from among three proposed new names and mottos. They are:

"Vine to Vintage: Central PA’s Premier Wine Trail"

"Central PA Reserve: Experience the Area’s Premier Wine Trail"

"UnCork PA: Central Pennsylvania’s Premier Wine Trail"

Curious possibilities. None falls trippingly from the tongue, and I don't understand the logic of calling something the area's "premier" trail. An area has only one trail. Why not try something simpler and more to the point, something without two parts -- such as "Vintage Pennsylvania" or "Keystone Wine Trail"?

By the way, anyone who cannot make it to one of the four winery "polling places" can vote online this weekend. Trail officials will reveal  the new name this summer.

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Maryland may change wine shipping law

• From The Baltimore Sun

ANNAPOLIS, MD -- Wineries across the state -- and country -- soon might be permitted to ship bottles directly to Maryland homes. Shoppers could pick up local wines at more farmers' markets. And diners might one day be able to bring their favorite vintage to an already licensed restaurant.

After years of shooting down changes to the state's alcohol laws, lawmakers are showing signs this year that they're ready to embrace some measures long sought by consumers.

But for enthusiasts, there may be a price to pay: On Thursday, a state Senate committee agreed to raise the sales tax on alcohol from 6 to 9%. If the increase survives the budget process, it would be the first tax hike on alcohol in four decades.

Maryland wine aficionados are cheering the policy developments. While many are not happy about the potential tax increase, several predicted that it would have minimal impact on sales.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Kent State offering Ohio's 1st wine degree

ASHTABULA, Ohio -- College-level training in winemaking isn't new to such places as California, New York and Indiana, but in Ohio it's new territory.

The state's first college degrees related to winemaking will be offered at Kent State University's Ashtabula campus beginning in the fall.

Students in the new two-year program offering associate's degrees in enology or in viticulture will be in the midst of Ohio wine country. A majority of Ohio's 151 wineries are located in Ashtabula County, located along Lake Erie, and neighboring Lake and Geauga counties.

The program is affiliated with the Viticulture Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA), founded in 2003 at Missouri State University, to serve wineries between the Appalachians and the Rockies. It partners with colleges, state agricultural agencies and vineyards in 11 states to promote education in grape-growing and winemaking.

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Ruined Aussie grape crop seen as a positive

Marker shows the blighted Dubbo region.

A ruined grape harvest in the New South Wales region of Australia is making some growers smile.

Ken Borchardt, chairman of Macquarie Valley Food and Wine, says the loss of hobby grape growers from the Dubbo region could help strengthen the Australian wine industry.

Borchardt, who also is the founder of Red Earth Estate winery, says the entire grape harvest in Dubbo, worth about $3 million, has been wiped out by mildew and disease from the wet weather late last year, and some "hobby" growers are pulling out vines and planning to grow cherries and other fruit crops instead of grapes.

He looks at that as a positive.

"If the weekend warriors, or those that didn't take the industry seriously, were out it would definitely open doors for us in reference to markets," he told ABC News. "Also, if the amount of fruit or wine produced for Australia was decreased, we could actually start earning a little bit better dollars. Then we could get into the marketplace and market what Australia's very good at -- producing premium high quality wines."

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Fronds will be at half-mast

Photo courtesy San Francisco Chronicle

• From The Village Voice

Norman Jay Hobday, the man credited with inventing the leafy breed of swinging singles bar called the "fern bar," died last week at the age of 77 in San Francisco. 

Originally from Upstate New York, Hobday ended up in San Francisco after the Korean War, where he opened Henry Africa's. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, he had little money to spruce the place up, so he filled it with hanging plants, and it became known as the world's first fern bar.

Last year's tiki renaissance led Washington Post booze writer Jason Wilson to ask the question: Can a fern bar revival be very far off? He wrote:

"Are we soon to see trendy urban bars themed to look like the Regal Beagle, Jack Tripper's swinging hangout in the 1970s sitcom 'Three's Company'? Why not? We've already lived through the speakeasy revival and the tiki bar revival."

Sadly or not, the fern bar remains a distant, fuzzy memory -- in New York, at least. But prospective bar owners looking for the next fad might want to take note: We already have bars with rooftop and backyard gardens. So, why not bring some of that green inside, trade in those tiki Hawaiian shirts for some good ol' polyester, and see what sort of convoluted, sexually suggestive mishaps we can get ourselves into.

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Ancient winemaking site found in Armenia

The ancient winemaking site. (Hans Barnard/The Epoch Times)

• From The Epoch Times

Archeologists from the United States, Egypt, and Armenia have unearthed an ancient winemaking facility in the cave complex Areni-1, located near a southern Armenian village. It’s the same complex where the oldest known leather shoe, dated to 3500 B.C., was discovered.

A chemical analysis paper, published online in the Journal of Archeological Science, has confirmed the unearthed unit to be a complete wine production site.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Scottish distiller using Crimean wine barrels

Crimea region is shown in dark green, Ukraine in light green.

The widespread practice of employing such used barrels as American white oak bourbon and Spanish Olorosso sherry casks in finishing the maturation process of Scottish whiskies is getting a new twist: used Ukranian wine barrels.

The Glenglassaugh Distillery in Portsroy, Scotland, recently received its first shipment of barrels used by the Massandra winery, the oldest in Ukraine.
The casks already have been filled at the Highlanda distillery, some with new spirit for maturation, others with older spirit for finishing.

Sampling is planned for a year's time to check on the progress of the maturation.

