Archive for the ‘Wine News’ Category
Leo McCloskey is a very smart man. He probably knows more about the chemical composition of great wine than anyone else alive and he puts this information to use through his consulting firm, Enologix. He is also a keen observer of market condition in the wine industry. He’s also a very creative man with a variety of fascinating notions. Recently McCloskey issued a press release that did not get the attention it deserved. In the November press release, McCloskey outlined…
There is a limited audience for a 250+ page state government report on the history, success, problems, legality and politics of the direct shipment of wine to consumers. Turns out I'm part of that fairly small audience. So, I read with great interests Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot's report on this subject released on Tuesday. Following my tradition of reading these sorts of things so you don't have to, allow me to summarize the results of the report: The claims of…
It's GLOBAL ZINFANDEL DAY!! Why today? Because ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) says so. And that's good enough for me. I like the idea of taking at least one day out of the year to celebrate a specific grape. ZAP is encouraging wine lovers to take part in home tastings with friends as well as utilizing social media to talk up and celebrate the Zinfandel grape and wine. Today, Twitter users will be utilizing the #Zinfandel hashmark in abundance. And…
This year has been one of the most active and consequential for wine-related politics and legal issues. Below is my list of top Political and Legal Stories of 2010. 1. HR 5034Written, promoted and paid for by America's beer and wine distributors, HR 5034 is an attempt to change the legal rules of the alcohol game by a group of players that don't like the current set of rules. Introduced in mid year, the bill was given a hearing in…
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a branch of the federal Department of the Treasury that is tasked with, among other things, providing definitions of terms that appear on wine labels and in wine advertising, has asked for comments on the notion of defining specific terms. Those terms include: EstateEstatesEstate-GrownReserveOld VineBarrel FermentedProprietor's BlendSingle VineyardOld CloneVineyard SelectSelect HarvestBottle AgedBarrel Select Presumably, many wine trade organizations, individuals, consumers, lawyers, bloggers, writers and others will weigh in on what if…
