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Global Trends Weekly Update

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26.03.2010

Critical Publics | EDOAO

Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ...... 2

Global Market Watch ...... 4

Off-Premise Wine Sales Increase 4.6 Percent in February ...... 4 Chablis maker chides trend for chilled, young wine ...... 4 Asia's thirst for wine unquenchable as Hong Kong prepares for major events ...... 5 Gaja: next for Italy, 2010 prospects 'rosy' ...... 6 Indian wine lovers offer tasty target to ...... 6 The discerning drinker: Best Lebanese wine ...... 7 Playing with the Rhône ...... 8

Global Industry Watch ...... 9

Wine dealers uncork merger ...... 9 Tax rises drive wine makers out of UK ...... 10 Vinfolio plans relaunch ...... 11 France likely to ban first wine TV network ...... 11 Italy could overtake Australia by end year ...... 12 Winemakers warn cask wine could hit $38 ...... 12 Hemorrhaging cabernet: Quake hits Chile winemakers ...... 12 Ireland: 'Worst year in living memory' ...... 14

Wine Domain Catalysts Watch ...... 14

Chianti Classico 2009 - report ...... 14 Tax hikes deter wine giants ...... 16

Scientific Developments & Technological Breakthroughs Watch ...... 17

Carbon-dating wine can spot fake : research ...... 17 Adopt New Cost Effective Event Calendar Technology ...... 17

Wines from Greece Publicity Monitor ...... 18

Travel: Crete's a treat ...... 18

Blogosphere Monitor ...... 19

Wines of Portugal Tasting: April 5th, San Francisco ...... 19 When small wine shops are great–and when they disappoint ...... 19 : beyond the fruit bomb ...... 20

Peripheral Domains Intelligence ...... 21

Oz Clarke joins International Wine Challenge senior team ...... 21

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

Your armchair guide to En Primeur Bordeaux ...... 22 Fruit or root? decides ...... 23

Global Sustaining & Emerging Trends Digest ...... 23

Does Green Wine Face a Stigma? ...... 23

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

Global Market Watch

The global market watch outlines developments, spotted andd emerging trends that define the current situation in the global wine landscape. It includes all major developments in the market including consumer trends relating to wine and marketing campaigns or approaches, as well as concerns on health and sustainability.

Off-Premise Wine Sales Increase 4.6 Percent in February

WINE BUSINESS, USA

22.03.10: Off-premise wine sales data increased 4.6 percent from the same period last year in the four weeks ending March 6 according to The Nielsen Company-tracked data. In the 13 weeks ending March 6, sales were up 4.5 percent. Most of the growth that took place was in sales of domestic wines. Year- on-year, domestic wine sales grew 5.8 percent while imports grew just 1.5 percent in the 4 weeks ending March 6. Domestic sales increased 4.5 percent while imported wine declined 1.1 percent in the 52 weeks ending March 6.

Total wine sales grew in most price points in the 4 weeks ending March 6, with the largest growth in the over $20 price segment, which increased 12.6 percent. This is significant as wines in the price category were declining for most of 2009. Wines in the $9 to $11.99 and $12 to $14.99 price segments also showed strong growth. In the 4 weeks ending March 6, wines retailing for $9 to $11.99 increased in sales 9.1 percent and $12 to $14.99 increased 9.7 percent.

http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=72498

Chablis maker chides trend for chilled, young wine

REUTERS, UK

23.03.10: Daniel-Etienne Defaix still adheres to the motto of the Cistercian monks who planted the vines on the slopes of this northern Burgundy village in the Middle Ages: Wine is only good when it ages well. Defaix's family has been making Chablis wines for centuries and he deplores the trend for drinking young, white wines at chilly temperatures, which mask the alcohol and acidity."It is only with time that you get a harmonious and well-balanced taste," Defaix said.That means that the "new" wine Defaix will bring to market is

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update from the 2001 for Chablis Premier Cru Les Lys or the Chablis Premier Cru Vaillon -- his largest vineyards. Only the wine from old vines, Vielles Vignes, is sold at a younger age.To prove his point he served some younger wines which were not mature yet alongside some Chablis Premier Cru Vaillon 1983 and 1981, which were a treat to the palate."I should not have let you taste that. Now you prefer that wine above the others but I do not sell it anymore," he laughed after seeing the reaction to the older vintages.Defaix is a hulk of a figure and a cornerstone of the Chablis community -- presiding over Saint Vincent celebrations in the town every four years and tirelessly promoting Chablis and his own wines with top restaurants, participating in tasting juries and acquiring local real estate.In the cellar of a block of Medieval houses that had been destined to be razed to make way for a supermarket, Defaix created a tasting room and a fashionable restaurant.He aims to restore the rest when his cash situation improves and the global economic crisis is only a bad memory. "When I started out on my own and took over my father's firm, Chablis had its Golden Age behind it. Business went so well back then that the producers turned their backs on the average consumer," Defaix said. …

There are 400 producers of Chablis and one-third supplies the collective cellar that sells mainly to retail chains.Other producers, under financial pressure as banks are reluctant to finance vintners, have cut prices."You can buy a Premier Cru at the price of a common Chablis at the moment, that is ridiculous," Defaix said. A Premier Cru normally sells for 17 to 22 euros and is now on the market for 12 euros. Defaix sells Les Lys at 24 euros ($32.43).He grants discounts to re-sellers with small margins while keeping firm in the face of bigger chains with high margins. "In the end, wine is a people's business. With a good product, good sense and the knowledge that you sell to people, you cannot go wrong," he said. "That is why, whether it is my wine or the vegetables I grow for the restaurant, I always want to be the first to taste -- if it is good enough for me, it is good enough for the customer." Defaix sells 170,000 bottles per year, half for export and half in France. That compares with 37.4 million bottles for the entire Chablis region -- a fifth of Burgundy production and 0.1 percent of world wine output.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE62M1TW20100323?sp=true

Asia's thirst for wine unquenchable as Hong Kong prepares for major events

THE INDEPENDENT, UK

25.03.10: As wine consumption in Asia continues to grow, Hong Kong this weekend is hosting what organizers are claiming to be the "first ever'' auction of vintages representing four centuries of the famed Chateau Lafite Rothschild.A recent report into how much wine the world is now drinking claimed China is now the second-fastest growing international market, ranking behind the United States, and organizers of this weekend's auction, the US-based sales house Acker Merrall & Condit, are hoping to quench that newfound thirst with sales they are estimating will top US$50 million (€37 million).The auction - which features 1,108 lots, including Lafite lots from 1799-2003 - will be held on March 26 and 27 at the Island Shangri-la Hotel and wine lovers can view the catalogue via www.ackerasia.com and register for real time online bids via [email protected]. …

Hong Kong is in May hosting Vinexpo Asia-Pacific (www.vinexpo.com) - the world's

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update largest wine exhibition - and that event's recent survey into world wine consumption revealed the scale of wine consumption now being enjoyed in these parts.Wine consumption in China (including Hong Kong) has grown by almost 80 percent in the past five years - and is expected to grow by a further 70 percent over the next five years. Good news for organizers of this weekend's auction too is that Hong Kong wine lovers in particular have a fascination with all things French. One in three bottles of wine drunk in the territory comes from France - and the French market share has in recent years grown by 41.8 percent.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/asias-thirst-for-wine- unquenchable-as-hong-kong-prepares-for-major-events-1927672.html

