'Trends' that make you say 'Huh?'

OK, so what are the "experts" telling you that you'll be drinking for at least the next year?

The Food Channel, CultureWaves and the Mintel research firm teamed up to create the TV channel's annual "Top 10 Beverage Trends" list released this week.

Kay Logsdon, editor-in-chief of The Food Channel, said the list confirmed what the network has seen in the marketplace.

"It indicated we're drinking more water these days, although we like to dress it up a little. And, it told us that coupons have little or no influence on whether we purchase a beverage at a fast-food restaurant."

Here are the "trends," in the words of the great seers.

1. D.I.Y. Flavor: Many of us are taking flavor matters into our own hands.

2. Parental Discretion Advised: We're still seeing lots of buzz around beverages and kids.

3. Iced Coffee Is Scalding Hot: Consumption of this cold caffeinated beverage has heated up.

4. For Medicinal Purposes Only: There's certainly no shortage of ways to "drink to your health."

5. Sipping Seasonally and Simply: In much the same way we're eating local and choosing foods when they're in season, we're making a more conscious effort to drink that way, too.

6. Fast Food Beyond the Fizz: There are changes happening here, too, with specialty drinks getting as much play as burgers and fries.

7. Craft Beers: The Buzz Is Back: While overall beer sales are flat these days, sales of craft brews are seeing double-digit increases.

8. Bourbon Booming: The retro revival of the classic cocktail has hip, young consumers bellying up to the bar for whiskey.

9. Show Biz: While the food generally takes center stage in restaurant exhibitionism, beverages are being offered more starring roles.

10. Drinking Ourselves Thin: We want to enjoy our drinks without drinking in the extra calories."

If most of these 10 "trends" leave you saying "Huh?," you're not alone.

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NY wine label OKs to come faster

Sample label from Millbrook Winery.

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, who has been pushing the federal government to speed up the process of approving labels for New York State wines, has announced real progress.

Schumer says the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is streamlining the process of approving labels, something that must be done before the products can be sold. Many of the state's 300-plus wineries have complained that it has been taking months to get such approval.

The senator now says the agency has agreed to immediately begin approving template labels for custom winemakers. That will be good news for those wineries that have complained they need approval each time they make even small changes to artwork or names on labels designed for special events such as anniversaries, weddings and birthdays.

In explaining the delays, the agency has said that over the past decade its staff has been reduced due to budget cutbacks while label-approval applications from wineries nationwide have almost doubled.

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Wineries, Jim Beam form tourist trail

Shaded area is Bullitt County.

LOUISVILLE, KY -- Four small wineries have joined with distilling giant Jim Beam to create the new Bullitt County Wine and Bourbon Tour, which county tourism officials will unveil here next week at the Kentucky State Fair.

The county will have a booth at the fair, which will run from August 18 through 28, at the Ketucky Exposition Center. Brochures and tour "passports" will be available there as well as at the wineries. They are:

• Brooks Hill Winery in Brooks.
• MillaNova Winery in Mt. Washington.
• Wight-Meyer Vineyard & Winery in Shepherdsville.
• Forest Edge Winery in Shepherdsville.

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NY approves farm wineries changes

ALBANY, NY -- Governor Andrew Cuomo today signed into law a bill he said will reduce regulatory burdens the State Liquor Authority places on farm wineries.

“This bill is a huge boost for wineries across the state. Reducing the regulatory burdens on farm wineries will allow them to continue to thrive as a key tourism, agricultural, and economic engine for our state,” Cuomo said in a statement.

The law implements several recommendations the New York State Wine Grape Task Force made in its 2008 report to the commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. Among its main points:

• Allow farm wineries to operate up to five branch stores without having to obtain separate licenses or being subject to the same off-premise restrictions that liquor stores have under existing state law. The branch stores will be considered extensions of the winery and not separate entities.

• Make clear that farm wineries can provide or use custom-crush services for buyers of New York grapes, making it easier for small vineyards to enter the industry.
Permit the wineries to maintain their direct-shipping reports on site and only provide them to the Liquor Authority when asked to, rather than having to produce time-consuming reports for the state.

• No longer require wineries that manufacture less than 1,500 gallons of wine a year to apply for separate micr0-winery licenses. All farm wineries will have the same license, and micro-winery licenses will continue to cost $50 a year.

 • Lift a restriction that limits wineries’ participation in charitable events to five a year. Wineries will obtain annual permits and notify the Liquor Authority of events.

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Here's the lowdown on Idaho's wine scene

• From the Idaho Statesman:

Exciting things are happening in Idaho wine. The establishment of Idaho’s first American Viticultural Area in 2007 was a big step in elevating the wines of Idaho onto the national and international stage.

An AVA is a defined area for wine (grape) growing, such as the Napa Valley or Walla Walla. The Snake River Valley has been recognized as having unique characteristics and has been legally defined. The AVA is large, more than 5 million acres, stretching from Ontario, OR, nearly to Twin Falls. That makes it the fifth largest AVA in the country.

By comparison, Washington’s Columbia Valley is more than 11 million acres, Oregon’s Willamette Valley is just more than 3 million, and the Napa Valley is 225,000.

An AVA is defined by specific climactic and geographic characteristics. The Snake River Valley AVA is the area that was covered by a prehistoric lake that once existed over much of southern Idaho. That lake was responsible for forming the subsoil upon which we live. The consistency of elevation, soil, and climate means that, in theory, wines grown in the Snake River Valley will have a unique character.

Several winemakers are now lobbying for the creation of sub-AVAs which will further designate the difference between the more volcanic soil surrounding Craters of the Moon and the more sandy soil of Canyon County.