The peninsula in the Ukraine that juts unto the Crimean Sea has been home to a wine culture since the 4th century B.C., according to analysis of artifacts such as grape presses and urns found there. Wine grape cultivation didn't begin in the northern part of the country until about the 11th Century A.D.

Massandra is a state-owned facility that in the days of the Soviet Union was the largest supplier of the wines in the USSR. According to Wikipedia, "It came to a disaster in 1986. About 800 km of the vineyards were destroyed, when Mikhail Gorbachev started a campaign for the delimitation of the consumption of alcohol in USSR. Since 2000, the production as well as the export of the wines increased rapidly."

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Revving up for Virginia Wine Expo

RICHMOND, VA -- The state's growing wine industry will be showcased to the tune of 60 wineries and 400 different wines during the upcoming Virginia Wine Expo.

The three-day event is schedule for Friday through Sunday, February 25-27, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center Feb. 25-27 for a weekend in wine country.

Here's a quick rundown of the event, with further details available online.

Day One: 

6 p.m. -- Governor's Cup and industry awards presentation.
7 p.m. -- Grand Tasting Opens, with 400 wines presented, including reserve wines served only on this night, along with food tastings from local restaurants.

Day Two:

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- Richmond Walk-Around Grand Tasting: sample and purchase, plus food pairings.
11 a.m. to noon -- Seminar, "The Sensual Pairing of Wine & Chocolate."
Noon to 1 p.m. -- Seminar, "East Meets Virginia: Sushi & Virginia Wine."
1 to 2 p.m. -- Seminar, "Big Reds, Rich Whites & Bold Cheeses."
2 to 3 p.m. -- Seminar, "Wine & Spicy Indian Cuisine."
9 p.m. to midnight -- "Sparkling & Sweets," a finale featuring a dozenb or more desserts from pastry chefs and chocolatiers paired with Virginia sparkling wines, dessert wines and select dry wines.

Day Three: 

11a.m. to 5 p.m. -- Richmond Walk-Around Grand Tasting:.
1 to 2 p.m. -- Seminar, "Best Wines with Burgers," elevating the American favorite to a gourmet delight.

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Rioja marketing campaign paying off

The "Vibrant Rioja" marketing campaign created to push that particular Spanish wine, appears to be paying off.

The organization announced today a 33% overall increase in Rioja wine export volume to the United States market in 2010, compared to the same period in 2009.  Total shipments from January to December 2010 reached 857,000 cases.

"Export increases ranged across the four DOCa classifications, with the youngest Cosecha wines performing the highest with a 50% growth. Aged less than one year in barrel and bottle, Cosecha wines are often fresh, fruity and intended for everyday enjoyment. Aged for at least five years, the classically elegant Gran Reserva category showed 34% growth, while the younger Crianza category (aged for a minimum of two years) grew over 21%.  Rioja Reservas, aged for at least three years, were also up nearly 12% from the previous year, Vibrant Rioja said.

"We anticipate another record-breaking year as we continue to expand existing markets, establish new markets, and formulate sound alliances," said Ana Fabiano, trade director of the campaign. "In 2010, we experienced tremendous growth through our campaign and branding activities, including carefully formed strategic partnerships across all restaurant and wine industry levels.  Over 61% of the total Rioja wine shipments to the U.S. were aged, demonstrating the rising demand for matured, ready-to-drink wines."

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V. Sattui stars in San Diego test

The Winner!

SAN DIEGO, CA -- V. Sattui's 2008 Pilgrim Vineyard Zinfandel from Lodi, CA, came away with "Wine of the Year" in the 2nd annual Winemaker Challenge international competition.

The Zin, which sells for a suggested retail price of $30, was the best of the winery's wines that also took major honors. V. Sattui also earned a "Best of Class Cabernet Sauvignon," its 2008 Morisoli Vineyard, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($55), and Platinum awards for its 2008 Petite Sirah, North Coast ($26) and 2008 Syrah, Napa Valley ($32).

Overall, V. Sattui won 18 medals, including two Gold awards to go with its four Platinums.

The Winemaker Challenge reserves Platinum recognition for the wines that advance through the judging to the championship round. This year only 40 of the 705 wines entered made it to the finals and attained Platinum status.

Go here for the full list of awards:

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'Bar Rescue' coming to Spike TV

Host Jon Taffer

Watching Gordon Ramsay harangue people on his "Kitchen Nightmares" Fox series makes me want a drink. I wonder if a new Spike TV series called "Bar Rescue" will make me want a sandwich.

Spike TV, which has ordered 10 episodes, says "Host Jon Taffer will use his in-your-face style along with his renowned method of management called Taffer Dynamics to transform the bar into a vibrant, profitable establishment. He will utilize everything from state-of-the-art science such as eye tracking technology, monitoring of body temperature and even reading pheromone output in patrons in order to create an ambitious plan of action.

"Taffer will focus on one establishment per episode from cities all around the country. Taffer’s wife, Nicole, will appear in the show along with a rotating group of experts."

Taffer’s resume lists owning and operating bars, nightclubs and restaurants as well as serving as a consultant in those fields. His client list includes Ritz-Carlton Hotels, InterContinental Hotel Group, Marriott Hotels, Molson-Coors Canada, DB Brewery-New Zealand, Rainforest Café, The Hollywood Palace and Hooters.

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Cuomo budget ignores wine-in-markets idea

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

ALBANY, NY -- Don’t go looking for renewed debate anytime soon on the topic of selling wine in New York State supermarkets.