Gaja: white wine next for Italy, 2010 prospects 'rosy'

DECANTER, UK

25.03.10: Italy's next big success will be with its white wines, Piedmont's most renowned producer Angelo Gaja says in the latest issue of Decanter. In a wide-ranging interview (to be published in the May issue of Decanter, out 5 April) the 1998 Decanter Man of the Year tells Tim Atkin MW the richness of Italy's varied is only beginning to be exploited. 'Italy has so much potential…an enormous range of terroirs. There are 1500 grape varieties in Italy, many of which are virtually unknown. No other country has that richness.' And it's the white varieties, he says, that will come into their own. 'Pinot Grigio and are a bit boring, but Fiano is excellent, and I love Vermentino, Greco, Ribolla and Arneis.' Gaja, now 70 and celebrating the 150th anniversary of the , reminisces about his father Giovanni. The older Gaja was himself an innovator who decided to put the family name on the bottles in big red letters, 'demonstrating a flair for marketing that he passed on to his son,' Atkin notes. But relations were not always harmonious, particularly when Angelo introduced new barriques and – famously – Chardonnay, and . 'To him,' Gaja says, 'wine had only one colour – red – and it had to be from local grapes.' In an open letter to the international wine trade sent in February, he notes that 2009 was 'a black year for Italian exports' but a success for , with a record increase of 10% in volume. 'Painful sacrifices' made this possible, he says – a lowering of prices and forced sales of surplus wine in bulk. But there were no layoffs, no resource to government handouts, and above all, Gaja writes, the Italian wine world stayed focussed on the practical. '[It did not] waste time with the usual pointless diatribes of home-grown polemicists: native grapes versus well-known French varieties, territory versus less identifiable sources, new barrels versus older casks, international taste versus typical character.' He says that the aim of exporting an additional 2.5m hectolitres is 'entirely feasible'. And he concludes, 'The prospects for 2010 are rosy'.

http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=296333

Indian wine lovers offer tasty target to vineyards

AFP, FRANCE

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

26.03.10: In an elegant New Delhi club, Nivedita Singh indulges in a secret vice that she keeps hidden from her parents -- she sips a glass of medium-bodied ."I dedicate my whole weekends to wine," Singh, 25, said. "It eases my stress and I enjoy having a classy and interesting hobby."Singh says she is proud to be one of a growing number of young Indians who have embraced the etiquette and language of wine, and who are developing an increasingly subtle palate for a spicy Shiraz or a crisp Sancerre."Knowing what you drink and how you drink makes all the difference," she told AFP. "My parents, like many of their generation, do not distinguish between wine, beer and hard liquor. I hope they understand some day." Singh lives in a large extended family where drinking alcohol is forbidden but she is among many affluent Indians who see wine-tasting as a badge of sophisticated glamour. "As the medical experts tell us, 'wine is good for your health if consumed in prescribed quantities'," she said with a smile. "And that counts for Indian wines too." Primarily sold in urban centres, the market for Indian wine is about 1.2 million cases a year and the country also imports 200,000 cases from Europe and a small percentage from Australia and the United States.India, which is the world's largest whisky market, is a tempting target for both domestic and international wine sellers."We will easily grow by 30 percent this year. There will be new players in the market and that means healthy competition," said Kapil Grover, owner of Grover Wines, which cultivates 165 hectares (410 acres) of vineyards in the southwestern state of Karnataka.Grover inherited the estate from his father and has experimented boldly to improve grape cultivation in the hot, humid climate.Using foreign technology and experienced consultants, he produces wine that he says is now of international standard. "India has embarked on wine adventure," he explained. "Wine-tasting sessions and wine clubs are spreading through the cities. I attend them often and I hear about 15 new wine companies will be set in India by next year."Last year, two Italian winemakers became the first foreign producers to invest directly in India, seeking to tap into the emerging sector.Riona Wines, based in the western state of Maharastra, the country's grape-growing centre, signed joint venture agreements with Italian vintners Moncaro and Enzo Mecella.The two Italian companies have taken a 17-percent stake each in Riona in exchange for a total investment of 42.5 million dollars this year."This is the first time a foreign company is joining hands with an Indian winery to produce and sell wine," marketing director of Riona Wines Hansraj Ahuja told AFP.They aim to produce and market six varieties of red and white wines for the Indian wine lover."There will be stiff competition but we want to make the finest quality of Indian wine" Ahuja said. "Market research points to many young people preferring wine to spirits."Reva Singh, editor of India wine magazine, said the key to success was long-term quality. …

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h349IzwvjrIj2Q6q1Su6YLR63bKQ

The discerning drinker: Best Lebanese wine

LONDON EVENING STANDARD, UK

25.03.10: Reading David Hirst's brilliant new history of Lebanon, Beware Of Small States, I was powerfully reminded of my own ill-fated trip there in 2008. Attempting to visit wine producers, I was trapped in east Beirut by the Hezbollah uprising. I ended up escaping to Syria by taxi via a remote Bekaa valley border post. The story Hirst tells is all the more tragic because, as Lebanon's wine industry suggests, this is a tolerant and cosmopolitan country. Thus, for example, Château Kefraya Les Bretèches 2007 (Roberson, 348 Kensington High St, W14; Handford Wines, 105 Old

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Brompton Road, SW7; from £11.95) is rich yet herby and mineral.

Château Kefraya 2004 is a step up, a big, oaky red with bags of sweet fruit and depth from an idiosyncratic blend (Soho Wine Supply, 18 Percy Street, W1; www.farehamwinecellar.co.uk; from £16.99). Its top cuvée, Comte de M, is even bigger — the 2001 is just fabulous — although it's hard to find in the UK at present.

The reds from Château Ksara, Lebanon's biggest and oldest producer, are equally well made. Sadly, Ksara's unfailingly kind Elie Maamari, who got me out of the country in one piece, never did get me past the fighting to see the vineyards. In a Rhône style, the Syrah-based Reserve du Couvent 2007 is highly enjoyable, full of sweet, baked fruit underpinned with firm tannins (Wine Society, www.winesociety.com; Handford Wines; from £8.50. Also in many Lebanese restaurants). Château Ksara 2004 is a fine Bordeaux blend, full of warm berry fruit with a fair dollop of oak and good structure Lebanon's most justifiably famous wine, though, is Château Musar. On the night that the fighting raged in Beirut, Musar's legendary Serge Hochar took me out for dinner and ordered the most challenging mezze on the menu, including raw liver, to prove that Château Musar blanc really would stand up to anything. It's an extraordinary wine, generous, complex, fat: the 2001 has more depth than the 2003. And while I've raved before about the superb Château Musar rouge 2002, the 2003 vintage of second wine Hochar Père et Fils is especially good: rich, sweet, well balanced. As I fretted that night over how I would ever get home, Serge reassured me: “Andrew, in Lebanon, you have to be patient — just like with wine.” The words of a master indeed.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23818820-the-discerning-drinker-best- lebanese-wine.do

Playing with the Rhône

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA

26.03.10: A favorite parlor game is to imagine spending the rest of your life drinking wine from just one country. The trouble with this little amuse-bouche is that players naturally favor the country they were born in. So the New Zealanders all opt for Marlborough Sauvignon; the Australians choose Barossa Shiraz, while the English, well, the English are the exception, they almost always go for claret. Lately I've changed the rules. In a bid to encourage more creativity, I've narrowed it down to just one country: France. Players of this new upscale quiz have to name their favored region, the one region they would choose above all others to drink for the rest of their life. And I've made it harder. In a bid to annoy the English, I've taken out one of the big three: Bordeaux. Leaving the wine novices fighting it out for and Burgundy,the aficionados try to impress with their knowledge of the wines of the Jura or by picking something left-field like Bandol. Me, I'm predictable. I almost always opt for the Rhône. Why? Well, since we're not having dinner together, I'll tell you.Partly it's nostalgia. We used to drink a lot of wines from the Rhône when I was growing up. Mainly from the hotter, flatter southern Rhône, which produces lighter, more herbal, blended wine than its cousins in the northern Rhône. These wines were earthy, hearty red blends based on , Syrah and Mourvèdre, although the blend can include anything up to 23 different grape varieties, from villages such as Gigondas and Vacqueyras. There's also the wealth of stories this region throws up. Take southern Rhône's most famous wine,

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Châteauneuf-du-Pape, as an example.