[Go here for the full story.}

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Illegal rice wine popular in NYC Chinatown

• From The New York Times

NEW YORK -- The restaurant looks like so many others in the roiling heart of Chinatown, in Lower Manhattan: a garish sign in Chinese and English, slapdash photos of featured dishes taped to the windows, and extended Chinese families crowding around tables, digging into communal plates of steamed fish, fried tofu and sautéed watercress.

But ask a waitress the right question and she will disappear into the back, returning with shot glasses and something not on the menu: a suspiciously unmarked plastic container containing a reddish liquid.

It is homemade rice wine -- "Chinatown’s best," the restaurant owner asserts. It also is illegal.

In the city’s Chinese enclaves, there is a booming black market for homemade rice wine, representing one of the more curious outbreaks of bootlegging in the city since Prohibition. The growth reflects a stark change in the longstanding pattern of immigration from China.

In recent years, as immigration from the coastal province of Fujian has surged, the Fujianese population has come to dominate the Chinatowns of Lower Manhattan and Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and has increased rapidly in other Chinese enclaves like the one in Flushing, Queens.

These newcomers have brought with them a robust tradition of making -- and hawking -- homemade rice wine. In these Fujianese neighborhoods, right under the noses of the authorities, restaurateurs brew rice wine in their kitchens and sell it proudly to customers. Vendors openly sell it on street corners, and quart-size containers of it are stacked in plain view in grocery store refrigerators, alongside other delicacies like jellyfish and duck eggs.

The sale of homemade rice wine -- which is typically between 10 and 18% alcohol, about the same as wine from grapes -- violates a host of local, state and federal laws that govern the commercial production and sale of alcohol, but the authorities have apparently not cracked down on it.

A spokesman for the New York State Liquor Authority said the agency had recently received complaints about illegal Chinese rice wine and was looking into them, though he offered no further details. New York police officials said the department had never investigated the trade.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Aussie wine mishap delays U.S. debut

• From The Associated Press

ADELAIDE, Australia -- An unsteady forklift dropped a container full of fine Australian wine worth more than $1 million, smashing most of the bottles. The winemaker says he is "gut-wrenched, shocked and numb" after the loss of his flagship shiraz.

Sparky Marquis of Mollydooker Wines lost a third of his Velvet Glove Shiraz production after the accident that destroyed all but one of the 462 cases bound for the United States. Each bottle of the Mollydooker wine sells for $200.

Marquis said Friday that when workers opened up the dropped container, "It was like a murder scene. There was red everywhere."

He said the wine was fully insured. The accident has crippled Mollydooker's U.S. launch in September. It will also impact the wine market in Australia.

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Psst! Vermont has a wine industry

Go here for an interactive version of the map.

• From the Brattleboro Reformer

HALIFAX, VT -- Vermont’s growing wine industry is banking on a new consumer-focused program to bring more visitors to the vineyards and tasting rooms across the state.

The Vermont Grape and Wine Council announced last month the creation of a passport program that will include more than 20 locations. The move is part of a greater effort to increase the awareness of Green Mountain wines.

Visiting a winery or tasting rooms will result in a stamp for the consumer. Completing a form with 10 or more stamps and the customer is eligible for a variety of prizes, including a vacation getaway or basket stuffed with Vermont products.

"Guests come to the winery, they pick up a map of the state of Vermont. And on that map, it lists all the different wineries all over the state," said Lorraine Muha of the Honora Winery & Vineyard Tasting Room in Jacksonville. "When you go to each winery, they each have a stamp that shows that you have been to that particular winery."

Bob Foley of Neshobe River Winery in Brandon, a board member with the council, said the program is designed to promote the industry itself first, and hopefully an increase in sales will follow.

"A lot of folks do not know we have a grape industry in Vermont," he said.

Many of the state’s wineries started small by selling at farmers’ markets, local grocery stores and Vermont liquor outlets. The industry has made valiant attempts to expand its customer-base through festivals and an open house weekend last August.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Brotherhood launches new steel wine kegs

Signature orange-capped steel kegs.

WASHINGTONVILLE, NY -- Brotherhood Winery is peddling more than wine these days. The nation's oldest winery has come up with a new 20-liter stainless steel wine container it hopes will tap into the growing keg wine sales niche.

The "Brotherhood Winery Wine Keg" is a modification of a design from a decade ago that did not catch on. Rather than using metals that reacted with the wine, creating the signature "rotten egg" smell of hydrogen sulfide, as before, Brotherhood now uses only non-reactive stainless steel for every part of the keg that touches the wine.

The kegs purportedly will preserve the fresh taste of the wine up to two years. Cooling coils in the kegs holding white wine will allow the wine to be served chilled from the tap.

Oak Beverages, a Rockland County wholesale beer distributor, will distribute the kegs statewide. Arrangements are in the works for a Midwest distributor.

Cesar Baeza, Brotherhood co-owner, says the company is hoping to expand from wine-on-tap kegs for restaurants and special event facilities to local beer retailers where individual customers could get refills or replacements of the 20-liter kegs.

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New tax break for Virginia farm wineries

RICHMOND, VA -- The commonwealth's farm wineries now are eligible to get a tax credit for part of the cost of new or upgraded equipment.

The General Assembly approved a state corporate income tax credit available starting in the current tax year. It allows farm wineries and vineyards to get credit for up to 25% of the cost of certain equipment and materials -- from barrels to fertilizer, for example. The credit is capped at $250,000 a year.

