• PORTUGAL WINE EXPORTS AT THE ‘MOMENT DE VÉRITÉ’

    par | Mai 2, 2011

    By PATRICK DU GENESTOUX

    The Portuguese wine industry has undertaken a powerful communications effort in Europe to explain that their rise in the world ranking is key to an increase in importance of of Portuguese wines, even if costly during the crisis years in 2008 and 2009. At last in 2010 their exports increased of more than 16% in value and 9% in volume with an average price increase of 7%.
    The media were invited to international meetings in Porto last December when the Portuguese wine industry strategies was becoming to be beneficial, and also in March in Celorico da Beira, to be briefed on Portuguese wine export and individual region potential.  We attended both.

    MY LOOK AT PORTUGUESE WINE EXPORT STATISTICS

    The opening session of the 1rst International Wine Meeting and Tasting Event held in Northern Portugal on the 17th of March was introduced by an interesting presentation of Doctora Edite Azenha, Chairperson of the Portuguese Vine and Wine Institute, commenting on the performance of their wine trade balance in 2010.

    Dra Edite’s presentation was full of optimism. According to her Portuguese wines and wine firms are increasingly recognized worldwide on the quality aspects, some of them among the “ World’s best 100” or 200 of various classifications, with notes frequently above 90.  Then she came to an in deep discussion of the Portuguese foreign trade figures for 2010, providing material for stimulating thoughts on the wine market segmentation.

    In 2010, Portugese wine exports grew 9% in volume (2,6 million hectolitres) and 16 % in value  (€650 million). The increase was good with PDO wines (Protected Designation of Origin, the equivalent of the French AOP, Appellation d’Origine Protégée) which grew 12 % in unit value, reaching a “psychological gate » of €3.00 per liter (€2.25 per bottle).

    Port Wine Institute Inspectors on the Porto waterfronts during the forties.

    (suite…)

  • SOYONS CIVIQUES, PICOLONS!

    par | Avr 30, 2011

    ARTHUR DUBAUF

    Imaginons que le gouvernement français concède à chacun d’entre nous une bourse de 600 €…
    Si nous la dépensons au supermarché du coin, cet argent part en Chine.
    Si nous dépensons l’argent en essence, il part dans les Émirats et autres.
    Si nous achetons un ordinateur, il ira en Inde.
    Si on achète des fruits et des légumes, l’argent va en Espagne, au Maroc, etc.
    Si on achète une bonne caisse, notre fric va en Allemagne.
    Si on achète des babioles, il part à Taïwan et cela n’aidera pas notre économie.
    La seule façon de maintenir l’argent en France, c’est d’acheter du vin ou du champagne, si l’on considère que ce sont les uniques biens produits encore ici.
    Quand c’est vraiment la crise, finalement, il reste le pinard et le champagne.
    Alors, accomplissez votre devoir civique, aidez notre système économique local : PICOLEZ !

    Pour info, la Fête de l’Eau a fait près de 400 morts au Cambodge tandis que la Fête du Beaujolais s’est passée ici sans problème. Faites attention à vous, pas d’eau dans le vin !

  • “ÉTABLIR” NEW VINES: HOW IT IS DONE

    par | Avr 6, 2011

    By LINCOLN SILIAKUS

    (Note: as you can see from the soil, this post was written last winter. After a rainy Spring, the vines are prolific this year)

    I was driving up the little road that leads to my house in Sablet the other afternoon and saw a fellow working in the vines, so I stopped for a short yarn.

    Now that he has finished the winter pruning, the time has come for Rashid Abaiba to “establish” some new wines.

    The term établir covers all you have to do to get young wines settled into their new lives.

    I’d seen them planting the pencil-sized grenache vines last summer and had wondered why they chose to do it in that heat. The plants seem to have survived, though, and Rashid is now training them up to the low horizontal wire about 50cm off the ground.

    (suite…)

  • A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS PREFER WINE OFF MEALS

    par | Mar 29, 2011

    From the INDIAN WINE ACADEMY Newsletter — 28 March 2011 11:40

    Whereas the European and high-end Californian producers are still persuaded that wine is a food product and needs to be part of our meals, a recent study in the US claims that no more than 40% of Americans are drinking wine with meals, a majority of them drinking it away from the dinner table (preferring off dry or slightly sweet wines).

    According to a report from Napa Valley Register which says this study confirms that a majority of wines is drunk in the US without food, the USA include about 77 million wine consumers.
    The study was conducted by Wine Opinions of about 800 wine drinkers selected from their 5,500 consumer panel members — from the 29 million Americans who drink wine daily or several times a week. (suite…)

  • ANNUAL MEDIA PRE-CUVÉE ONTARIO VQA

    par | Mar 26, 2011

    By DEAN TUDOR

    The Time and Date: Wednesday February 9, 2011  10:30 to 2 PM
    The Event: the annual media pre-Cuvée Ontario VQA wine tasting.
    The Venue: BMO Bank of Montreal, 68th Floor.
    The Target Audience: wine media and sommeliers.
    The Availability/Catalogue: all wines are available for sale, at the winery. Some are at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).
    The Quote/Background: this was to be a broad overview of the wines poured at Cuvée in early March. These wines represent each participating winery’s top scoring wine from the Cuvée judging last January.
    The Wines: Due to time constraints, I just evaluated red and white table wines.

    **** Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms) NB : 1 Can$ = €0.72
    -Niagara Teaching College Dean’s List Chardonnay 2009, $27.95.
    -Nyarai Cellars Veritas Red 2007, $24.95
    -Palantine Hills Estate Gewurztraminer 2008, $13.75
    -Pelee Island Winery Alvar Sémillon Sauvignon 2009, $12.95.
    -Peninsula Ridge Fume Blanc 2008, $24.95
    -Rosewood Estates Chardonnay Reserve 2007, $25
    -Thirty Bench Winemakers Small Lot Cabernet Franc 2007, $40 (suite…)

  • US APPROVES IMPORT OF 2006 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

    par | Mar 22, 2011

    From REUTERS

    NEW YORK | Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:49pm EDT —  The U.S. has given approval for the iconic Italian wine Brunello di Montalcino, which had been involved in a quality scandal, to be imported into the country.
    The U.S. Department of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), in a statement released last week, said that since Italy had certified the 2006 vintage it would allow the vintage to be sold in the U.S.
    U.S. collectors represent roughly 25% of the market for the storied Tuscan red, which fetches hundreds of dollars a bottle at auction.
    «     TTB announces that the Government of Italy has certified that the 2006 vintage … meets all the requirements for the denomination,«  the statement said. Read More