Tasting sized pours
Drinking up
By 2010, the British market for wine consumption will be Europe’s most valuable, topping France and Italy according to a new study released by Vinexpo. [Vinexpo]
Building up
Could a wine brand be in the top 100 brands in the world? Could it be better known than Starbucks?!? Apparently so according to BusinessWeek’s Top 100 brands of 2006. What is it? Check number 87 (and brand 83 for a cognac from the same company). [BW]
Breaking up
Jacques & Francois Lurton, Bordeaux brothers who make wine in places as diverse as the Entre-deux-Mers, Chile, and Argentina, are heading their separate ways. Jacques will stay in Bordeaux to play a more active role in his father’s properties (Chateau La Louviere among several others) while Francois will still trot the globe for JFL. [Vitisphere]
Heating up
Global warming threatens ice wine. Canada, Germany mourn. [Decanter]
Linking up
Alan Richman, the punchy food writer who recently caught some heat for slamming cajun cuisine and calling Creoles “faerie folk,” now links to this blog from his new blog at GQ. I’ll be sure to stay on his good side. Check out his hard hitting prose.
Foie gras, eating up
“Our mission is to protect human health and not the health of geese and ducks.” -Tim Hadac, Chicago Health Department spokesman on enforcement of the city’s foie gras ban, which has been widely flouted. [AP]
On January 11th, 2007 at 9:54 am ,Cru Master wrote:
Dr Vino, the article on the top brand etc mentions that Hennessy is gaining wide exposure through rap artists.
do you know of any wine brands that endorse people in the entertainment industry – could be worth looking into for any wine brand aspiring to be ‘trendy’!
Another thing I wanted to know and expanding on Hennessey’s moves into India and china – have any wine brands got a strong presence in these areas? And are there any noteworthy wineries in these areas?
On January 14th, 2007 at 11:05 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Hey grand cru –
Well, I’m not sure about wine brands that endorse celebrities — but an increasing number of celebrities are endorsing wines.
China and India are THE big new markets for existing wine producers. But India consumes only a sip per person while China consumes closer to a half a bottle…The two countries also hope to produce wine as well. China produces more, but India has Michel Rolland and some friends in high places.
Wasn’t it odd that Moet had higher brand recognition than Yellow Tail?
On January 15th, 2007 at 5:15 am ,Cru Master wrote:
hahahaha, sorry I meant celebs being endorsed by winer brands!! I think it is somthing that the wine brands should look into – shake some of the odd cobwebs and get trendy!
Moet ahead of Yellow Tail – odd but again champagne is much ‘cooler’ than wine, and perhaps its a heritage thing?
Id like to see the two countries of interest producing great wine. The Japanese mastered whisky with their Yoichi and Suntory -I don’t see why the far east cant become world leaders in wine.
I guess it will take overcoming entrenched ideology – much like the French having to accept that Californian wines were scoring higher then theirs!!