Ann Heidig of Lake Anna Winery is president of the Virginia Wineries Association. She told the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star that even such a small tax change is helpful because it can cost up to $15,000 to put in just one new acre of vines and small business loans are difficult to obtain.

"Any help on the part of the government is really a value added to us and to the government," she said.

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Fading image of the French wine drinker

The French have long had a global reputation for drinking wine day and night, beginning with children being started with watered-down versions, then continuing to imbibe throughout life.

Well, that no longer is true.

Just 16.5% of the French population now now regular wine drinkers, according to the latest survey from the ESC Pau research center and Toulouse 1 Capitole University. French wine consumption has dropped the equivalent of one bottle per adult each week in two generations.

Regular consumption over meals has been replaced by the French drinking wine occasionally rather than frequently, often on nights out, a pattern of behavior that has developed over the past two generations.

In their study published in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Pascal Poutet and Thierry Lorey looked at successive generations and their approach to wine drinking, dividing the demographic into four groups.

The oldest was those over 65 years who had lived through the World War II, followed by those between 40 and 65 who lived through a period of growth and worldwide development.

Those 30 to 40 -- "Generation X" -- who grew up through the French economic and political crises of the 1990s, were next, followed by those under 30 -- the Internet generation.

"Each successive generation represents a general increase in libertarian attitudes and irreverence towards institutions," Poluet said.

It is the over-65s who most linked wine consumption with French heritage and were more likely to drink it daily and share the experience. The middle groups are much more occasional drinkers and drink more socially with friends rather than family, and social status is a factor in their wine consumption. For the under-30s, wine consumption is very much the exception rather than the rule.

"There is a dual gap between the three generations, older, middle-aged, younger -- on the one hand, the consumption frequency gap (from a daily wine consumption to a festive one, and then exceptional), on the other, the pleasure gap," evolution from a genuine pleasure towards a more ostentatious pleasure, more difficult to perceive for the younger generation, according to Poulet."

The younger generations may still take pride in French wine but have little awareness of its cultural place in French history, he said.

"It is precisely the progressive loss of the identity, sacred and imaginary representations of wine over three generations that explains France’s global consumption attitudes, and especially the steep decline in the volumes of wine consumed."

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Kentucky school expands vineyard project

BOWLING GREEN, KY -- In a state widely known for producing whiskey, Western Kentucky University is expanding its vineyard program.

A newly planted vineyard is the third on the WKU Farm. The first two were established in 2008 and 2009. One vineyard is used for education in the university's viticulture courses and for community workshops and tours; the second vineyard is used for research. The new vineyard will be used for wine production when the vines begin producing grapes in three to four years.

Before Prohibition, Kentucky was the third largest grape- and wine-producing state in the country. A resurgent interest in viniculture now has more than 100 Kentucky farmers growing grapes.

[Go here for a full report on the WKU project.]

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P.F. Chang's birthday present: wine deal

If P.F. Chang were a person, it (he? she?) would be too young to drink. However the national chain is marking its 18th birthday with several promotions, among them a bottled wine promotion.

Every Monday and Tuesday in July, in-restaurant visitors will be able to purchase any bottle on the wine list for one-third off the listed price.

Considering that the industry average markup is double the retail price, that results in a very good deal for consumers, especially since P.F. Chang's pays more attention to its wine list than most chains. One other promotion is the offer of free lettuce wraps for visitors to the chain's Facebook page between July 6 and 31.

Some of the good deals I've pulled from the chain's wine list (price listed includes one-third reduction):

• Chateau Mont Redon Grenache Blend, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France, $33+
• Beringer Special Select White Zinfandel, California, $22
• Kabinett, Gunderloch, "Jean-Baptiste" Riesling, Germany, $24
• Angove Nine Vines Moscato, Australia, $15+
• MontGras Carmenere, Chile, $17+
• Alamos Malbec, Argentina, $15+

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Study: Binge drinking harms young brains

New research says young binge drinkers may be seriously damaging their brains.

Researcher Tim McQueeny, a doctoral student in the University of Cincinnati Department of Psychology, will present his findings in Atlanta this week at the 34th annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism.

In his study, high-resolution brain scans on a sample of 29 weekend binge drinkers aged 18 to 25 found that binge-drinking –- defined as consuming four or more drinks in one incident for females and five or more drinks for males -– was linked to cortical-thinning of the pre-frontal cortex, the section of the brain related to such "executive functions" as paying attention, planning and making decisions, processing emotions and controlling impulses leading to irrational behavior. McQueeny examined the gray matter -- parts of brain cells that do the thinking, receiving and transmitting of messages.

“We have seen evidence that binge drinking is associated with reduced integrity in the white matter, the brain’s highways that communicate neuron messaging, but alcohol may affect the gray matter differently than the white matter,” he says.

Researchers could see a relationship between gray matter thickness and binge drinking among college-aged young adults. They found that greater number of drinks per binge is associated with cortical thinning. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says 42% of young Americans ages 18 to 25 have engaged in binge drinking.

“Alcohol might be neurotoxic to the neuron cells, or, since the brain is developing in one’s 20s, it could be interacting with developmental factors and possibly altering the ways in which the brain is still growing,” he says.

The research was supported by a $300,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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In defense of Pinot Grigio's status

The unfairly mailgned wine.

Sweeping pronouncements about wine probably play some part in why newcomers often are turned off by wine snobbery.

That is why I like to poke a stick at people who make such silly comments. Here's the most recent I've come across. It is a quote from Michael Madrigale, head sommelier at Bar Boulud and Boulud Sud in New York City, according to the blog EatOcracy:

"Ordering a bottle of Pinot Grigio is like ordering salmon at a four-star restaurant -- not entirely bad, but something more appropriate for your grandmother."