This wine, exceptionally easy to identify due to its prominent crest on the front of every bottle, hails from the enormous area that lies between Orange and Avignon, on the eastern side of the Rhône river. It takes its name from the old papal village that straddles a hill not far from Avignon. The village was where Pope Clement V (1264-1314), the first of the Avignon popes, would travel to inspect his newly planted vineyard. The secret to Châteauneuf-du-Pape is its top soil, which is covered with a layer of pebbles; the stones are the key to its quality. As well as forming an excellent natural drainage system, they also absorb the sun's heat during the day. Then, rather like a storage heater, they radiate warmth during the night, which helps to ripen the grapes faster. Good Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a dark, full-bodied, spicy and richly alcoholic wine. It is also pleasantly low in acidity, and tends to mature quickly, which gives it a delicious, jammy fruit character. Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Château de Beaucastel, M. Chapoutier, Réserve des Célestins and Domaine de la Présidente are my favorites. The northern Rhône is where all the collectors have flocked to in recent years. Here the wines are made from the Syrah grape and are big, inky black, dense, powerful and spicy. In Australia, where Syrah is called Shiraz, it has a much more forward, fruit-driven flavor with a predominant blackberry taste. In the late '80s, prices started to climb as the world woke up to the delights of wines produced from such Rhône villages as Côte Rôtie, Crozes Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Hermitage, where the wines can take on a sweetish, raspberry character. I have also noted tones such as violets, bacon, raspberry and leather. These wines show at their best after around a decade cellaring. Château d'Ampuis, Domaine Jamet, Michel Chapoutier, Bernard Levet and Jean-Louis Chave are worth a look.But the Rhône isn't all about red wine. In recent years I have been impressed with the growing number of exotic white wines produced in the region. One grape variety to look out for is Viognier, grown mainly in the northern Rhône appellation of Condrieu. In the glass it takes on a pale, gold hue, exuding a heady, floral aroma. It can often appear sweet, with its flowery nose reminiscent of peaches and honeysuckle. But once in the mouth, there is a zesty, apricot flavor. With Europe thawing from one of the coldest winters on record, there is still time to enjoy these wines before the hot summer months leave you hankering for something a little lighter.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126955088360367563.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Global Industry Watch

This section records developments and trends on both industry and individual corporation levels that form a matrix of the major issues and moves in the industry as a whole or by its critical actors and groupings, such as trade associations and regulatory bodies.

Wine dealers uncork merger

THE TIMES, UK

21.03.10: TWO leading fine wine merchants have joined forces. Goedhuis & Co has bought David Roberts Domaines, creating an operation with a £15m turnover.Goedhuis paid a mixture of cash and shares for its rival, though the precise terms of the deal have not been disclosed.Johnny Goedhuis, founder of the London wine dealer, is the largest single investor in the merged operation with more than a quarter of the equity. David

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

Roberts, who launched the Suffolk-based business that carries his name in 2005, is the third- largest shareholder and will join the board.Goedhuis said putting the two dealers together would give them greater power when negotiating with wine producers, particularly the prestigious Bordeaux growers. He added that British dealers were facing stiffer competition from their counterparts in the Far East. The enlarged group will have offices in London, Suffolk and Hong Kong as well as a storage facility in Northamptonshire. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article706 9787.ece

Tax rises drive wine makers out of UK

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, UK

20.03.10: Constellation Brands and Foster's Group – which own brands including Hardys, Lindemans and Penfolds and employ thousands of people in the UK – have accused the Government of "decimating" the UK wine trade with constant tax rises. Both companies have cut UK jobs and have already started to transfer investment to other European countries. Excise duty on wine has increased by 20pc since last March, and further increases are still being discussed by the Government. …

Research carried out for The Sunday Telegraph shows that while the price of a bottle of wine has increased by 25pc since Labour came to power in 1997, the duty on it has increased by 53.3pc. The revelation comes as a new survey by BDO accountants shows that many UK businesses feel that the tax regime in the UK is discouraging expansion and inward investment. The survey of 250 finance directors found that 70pc thought that Labour's tax policies discouraged businesses from remaining in the UK both because of the level of tax and because of the complexity of tax rules. "Given the appalling levels of unemployment, it is very concerning that seven out of 10 finance directors have now concluded that the UK tax system is a disincentive from retaining vital business activities here," said Stephen Herring, senior tax partner at BDO.

Mr Christensen said that US-owned Constellation would never have invested in the UK had it known how big the tax burden would be: "We have made a £70m investment in a production facility here. Had we known that the Government would implement this tax regime, we would never had made that investment." Peter Jackson, managing director of Foster's Europe, Middle East and Africa division, said: "The UK is one of the highest tax regimes in Europe. Only Norway and Iceland are higher. We see continued increases in excise year after year. In Ireland last year the government reduced tax. Why aren't they doing that here?"

Foster's last year cut 10pc of its UK workforce. …

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/7488682/Tax-rises- drive-wine-makers-out-of-UK.html

Also published:

Drinkers to be hit hard in budget - THE TIMES, UK http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7069782.ece

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

Vinfolio plans relaunch

DECANTER, UK

19.03.10: Vinfolio is to relaunch under new ownership. VF Wine, Inc. bought the San Francisco-based internet wine services provider's assets for an undisclosed sum after it filed for bankruptcy protection in January. Former Constellation CEO Jon Moramarco is a part owner, as is Jean-Michel Valette MW (former chairman of Robert Mondavi Winery) - who sat on Vinfolio's original board. 'The new Vinfolio will continue to focus on great wines and great service. The difference may be that the old Vinfolio was a technology company that happened to sell wine,' Moramarco told decanter.com. 'The new Vinfolio is a wine company that strongly utilises technology.' While original CEO Steve Bachmann is not involved, other former employees are part of the new company, which will go by the same name.

