Wine News - January 2005

Sixteen Italian Wines among Wine Spectator's Top 100

As they do every year, Wine Spectator's editors, selected the Top 100 wines from among over 12,500 entries worldwide tasted during 2004. This year's list included 16 Italian wines. Tuscany is at the top with eight labels represented, followed by Piedmont with three, Veneto with two, and Abruzzo, Campania and Sicily with one wine each.
Continued...

Giacomo Tachis: Italian Wine Culture Under Attack by Outsiders and 'Vultures'

At the 'Vini di Toscana 2004' awards ceremony, Giacomo Tachis, one of the most celebrated Italian winemakers, has outlined a bleak future for corporate-owned Italian wineries and called those who inflate prices 'vultures'.
Continued...

January 2005: Meet Sicilian Quality Wine and Food Producers in San Francisco

The administration of the Italian region of Sicily is organizing a workshop in San Francisco, California featuring 12 Sicilian companies that produce some of the best Italian regional food products and wines. The purpose of the event is to present Sicilian quality products with the goal of introducing them into the U S market.
Continued...

Cocktail Cabinet: The Bubbly Italian That's Challenging Champagne

Champagne is the obvious choice for a toast, but to spend less and provide more for your guests, Prosecco, the fragrant sparkling wine from the north of Italy, is the fashionable choice of the moment. Less fizzy than champagne, lighter and more gentle in flavor, Prosecco also lends itself to tantalizing  aromatic cocktails.
Continued...

80 Million Bottles of Spumante to be Opened During the Current Holiday Season

During the current Christmas and New Year's Holiday celebrations, around 80 million bottles of Italian Spumante will be opened in Italy. Sweet wines are preferred over dry and brut wines during this period.
Continued...

Moletto December 2004 Newsletter

We received and published the Moletto winery September 2004 newsletter.
Continued...

Homeland Burial for the Giant Tuscan Truffle

The 852 gram white truffle that made headlines in November when it was bought for a record-breaking $52,000 (€42,000) by London restaurant Zafferano at the "International Tuscan Truffle Auction", is to be buried in its homeland in San Miniato, Tuscany after it went moldy in the kitchen safe because of the length of time it had been on display.
Continued...

The Consorzio Strada del Vino Costa degli Etruschi offers its wines en primeur through Futurewine "Ownership Certificates"

There is a narrow strip of land, squeezed between the hills and the sea shore, known as the Costa degli Etruschi. It begins in Livorno province, extends across the Pisa hills and the Val di Cornia (Cornia Valley), all the way to the boundary of Grosseto, and down towards the coast facing the fabulous Elba island. As Tuscany is synonymous with wine, art, culture and nature, here they combine to assume the identity of the Strada del Vino Costa degli Etruschi, or "Consortium of the Etruscan Coast Wine Road".
Continued...

Wine Tourism: Siena to Host First Service Center

Siena is to host the first "Study and Service Center" to promote the development of the more than 100 Italian "Wine Roads".

The project was set up by the National Wine Cities combines a series of initiatives supporting wine tourism organized by the association.
Continued...

The Cantina di Soave Honored with Three Awards

At the twenty fourth Banco d'Assaggio (Wine Tasting Competition), held recently in Torgiano, Umbria, the cooperative winery from Soave, in Verona province, had great success with three of its wines: the Spumante Metodo Classico Riserva Brut "Equipe 5", the IGT Delle Venezie Rosso "Fulvo Rocca Sveva" 1999, and the Amarone della Valpolicella "Rocca Sveva" 1998.
Continued...

A piece of Italy took root in the city (Edinburgh, Scotland) and is still growing (Part three of three)

"In 1985 we had a staff of 15. Today we are 70-strong. We have been with the same bank, the Clydesdale, for 67 years, which must tell you something. They've been very supportive, both in the lean times and during times of expansion."
Continued...

Balsamic Golf Trophy Presents the 2005 Third Annual Program

Eight golf tournament promoting the the Modenese food industry and agriculture.

Building on the success of the previous events, that, by the way, were supported by the Provincia di Modena administration, the BGT 2005 aims to further its mission promoting the local typical agriculture and food products.
Continued...

Xmas: According to Coldiretti, Only Two Percent of Bubbly Wine purchased in Italy is Champagne

Only 2 percent of all bubbly wine purchased by Italian families is French champagne. The vast majority of families buy spumante. That is the outcome of a bubbly wine research conducted by Ismea-AcNiesen.
Continued...

All in the Sebastianis (Third of five parts)

When Don ran the Sebastiani winery downtown, like brother Sam and father August, he kept trying to raise the quality of the bottles that said Sebastiani. But he didn't forget the lower end of the spectrum, for which he created a number of low-priced new brands, including well-wines such as Vendange and the surprisingly polished Nathanson Creek. At one point they sold 8 million cases a year.
Continued...

Vitigno Italia: The First Trade Show Dedicated to the Wines From Italian Native Vines

The Vitigno Italia, or Vineyard Italy, the first trade show dedicated to wines made from Italian native and traditional grapes which will be held in Naples, at the Mostra d'Oltremare (Overseas exposition) from June 3rd to June 5th, 2005, was introduced to the international and professional press in Sorrento, on December 13.
Continued...

