Global Wine Trends Weekly Update
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communications without intelligence is noise Global Wine Trends Weekly Update created: 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: white wine next for Italy, 2010 prospects 'rosy' .................................. 6 Indian wine lovers offer tasty target to vineyards ......................................... 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 - vintage report ......................................................... 14 Tax hikes deter wine giants .......................................................................... 16 Scientific Developments & Technological Breakthroughs Watch ....... 17 Carbon-dating wine can spot fake vintages: research ................................. 17 Wineries 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 Syrah: beyond the fruit bomb ....................................................................... 20 Peripheral Domains Intelligence ........................................................ 21 Oz Clarke joins International Wine Challenge senior team .......................... 21 Critical Publics | EDOAO Page 2 of 25 Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update Your armchair guide to En Primeur Bordeaux .............................................. 22 Fruit or root? Decanter decides .................................................................... 23 Global Sustaining & Emerging Trends Digest ..................................... 23 Does Green Wine Face a Stigma? ................................................................. 23 Critical Publics | EDOAO Page 3 of 25 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 Critical Publics | EDOAO Page 4 of 25 Global Wine Trends 26/03/2009 Weekly Update from the 2001 harvest 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 Critical Publics | EDOAO Page 5