A CEO from the wine industry will be announced shortly. New investors will not be paid until any legitimate claims against the old company are resolved. Vinfolio had raised $4.5m (£3m) and opened a Hong Kong office shortly before it ceased trading. …

http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=296084

France likely to ban first wine TV network

DECANTER, UK

22.03.10: France's first wine network is in danger of being banned at home before even filming its first show. Edonys, a French television channel devoted to wine-related programming, has received a discouraging response to preliminary proposals it submitted to the CSA – the authority that regulates France's electronic media. It is thought that planned content will contravene the country's Loi Evin (Evin law), which prohibits discussion, demonstration and images of wine being consumed in a positive context. 'The CSA haven't give us a definitive answer, but we don't want to get into a situation where we have to negotiate every point with them,' Jean-Michel Peyronnet, Edonys editorial chief said. 'We are excited to move forward with this, and don't have time to wait for the bad news.' Along with programming about wine tourism, producer profiles and other formats, Peyronnet envisions interactive broadcasts in which viewers can participate in tastings and discussions with wine experts. Edonys's production company Media Place Partners is currently seeking more welcoming places to broadcast, and is in talks with Britain, Belgium and Luxembourg, which it considers a frontrunner. 'What makes this a scandal is that we don't have the right to talk about wine in France – the world's reference for wine - unless we can say it's dangerous, that it causes cancer,' said Peyronnet. 'The CSA regularly approves programming that includes violence, pornography and extraordinarily ridiculous scenarios – but we're not allowed to say wine is a pleasure, that it's part of our national heritage, that it's made by passionate men and women.'

http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=296153

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Italy could overtake Australia by end year

DECANTER, UK

22.03.10: More Italian wines were shipped to the UK last year than French, and Italy could overtake Australia to take the number one spot by the end of 2010.Figures released recently by the UK government show that, despite weak market conditions, imports of still wines from Italy grew by 28% between 2008 and 2009 to take a 17.4% share of UK trade. This represents more than one bottle in six. Italy has moved into second position behind Australia whose share of imports is 20.7%. If the current rate of growth is maintained, Italy could take the number one spot within twelve months. In cash terms Italian imports are already ahead of Australia, having grown in value by over 32% during the same period. The biggest volume growth was in everyday red and rose wines, which recorded an uplift of 298,438 hls (87%). In whites, imports grew by 220,705 hls (44%). The category including Prosecco recorded volume growth of 26,059 hls, a 79% rise. UK import data is collected from importers by HM Customs & Revenue and published by its Uktradeinfo service.

http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=296164

Winemakers warn cask wine could hit $38

HERALD SUN, AUSTRALIA

24.03.10: CASK wine will rocket in price from about $12 a pop to nearly $38 if the Commonwealth adopts Treasury recommendations, winemakers have warned. The Winemakers' Federation of Australia has completed modelling on proposals understood to be part of the 1000-page Henry report that alcohol be taxed uniformly by volume, according to a report in the Northern Territory News.It has calculated that a switch to taxing wine by alcohol content - rather than by value, as is presently the case - would see the price of a four-litre cask leaping from $12.55 to just under $38. WFA boss Stephen Strachan said the modelling forecast up to a 34 per cent drop in wine sales volume, and described it as "the biggest kick in the guts you could give to a grape grower at the moment". But an increase in cask prices would be welcomed by some groups. The People's Alcohol Action Coalition in NT argues wine casks are too cheap.It wants a "floor price" to make the cost of takeaway alcohol work out to be $1 per standard drink.

NT Licensing Commission chairman Richard O'Sullivan late last year labelled cask wine as the drink of choice for Territorians who wanted "bang for their buck" and to wipe themselves out. The WFA argues wine is not the culprit in problem drinking, saying it is normally drunk by adults in moderation and with food. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/winemakers-warn-cask-wine-could-hit- 38/story-e6frf7jx-1225844699370

Hemorrhaging cabernet: Quake hits Chile winemakers

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, USA

23.03.10: When Chile's worst earthquake in 50 years hit, Alvaro Galan bolted out of bed and

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update ran, still in pajamas, to his winery next door. In the 4 a.m. darkness of the echoing warehouse, rocking and groaning from aftershocks, he waded through a scene from a sinking submarine: Streams of liquid sprayed from cracked tanks that teetered and slammed against each other, and the cement floor ran red with cabernet.Galan worked desperately to siphon the wine into undamaged tanks, but by dawn he had lost 30,000 gallons (110,000 liters) — plus the pajamas off his back, wrapped like a tourniquet around a broken spigot.

"If one of the hatches had blown," he recalled, "it would have come flying off with the pressure and taken me with it." Across Chile's vaunted wine-growing region, vintners like Galan scrambled in the first crucial hours after the Feb. 27 quake to save their livelihoods. Three weeks later, a desperate struggle continues as farmers brace up fallen vines and race to bring in the current harvest.An early estimate put the total initial loss at 33 million gallons (125 million liters) worth $250 million, or 13 percent of Chile's annual production.Consumers probably won't notice a price increase, given the size of the world market. But as officials size up the cost of reduced capacity for the world's fifth- largest wine exporter, many producers are facing a harsh new economic landscape that may put them out of business and deliver a second, cruel blow to families coping with lost homes and loved ones. Francois Waleski, an export manager at the Valdivieso winery, says the industry has been challenged recently by a weak U.S. dollar after decades of strong growth."Everybody is struggling to keep up with the harvest," Waleski said. "I wouldn't be surprised if some wineries don't make it."Larger operations, supplying most Chilean vintages sold on shelves from London to Los Angeles, are in position to collect insurance, repair infrastructure and ride out a rocky year.But smaller producers, some of them uninsured and already straining under debt, may have to scrape by on reduced production or be forced out of the market altogether — meaning fewer Chilean labels for wine enthusiasts around the world."For me, with one cellar, the cost of earthquake insurance would kill me," said Galan, who single-handedly saved his Vina Galan and must now dip into savings to restore the facility.At Lomas de Cauquenes, the last of Chile's wine-exporting cooperatives, managers are wondering aloud whether their label will survive. Twenty similar outfits have folded since the 1960s in the face of competition from bigger players.The winery was formed by grape farmers after Chile's deadly 1939 earthquake, promising its members stable prices and monthly payments. But for the cooperative's 250 small growers in need of immediate relief, cash offers from thirsty big exporters may prove too tempting to pass up. …

Others were not so lucky.

Down the street, more than 500,000 gallons (2 million liters) of bulk wine spilled out of one storage facility and flooded a neighboring vineyard, killing off rows of plants and filling the air with a vinegar smell. Meanwhile, near the winemaking mecca of Santa Cruz, Hugo Urzua's vines are alive but flattened. Forty men have been working constantly since the quake to harvest and prop up 60 acres (25 hectares) of fallen arbors. Each passing day increases the risk of rot, but the team is struggling to push on with aching backs — none of them has picked grapes off the ground before. "I would rather have a collapsed house than a fallen arbor," said Urzua. "But now there's nothing I can do but pick it up."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jECFb_NOg- ixoxf_fNxLkUruqWgwD9EK8JB80

Also published:

Wines of Chile earthquake fund to go direct to affected wineries - HARPERS, UK

Critical Publics | EDOAO Page 13 of 25

Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update http://www.harpers.co.uk/news/news-headlines/8874-wines-of-chile-announces- earthquake-appeal-fund.html

Ireland: 'Worst year in living memory'

DECANTER, UK

24.03.10: Ireland's drinks sector endured its worst year in living memory in 2009 as per capita consumption fell to the lowest level since the mid-1990s. Some 15,000 drinks industry employees – one in six of the sector's workforce – have lost their jobs in the past 18 months because of falling sales and the increase in cross-border shopping in Northern Ireland. According to the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI), per capita consumption has plummeted by 21% since the peak of the 'Celtic Tiger' economic boom in 2001, falling to levels not seen since 1995/6. 'As predicted, 2009 turned out to be an even poorer year than 2008 for drinks industry sales and consumption in Ireland, meaning that it was the worst year for our industry in living memory,' said DIGI chairman Kieran Tobin. Spirits were worst-affected with an 18.5% slump in sales, while wine sales fell 6.9% and beer was down 6.5%, according to DIGI's 'Drinks Market Performance 2009' report. Meanwhile, the disproportionate fall in on-trade revenues means that retail now accounts for more than 50% of the Irish drinks market. 'Prospects for 2010 remain weak,' said Dublin City University economist Anthony Foley, the report's author. 'DIGI estimates that alcohol volumes will continue to decrease this year by 5%, but that there will be larger proportionate declines in the on-trade, with a knock-on effect on jobs and employment.' However, Tobin welcomed the 20% reduction in excise duty announced in the 2010 Budget, which he said was a 'crucial first step' in building consumer confidence and cutting cross-border shopping.

http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=296315

Wine Domain Catalysts Watch

This section records the most important articles written by those widely considered to be thought experts in the wine domain. These opinions are not only a valuable source of information but also provide important indications for current and evolving trends in the wine domain.