What utter drivel! Could it be that Madrigale's employer -- the celebrity chef Daniel Boulud -- makes more money selling other wines if he steers customers away from such things as Pinot Grigio, which usually is fairly priced? I would rather a sommelier, especially such an influential one, make his sales by recommending wines on their own strengths rather than knocking an entire category.

Some of my better casual lunches have been salads and fowl accompanied by a lightly chilled Pinot Grigio -- usually Santa Margherita which is, I believe, the top seller in the category.

The crispness of that wine, with rounds notes of melon, grape and light floral, pairs wonderfully with everything from a bold cheese to a grilled chicken breast to a cider wine vinaigrette on field greens. Oh, and salmon, too.

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A celebri-quote: Kyle MacLachlan

• The actor Kyle MacLachlan has a growing sideline as co-owner of the Pursued By Bear winery in Washington State. In an interview with The New York Times, he spoke tongue-in-cheek about the vagaries of finding a profit in such a difficult, competitive field.

MacLachlan: "I buy the barrels and (partner) Eric (Dunham) buys the grapes and pays for all the equipment, and then we split whatever profit there might be."

NYT: How big were the profits so far?

MacLachlan: "We were in the high four-figures last year -- almost $9,000 apiece."

[Go here for my archive of Celebri-Quotes.]

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Champion home winemaker has flower power

Lending a hand with de-flowering.

ONTARIO, NY -- New York State's winemakers, commercial and amateur alike, are a very eclectic bunch when it comes to what they use to make wines. Grapes of all varieties, of course, along with apples, plums, strawberries, pears, raspberries, cherries and the like.

And then there is Jill Misterka.

The Wayne County resident likes to make her special wines out of flowers, something she started in 2009.

She has gotten so proficient at it that she will be awarded three gold medals in August from the amateur division of the New York State Fair competition for her dandelion, lilac and day lily wines.

Misterka, who also is newletter editor of the Rochester Area Home Winemakers, was featured in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle's "RocBlog of the Day." You can read it here.

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Eastern Wine Competition westernized

HEALDSBURG, CA -- The annual International Eastern Wine Competition this year was held in the West. Go figure.

The competition, sponsored by Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine, this year was conducted at Villa Chanticleer, a farming complex in California's Russian River Valley that is part of the Santa Rosa Junior College, which trains many of California's wine industry professionals.

The site change, according to Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine &  Grape Foundation and one of the judges, came about because "The New York wholesaler who received the competition wines all these years was unable to do so, for whatever reason, so this year alone a change in venue was required, and next year it will move back east."

OK, that's out of the way. Now, on to the Sweepstakes awards. (You can go here for the full rundown of all medalists.)

Best of Varietal

• Bogle, 2008 Chardonnay, California, $9
• Ferrante Winery, 2008 Gewurztraminer, Grand River Valley, $15
• Dr. Konstantin Frank, 2008 Riesling, Finger Lakes, Bunch Select Late Harvest, $69.99
• Oliver Winery, 2009 Pinot Grigio, $12.50
• Domaine Laurier Winery, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, Reserve, $9.99
• Trecini Winery, 2007 Merlot, Russian River Valley, $28
• Cross Keys Vineyards, 2008 Cabernet Franc, Shenandoah Valley, VA, $21
• Napa Ridge Winery, 2007 Petite Sirah, Napa Valley, $12.99
• Jeff Runquist Wines, 2008 Primitivo, Amador County, Nostr Vino Vineyard, $26
• Balistreri Vineyards, 2008 Sangiovese, Grand Valley, Talbott Vineyard, $22
• Lost Bars, 2007 Icewine, Okanagan Valley, VQA, $38

Riesling Best of Class

• Eagle Crest Vineyards, 2009 Riesling Dry, Finger Lakes, $12.99
• Chateau Ste. Michelle and Dr. Loosen, 2008 Eroica Riesling, Columbia Valley, $24
• Chateau LaFayette Reneau, 2009 Riesling Semi-Dry, Finger Lakes, Estate, $14.99

Riesling Champion

• Dr. Konstantin Frank, 2008 Riesling, Finger Lakes, Bunch Select Late Harvest, $69.99

Best of Category Award

Best White Wine:

• Chateau Ste Michelle and Dr. Loosen, 08 Eroica Riesling, Columbia Valley, $24

Best Red Wine

• Napa Ridge Winery, 2007 Petite Sirah, Napa Valley, $12.99

Best Dessert Wine

• Dr. Konstantin Frank, 2008 Riesling, Finger Lakes, Bunch Select Late Harvest, $69.99

Best Fruit Wine

• Ackerman Winery, 2009 Raspberry, Iowa, $9.95

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Oregon grape crop hits delays

Pinot Noir grapes, Chehalem Ridgecrest Vineyard, Newberg, OR

• From The Associated Press

PORTLAND, OR -- Winemakers around the state are coping with another late growing season as persistently cool spring weather delays the growth of the grape crop.

Oregon’s $1.4 billion wine industry has grown to more than 400 commercial wineries where managers try to balance the effects of weather that can range from cool and wet to hot and dry in short order.

At Seven of Hearts winery in Carlton, owner Byron Dooley said the cool early spring has set him back about two weeks from where he would like to be. If he’s jittery, it’s because the conditions are reminiscent of last year, when only an extended burst of sun in early October averted a wholesale washout.

