News

News February 29, 2012

New Beer by Dogfish Blurs the Line Between Wine and Beer.

Dogfish Head Noble Rot is a beer made with the addition of grapes. That in itself isn’t totally new.  What is new is that the grapes contribute about half of the fermentable sugars. What’s also worth noting is the types of grapes used: Viognier and Pinot Gris grapes from Alexandria Nicole Cellars. The Viognier has been infected with botrytis (or “noble rot”) which dries up the grapes, concentrating the sugars in the fruit. The Pinot…

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News February 29, 2012

Study Shows Lighting Influences Wine Tastes.

If you’re planning on having guests over this weekend, and you’re worried about your choice of wine, you may want to consider changing your light-bulbs! According to a study published in the Journal of Sensory Studies, wine drinkers found that wines were more enjoyable when they were tasted in red or blue lighting, as opposed to white. The German experiment, led by Dr. Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel gave a group of drinkers an identical bottle of Riesling…

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News February 26, 2012

7 Deadly Wine Glasses.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I love these beautiful (but granted not very practical) wine glasses. The 7 Deadly Glasses by Kacper Hamilton Design are based on the idea that each glass represents a sin, which is revealed through the ritual of drinking. The glasses are limited edition and hand-made in England (which for obvious reasons only makes me love them more). No mention of a price, but I can’t imagine they…

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News February 24, 2012

Will People Pay More for Wines They Can’t Pronounce?

Yes they will! This according to new research which found that, in the eyes of the consumer, a wine will taste better if a winery is hard to pronounce. Brock University professor, Dr Antonia Mantonakis, found that English-speaking wine consumers were more likely to buy wine from a winery with a difficult-to-pronounce name. Participants in the study also rated wine more highly in a blind tasting, and were prepared to pay more money for the…

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News February 22, 2012

10 Years of Two Buck Chuck, and Fred Franzia’s Opinion on Wine Snobs.

2012 year marks the 10th anniversary of Charles Shaw, better known as 2-Buck Chuck, which made its debut in a Trader Joe’s store 2002. According to Fred Franzia (NB: he’s the multi-millionaire, standing in a vineyard, wearing the unironed trousers in the photo on the left), the $2 bottling has made your “average wine snob” think twice. “We have won the battle with snobs and other elites who didn’t believe we could provide excellent wines at…

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News February 21, 2012

Open That Bottle Night 2012

I’m so glad I checked the date on this! It almost got away from me… Open That Bottle Night is this Saturday (February 25th). An event created by former Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, the night marks the much needed occasion for people around the world to crack open a bottle they’ve been saving, but have never been able to find that “special occasion”. As Dorothy and John put…

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News, Social Media February 19, 2012

Why Social and Selling Don’t Mix….Another Nail in the Coffin for the Question of ROI in Social Media.

The news this week reported on Bloomberg.com doesn’t exactly help provide the answer businesses were looking for, in respect to the question: “What is the true ROI of social media?” Bloomberg reported the following: “Last April, Gamestop opened a store on Facebook in an attempt to generate sales from their growing fanbase of 3.5 million-plus customers who’d declared themselves “fans” of the video game retailer. Less than 6 months later, the store has been quietly…

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News February 18, 2012

Chateau Drew Barrymore.

Drew Barrymore is the latest celeb that has entered the wine business. Wilson Daniels Ltd. has been named the U.S. importer for Barrymore Wines. Drew’s first offering is a Pinot Grigio from Italy. Barrymore Pinot Grigio is an IGT Delle Venezie, made from grapes grown the Triveneto area, comprised of three of Italy’s most northern regions: Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino Alto Adige and Veneto—regions renowned for producing crisp and fruity white wines. The Barrymore label…

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News February 17, 2012

Moët-Hennessy to Produce Red Wine in China

Bubbly-maker Moët-Hennessy has invested in a vineyard in China that will produce red wine for the Chinese market. The luxury Champagne brand has been aggressively pursuing the Chinese market in recent years, having acquired a Chinese spirits brand five years ago. Last year, Moët-Hennessy also began production of a premium sparkling wine in the province of Ningxia Hui (NB: good luck pronouncing that!). The explosive growth of middle and upper classes in Chinese society has…

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News February 17, 2012

Controversy as Beverly Hills Wine Festival Honors Whitney Houston.

The Beverly Hills Wine Festival (NB: my invite clearly must have been lost in the mail), which happens to be taking place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel (the hotel where Whitney Houston passed away), had planned a tribute to Whitney. The event was scheduled for February 26, and would have featured a cognac and champagne tasting. It’s worth pointing out that the Houston family had never approved this event. Here’s what’s being said about it: "It…

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