Chianti Classico 2009 - vintage report

JANCIS ROBINSON, UK

26.03.10: Michael Schmelzer of Monte Bernardi in Panzano sends this report on last year's growing season. He and his American-German family bought this well-situated property from photographer Stak Avaliotis in 2002 and immediately instituted a biodynamic regime in the vineyards, which have recently been extended. He was educated as a Cordon Bleu chef in Paris before studying and in Adelaide. It's difficult to describe the incredible sensation one feels during the final days of the growing season, particularly those days when our well-organised picking team, made up of friends and family, harvest the grapes we have been nurturing throughout the year. Up until those last days, as a grower, you have this nagging recollection that no matter how good

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update things have been up until that moment, a sudden change in weather could downgrade an excellent vintage into an average vintage. Mother Nature lays out the path we follow throughout the season. The trip always includes a number of steep inclines and twisting turns in our rollercoaster weather ride. The 2009 vintage was a particularly exceptional ride with an extremely satisfying outcome. The 2009 season started off with close to record- setting winter rainfall, which caused our winter work, such as pruning and the tying up of young vines, to get off to a slow start. As the season progressed, passing from late spring into early summer, we endured the hottest and driest growing season since 2003. This was particularly stressful since in March we planted our largest vineyard, Bació, doubling this vineyard's original size. Luckily the heavy winter rainfall proved to be an important foundation. The hot, dry days were tempered by cooler nights and winter water reserves allowed the young vines to grow happily throughout the season without the need for irrigation.

We did suffer some crop loss due to extreme heat in our Curva vineyard, which was planted in 2006. This young vineyard was hit hard by two extremely hot days (40 deg C) in mid July. Unfortunately, since we had not yet arrived at the time in the season when we drop the extra bunches, the vineyard was overloaded with beautiful grape bunches and a still-immature root system. The heat stress coupled with the large crop load caused excess demand for water. The result was a loss of bunches far greater than what we would have dropped several weeks later. It's hard to predict such an outcome, but in the future we will adopt practices which are more preventative in nature, especially in our young vineyards. Experience has taught us the importance of temperature during the last weeks of ripening prior to harvest. It is the key to determining the final aromatics in the resulting wine. Basically, if temperatures are on the cooler side, the resulting wine will be fresher, more aromatic and abundant in fresh fruit flavours such as cranberry, cherry, and raspberry. On the other hand, if the season finishes with warmer temperatures, the wine will be dominated by plummy, prune-like characteristics. It seems appropriate to highlight the importance of this after the conclusion of the 2009 vintage. Much of the season was very hot and arid, and harvest was early. One might have expected very mature, overripe aromas and possibly some unripe tannins. Although the days were hotter than in recent years, nights remained cool, so that the average soil temperature never surpassed 22.4 deg C, and then in September we experienced a dramatic cooling. I must admit, I had initial doubts, but I immediately noticed beautiful, fresh aromatics during fermentation and fine, mature tannins at . This would not have been possible if the season had continued to be hot and arid, and nights had been warm. Why is this important to us? Given the vastness of Chianti Classico, only a small part of the zone can produce fresher, more aromatic and finer-structured Chianti Classicos; just as only a small part of the Rhône valley can produce comparable , such as Côte Rôtie, while the majority of the Rhône yields plumper, richer Syrahs. Although we love and appreciate wines from both areas, we feel this is an important distinction between Panzano and other communes, in particular those of southern Gaiole and Castelnuovo Berardenga. It is for this reason we choose to emphasise these characteristics in our wines. In the winter prior to bud-break, we use thousands of ties in our vineyards. Each vine is tied to its support poles and surrounding wires. Tying gives support and structure to our vines and ensures they will have a well-spaced canopy for balanced growth during the season. This is one of the most fundamental things we can do for our vines - to provide natural light and aeration throughout the canopy, thereby reducing pest and disease pressure naturally. In 2009 we re-introduced to our vineyards a practice common to most local vineyards 20 years ago but now nearly forgotten. We stopped using the conventional green rubber ties in favour of the shoots of the willow tree. Willow trees grow near streams and each year produce many new shoots which are flexible and strong, making them the perfect natural

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update material for vine ties. This year every tie we made was made with willow shoots. We removed and collected several kilos of the rubber ties and hope to remove and replace all existing ties within a couple years. At the end of every season we turn the soil in every other vineyard row so as to aerate the soil, to increase winter rain penetration and to seed cover crops. In the first couple of years, I remember sitting on the tractor, looking over my shoulder as I turned the soil of our Sa'etta vineyard. I was amazed at the abundance of large, sun-reflecting rocks I saw. In the last couple years, as I turned the earth, I began to notice fewer rocks remaining on the surface. One might have thought rocks had been removed from our vineyard, but instead what I was seeing was the result of several years of application of biodynamic preparations as well as cover crop additions. …

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a20100325.html

Tax hikes deter wine giants

JANCIS ROBINSON, UK

25.03.10: British wine drinkers were already some of the most heavily taxed in Europe before yesterday's announcement by our bushy-browed Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling confirming that duties on wine will continue to rise. He is proceeding with his previously stated policy of imposing increases in taxes on alcohol by two percentage points above inflation. Even before yesterday's Budget, a total of 55% of the £4.32 average cost of a bottle of wine bought in the UK went straight to our government's increasingly needy coffers: £1.60 on excise duty, 65p on VAT and 11p on customs tariff for wine imported into Europe. But from midnight on Sunday this will rise further, with the effect of the increased taxes typically being an additional: Unfortunately, the mass market is so price-sensitive that the big retailers will be unwilling to increase prices across the board so, as has happened successively over the last few years, suppliers will be pressurised to make even more savings, and the quality of wine behind many mass-market labels is likely to decline further (although see reasons why this may not be true of some Australian brands here). Yesterday's 5.1% increase in alcohol duty means taxes on wines and spirits have risen by more than 25% and 20% respectively since March 2008 and British drinkers have contributed an additional £4 billion worth of increased taxes to the Exchequer since Labour came to power in 1997. Personally, I don't object too much to being taxed for such pleasure, but I do worry about the effects on the greater drinks business in the UK. (And there will presumably be real hardship in the West Country, LibDem land, as a result of Darling's special crackdown on cider taxes, up 13%, yesterday.) The big multinational companies in wine have already tired of trying to make a profit in the competitive British (and Australian) markets (see Companies slam British tax on wine) with the likes of Constellation ready to pull out of the UK and wind down or sell entire sectors of its business. This may be good in the long term for the small, independent wine retailers on whom I am so keen, but it won't be much fun in the medium term for many big company employees and their families.