The proposed 2011-2012 budget released on Tuesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not include a proposal on the highly controversial idea even though he emphasized his desire to cut spending and increase state income.

Unless the State Legislature introduces the idea when it begins work on the budget, an unlikely occurence given the "anti" lobby’s deep pockets and success in derailing the idea when former Gov. David Paterson introduced it last year.

Sample reactions:

New Yorkers for Economic Growth and Open Markets:

"(We) called on the Legislature today to include a proposal to reform Prohibition era liquor laws and allow consumers to buy wine in grocery stores and allow liquor stores to sell new types of products. The budget proposal would generate hundreds of millions in revenue for the state by charging licensing fees to grocery stores to sell wine. By opening new retail outlets for wine sales, the proposal will provide New York wineries and grape growers more places to sell their wine, consumers greater choice and convenience and lower prices, liquor stores more products to sell, and the state hundreds of millions in franchising fees to avoid devastating cuts."

Last Store on Main Street, a coalition of liquor store owners and others:

"By rejecting wine in grocery stores, Governor Cuomo has closed the book on a bad idea that would have cost thousands of private-sector jobs, hurt New York wineries and increased underage drinking. Given that the State Legislature also rejected this job-killing idea in two consecutive sessions, Governor Cuomo’s decision correctly recognizes that it’s time to focus on smart ideas that can lift the entire New York wine industry."

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Guest comment: The Blanding of American wine

• This article was written by a renowned wine writer and competition judge, first appearing in the Santa Rosa (CA) Press Democrat.

By Dan Berger

I saw a tweet the other day in which a wine commentator decried what he said was the peppery taste in a syrah he was reviewing.

The comment was amusing and led me to conclude that the blanding of American wine was nearly complete.

Before setting off on this diatribe against mindless commentary, let me defend myself by saying that the old Latin phrase beginning "De gustibus" still holds true: About matters of taste there is no debate. You like sauerkraut, I don’t, and neither one of us is "right."

Still, with wine as with a lot of other consumer goods, there is a standard of quality and then there is a lack of same.

[Go here for the full commentary.]

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Rhône Valley named world's best region

The Rhône Valley region of France

Not that it needed another accolade to burnish its centuries-old reputation, but the Rhône Valley of southeastern France has been named "2010 Wine Region of the Year," part of the annual Wine Star Awards.

According to the editors of The Wine Enthusiast Magazine, who made the selection, the Rhône Valley’s excellent vintages and quality work made it the first French region to be so honored in the history of the awards.

"When we considered its recent string of top vintages and growing environmental stewardship, it emerged as a clear favorite choice ... ," said Joe Czerwinski, the magazine's senior editor and tasting director.

The valley, located along the Rhône River between Lyon and Avignon, is known for crafting one of the world’s most diverse collection. It has more than 6,000 vineyards and produces about 400 million bottles of wine every year, reaching out to approximately 150 countries, as per 2009 figures. Currently, the U.S. is the second largest export market for Rhône Valley wines.

The full list of Wine Star Awards:

• Wine Region of the Year

Rhône Valley (France)
Ribera Del Duero (Spain)
Russian River Valley (California)
Prosecco (Italy)
Willamette Valley (Oregon)

• American Winery of the Year

Barefoot (Modesto, CA)
Hermann J. Weimer (Finger Lakes, NY)
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines (San Jose, CA)
Pacific Rim (Columbia Valley, WA)
Shafer Vineyards (Napa Valley, CA)

• Winemaker of the Year

Frederic Bonnaffous and Guillaume Pouthier, Dourthe (France)
Bob Cabral, Williams Selyem (California)
Genevieve Janssens, Robert Mondavi Winery (California)
Zelma Long, Vilafonte, (South Africa)
Phillipe Melka, Melka Wines (California)

• European Winery of the Year

Gérard Bertrand (France)
Louis Latour (France)
Mastroberardino (Italy)
Sogrape (Portugal)
Viña Sastre (Spain)

• New World Winery of the Year

Achaval-Ferrer (Argentina)
Bodega Catena Zapata (Argentina)
Craggy Range (New Zeland)
DGB (South Africa)
Viña San Pedro (Chile)

• Distiller of the Year

Beefeater Gin
Cooper Spirits (St-Germain)
Hangar One
Jack Daniel's
Milagro Tequila

• Importer of the Year

Aveníu Brands
Fine Estates From Spain
Kermit Lynch
Preiss Imports
TGIC Importers

• Retailer of the Year

Bounty Hunter (Napa Valley)
Sherry-Lehmann (New York)
Stew Leonard's (NY, NJ, CT)
Trader Joe's (nationwide)
Vino Volo (airports nationwide)

• Innovator of the Year

Hall Winery (California)
Alain Juppé (France)
Libera Terra (Sicily)
Murphy-Goode (California)
The New Zealand Wine Industry

• Restaurateur of the Year

Tom Colicchio (New York)
Tyler Florence (California)
Danny Meyer (New York)
Michael Mina (California and nationwide)
Gordon Ramsay (worldwide)

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New York grape production up 32%

While a lot of other industries have been reporting less production, grape production in New York State increased 32% last year over 2009.

King Whetstone, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office, yesterday confirmed what industry members have anecdotally been saying -- that 2009 was a bumper crop. He put the total output at 176,000 tons.

However, the state's tart cherry crop is estimated at 7.8 million pounds, down 30% from the 2009 crop of 11.2 million pounds, and the apple crop was down 5%, to 1.3 billion pounds.

