Wine Atlas

It is a pity that South Africa was so poorly represented at this year's VinExpo Wine Exhibition in Bordeaux, France, says PG Slabbert, manager and cellar master at Stellenbosch Hills, the only remaining co-operative cellar in the Stellenbosch wine region.

South African wine brands cannot afford to pass up any opportunity to show off their diversity and uniqueness in terms of price, quality and wine styles at important international wine events.

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Bubbly or a glass of white beat out the pop drinks

The pre-dinner rage summer in Italy will not be exotic cocktails or the trendy alcoholic pop drinks, but sipping a nice cool flute of Italian bubbly or glass of crisp white wine, a number of studies have predicted .

A study carried out for next October's Turin Wine Show, in fact, found that wine as an aperitif is gaining constant ground, with a marked preference for sparkling wine and whites with a strong personality, many made from indigenous vines .

These wines are particularly popular at Happy Hour in the age group between 30 and 35, the report said, and many wine bars have reported an upsurge in sales by the glass of wines costing more than of 15 euro a bottle, while bottle sales have slipped .

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Situated amidst some the country’s top red wine producers on the slopes of the Helderberg outside Stellenbosch and known in its own right as a producer of award winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Webersburg has just released its very first Bordeaux blend, Webersburg 2002.

Made by Giorgio Dalla Cia, one of the foremost pioneers of South African Bordeaux style blends, Webersburg 2002 is a classic combination of Cabernet Sauvignon (70 percent) and Merlot (30 percent).

"Iron fist in a silk glove," is how Giorgio describes this robust, yet elegant wine which spent 18 months in small French oak barrels.

Very masculine in character with the leatheriness and black olives of the Cabernet complementing the cherries and boiled beetroot of the Merlot, this is a well-balanced wine with a long lingering aftertaste.

The Webersburg 2002 and Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 both retail at around R98 per bottle. For further information contact Webersburg Wines, 021 881 3636.

Continue reading : lifestyle.iafrica.com

Region Aspires to Grapeness Lake County touts its budding wine industry, hoping to trade its blue-collar, trailer heaven image for the cachet of a Napa Valley.

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Andeluna Cellars, producer of Argentina's finest wines, recently signed a contract with Fran Kysela, owner of Kysela Pere et Fils, which will be the winery's exclusive US importer.

"This is a perfect match for Andeluna," Mike Kenter, VP of Sales and Marketing for Andeluna Cellars said. "Robert Parker Jr. of The Wine Advocate says Kysela is 'one of the finest palates and selectors of top wine.' He seeks world-class, fruit driven, quality wines that over-deliver in the eyes of the consumer. Andeluna Cellars offers all that and more."

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Long ago, before he rose to prominence in the New York wine world, Daniel Johnnes, traveling through France, was drawn to the camaraderie that he felt among wine-makers and their friends when they sat down to eat and drink. Mr. Johnnes had a dream that some day he would find a way to recreate that social glow back in his hometown of New York.

Continue reading : nysun.com

The Spanish revolution, in the qualities of its wine, started more than 30 years ago.

Modern wineries, modern winemaking techniques and a drive for high style have given Spain and its artisans (old and new) a lot to offer.

Along with its neighbor Portugal, Spain is offering more variety and bang for the buck than any European country.

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Fine red wine is the perfect antidote to the chill of winter. Now wine enthusiasts can beat the blues by enjoying a selection of the best-rated red wines from five different categories - Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Red Blends - at public WINE tastings in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

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AT first glance, Bruno Paillard seems anything but a rebel. Dressed in an elegant and hardly inexpensive suit, he appears to be every bit the suave French businessman very much part of the establishment.

But, once upon a time, Paillard was the quintessential rebel who acted against his father’s wishes. His act of defiance in leaving the family business to set up his own Champagne house caused something of ruckus within the Paillard family, to say the least.

In fact, one might say that Champagne has always been in his blood, and that Paillard was simply following his calling.(...)

BY MARTIN VENGADESAN

Continue reading : thestar.com.my

A lesson in Champagne

It’s a wine

THE first thing you must know about champagne,” said champagne maker Bruno Paillard, “is that it is a wine. Champagne is a great white wine named after the region in which it is produced. European wines are named not by variety but by region of production – for instance, port is actually from the region of Oporto in Portugal.”

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Down Under wine sales leave French firms with sour grapes

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A San Luis Obispo winery is helping turn wine novices into connoisseurs with a new educational tool.

If you're an inexperienced wine lover, you aren't alone.

"I would like to know more about the basics about how it's made, how it's grown, things of that nature," says San Luis Obispo resident Nick Musial. "I'm doing a senior project on a feasibility study about growing a vineyard, so I think it might come in handy with some of that stuff."(...)

By: Adrienne Moore

Continue reading : ksby.com

Can you turn water into wine? Or woodchips? The United States says yes, Europe says no. For 20 years the row has kept the two sides from deciding what wine is.

Brussels and Washington have been struggling to negotiate a reciprocal wine deal since 1983 but always found it easier to roll over temporary arrangements than to compromise too much.

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New statistics show the United Kingdom remains the main market for Australian wine exports.

The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation says in the last financial year 661 million litres of wine, worth nearly $3 billion, were exported from Australia.

The corporation's manager of information and analysis, Lawrie Stanford, says that is an 80 million litre increase on the previous 12 months.

Mr Stanford says Australian wine remains popular in Europe.

Continue reading : abc.net.au

Australian wine exports hit a record high last financial year - 661 million litres, up 14 per cent.

And in an encouraging sign for Australia's struggling wine companies, the latest Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation figures show that after two years of splurging on cheaper booze, overseas drinkers are taking to higher-priced, and more profitable, Australian wines again.

Australian wine companies shipped $2.75 billion of wine overseas in June, up 8 per cent on the previous year's figure.

AWBC information and analysis manager Lawrie Stanford said: "The really pleasing outcome for 2004-05 was the 18 per cent growth in shipments in the $5 to $7.49 per litre price bracket. That's where the good profits are... and that's where we'd like to see continued growth."

But the big driver of growth in sales remained in the $2.50 to $4.99 per litre price bracket.

Wines in that segment accounted for just over half of all wines shipped in 2004-05.

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