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a201003251.html

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

Scientific Developments & Technological Breakthroughs Watch

This section captures the developments in the scientific research landscape in terms of technological breakthroughs and emerging research covering both R&D from companies but also research from academia and institutional bodies. These are essential elements of future trends or cumulatively combined indicators of future market trends and consumer awareness as well as industry practice development.

Carbon-dating wine can spot fake vintages: research

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, UK

22.03.10: The test measures trace amounts of carbon released into the atmosphere during atomic bomb testing that have been absorbed by vines and into the wine. The radioactive carbon has gradually reduced each year since the testing stopped in the 1960s and scientists have been able to pin point which year wines were made. The findings, being presented at the American Chemical Society meeting in San Francisco, could help wine collectors avoid the increasing problem of wine forgery. Dr Graham Jones, from University of Adelaide, Australia, said that misrepresenting the vintage — the year the wine was made — is an ongoing problem. It is thought that up to five per cent of fine wine sold is faked. Dr Jones said: "The problem goes beyond ordinary consumers being overcharged for a bottle of expensive wine of a famous winery with a great year listed on the label. "Connoisseurs collect vintage wines and prices have soared with 'investment wines' selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars a case at auction." Dr Jones and colleagues found that radioactive carbon dioxide produced from atomic bomb tests in the atmosphere was absorbed by grapes and can be used to accurately determine wine vintages. The technique works by comparing the amount of carbon-14, which was released from the bomb testing in the 1940s to 1960s, to carbon-12. Dr Jones said: "Until the late 1940's all carbon-14 in the Earth's biosphere was produced by the interaction between cosmic rays and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere. "This changed in the late 1940's up to 1963 when atmospheric atomic explosions significantly increased the amount of C-14 in the atmosphere. When the tests stopped in 1963 a clock was set ticking — that of the dilution of this "bomb-pulse" C-14 by CO2 formed by the burning of fossil fuels." The method was tested using 20 Australian red wines made from 1958 to 1997 and found it was accurate to within one year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/7494191/Carbon-dating-wine-can-spot-fake-vintages- research.html

Wineries Adopt New Cost Effective Event Calendar Technology

BUSINESS WIRE, USA

23.03.10: Wineries looking to enhance communications with customers and draw more guests to events are using a new Internet-based calendar communications

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update service as a solution to event publishing and invitation needs. dotCal.com (dotCal) is working with many Northwest wineries to enhance marketing and communication strategies for wine tastings, winemaker dinners, tasting hours and other events. Wineries currently subscribing to dotCal include: …

“The dotCal platform allows Domaine Serene to communicate directly with our supporters and further involve them in our events and happenings,” said Allan Carter, vice president of sales and marketing for Domaine Serene. “Very easy to update and manage, the program is a hassle-free investment that helps us to draw in more visitors and ultimately enhance the customer’s experience with our wines.”

In addition to using the online calendar system to post and share event information, wineries are using dotCal as a gateway to posting information on sites like Twitter and Facebook. From the dotCal platform, users can publish event information on social networking sites in just one click. “We’re finding more and more wineries are using the dotCal platform to post events to their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts without having to log in to each individual site, saving them time and resources,” said CEO and founder Danton Mendell. “It’s social media, made easy.” Similar to RSS and other publishing programs, dotCal enables businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals to share and publish a variety of time- relevant information that can be accessed across numerous online calendar platforms. … http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsI d=20100323005663&newsLang=en

Wines from Greece Publicity Monitor

This section presents all international publicity relating to wines from Greece.

Travel: Crete's a treat

THE DAILY MIRROR, UK

21.03.10: If it's good enough for a Greek god then it's probably good enough for the rest of us.Legend has it the island of Crete was created as a playground for the young Greek god Zeus. The deities gave him mountains to climb, deep blue coves to splash about in and hillsides covered with aromatic herbs to explore.Now Crete is our playground and there's so much on the island to remind you of its colourful and long history.I started exploring in Heraklion, checking into the Royal Aldemar Royal Mare resort - a five-star hotel with a spa that's just what you need after a hard day on Mount Olympus (or transferring from the airport if you're a mere mortal)…

Try some of the traditional Cretan dishes like dakos or koukouvagia - round barley rusks soaked in olive oil with tomatoes, mizithra cheese and oregano on top. Seafood lovers won't be disappointed with dishes of cuttlefish and squid (tentacles, suckers and all). Then there are the plates of mussels and sea urchin - locally sourced and so fresh.

Cretan wine is plentiful and although it may not make f all over backwards the wine

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

I enjoyed was smooth and drinkable. Go for the Lefko/Villana white and the Kokkino/Latiko red wine. Raki, distilled from grape stems and pips left over from wine pressing, is served in carafes and is drunk by the locals to ease digestion. It has a smooth mellow taste and costs about £3 for a mini-carafe. …

http://www.mirror.co.uk/advice/travel/europe/2010/03/21/travel-crete-s-a-treat-115875- 22128627/

Blogosphere Monitor

In this section the most important blog entries for wine and Greek wine are recorded.

Wines of Portugal Tasting: April 5th, San Francisco

VINOGRAPHY, USA

23.03.10: I'm currently traipsing around Australia and was very interested to meet a winemaker who was excited about the new section of his vineyard that he had planted with grapes like Touriga Nacional, Tinto Roriz, and others that he planned to use to make a dry red wine in the style of those made in Portugal.Such wines (when they are good) are currently some of the best value red wines on the market today, which is why if I weren't in Australia I would be attending the Wines of Portugal Tasting coming up on April 5th.Known primarily for producing the sweet fortified Ports that are famous the world over, the Douro region of Portugal has also been producing dry red wines from a number of indigenous grape varieties since the 1950s and some of these wines have garnered much acclaim in recent years. The wines, when well made -- and there are certainly still a lot of unremarkable ones -- are wonderfully complex and savory, with red fruits and good acidity that make them great matches for many different foods. Beyond the Duoro, Portugal offers a wide range of wines from its diverse regions including the brisk white Vinho Verde, the reds of the Barraida region, and more. This year's Wines of Portugal tasting will include roughly 30 producers from these varying regions showcasing more than 100 different wines. It's not a huge tasting, but it offers a wide variety of wines and should be manageable for someone interested in seriously learning about the different styles and varieties of wines available.

http://www.vinography.com/archives/2010/03/wines_of_portugal_tasting_apri_1.html

When small wine shops are great–and when they disappoint

DR VINO, USA

24.03.10: Eric Asimov has a long piece in today’s NYT about small wine shops. He highlights a number of local, independent shops mostly around New York City. If you are familiar with our map of NYC wine shops, then you knew about virtually every store in his story already! I’d also highlight Le Vigne, which is a good, new shop that didn’t get mentioned. I’ve also recently discovered UVA Wines in Brooklyn, which has an