The grape production breaks down to 4,000 tons of fresh grapes, with 172,000 tons crushed by wineries and processors. Grapes utilized for juice accounted for 70% of the total grapes processed with the remaining 30% going for wine.

The value of the 2010 grape crop is estimated at $68.4 million, 44% above the 2009 crop value. New York ranked third in grape production behind California and Washington state.

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Celebri-quote: Phil Keoghan

• Phil Keoghan, Emmy Award-winning host of the reality show "The Amazing Race," was interviewed for the January issue of Bon Appétit magazine about his food and wine interests.

I have one glass of Pinot Noir every day. I have a note from my doctor to drink a glass of wine every day! I have the prescription framed at home. He said I have to focus on incorporating more olive oil and red wine into my diet to raise up my "good" cholesterol, which was low.

I'm not big on drinks and I don't drink much, but I absolutely love relaxing at home with food and a nice Pinot Noir.

(Go here for more Celebri-Quotes.)

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PA wine vending kiosks malfunction

The wine marketing world has been keeping an eye on Pennsylvania, where wine vending machines have been placed in certain grocery stores on a trial basis.

The first reports are not good.

More than 700 kiosk problems were reported to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board between June 24 and Dec. 20, according to a report in the Patriot-News, citing its review of the agency’s call center log obtained through a Right to Know request.

The kiosks, located in 29 supermarkets across the commonwealth, are being tested to see if they actually provide more convenient service to consumers who otherwise would have to visit a state store to purchase wine. Customers have to pass a blood alcohol breath test to use them.

It was revealed that all of the kiosks were shut down on December 21 after bottles failed to dispense in one of every 150 to 175 transactions. The newspaper said more than 150 calls reported that kiosk screens froze, were lagging or did not show any words. More than 100 other reports said the kiosk shut down, showed error messages or the screen went black.

About 130 reports dealt with customers’ ID cards not scanning, getting stuck in the machine or prompting an ID hardware error message, according to the paper’s analysis.

Other problems included kiosk doors not unlocking, plastic shields not rotating to dispense the bottle or staying open after a transaction, Breathalyzer pads requiring multiple attempts and receipts not printing.

Jim Lesser, CEO of Simple Brands, the developer of the Pronto wine kiosks, said many of the reported problems stemmed from faulty resistors and problems with circuit boards. He said the company replaced circuit boards and tens of thousands of resistors, realigned receipt printers and installed faster processors to speed transactions.

Five or six kiosks are to be reopened Tuesday of this week on a trial basis for a week. If no problems are encountered, the rest will be put back into service.

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Depending on your viewpoint, NZ bumper crop can be called good or bad

• From Stuff.co.nz

A bumper year for the country's grape growers could be great news for wine buyers, but not vineyards.

Good growing conditions mean that this year's harvest might exceed 300,000 tons, raising the possibility of another wine glut and a tough year for wineries.

Oversupply has threatened to damage the value of New Zealand wines in key export markets since a bumper harvest in 2008. Grape prices subsequently slumped and, with them, profits.

Now, "Vintage 2010," a state-of-the industry report by Deloittes and New Zealand Winegrowers, warns that although last year's reduced vintage went some way to alleviating problems caused by previous bumper harvests, the 2011 harvest could exceed 300,000 tons, adding to the industry's woes.

That warning is backed up by the producers of Oyster Bay wines, Delegat's, who said the wine surplus would continue to cause headaches for the next two years.

(Go here for the full story.)

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WWII wine cache found in Germany

• From Reuters

A German vintner acting on a hunch uncovered a hidden trove of wine untouched since 1945.

Andreas Neymeyer discovered 500 bottles under a cellar staircase while clearing out a burned-out building on his 94-acre) vineyard in southern Germany shortly before Christmas.

"It was my uncle's idea," Neymeyer told Reuters. "I was preparing the building to be torn down and he knew that wine had been hidden sometime before the end of World War II. It was springtime 1945 and the French were about to invade. My family wanted to secure some wine if there was any looting by troops."

It was not the first reserve of wine that Neymeyer has found on the vineyard, which produces some 350,000 bottles of wine each year.

"The wine is still drinkable; in fact some is quite good," the fifth generation vintner said. "The dark conditions were ideal for storage."

Some of the bottles were not from the vineyard but were sweet wines thought to be from Spain or Greece. Brandy, schnapps and sacramental wine was also found in the collection.

Neymeyer plans to rebottle the wine and put it up for auction when the new building is ready to open next year.

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NC wine club: No men allowed

• From the Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times

ASHEVILLE, NC -- No boys are allowed, but don't confuse this crew with a childhood clubhouse. There is something decidedly more adult about this new Asheville social group: Wine is a founding member.

Santé Wine Bar in the Grove Arcade will host its first "Girls Gone Wino" event Sunday, featuring cookbook author and chef Louisa Shafia of "Lucid Foods: Cooking for an Eco-conscious Life."
""It's just an opportunity for women to meet new people,” said owner Carla Baden of Girls Gone Wino.

It's not really about excluding men because they have cooties; it's more about "giving women an opportunity for a girls' night out," Baden said. "It gives us an excuse."

(Go here for the full story.)

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Earliest known wine press found in Armenia

A wine press, behind which an archaeological identification kit is placed,
in Armenia. The vat, right of the press,  apparently was used for 
accumulating grape juice and the consequent wine fermentation.

From the Associated Press

The earliest known winery has been uncovered in a cave in the mountains of Armenia.

