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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