Critical Publics | EDOAO Page 19 of 25

Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update excellent selection of wines from the Loire and Burgundy. Thirst Merchants in Fort Greene also merits a shout-out since they have a lot of the hard-to-find wines from the portfolio of importer Kermit Lynch. Hit the comments with faves in your area. I love a good, small wine shop. When people ask me to recommend a wine, I often tell them that the best practical advice I can give them is to find a great, small shop near them. To be great, in my view, the small shop must have an interesting selection. Not huge, but well-curated, which can mean having off-the-beaten path selections or a certain specialization, be it a regional focus or from an astute distributor or importer. The best small shops also have excellent service, with at least one staffer who is knowledgeable (and being nice is a plus, too). If the staff makes good suggestions and even remembers a customer’s likes and dislikes, then that is terrific. Staff-written shelf talkers, if any, can add character. Adding tastings or other community aspects are a tremendous service too. And mixed cases (or three packs or six packs) selected by the staff can be great for introducing consumers to new wines. One place where small wine shops can disappoint is on price. Granted, these shops don’t treat wine as a commodity and aren’t seeking a low-price, high-volume business model. But unless they aspire to only serving a three-block radius of lazy, oblivious and/or wealthy customers, they should really not charge more than the full, 50% markup above wholesale cost. If they do, they are firing the very customers they seek to educate and bring into the wine- loving fold. …

http://www.drvino.com/2010/03/24/wine-shops-small-independent/#more-6366

Syrah: beyond the fruit bomb

DR VINO, USA

23.03.10: While ’s fall from grace can be traced to one line in the movie Sideways, the fall of Syrah has been more difficult to track. , with Shiraz as the signature grape, has experienced a decline in sales over the past couple of years. Even more broadly, it’s still a tough sell: producers and retailers have repeatedly told me that save for a few appellations in the Northern Rhone, the homeland of the grape, Syrah remains a sluggish category. I was happy to have the chance to check in with Syrah by organizing a small tasting at a private residence last week. In putting together the seven wines in the lineup, I wanted to be sure to include examples from Australia, the US and the Northern Rhone but had the usual constraint that the wines actually had to be available locally. I decided to spare the tasters the hot-climate, jammy style and the boring cheapie style since they were probably most familiar with those, especially the latter, which is poured with abandon at fundraisers and art gallery openings. The Carlei, Heathcote Shiraz, Green Vineyards 2003 from Victoria opened our tasting. Unlike many Australian shirazes it was (a) from a cool climate, (b) older, and (c) 13.9% alcohol. It still is a big, flavorful wine but the moderate alcohol broadened the appeal of this one. The $16 price tag helped too. Next we were off to Mendocino County, California with the multi-vineyard Tous Ensemble 2007 from Copain (about $20). The winemaker, Wells Guthrie, oversees organic viticulture and makes the wines with native yeasts. It was quite a bit lighter than the Carlei, with reticent aromas and higher acidity; some thought it a bit too light and straightforward. Then we tried the J. L. Chave, St. Joseph, “Offerus” 2006 (about

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

$28). Made by JL Chave Selections, the wine is from purchased fruit as opposed to estate vineyards (actually, it is often made from up to nine sources of purchased wine). There were lots of oohs and ahs over this one as it seemed to find a good balance of fruit, notes of black olives, fresh coffee grinds, good acidity, and moderate alcohol. Next up was the Eric Texier, Cotes du Rhone, Brezeme 2007 (about $19). This 100% syrah was strikingly different for it’s restraint, especially weighing in at a scant 12% alcohol on the label. After working as a nuclear scientist, Texier turned to wine, making his first in Burgundy. It shows in this delicate, high-acid style with a dark floral lift. Some loved it while others wanted their syrah to pack more punch. I poured the next wine blind for the group, asking them to determine if it was an old world wine or a new world one. However, the dark color and searing alcohol (15.5% on the label) made it easy for them to guess. We were back to California with a wine from Morgan Twain-Peterson, Old Lakeville Vineyard Syrah 2007 ($36). The 29-year-old’s new label, Bedrock Wine Co, has some interesting wines and I was interested to try one. A few people liked it but most found it too overbearing. It’s interesting to note that his ’08 of the same wine has dropped the alcohol by over one percent. Finally, we turned to two excellent and hard-to-find wines from the northern Rhone appellation of Cornas, where vines cling to steep hillsides. Our sixth wine was the excellent Cuvée Casimir 2007 ($35) by Franck Balthazar, another engineer who, in this case, came back to the family wine making fold in 2002. This cuvée comes from a parcel of 46-year-old, horse-plowed vines comes, fermented with whole clusters of grapes and then aged in 600-liter oak barrels called “demi- muids” for 18 months. …

http://www.drvino.com/2010/03/23/syrah-allemand-balthazar-chave-carlei/

Peripheral Domains Intelligence

This section covers developments from associated domains such as Greek food, taste and culinary trends, as well as any other significant information that has an impact on or derives from the global wine domain.

Oz Clarke joins International Wine Challenge senior team

OFF LICENCE NEWS, UK

25.03.10: Global wine expert and TV personality Oz Clarke is joining this year's International Wine Challenge judging panel as a co-chairman. He will sit alongside current co-chairmen Tim Atkin MW, Sam Harrop MW, Charles Metcalfe, Derek Smedley MW and this year’s overseas co-chairman Victor de la Serna from Spain. Chris Ashton, IWC event director said: “Having Oz as one of the IWC’s co-chairmen strengthens our senior team, and makes it an even more formidable line-up.”We’re now in our 27th year and will soon begin the annual task of selecting the world’s best wines from the 46 different countries that have submitted wines into this year’s competition." The IWC is the world’s most prestigious, influential and meticulously judged wine competition. Over 400 experienced judges, including many Masters of Wine, will taste each medal-winning wine at least three (and sometimes up to six) times, scoring it for "faithfulness to variety, region and vintage". Clarke said: “I feel as though I am moving back into the bosom of the family. Long ago we all set out to change the world of wine and make it a better place. Every year the IWC continues the quest, and I’m delighted they’ve asked me back to shoulder some of the burden. I’ve just been to my dentist to prepare my teeth for the task.” Medal winners of the prestigious challenge will

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update be announced on 18 May at the London International Wine Trade Fair at Excel. The 2010 medal winners will receive additional exposure by being featured on the new IWC iPhone App. Recently launched, the App is the first of its kind to provide consumers with access to information on the world’s best wines at the touch of a screen.

http://www.offlicencenews.co.uk/articles/81459/Oz-Clarke-joins-International-Wine- Challenge-senior-team.aspx?category=245

Your armchair guide to En Primeur Bordeaux

THE INDEPENDENT, UK

25.03.10: The wine world is abuzz about the highly anticipated Bordeaux 2009 vintages as next week wine brokers, buyers, aficionados and the media will have the opportunity to taste the 2009 vintages still in oak. Bloggers and renowned experts are tweeting, posting and postulating about whether Asia will buy big, prices will remain steady, 2009 will rival 2005 or even 2000 - or whether it's all hype to help an industry that has taken a beating since the economic meltdown.

