Charlemagne Wine Club - News
|
|
What's New?
Fraud claims over research into health benefits of red wine Old News
Berry Brothers report drop in demand for organic/bio wines
Dr. Dipak Das was a prolific researcher with at least 117 articles on the effects of resveratrol, a bioactive compound found in red wine. After a three-year internal investigation following an anonymous tip-off, he has been sacked by the University of Connecticut, having been found to have falsified or fabricated data on at least 145 occasions over seven years.
This throws into doubt an entire body of knowledge on the multiple health benefits of moderate amounts of red wine, including cancer prevention, cardio-vascular health, a reduction in age-related diseases and reversal of diabetes and obesity.
However, some resveratrol researchers were not concerned by the fraud allegations and still believe the compound can improve longevity.
Riedel redesign the Champagne flute
Glassware manufacturer Georg Riedel report “The Champenois are starting to serve their sparklers in white wine glasses as the larger surface areas give more aromas, complexity and a creamier texture”. Riedel has started making bespoke glasses for several Champagne houses more akin to a white wine glass. They are much bigger and rounder than a traditional flute.
Late harvest for American Ice Wine
Unseasonably warm weather over Northern USA and Eastern Canada has seriously delayed the harvesting of grapes for icewine. Picking usually takes place in early December, but lack of freezing weather meant that it was only when a short cold snap occurred at the end of December and on 3rd January that the crop could be harvested. The resulting volume is only half the typical harvest.
Strange branding for Californian wines
Californian wine producers are well accustomed to seeking eye-catching branding for their wines, often with rather peculiar links to the wine. Winemaker Mark Bearman has produced music oriented wines including a blend of syrah, zinfandel, grenache and petite sirah which "interprets" Grateful Dead album “Steal Your Face” and a cabernet sauvignon for Pink Floyd album "Dark Side of the Moon". Imagery Estate Winery went the other way, commissioning an orchestral piece "Imagine a Waltz" from Richard Derwingson for with the current release of "White Burgundy" (which is actually a chardonnay-pinot blanc-pinot meunier blend).
Other California brands like Dirty Laundry, Woop Woop, Happy Camper, Hey Mambo, and FlipFlop seem to stress mood rather than music, and certainly telegraph unpretentiousness.
Fancy packaging for Croix de Beaucaillou
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou has commissioned jewelry designer Jade Jagger (daughter of Mick) to package the estate’s second wine Croix de Beaucaillou. Luxuriant gold vegetation on deep black background may look like a perfume bottle, but Jade Jagger claims it represents “the elegance, finesse, and depth of Croix.”
Sonoma’s Iron Horse winery creates a new sparkling wine for the Chinese New Year
In celebration of the Year of the Dragon (beginning on January 23) Iron Horse winery will produce 1,000 cases as part of the limited run. 880 cases will be exported to China and the remaining 120 cases are being sold in the USA.
It is vintage 2007, a blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay. The label is red and yellow – the colors of the Chinese national flag, and bilingual. Plans are to create a limited edition Chinese Cuvee each year (and 2014, the Year of the Horse, should be very marketable for this winery, previously notable as a supplier to the White House).
In a review of last year’s trends, the company recorded a 54% decline in the volume of biodynamic wines sold compared to 2010, while organic wines fell even further, dropping as much as 63%.
UK Tax on wines on target to overtake Beer taxes
The UK Treasury will receive more money from wine duty than from beer as soon as 2014-15, according to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. Projections are that wine revenue to the Treasury will rise from £3.1bn (2010-2011) to £4.2bn in 2014-15. Beer revenues will only rise from £3.7bn to £4bn.
Wine Spectator's 2011 Top 100 selection
The authoritative American wine magazine has released its annual list of the top 100 wines from the 16 thousand tasted. Obviously, this is focussed on the US market, but it makes interesting reading.
The list figured 40 US wines, 20 from Italy, 18 from France, 6 from Spain and 5 from Portugal. The remainder came from Argentina, Australia, Germany and New Zealand (2 each) and single selections from Austria, Greece and South Africa.
The top four wines (in order) were Kosta Browne Pinot Noir 2009 (Sonoma Coast) (12th last year); Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Napa Valley) (18th last year); Domaine Huët Vouvray Moelleux Clos du Bourg Première Trie 2009 (Loire Valley); Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino 2006.
Click here for the full listing
Fighting Fake Bordeaux in China
French authorities are trying to reduce fake Bordeaux wine. Only a small portion of wine fraud involves counterfeit labels of real châteaus - a much bigger worry is wine labeled with fictitious châteaus using Bordeaux AOCs. Bordeaux is not a protected geographic indication (GI) in China, so there isn't a lot of legal recourse.
China has now signed a cooperation agreement with the French authorities and sent their investigators to wine school. The trained inspectors will have an app SmartBordeaux on their handhelds, so they can quickly determine the authenticity of a label. The plan is that they will spot the fake Bordeaux, and pass on their findings to the authorities.
While Bordeaux officials admit that they can't completely stop fraud in China, they hope to win GI protection by 2012. In the meantime, winegrowers have been told to protect themselves by copyrighting their brand in China. Unfortunately, this is costly - and if a Chinese distributor has copyrighted a wine brand, which they do, then he owns it in China not the producer.