A vat to press the grapes, fermentation jars and even a cup and drinking bowl dating to about 6,000 years ago were discovered in the cave complex by an international team of researchers.

While older evidence of wine drinking has been found, this is the earliest example of complete wine production, according to Gregory Areshian of the University of California, Los Angeles, co-director of the excavation.

The findings, announced Tuesday by the National Geographic Society, are published in the online edition of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

"The evidence argues convincingly for a wine-making facility," said Patrick McGovern, scientific director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory at the University of Swann Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia, who was not part of the research team.

Such large-scale wine production implies that the Eurasian grape had already been domesticated, said McGovern, author of "Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer and Other Alcoholic Beverages."

(Go here for the full story.)

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SF Chronicle awards announced

CLOVERDALE, CA -- The monumental, week-long task of judging more than 5,000 different wines has been completed, and the five sweepstakes winners -- as well as dozens of other medalists -- have been selected in the 8th annual San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The event, which for all eight years has held the title of "Largest Competition of American Wines in the World" racked up 4,913 entries last year and topped it this year with 5,050 from 23 states.

Judging was conducted at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds in Sonoma County. Wines were awarded as bronze, silver, gold, and double gold (unanimous gold by the judges). In addition, there were "Best of Class" awards and the prestigious Sweepstake Awards.

The major sweepstakes awards, by category:

• Sparkling: 2006 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Brut Rosé ($42)

• White: NV St. Clair New Mexico Gewurztraminer ($11)

• Pink: 2010 Barnard Griffin Columbia Valley Rosé of Sangiovese ($12)

• Red: Tie between 2008 Thacher Triumvirate Paso Robles Zinfandel ($36) and 2008 Ecluse Wines Lock Vineyard Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon ($32)

• Dessert: 2009 Alapay Cellars Late Harvest Paso Robles Sauvignon Blanc ($30)

The full list of award winners is available here.

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Newcomer doubles up in PA competition

Scott Bubb shows off his double trophies.

HARRISBURG, PA -- Seven Mountains Wine Cellars isn't a widely-known operation, but it certainly has a higher profile today than it did a week ago.

The Centre County facility, which won't even mark its first anniversary until August, on Saturday became the first entrant ever to win the Governor's Cup top awards in both grape- and non-grape wine categories of the Pennsylvania Farm Show competition.
Seven Mountains' grand-prize winner in the grape category was its 2009 vidal ice wine. Its 2009 cranberry won for the fruit category.

Scott Bubb is the owner and winemaker who runs the facility with his wife, Mary Ann. When they received advance word they were in the running for awards, they chartered a bus to whisk them and 46 supporters to the show. The Bubbs were presented with their trophies by Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding at a ceremony at the Farm Show.

Thirty-seven Pennsylvania wineries submitted a total of 244 wines for the competition.The best-in-show wines in six categories were chosen from among the gold medalists, and from those six wines two were chosen for the Governor’s Cups.

Scott Bubb is a native of Mifflin County. He got into winemaking in 1976, making his first batch from Concord grapes picked in his Aunt Sylvia's back yard. He became a professional when the manufacturing plant that employed him closed.

He earned numerous regional and national awards as an amateur, including being ranked 12th on the American Wine Society's list of the "Top 50 Amateur Winemakers in the United States." Now, his professional status seems equally promising.

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Washington considers wine/beer sampling

This is how it's done in California.

• From the Seattle (WA) Times:

OLYMPIA, WA — Following in the steps of grocery stores, farmers markets soon may be allowed to offer wine and beer samples to customers.

Sponsored by state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, Senate Bill 5029 would authorize a pilot program for limited wine and beer tasting at farmers markets.

Kohl-Welles ... proposed the program in the previous legislative session, but it failed to reach a vote on the Senate floor.

"We have a longer amount of time to get ... bills through, and I believe it would be very helpful to our farmers markets, which I strongly support and are growing across the state of Washington," she said. " ... And I think particularly for our small wineries and small craft breweries, they have a harder time marketing to the public. This gives our potential customers the opportunity to taste the product."

The Legislature convened today for a 105-day session that will be dominated by wrangling over the state budget.

The bill would direct the state Liquor Control Board to choose 10 farmers markets for the pilot project, which would run from July 2011 to September 2012. Only one winery or microbrewery could offer samples at a market per day, customers would have to stay in a designated tasting location, and food would be available to customers as they drink their samples of two ounces or less. ...

As of December, 195 groceries in Washington were authorized to provide wine and beer samples.

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NY wine-in-markets debate flares anew

Speculation is one of New York State’s major industries. Speculation about one of its other major industries takes things to a different level.

With the arrival of Andrew Cuomo as governor, and his appointment of people to various key advisory and regulatory positions, the matter of wine sales in supermarkets quickly has come up once again. Given that it got a lengthy walk in the spotlight from the State Legislature last summer before once again disappearing under an avalanche of hysteria, you can expect the matter to be kept at the top of the agenda for many people.

Tim Morral

How the pro-market forces will fare under Cuomo is an unknown at this point. Even people on the same side of the issue already are disagreeing. For example, the respected blogger Tim Morral writes on his blog NY Wine Guy, “Is Cuomo New York wine’s knight in shining armor? … Although he may find it difficult to match Governor Paterson’s entertainment value, Andrew Cuomo is making a lot of noise about rebuilding the state’s economy. If he succeeds that could be good news for the New York wine industry.”