"I always remind myself that it’s not what happens in June but what happens in October that’s most crucial," Dooley told The Oregonian. "But 2010 was the most white-knuckled vintage I’ve been through. I would love not to have to do that all again."

A late start to the growing season makes it difficult to ever fully catch up. And, when summer sunshine comes, unseasonable heat spikes can flood grapes with too much sugar, resulting in flabby, unbalanced wines.

[Go here for the full story.]

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New NY wine-in-markets poll flips another

BUFFALO, NY -- A survey of wine drinkers conducted by the University at Buffalo School of Management has found that 54% say they are opposed to a proposal to allow supermarkets to sell wine.

That survey, released today, is the flip side of a recent Siena Research Institute Poll at Siena College in Albany County that found that 59% of respondents favored the proposal.

By comparison with Siena's 819-respondent survey, UB surveyed more than 5,000 households.

The survey also was more detailed than Siena's in how questions were asked. Siena's question was part of a larger package of legislative initiatives, while UB's asked numerous questions on the wine sales topic. Some results:

• 54% of respondents said they are opposed to wine sales in supermarkets.

• 42% of those opposing such sales cited "negative impact on small businesses" as their reason.

• 87% of those who favored the proposal did so because of shopping convenience.

• 10% of those in favor cited potential for reduced prices.

According to the co-authors of the study, Jain, Ram Bezawada and Gary Pickering, survey participants included both men (38%) and women (62%) representing all age, income and education groups. Jain and Bezawada are co-directors of the school's Research Group in Integrated Marketing (RIM). Pickering is a professor of biological sciences and psychology/wine science at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.

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Grape 'capital' getting another winery

Site is near intersection at left.

STARKEY, NY -- Yates County claims it already grows more grapes than any other county in the U.S., and crams 13 wineries into its boundaries.

Get set to make that 14.

Plans have been filed for an 8,500-square-foot wine and beer tasting facility north of Glenora Wine Cellars near the intersection of Route 14 and Dundee-Glenora Road, overlooking Seneca Lake.

The developer is BWF Holdings of Geneva. It has applied for a financial incentive package through the Finger Lakes Economic Development Center for the $3 million project.

If it comes to fruition, it would be the second winery built in Starkey within the past year. The other is Magnus Ridge Winery, scheduled to soon open several miles south, near Rock Stream.

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Constellation unveils line of 'naked' wines

Constellation's new line.

CANANDAIGUA, NY -- Constellation Wines has unveiled a new line of unoaked -- "naked" -- wines after testing the concept in eight markets.

Simply Naked's inaugural portfolio includes 2010 vintages of pinot grigio, chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, all at a suggested retail price of $9.99. Approximately 150,000 cases were produced for this rollout.

The test markets had been New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Colorado, Missouri and North Carolina. The wines are made at the Simply Naked Winery in Woodbridge, CA.

Constellation, headquartered in this Finger Lakes community, said the new unoaked wines are subject to aging in stainless steel, "which allows the true varietal character to be fully expressed without the influence of oak barrels."

“When we asked consumers what attracted them to Simply Naked wines, 52% attributed 'simplicity’ as their main motivation to try the wine and nearly half named unoaked style as the reason they would purchase it,” said Nicole Glenn, the new line’s director of marketing.

Constellation Brands, the wine company's parent, also produces suich other wines as Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Blackstone, Ravenswood, Robert Mondavi Winery, Simi, Estancia, Wild Horse, Arbor Mist and Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy.

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A celebri-quote: Jeneil Williams

As seen in Harper's Bazaar

• Jamaican model Jeneil Williams, who has been on dozens of magazine covers worldwide, was interviewed by the Jamaica Observer. Among other things, she was asked ...

Q: What's your favorite drink?

A: A glass of perfectly chilled Pinot Grigio.

Q: What's been your most memorable experience since you've been working in the fashion industry?

A: Shooting with Karl Lagerfeld for the second time. It was really fun, it was like hanging out rather than working. It was for the Diet Coke campaign.

Q: What's your idea of the perfect date?

A: Simple lounging, going to the movies, and then to dinner with a nice glass of wine.

[Go here for the Celebri-Quotes archive.]

QEII enjoys a casual cocktail

Queen Elizabeth II at her ease

Most people are used to seeing Queen Elizabeth II dressed to the nines in matching hat, coat and dress, clutching a coordinating purse and giving the Royal Wave to her subjects.

So, it's interesting to seeing her enjoying a casual lunch -- accompanied by a Dubonnet-and-gin -- while clad in casual attire during an outing on the royal family's Balmoral estate in Scotland.

For those unenlightened commoners unfamiliar with Dubonnet, it is a wine-based aperitif popular in Europe and with steady sales in the U.S.

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Poll: NYers want wine-in-markets

LOUDONVILLE, NY -- Wads of money have been spent, letters to the editor feverishly written, press conferences held, legislators' arms twisted -- all by both camps in the wine-in-supermarkets battle. So, how is it all working out for the latest round of proposed legislation that would allow the same thing 35 other states already permit?

“A strong majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents support passing a law to allow wine to be sold in supermarkets and grocery stores. There is support in every region, with strongest support in the downstate suburbs. Younger voters support it more than older voters,” says Steven Greenberg of the Siena Research Institute at Siena College.

The institute bases that conclusion on a telephone poll it conducted June 5-8 among 819 registered New York voters. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.4 points. It is interesting to note that as time has passed, the percentage of people in favor of selling wines in markets has increased, and the percentage of those opposed has dropped.

Here is the question as posed, with the responses recorded by the institute:



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Weather bedevils California grape growers

• From The Associated Press

Wild spring weather across California's wine country has been enough to drive a vintner to drink.