Sicilian Reds 2004

The stated goals for the third annual 'Rossi di Sicilia', or 'Sicilian Reds' were: "comparing the experiences of 70 wine estates located in Ragusa province in Sicily, analyzing the bottom line for the red wine production in an area traditionally dedicated to white wines, and highlighting the ups and down of the Sicilian vitivinicolture and its future perspective". The event took place inside the evocative 19th century Castle of the Principi di Biscari di Acate, from December 2nd to December 5th, 2004.
Continued...

Sleuthing Out What's In Wine (Part two of four)

The most common addition to wine is acid. Almost all wines in California have their acid "adjusted," which is winespeak for an addition of acid to compensate for a deficiency. Wines that don't have enough acidity can taste flabby or flat. Acid additions do not change the aroma of a wine, but can make it taste more tart. Most acids added are natural, such as tartaric or citric.
Continued...

The Longest Wine Tasting of the Year

From 9:30PM on Friday, December 31, 2004 well into January 1, 2005, as an alternative to the typical Italian cenone (literally, "big dinner") and/or disco club, the Enoteca/Tisaneria (Wine Bar/Tea House) Enò in Lugo di Romagna, propose 'la degustazione più lunga dell'anno', or 'The Longest Wine Tasting of the Year', that starts in 2004 and ends in 2005.
Continued...

During the Visit of Italian President Carlo Azelio Ciampi to China, the Official Toast is Made with Spumante Ferrari

During Italian President, Carlo Azelio Ciampi, and Foreign Minister, Gianfranco Fini's recent visit to China, the official toast was made with Spumante Ferrari.
Continued...

San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 California, Oregon and Washington wines

Every year, the San Francisco Chronicle's wine section staff and the weekly panel of tasters – mostly wine retailers and sommeliers – select our favorite 100 wines sampled during the previous 12 months. In 2004, the newspaper threw the crew a curve ball by asking them to consider wines produced in Oregon, Idaho and Washington state as well. In doing so, we made an already difficult (though pleasantly so) decision more difficult, by introducing new candidates for spots on The Chronicle's "Top 100 Wines of 2004" list and thus reducing the opportunities for California bottlings.
Continued ...

Italian/French Wine Exports to US Hammered

Italian wine exports to the US took a fall in the first nine months of 2004. The Italian Wine and Food Institute (IWFI) said on December 8, 2004 that exports had dropped almost 10% compared to the same period the previous year. The IWFI added that French wine exports to the US had fallen by 11% in the same period.
Continued...

WineCountry.IT Selection – Viansa Winery, Italian Marketplace & More

As promised, this column is a labor of love dedicated exclusively to places I appreciate and personally enjoy with family and friends. As such, I write only when I feel there's something special to share, that is, a place where I would take my visitors from overseas or out of town.
Continued...

Constellation Brands Acquire 40 Percent of Italian Ruffino

Following the $1.36 billion acquisition of the prestigious California wine company Robert Mondavi Corp., the US drinks giant Constellation Brands has set its sights on the Italian premium wine segment and, on December 3, announced that it had acquired 40 percent of Italian fine wine company, Ruffino, for approximately $80 million.
Continued...

Try these Italian wines for a taste of La Dolce Vita

A decade or two ago, the native varietals grown in Italy were often seen as an adjunct to the "international varieties" and not worthy of discussion on their own. Nowadays, that has changed through the concerted efforts of dedicated producers and stricter regional guidelines. Distinctive Italian varietals are gaining fans around the world for their easy-drinking style and pleasing effect on the palate.
Continued...

Italian Agriculture in Figures 2004 Published

The Italian National Institute of Agricoltural Economics (INEA) has published the English version of the 16th edition of its annual booklet Italian Agriculture in Figures 2004.
Continued...

'Pezzapetrosa', a wine produced by Tenuta Zicari, conquer the UK

'Pezzapetrosa' was awarded the silver medal at the 'International Wine and Spirit Competition 2004', the most prestigious wine event held in the United Kingdom.
Continued...

Acceptance of Alternative Closures Grows

According to the study, 'Closures: the UK Consumers View 2004', 17% of consumers now 'like buying wines with screw cap', compared to 7% of respondents in last year's study. Also, the number of consumers who dislike the closure has halved to 36% (with around 55% not affected one way or the other).
Continued...

Mediobanca Study Shows Wine Companies Outperform National Indexes

Wine offers a tastier investment return than many national stock markets, according to a study released Thursday by Italian investment bank Mediobanca SpA (MB.MI).

For the purposes of the study, Mediobanca compiled an index of 48 publicly-listed wine producers from 12 countries. It showed that the average share performance of wine producers between January 2001 and June 2004 was 40% higher than the combined national indexes of their respective countries.
Continued...

Please Note: You have received this e-Letter either because you subscribe online or because your e-mail is registered as the contact for a company registered with our online network.

We respect your privacy. If you feel that this e-Letter was sent to you by mistake, please click here to be taken off the Wine News e-Letter mailing list. We do not share our list of subscribers with other companies or associates.