Among the “signs” he cites:

• The election of ex-Rochester mayor and police chief Bob Duffy as lieutenant governor. He has long been exposed to the business power and potential of the ever-growing Finger Lakes wine community.
• The appointment of Danny Wegman, of the Wegmans grocery store empire, to an Upstate Business Council that Cuomo has promised to create. His stores in other states already sell wines.
• The fact that the governor’s girlfriend, Sandra Lee of Food Network fame, is a big wine fan and would seem to have the ear of the man in charge.

Carlo DeVito

However, Carlo DeVito doesn’t buy that. DeVito, a New York City publishing executive and owner with wife Dominique of Hudson-Chatham Winery in Columbia County, writes on his own blog, “Where my fellow blogger is wrong is that he thinks “it would mean a significant revenue boost for New York wineries. A greater emphasis on the wine industry in Albany would be nice, but selling wine in grocery stores is a start.” I am sorry, but that’s bullshit.

“An emphasis on growing the wineries is a great idea. Where’s some tourism dollars? Where’s the funding that wineries in Maryland and Virginia, and other states are getting to promote their wine industries and tourism? Now, I’ve played many games on the playground, and I know the old rubric ‘Money talks, bullshit walks,’ but this is too much. Name which wineries will actually score big. I can tell you who: The five largest wineries in the state, one of which will be Canadaigua. Then it will be California, Australia, Chile, and Argentina.

“I used to live next to a Wegmans. They sold four or five NY state wines, and then the rest were everything else — from Cakebread and rare French Bordeaux’s and Burgundies to Yellow Tail and Franzia. I’ve had someone tell me from one of these larger wineries that with my own winery I could probably sell a couple of delis that I couldn’t get in before. Gee, thanks! Where’s the revenue boost? Wegmans will get a sweetheart deal on taxes and pay into the coffers, and a number of smaller, ill equipped wine stores will bite the dust. When the small stores falter, the small wineries will falter as well. It’s only the big store chains that will make something happen.

“The reason the wineries haven’t helped make this deal happen yet is pure and simple. In the main, it won’t help the NY wineries, or they would already have gotten it done. Out of the more than 300 wineries in NY State, Wegmans has only ever carried five or six. What happens to the other 294? … I say to Duffy and Cuomo, let’s have a meeting. Let’s have a discussion. Ask a few dozen winery owners to the state capital. Let’s see what they say. I say to the wineries, better get off your hands, or someone will chop them off for you.”

And so, Let the debate go on from here.

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Italian bubblies now outsell Champagne

If you are among those who uncorked a bottle of bubbly to usher in the new year, there's a strong chance it wasn't Champagne.

The iconic French wine was outsold in 2010 by Italian sparkling wines -- to the tune of 10 million bottles more, according to statistics just released by Assoenologi, the Italian winemakers association.

Assoenologi estimated global sales of spumante and similar wines collectively known as "bollicine" at 380 million bottles. Additionally, Coldiretti, an Italian agricultural association, said exports of spumante and prosecco, the most popular Italian sparkling wines, were up 17% in the first nine months of 2010.

"I see so many international sparkling wines, and many of them are just as good quality as Champagne," Beppe Juliano, editor of the Italian wine magazine Euopisa, told UPI.com. "The difference is that small producers from Italy or England are not charging you for a brand."

France's Champagne region has been producing less Champagne because of successive bad harvests. In addition, both Italian and English sparkling wines have entered the market at 25 to 75% less than their French counterparts.

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Guest comment: Don't pour my wine!

• The writer is chairman of the Electoral College of the Vintners Hall of Fame. He is a former wine writer/editor for the San Francisco Chronicle. This commentary was written for Palate Press, the online wine magazine.

By W. Blake Gray

Traditionally in haute cuisine wine service, a waiter refills wine glasses, and the diners never need sully their hands on the bottle. But traditional haute cuisine service is just about dead. Instead, the main reason servers refill glasses today is to get the bottle off the table and encourage you to buy another one.

I spend many meals in fine restaurants these days trying to play defense against every passing server topping off a glass I don’t want refilled. Let my guard down for a second -- laugh at a friend’s joke -- and suddenly I have a full glass I didn’t want.

Perhaps I’m unkind to think servers are only looking for a 20% tip on a second bottle. Many are just trying to do a job. But servers can’t keep track of each diner’s individual needs, nor do I want to give them a rundown of our personal situations each time we sit down.

[Go here for the full commentary.]

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Georgian wine exports on the rebound

There is no definitive proof of where wine originated on this planet, but many places claim to be its home.

One of those is in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, which cites archaeological finds suggesting viniculture began there as much as 8,000 years ago, well before it reached western Europe. Most authorities on wine history concede it probably was No. 1.

That aside, it is the more modern status of the country's wine industry that concerns it, in the wake of a 2006 ban on imports of Georgian wine by Russia, which had been its primary customer. The move was made during mounting political tensions between the two countries that eventually erupted into a brief war.

Now, according to just-released statistics from the Georgian agriculture ministry, sales numbers for 2010 showed a definite upturn although the exports are nowhere near the pre-ban level.

Ministry spokesman Giorgi Chaduneli today said 15 million bottles of wine were exported over the past year, a 34% increase over 2009. Production had dropped by about 80%, severely damaging the industry. At one time, Georgia exported as much as 59 million bottles, mostly to Russia. Its main customers now are fellow ex-Soviet countries Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Although there are 500 or so of grapes, only 38 are officially grown for commercial viticulture in Georgia. Most wine grapes are grown by small farmers and sold to wineries. Few of the grape varieties are known in the U.S., although one, Rkatsiteli, is coming into vogue more and more in New York State. It is the top white wine grape grown in Georgia.