From killer snow in the Sierra Nevada foothills to dry-season downpours along the coast to a hard freeze in temperate Paso Robles, 2011 is proving a challenging vintage.

"That's what makes this business so damned interesting," said Jim Fiolek, executive director of the Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association.

It also can keep winemakers up at night.

Jason Haas, general manager of Tablas Creek Vineyard near Paso Robles, said winemaker Neil Collins has experienced many sleepless nights this spring.

"These people who envy the winemaker's lifestyle should drive around here with Neil at 3 a.m. when he knows it's freezing and there's nothing he can do about it," Haas said.

Vintners have long joked that the weather is just like last year -- different. But people expect to find constants in the nation's premiere grape-growing state.

Rain is expected to taper in April and end by May, then not return until November. In those months, balmy temperatures awaken dormant vines from their winter slumber and buds start to break. This year there has been frost and record rain in June. Sustained temperatures over 70 didn't hit until this week in most wine regions.

Now just days before the official start of summer it looks like early spring across California wine country. Buds are just emerging and the fruit is forming far behind schedule.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Chain quits PA wine kiosk program

That Pennsylvania wine kiosk experiment I've been reporting on has taken a negative turn.

Wegmans, the New York-based supermarket chain that had been home to numerous kiosks, has decided to unplug the devices operated by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

The chain said the machines -- which require buyers to submit to a Breathalyzer, swipe a driver's license and look into a video camera staffed by a state employee -- "proved not to be ... a valuable addition to the shopping experience," according to a statement issued by Wegmans spokeswoman Jo Natale. Consumers in Pennsylvania want to purchase wine in supermarkets, Natale wrote, but not like this.

At this point, kiosks remain in selected Walmart stores in Pennsylvania.

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Earlier stories on the topic:

• Walmarts to get PA wine kiosk approval

• PA wine vending kiosks malfunction

• PA starts wine kiosk trial program

• PA wine vending machine plan on hold

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Commercial winery in a Baltimore basement

Erik Bandzak

• From The Baltimore Sun

BALTIMORE, MD -- In a Canton basement lit by fluorescent lights, a dozen glass jugs of fermenting grape juice share space with a washer, dryer and furnace.

Standing before them, Erik Bandzak surveys his wines: two deep reds made from a Rougeon grape and an Isabella blackberry blend, which every few minutes emit tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide through their glass air locks.

A glass hydrometer, an instrument that gauges a wine's sugar content, measures his Rougeon at about 0.99.

"That's what I want it at," Bandzak says. "You get it below one, it's a dry wine."

A traditional winery this is not. There are no lush vineyards anywhere near this dense residential neighborhood. Nor is there wine aging in 60-gallon oak barrels, or tourists lining up for weekend tastings.

Nonetheless, Bandzak, 30, has launched what amounts to Baltimore's first winery, according to records kept by state regulators. If all goes as planned, in two months the wines of Aliceanna Winery -- what Bandzak has christened his fledgling enterprise -- will be served to the happy-hour patrons of a nearby restaurant, the latest entry in Maryland's burgeoning wine scene.

After months of applications, rejections from city and federal authorities, and health and safety inspections, Bandzak now holds the licenses and permits necessary to sell his wine, making his business Maryland's 50th winery and one of just a handful in urban areas.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Guest comment: Oh, those dumb farmers

• This column was written for The Suffolk Times on Long Island by a founder of the Long Island wine industry in 1973. She now is a freelance writer and consultant.


By Louisa Hargrave

In a current television ad for Ocean Spray cranberry juice, a young man standing in a cranberry bog in rubber waders plays out the stereotype of a hick farmer as he witlessly dumps a bag of sugar into the “sugarless” cranberries. Images like this of farmers as nitwits has rankled me since, in 1973, I began growing grapes and someone asked me, “Now that you’re a farmer, what will you do with your mind?”

Even as I took on the chores of planting, tending and harvesting a large vineyard, I myself worried that those hours of hoeing weeds and tying vines might limit me. Wasn’t I wasting all those years spent in college, learning chemistry, history and foreign languages, while I toiled through mud, sleet or broiling sun just to get a silent vine to push out a few clusters of recalcitrant grapes?

Over the next 27 years, as I trudged out into the field or down into the cellar (usually in the company of a bounding dog), I came to realize that farming is as challenging to the intellect as it is to the body.

Still, the stereotype of the dumb peasant farmer persists. It is not limited to the United States, as I learned on a recent jaunt to the Champagne region of France. There I stayed for three nights in the village of Aÿ, in a B&B called “Le Logis des Pressureurs” (lodging for press workers) owned by Philippe and Sophie Brun. Philippe is a burly, outspoken vigneron, easily mistaken for a village peasant, though his family owns several grand cru vineyards, and the wines he makes, Champagne Roger Brun, have won accolades including Best Sparkling Wine in Decanter Magazine. ...

Brun described playing the part of the local peasant for the British TV crews that come to film the beginning of harvest every year: “The crews who want an aristocrat find the manager from Taittinger, who has never had dust on his shoes, and stands next to the vineyard in his yellow tie with bubbles on it, talking about magic. For the crews who want the pirate -- that’s me. I go out in my beret, with four days’ growth of beard, spitting, and say the same thing.”

Here on Long Island, similar scenes play out as visitors seeking atmosphere prod the local vintners to go yokel. ...

[Go here for the full commentary.]

