French winemaker Pommery introduces its new champagne, Pop, just in time for New Year’s Eve. NYT says the eco-friendly bubbly stays green by creating “sexual confusion” among hungry butterflies!
Source :: Liqurious
Monthly Archives: December 2009
Pfeiffer Wines
Pfeiffer wines is located in Rutherglen, Victoria. Rolled out across all customer touch points, the logo incorporates the wineries historical past, character and colour of the region. Attention to production and printing quality, ensured a memorable identity.
Design by Frank Aloi
Good advice for the holidays : How to pour, store & pair Champagne
To be sure, champagne is the beverage of choice during the holidays, but do you know at what temperature it should be served? How should it be stored? What is the difference between vintage and non-vintage Champagne? Veuve Clicquot, the esteemed French winemaker, answers these questions and more.
What is the difference between a vintage and a non-vintage Champagne?
By law in Champagne, France, you cannot display a year on the label of a bottle unless all the grapes which make up the Champagne in the bottle have been sources from one single harvest, in one single year. This is known as a vintage. Wine connoisseurs seek vintage champagnes; non-vintage blends are not as attractive and should never go for more than 10% over the regular current price, according to Veuve Clicquot.
Why buy a magnum?
Magnums, which are twice the size of a regular bottle (750 ml), are optimal for aging wine: during the aging process, the wine is “breathing” even through the cork.
Best vintages
According to Veuve Clicquot, the best vintages in Champagne since the turn of the 20th century, include the following years (from most recent to oldest); 1998, 1996, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1985, 1979, 1976, 1969, 1969, 1955, 1949, 1947, 1943, 1934, 1929, 1921, 1918, and 1904.
Pouring temperature
The pouring temperature of Champagne will vary depending on the kind you will be serving. Young non-vintage champagne, with no year on the label, should be poured around 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit). Mature wines, on the other hand, such as vintage Champagne, should be poured between 12 to 14 degrees Celsius (54 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit).
Pairing Champagne with food
What can Champagne be served along with? Champagne goes well with pasta salads, sea food, oysters, shrimps, light fishes and antipasti. It also goes well with a cheese course as well as with many desserts.
How long can you keep Champagne?
Veuve Clicquot says non-vintage champagne should be enjoyed upon release, but may be stored for up to two or three years. Vintage Champagne can age longer; from 10 to 25 years depending on the style of each vintage.
How to store Champagne
Veuve Clicquot recommends Champagne be stored in the same manner as any regular fine wine. It should be kept at a cool and continuous temperature, which is ideally 10 to 12 degrees Celsius (50 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit) or at most between 7 to 15 degrees Celsius (45 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit). In addition, Veuve Clicquot recommends a high humidity (over 75%), good ventilation and darkness to create the best conditions.
What is the best way to open a bottle of Champagne?
Remove the foil and the wire cage. Next, slowly twist the cork back and forth about a quarter of an inch, while allowing the pressure inside the bottle to force it up. Do not pull the cork out of the bottle; it should be gently released.
By Carrie Coolidge | Source :: www.luxist.com
Preece Wine
Another beautiful project by Frank Aloi:
“Australia’s leading illustrators were commissioned to create artworks inspired by the Mitchelton winery in central Victoria for the latest Preece re-branding. The rejuvenation has elevated Preece into the top 50 best selling wine brands in Australia.”
Source :: www.thedieline.com
Ensemble Rose
The concept behind this design was to emphasise the 5 different grape varieties that are blended to make this Rosé.
Design by Frank Aloi
2010 Wine Entrepreneur Conference
The Wine Entrepreneur conference is the only professional wine conference focusing on wine entrepreneurship. It is intended to focus on four categories of individuals:
Wine enthusiasts who want to act on their dream to one day start their own wine business.
Wine professionals who want to further their career in the wine industry by broadening the scope of their knowledge.
Wine entrepreneurs looking to fund the next stage of their business and meet potential investors, partners, employees or advisors.
Wine business angels and investors who want to be exposed to new ideas, concepts and projects relating to the wine industry.
On both days, panels will feature innovative wine entrepreneurs who were able to follow their passion for wine AND to leverage tools such as the internet & social media, alternative financing techniques, innovative design, socially conscious philosophies, a recycling cap, out-of-the-box business models or a combination thereof.