Georgian wines are readily available in the U.S. Here is a link to one importer.

A Georgia farmer as shown on the Georgian Wine Society home page.

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Brown-Forman may sell off a winery

BILL DOWD PHOTO

A tractor driver at a Sonoma-Cutrer vineyard in the Russian River Valley.

In the wake of news that Constellation Brands has sold 80% of its stake in its wine holdings comes news that beverage giant Brown-Forman Corp. is exploring “strategic alternatives” for its Mendocino County, CA, wine holdings.

However, a spokesman for Brown-Forman, best known to the public for its Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey, Woodford Reserve bourbon and Finlandia vodka, said the Louisville, KY, company has no plans to sell its Sonoma County winery, Sonoma-Cutrer.

"We concluded we’re very pleased with its brand-building model and that it can continue to do well in our hands," spokesman Phil Lynch told the Santa Rose, CA, Press-Democrat.

Brown-Forman says it is exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale, for the Fetzer winery, bottling facility and vineyards in Mendocino County and its other Hopland-based brands.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported Brown-Forman was putting its wine business on the block after several years of sluggish sales.

(Go here for a report on my visit to Sonoma-Cutrer at harvest time.)

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Adulterated Chinese wines seized

In what is no shock to anyone aware of the adulterated products China keeps pumping into the global marketplace, several wineries in what is referred to as "China's Bordeaux region" have been shut down and bottles of their wines pulled from stores after authorities found wine containing several chemical additives.

A report on Chinese state television today said the incident in Changli county in the central province of Hebei -- where a third of China's domestic wines are produced -- showed wineries were doctoring their beverages with sugar water, coloring agents and artificial flavorings, and then falsely using famous brand names.

Huang Weidong, an industry expert, said the additives could cause cardiac irregularities and headaches, and possibly are carcinogenic.

"We are highly concerned about this behavior. To ensure safety measures, we have already started to remove the suspected wines from the shelves," a spokesman for Beijing area Wal-Mart stores told the Global Times newspaper.

The Xinhua news agency reported that provincial authorities had shut down nearly 30 wineries and corporate financial accounts have been frozen.

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Constellation sells off wine supremacy

VICTOR, NY — New York State used to be home to the world’s No. 1 wine producer. That no longer is the case.

Constellation Brands, headquartered in this Rochester suburb, has announced it is selling 80% of its British and Australian wine operations to a private equity firm in Australia for $230 million. That makes Gallo the world’s largest wine producer.

Constellation Brands continues to own Robert Mondavi wines in California, along with such brands as Svedka vodka and such beers as Corona from Mexico, Tsingtao from China and St. Pauli Girl from Germany.

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Study: Wine shipments won't tempt youths

• From the Washington Examiner:

A report from Maryland's comptroller found that allowing shipment of wine from out of state does not contribute to underage drinking, deflating the most comment argument for the state's current ban -- and lawmakers are already lining up to repeal the law.

Comptroller Peter Franchot also found that shipment from out-of-state wineries would not hurt the local liquor industry, although imports from out-of-state retailers could have an impact.

His office examined the 37 states that allow direct shipment along with the District, and identified practices that minimize the risk of underage alcohol consumption. For example, packages should be labeled as containing alcohol, and services such as FedEx and UPS should deliver only to adults 21 or over.

But minors generally were not interested in abusing a direct-ship system to get an illegal fix, said Joseph Shapiro, spokesman for the comptroller's office.

"Their No. 1 one concern is immediacy," Shapiro said. "Your parents are going out of town this weekend, let's have a party, that type of thing. With direct ship, the shipment just takes too long."

[Go here for the rest of the story.]

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A wine business on the block

• From the Associated Press

NEW YORK — There may be two more wine businesses up for sale as some parts of the industry struggle with weak sales volumes and pricing.

Brown-Forman Corp., the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey, is putting its wine business on the block, The Wall Street Journal reported online late Monday, citing unnamed sources. The company, based in Louisville, KY, has reportedly hired Rothschild to run the auction process after its wine business -- which includes brands such as Fetzer and Bonterra Vineyard -- delivered sluggish sales for several years.

The deal could fetch a few hundred million dollars, according to the report. Brown-Forman and Rothschild declined to comment.

The paper also said that people familiar with matter expect Constellation Brands Inc. to sell the bulk of its non-U.S. wine business to an unknown buyer as soon as this week. That deal is reportedly valued between $300 and $400 million.

Constellation Brands, based in Victor, NY, did not return calls seeking comment.

[Go here for the rest of the story.]

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Veritas' return stars Châteauneuf-du-Pape

NEW YORK -- The Big Apple's largest commercial wine cellar is again available for consumer now that Veritas has re-opened.

Park B. Smith's restaurant, which returned Tuesday after being revamped and re-staffed since the summer, has an immense wine list of 3,300 selections that range all over the globe and all over vintage years.

Smith's favorites are his Châteauneuf-du-Pape segment, which he is offering at discounted prices although most still will be costly, given their provenance. The wines, from the Rhône region of France, are from a variety of estates, including Domaine Pontifical and Domaine de la Mordorée.

Veritas, after dismissing its staff and locking its doors without public notice back in August, now offers New American fare rather than its former pricey a la carte menu. It is located in the Flatiron District at 43 East 20th Street, between Park Avenue South and Broadway. Phone: (212) 353-3700.