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Maryland hikes taxes on all alcohol

• From The Washington Post

ANNAPOLIS, MD -- In a budget season filled with controversies over taxes, deficits and cuts across the country, Maryland just took a historic step: The General Assembly passed and Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the first increase in beer and wine taxes in 38 years, and the first increase in distilled spirits taxes in 55 years.

The case for the new alcohol tax -- a 3-percentage-point addition to the state’s 6 percent sales tax -- was strong. It will save lives, prevent crime and help to avert thousands of cases of alcohol abuse or dependence. It will also raise at least $85 million in revenue a year. In the first year, these funds will be used to restore much-needed services for people with developmental disabilities, shore up school budgets and support school maintenance and repairs. In future years, the funds can be used to support expanded access to health care; services for people with developmental disabilities or mental health needs; alcohol, tobacco and other drug-use prevention and treatment, and health-care worker training.

Every year, numerous states try to raise their alcohol taxes, and few succeed. Efforts were made in at least 23 states in 2010; none succeeded.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Funeral for Long Island wine pioneer

Ralph Pugliese Sr.

CUTCHOGUE, Long Island, NY -- Funeral services were held this morning for Ralph Pugliese Sr., a pioneer in the Long Island wine industry who died Monday at the age of 73.

The Brooklyn-born Pugliese released his first wines in 1986. His early products were made in the basement of his home after he initially planted just two acres of vines. Over the years, acreage and plantings vastly increased and Pugliese Vineyards became one of the iconic Long Island operations.

Three of Pugliese's offspring are involved in the family-owned operation. Peter is the winemaker, Lawrence oversees the vineyards and daughter Domenica Penny runs the tasting room. Ralph Jr., a professional photographer, has his works hanging in the tasting room.

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Wine mentions in 1700s South Carolina

In the process of doing some genealogical research, my wife came across a letter written on November 12, 1737, by Jacob Gallmann, one of her distant ancestors. It details his experiences in the New World -- and his mention of the place wine had in the South Carolina community in which he and his family lived -- to friends and family back in Switzerland, from which he emigrated. The original is in the state archives in Zurich. (c.f., Special Collection, State Archive of Zurich, SIG.Mse.15 blatt 706-708.) Here is an edited version, with modern-day spellings placed in brackets.

We arrived at Carlistath [Charleston, SC] the 7th day of Hornung [February], the 1735th year. Thus our travel took 11 weeks from London to Carlinstath, but we took a rather round about way ...

We were given an exceedingly beautiful place only half an hour from town. The whole farm is garden-like ground. It is a good four-and-a-half hundred acres in one piece, all black-brown earth, nary a rock, all even land, wheels need no brakes. I have given five acres land to each of the children, but Heini has 150 acres in one piece: Heiri, too has 100 acres in one piece, doesn't know yet how much he will get; Hanss, too has 100 acres in one piece. ...

Carolina lies under the sun which makes it very warm. In summertime it is much warmer than in Switzerland wherefore it is called South Carolina, but in wintertime rather cold but there is no snow and summertime no hail. The land is real good and fertile with all kinds of grain. You fell the trees, then you begin to till and sow corn. The first year you got plenty and good, after that there is wheat, too, then corn again, everything you wish that you can plant. Round the corn you plant peas and beans, melons, watermelons, a great number of all sorts plants. ...

There are many strawberries, many blackberries, very many mulberry trees, peach trees in the woods, also many apple and pear trees, they do not have all of those trees here, some have to be brought in from far awav. Cherries there are too but we don't yet have the trees, also very many grape vines but all which have small berries like juniper berries, black, make a good wine but are not so easy to get, grow way up in the tall trees. ...

And, on the following November 12, Jacob Gallman wrote:

... I cannot fail to send you some good news that we, through God's loving grace are still hale and hearty, thanks be to God, but I also report to you our mourning for our dear late father, because he died on the 20th day of Wine Month [October] and was abed no more than one day, about which I am very sad, and we are deeply sorrowful, and he was much mourned by the Germans and the English, and he has led a praiseworthy life.

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Winemaking at the end of the world

Bodega NQN emblem/

• From the Baltimore Sun:

Patagonia, the huge swath of land at the southern tip of South America, is known for its rugged mountains and glaciers but an innovative group of winemakers are hoping to add wine to the list.

Santiago Bernasconi, a 38-year-old winemaker at Bodega NQN in Neuquen, Argentina, and his colleagues are making wine on the edge of the earth.

"It makes you feel like you are the last boundary in the winemaking world," Bernasconi, said during a visit to the U.S. to introduce the wines from the newest area in Patagonia to host wineries. "There are only like eight wineries in Patagonia and we all share our experience and work to improve the wines of the whole region."

NQN owns 1,100 hectares (2,718 acres) on a wind-swept plateau. Two hundred hectares are planted with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. With cutting-edge irrigation and fertilization equipment NQN produces wines that are fruit driven and light in style from 11-year-old vines.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Madoff's vaunted wine collection a dud

Bernie Madoff, disgraced wino

UPDATE (5/19/11): Bernard Madoff's collection of wines and spirits sold for almost twice its estimated value. Proceeds of the sales will go to the disgraced financier's victims. The pre-sale estimate for the 59 lots was $15,000 to $21,000. The collection ended up going for $41,530 at Wednesday's online auction.

NEW YORK -- "He was clearly not a connoisseur, or a serious wine collector."

In that sentence, one expert in the field summed up the collection of disgraced financial schemer Bernie Madoff.

"He had some good Bordeaux," said Elin McCoy, who writes about wine and spirits for Bloomberg News, "but I am surprised that this is all there was. The guy was a gazillionaire."