For more details contact Laurent Guinand or Hailey Morton
Conference Celebrates Sparkling Wine
If you like your bubbly there is a new conference devoted just to champagne and sparkling wine. The Independent Champagne and Sparkling Wine Invitational (ICSWI) is both a public and industry conference entirely dedicated to sparkling wines. The event, which will take place April 16-18 2010 in New Orleans, will offer a serious and educated look at the sparkling wine grower producer world, but also include plenty of bubbly fun. There will be both educational seminars as well as events like “Bubbles and Blues on Bourbon Street”, or “The Bubbly Block Party on Rue Royal”, or a Seminar on mixing sparkling wine-based cocktails with award-winning mixologists.
For the event a general pass is $850 and includes the welcome reception, a daily seminar, Grand Tastings, and The Bubbly Block Party on Rue Royal. The Premier Cru pass for $1,350 adds in The Mad Scientist Mixology Party, Winemakers Dinner, and The Finale Champagne Brunch and the VIP Grand Cru pass for $1,900 adds in a VIP welcome reception, special entrance and seating, VIP Winemakers Dinner, Rarities Charity Dinner and Silent Auction.
Source :: www.luxist.com
The Ponzi Vineyards Cookbook
The name Ponzi has gotten a bad reputation lately. With the words ‘Ponzi scheme’ flying around left and right, it’s important to remember that Ponzi isn’t just a name associated with stealing money, it’s also an Italian name with a long heritage. And it’s a name that belongs to a great winery in Orgeon.
Now that winery, Ponzi Vineyards, has released The Ponzi Vineyards Cookbook. This is guaranteed to get the bad Ponzi taste right out of your mouth. Nancy Ponzi has shared a variety of recipes that include not just Italian specialties like eggplant lasagna and Doba alla Piemontese but Latin American fare like Chilean Pebres with meats.
The cookbook has over 80 recipes from appetizers like oysters Rockefeller to desserts like ricotta cheese cake. The tone of the book is warm and family-centered, Nancy Ponzi shares anecdotes of vineyard life and tips for pairing wines with many dishes.
Source :: www.luxist.com
Almaden Vineyards Thinks Inside the Box
Almaden Vineyards had been as well known for its signature glass jugs as its inexpensive domestic wines. Now that has changed. The California wine brand has switched from its 5-liter bottles to a bag-in-the-box product.
Not long ago, drinking wine from a box was frowned upon by American consumers. However, opinions have changed. “The big glass jug is a thing of the past,” said Eileen Fredrikson, partner, at the wine consultancy Gomberg Fredrikson & Associates, San Francisco. “There are practically [no brands] out there any longer in 5-liter glass. Four-liter is going by the wayside also. It’s big, clunky, heavy and expensive to ship. Boxes are a better fit for the refrigerator and it stays perfectly without oxidation for five weeks.”
Accelerating this trend is a legion of younger drinkers. “The millennials will drink 250ml packs, 187ml tetra packs and 3-liter boxes. Everything is up for grabs. They are unencumbered by all of the old trappings we had about this wine not being up to caliber.”
Almaden, which is owned by The Wine Group, is positioning the brand as a being on trend with green consumers as well. The boxes have 85 percent less packaging waste and a 55 percent smaller carbon footprint. The Wine Group purchased Almaden and Paul Masson from Constellation Brands last February for $134 million in cash.
Alcohol industry consultant Arthur Shapiro said it’s a good time for a brand like Almaden to draw attention to itself: “There are more people at home entertaining and there is increased consumption of popular priced wines.”
As for the green angle, he said, “When I’m having alcohol, that’s not the thing that’s foremost in my mind. I’m not thinking about saving the environment while I’m getting a buzz.”
Source :: Brandweek
Could tiny bottles be the next big idea for wine?
The latest innovation from custom winemaking facility Crushpad is a new way to get their boutique wines into more hands. Their new TinyBottles come in sets of four, letting potential buyers taste several different wines for a lower cost, hopefully attracting those who might balk at spending $50 or more for an unfamiliar wine.
The new tasting kits are available on the site BrixR.com, a website that also includes videos and recommendations and sells wines from the various small vineyards. On Brixr a four bottle tasting pack sells for $29.95.
The bottles were developed for Crushpad customers but an article on Wines & Vines says that Crushpad could also use the system for other wines include barrel samples or imports. Other applications include online tasting, retail or restaurant samples, in-flight wine tastings or review samples.
Source :: www.luxist.com