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Winds of controversy at NY winery

• From BuffaloNews.com

CAMBRIA, NY -- The owners of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards are planning to sue the Town of Cambria over last week’s rejection of their request to install a wind power turbine on their property.

After a crowded public meeting showed solid opposition last Monday, the town Planning Board voted unanimously against the winery’s proposal.

Owners Duncan and Robin Ross said they shouldn’t have even had to go before the board in the first place, since they say state law is written to encourage windmills on agricultural properties. But, Planning Board Chairman William Amacher and attorney Gary Billingsley said the applicants misled the board by saying that the windmill would have powered only the wine making operation. Once the board found out the windmill also was going to power the Ross home on the site, the project no longer qualified for a simple site plan review under the town’s ordinance, Billingsley said.

That shouldn’t be a big deal, Robin Ross said. “Like 90% of farms in New York State, we have one electric meter,” she said.

“It does make a difference,” Billingsley said. “Under normal circumstances, [Arrowhead] would have needed a special use permit, which requires a public hearing. [Duncan Ross] said it was only for agricultural purposes, which requires only site plan review.”

To obtain a special use permit, a noise study also would be required, Billingsley said. Anonymous fliers distributed around the town helped drum up a hostile crowd.

[Go here for the full story.]

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A celebri-quote: Sofia Coppola

• New York City-born Sofia Coppola, 39, daughter of iconic movie director Francis Ford Coppola and a very competent filmmaker in her own right, discussed her family's California winery during an interview with New York magazine's Grub Street staffers. 

Q: Your father owns a vineyard. Do you ever take any interest in that at all?

A: In the vineyard?

Q: Yes, or in the wine-making process. Are you into that at all?

A: Yeah. My brother made a wine, and I don’t know as much about it as I feel like I should, but I’m going there for the holidays, and I love to be involved in it and visit and see what they’re making. I’m learning. ...

Q: Does anybody stomp on grapes there?

A: Not anymore, but there’s a bottle somewhere from when we first moved there. I was a little kid and stomped on some grapes, and they bottled it and called it Lafitte Sofia. So there’s a bottle somewhere from 1977 or something. [Laughs.] It’s probably in our cellar somewhere. But we don’t stomp on the grapes anymore. It’s more high tech.

[You can read more comments in my Celebri-Quotes archive by clicking here.]

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1st 'Soiree des Grands Crus' set for January

NEW YORK -- Everything you wanted to know about Bordeaux wines may be at your fingertips in January, when 82 Mercer in SoHo hosts the first Soiree des Grands Crus, a social event and vintage wine tasting that will play host to 17 châteaux owners.

They are billed as the new generation of grands crus de Bordeaux estate owners. The wineries make up about 5% of the total production of wines produced in the Bordeaux region. Among featured estate wineries will be Pessac-Léognan, Sauternes, Saint Julien, Margaux, Pauillac, Saint Emilion and Pomerol.

Early Access tickets in very limited number are going for $250, with general admission tickets priced at $185.  Admission includes the fine food and wine pairing  event, featuring 23 Chateaux. Also included is free registration  and participation in the Wine Challenge to win Grands Crus de  Bordeaux. Tickets are available online.

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Musings on a different kind of bug

I was sitting around with some friends the other day, sipping on a lovely Finger Lakes wine and wondering aloud about malolactic fermentations.

OK, so I lied.

But, luckily for those of us who enjoy a lovingly constructed wine, there are people who do think about such things, Take Peter Bell (right), for example. He's the winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards, located on the west side of Seneca Lake, midway between Geneva and Penn Yan. He writes on the vineyard's blog:

"People often stop me on the street and say, 'What do winemakers talk about in late November?' Well, probably the number-one question we ask of each other in this profession is 'So, d’ya getcher deer?'

"Just kidding. It’s 'How are your MLs doing?' MLs in this case are winemaker shorthand for malolactic fermentations. You may recall seeing a picture ... in an earlier post, initiating the process ... with little cups of freeze-dried bacteria. That was a few weeks ago. By now, our MLs are either well under way or wrapped up entirely.

"What’s the point of this procedure? A guaranteed modest reduction in the acidity of the wine, associated with the conversion of malic acid to lactic, is rarely a bad thing in our cool climate. But we also expect an increase in aroma and flavor complexity."

That may be a nugget of wine knowledge many of you didn't have before. Now you do, and it's a fascinating process. You can read the full blog entry by clicking here.

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Pinot Noir again No. 1 in New Zealand

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- A 2009 Pinot Noir has been  named "Champion Wine of the Show" in New Zealand's premier competition, the Air New Zealand Wine Awards.

Peregrine Wines' Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 joined its 2008 Riesling -- a winner announced earlier -- among gold medal wines. The facility itself also won the trophy for Champion Open Red Wine.

Steve Smith, chair of judges, said the Peregrine pinot noir was "the finest example of the finest red wine variety in this country" with "wild flowers, thyme and black fruits on the nose."

The question about such awards from many consumers usually is, can I actually find it at my wine merchant? In this case, chances apparently are good.

Grey Hay, co-owner and marketing director of Peregrine, said winning the trophy in the open red wine category was equally important as it meant the pinot noir was produced in a volume that made it available to the public in a reasonable quantity.

"It's not a small volume selection." he said. "That is our standard pinot noir that has been made to that quality. It's a wine that the public can get access to quite easily."

This is the second consecutive year a pinot noir has claimed top honors at the awards, which are organized by New Zealand Winegrowers. You can access the full list of winner here.

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