The answers to at least some of these questions will soon be forthcoming, but if you want to make sure you have up-to-the-minute updates and information from leading experts in the world of wine, connect to Twitter and blogs to start following:

- Jancis Robinson, wine guru: @jancisrobinson

- Robert M. Parker, Jr., the voice of wine and author of several wine books: @RobertMParkerJr

- Wine Spectator's senior editor, James Suckling: @JamesSuckling

- Simon Staples, wine merchant for Berry Bros & Rudd (BBR) @ BigSiTheWineGuy

- Jeannie Cho Lee, leading Asian authority on wine: @JeannieChoLee

- Neal Martin, wine writer @nealmartin

- BordeauxNine, a Bordeaux Winebank: @BordeauxNine

- Pardon that vine, wine review vlog: @ pardonthatvine

- Charlie Matthews, who developed tailored Bordeaux tours: @Bordeauxuncorkd

- Steve Filipov, owner of Chateau Godeau: @chateaugodeau

- Stephen Tanzer, ‘Wino-in-Chief', Winophilia blog: http://www.winophilia.com

- Decanter's Bordeaux 2009 site: http://www.decanter.com/specials/296209.html

Early recommendations:

"Bordeaux isn't just high prices. Most of Bordeaux is value. Ignore the chatter about price over quality. Look beneath the surface of romantic names to what Bordeaux is really about: well-made wines at good prices," wrote Roger Voss, European editor for the Wine Enthusiast, a renowned wine magazine.

Simon Staples is already touting 2009 vintages, "Grand Vin and Pagodes de Cos, which were sublime. Cos itself was every bit as spectacular as the magnificent 2005 perhaps a tad fatter but with brilliant balance. Pagodes, with almost half the Grand Vin declassified into it, is off the scale. It's without question the most impressive Pagodes I have ever tried and if you didn't have

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update the Gran Vin to compare it with you'd say it was a great Cos!!" …

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/your-armchair-guide-to-en- primeur-bordeaux-1928279.html

Fruit or root? Decanter decides

DECANTER, UK

25.03.10: Decanter's tastings director Christelle Guibert is setting up a series of comprehensive tastings to investigate claims that wine's taste is altered by fruit and root days. According to When Wine Tastes Best by Maria Thun and her son Matthias, you should open your best bottles on fruit and flower days, not on leaf and root days. It is one of the most controversial areas of biodynamics – but nonetheless some of the most influential people in the UK wine business take very seriously. In the latest issue of Decanter magazine, Guibert explains how fruit and root, flower and leaf days are calculated according to complex considerations of lunar and solar cycles, constellations and the movement of the planets. Such hard-headed organisastions as Marks & Spencer and Tesco consult the Thuns' biodynamic calendar before scheduling their press tastings. Jo Ahearne MW, M&S's resident winemaker, told Decanter, 'on fruit days, the aromatics in the whites are more present and the tannins in the reds are suppler; on a root day, the fruit flavour is muted and the tannins are harsher.' For others, such as wine scientist and blogger Jamie Goode, the jury is out. There are so many other variables, he says, such as weather, atmospheric pressure, and 'the general context of the tasting' to take into account. He won't dismiss it, he says, but 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, and I think the onus is on these believers to show some convincing evidence of its efficacy before the rest of us accept it as a useful tool'. Guibert is going to set up a series of comprehensive tastings over the next few months.

She told decanter.com the plan is to taste 25 to 30 wines of all styles including biodynamic over six days, three of them fruit days and three of them root days. 'For each root or fruit day tasting, we will do one in a room with no natural light; one on a grey or rainy day and one on a beautiful day. The tastings will take place in June, July and August.' The same tasters will attend all sessions.

http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=296164

Global Sustaining & Emerging Trends Digest

This section presents those global, macro and micro trends that affe ct or po ten tially affect the wine do ma in. Comprehensive fusion and distillation of t h e abov e publicity parathesis concludes to the most important aspects as those appear in the current setting.

Does Green Wine Face a Stigma?

WINE SPECTATOR, UK

23.03.10: The price for organic produce and organic milk is usually higher than that of their non-organic counterparts, but what happens when a has the word “organic” on it? A

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Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update study by two environmental economists has found that, as expected, California wines made from organic or biodynamic grapes cost more than conventional wines on average. However, in a surprise finding, wines made from organic or biodynamic grapes that indicate so on their labels cost less than conventional wines. The findings have shocked some in the wine industry, especially after some prior reports misstated the conclusions. But others warn that there are plenty of caveats in the study and that it may not reflect the current market.

The study in question, which will be published in a forthcoming issue of Business & Society, a journal focused on corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues, was conducted by UCLA's Magali Delmas, associate professor at the Institute of the Environment, and Ph.D. student Laura Grant at the University of California at Santa Barbara. They looked at prices of thousands of California wines from eight vintages, both conventional wines and those made with organic or biodynamic grapes, and tried to determine how much eco-certification and eco-labeling added to a wine's price tag. …

Many wineries use organic or biodynamic practices in their vineyards, but not all that are certified put the label on the wines. Vintners offer varying reasons. Some want consumers to remember their wines for the quality, not the "green" label. Others have been concerned that consumers might be confused by the different certification labels and mistake wines made from organically grown grapes with organic wines; because the latter cannot contain added sulfites, which act as a preservative, they can be less stable.For their study, Delmas and Grant crunched numbers on 13,426 California wines from 1,495 wineries (about 72 percent of the state's producers)—of which 28 had an eco-certification and 16 put the green labels on the wines. The wines came from the 1998 through 2005 vintages— many of them released prior to the recent explosion of consumer interest in green products. More than 30 grape varieties and 25 appellations were represented. The wines' prices ranged from $5 to $500. They noted whether a wine was made from organic or biodynamic grapes (no organic wines were included in the study). Their goal was to isolate the "price premiums" that eco-certification and eco-labeling add to a wine's price tag.Multiple factors determine a wine's price—from the quality of the wine to the particular vintage, the grape variety and the winery's production volume. Using an economic model called hedonic regression (commonly used to calculate the Consumer Price Index and other economic indicators), the researchers tried to eliminate all the other factors and isolate the impact of eco- certification and eco-labeling. (They used Wine Spectator ratings as a "reliable proxy for quality," according to Grant; interestingly, they found that eco-certified wines scored almost 1 point higher on average on Wine Spectator's 100-point-scale than conventional wines.)They found that wines that were eco-certified cost 13 percent more than conventional wines. But wines with an eco-label cost 7 percent less than conventional wines. "The surprise was the magnitude," Grant said. "We expected an eco-certified price premium and a small decrease for the eco-label. But when it's eco-certified but labeled, it washes out the price premium and even decreases it." The results were further telling when the wines were broken down into price ranges. Among wines under $25, there was little difference between certified, labeled and conventional wines. Above $25, it was more of a factor, particularly with wines costing between $25 and $35. The researchers believed that the findings suggest that consumers are not familiar with or do not understand eco-labels. But critics of the study point to several limitations in the methodology. For one thing, the number of certified and labeled wines was low. Only 28 of the almost 1,500 wineries had an eco-certification for their vineyards, while "a handful of others" bought grapes from certified sources, for a total of 318 wines. Only 16 wineries put the green labels on the wines. That's a small sample size.

Critical Publics | EDOAO Page 24 of 25

Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update

Consumer interest in green wines has exploded in just the past few years, as has the number of certified and labeled wines, which means awareness of certification labels may be higher today than it was when the wines in the study hit the market.Green wineries can take comfort in one finding. Delmas noted that the willingness for consumers to pay a price premium for certified wines without knowledge of that eco- certification signals a higher quality product. She said that she suspects that wines made from organically grown grapes are better than conventional products from a quality standpoint. Still, she added, "What we find is interesting in terms of literature for eco-labels is that none of the attributes work for wine. There is more confusion and less willingness to pay."

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/42391

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