Madoff, now serving prison time for his bilking of thousands of people of hundreds of millions of dollars, was particularly fond of Bordeaux. But he also had an apparent taste for liquor, as shown by the bottles of Jose Cuervo, Jack Daniels, and Johnnie Walker Black Label in his collection. It also included a batch of 2-ounce bottles of Smirnoff vodka, Bombay Gin and Grand Marnier liqueur, presumably from a hotel mini bar.

Morrell Company Fine Auctions of New York, which is handling the auction scheduled for Wednesday, says on its website:

"We have humbly accepted the opportunity to sell the seized cellar contents of two properties owned by Bernie Madoff on behalf of the United States Marshal's office. The proceeds from the sale of these items will go towards the general recovery effort.

"As artifacts of history they are unique, which is why we have chosen to offer all of the bottles seized, including those which normally wouldn't pass muster and make it into our auction. Some of the bottles are better viewed as conversation pieces rather than valued for their contents, but conversation pieces they are.

"With such an exciting sale it's hard to know where to begin! Take your time to download our catalogue to scroll through the items in traditional format, or use our search feature to locate some of your favorites. Either way we are confident that there will be something for every wine lover.

"This sale is 'internet only' which means you still have two ways to place bids: absentee, or live during the sale on May 18th. Absentee bids can be placed now or anytime before the lots begin being hammered down on the 18th. Search the catalogue and leave absentee bids now or log in on Wednesday May 18th at 10:00am EST to bid live."

Interested in participating in the auction? Just go here for step-by-step instruction.

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Connecticut Wine Festival set for July

Visitors to last year's tasting event.

FARMINGTON, CT -- The Nutmeg State bumps up against a wine powerhouse, New York State, but it isn't hiding its own wines despite the competition.

The 3rd annual  Connecticut Wine Festival is being put together by the Connecticut Vineyard and Winery Association (CVWA) for a July 30-31 run at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Litchfield County.

The event will feature local wines, specialty food vendors, artisanal craft from jewelry to wine racks, and live music.

This will be a good chance to learn about Connecticut wines, which range from Chardonnays to Merlots. As George Motel, owner of Sunset Meadows Vineyards and chairman of the festival, concedes, "Connecticut is not the first place one would think of for wines, yet, its moderate climate and sloping topography in fact is well-suited for growing grapes, and its wineries are attracting a growing legion of fans ... ."

Daily admission is $20 in advance, available at any participating CVWA winery, online or by phone; $25 at the door. Guests under 21 and designated drivers will be admitted for $10. Photo ID with proof of age is required for the wine tasting. Hours for the festival will be noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 30, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 31. More details and online access are available here. Phone: (860) 677-5467.

Proceeds from the festival will support promotion of the CVWA Wine Trail and the state's wine industry. The Trail is a state-approved winery and vineyard awareness program marked with blue signs that identify the location of all participating wineries that welcome visitors.

The Trail members are:

Bishop’s Orchards Winery and Farm Market
Chamard Vineyards
Connecticut Valley Winery
DiGrazia Vineyards
Gouveia Vineyards
Haight-Brown Vineyards
Holmberg Orchards & Winery
Hopkins Vineyard
Jerram Winery
Jonathan Edwards Winery
Jones Winery
Land of Nod Winery
Maugle Sierra Vineyards
McLaughlin Vineyards
Miranda Vineyard
Paradise Hills Vineyard
Priam Vineyards
Rosedale Farms & Vineyard
Saltwater Farm Vineyard
Sharpe Hill Vineyard
Stonington Vineyards
Sunset Meadow Vineyards
Taylor Brooke Winery
White Silo Winery

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Go here to browse all wine trails in the U.S.

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Crossing the broder for food and wine

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario -- Most Americans think only of the U.S. side of this natural wonder, but the Canadian side has its attractions as well.

The long weekend of May 27-29 will be in the spotlight at the Scotiabank Convention Centre where the Niagara Food & Wine Expo will unveil hundreds of examples of wine, beer and spirits from around the globe along with a wide range of complementary food products.

The Tutored Tastings program from Toronto has developed four educational classes to be held just outside the Expo in a classroom-style setting: "Learn to Taste Like a Pro," "A Taste of Niagara," "Vines Wine Camp" and a tasting of InterVin’s top medalists hosted by the Head Judge himself.

Details on the exhibitors, classes, tastings and other events are available online.

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VA to NY, Texas: Thanks for the cutbacks

Planting vines at the VA Executive Mansion.

Just as the New York State wine industry is buffeted by aid reductions and a lack of ongoing commitment to it by state government, the ever-growing Texas wine industry now is facing severe reductions in state governmental support.

In a story on that topic in today's San Antonio Express-News -- which itself ceased sponsoring its annual international wine competition when its revenues flattened three years ago, wine and spirits columnist Jennifer McInnis wrote:

"Not everyone is upset about the impending [Texas] budget cuts. Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore sees opportunity and openly mocked Texas and New York for cutting their budgets.


" 'It doesn't make any sense to us, but we're not arguing,' he says. 'If they want to take those steps backwards, that's all for the better of Virginia. We are committed to growing this industry'."

The attitude is typical of Virginia governmental attitude toward its well-regarded wine industry. One recent example:

Planting of 10 Chambourcin grapevines in the garden of the Executive Mansion in Richmond during Wine Week 2011 followed the path of the original "Charter of Jamestown’s Acte 12" in 1619 that required every male settler to plant at least 10 grape vines. The vines were planted with the intent that they will be flourishing for the Executive Mansion’s bicentennial in 2013.

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