The World Bulk Wine Exhibition confirms its IV edition on 19 and 20 November 2012 in the RAI Elicium in Amsterdam . The International Meeting of Wine Buyers and Sellers enters its fourth year with an overall increase in prices and a sharp rise in transactions, thanks to the efforts made at earlier editions of the fair.
Madrid, 07-05-12.- Bulk wine buyers and sellers around the world will gather again for the annual meeting which has become a key fixture in their calendar, which this year is being held on 19 and 20 November at the RAI Elicium in Amsterdam. Continue reading “World Bulk Wine Exhibition”
by Jim Budd – Pancho Campo, who was at the centre of last year’s controversy around the organisation of wine tastings in Spain, has resigned from the Institute of Masters 
of Wine.Pancho Campo and Jay Miller
The Institute of Masters of Wine launched an investigation in December 2011 into whether Campo had breached its code of conduct, after allegations that his organisation the Wine Academy of Spain had effectively been charging Spanish wineries for access to Jay Miller, the correspondent for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
Decanter.com understands from a well-placed source at the Institute that the investigation had been completed. Its report had been sent to members of the IMW Council and was due to be considered this week. During the course of the investigation it is understood that the Institute had sought legal advice.
Decanter.com understands the report recommended that Campo – who became the first Spanish Master of Wine in 2008 – should be suspended from the Institute for a period of two or three years. Continue reading “decanter.com: Pancho Campo resigns from Institute of Masters of Wine”
by Adam Lechmere – Fine wine investors have lost £100m over four years by entrusting their savings to failed wine companies, a senior accountant has estimated. Nedim Ailyan, a director at insolvency firm Abbott Fielding, which is handling two high-profile wine investment company bankruptcies, told the BBC that some 50 such companies have failed in the last four years, costing investors up to £100m. Continue reading “decanter.com: Fine wine investors ‘have lost £100m’ from failed companies”
Weinreisende aller Länder, ihr habt ein Ziel! Das Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design in Wien. Es hat sich schon vor langem dem Wein verschrieben, wohnen mit ihm und um ihn ist Teil des Konzepts. Dass das Hotel nun für dieses Engagement ausgezeichnet wurde, ist der logische Schluss. Mitte März wurde ihm der Publikumspreis VINEUS Wine Culture Award 2012 für das beliebteste Weinhotel Österreichs verliehen. Die Ehrung fand im Rahmen einer festlichen Gala in der Wiener Aula der Wissenschaften statt, wo auch die Schecküberreichung für eine Weinreise nach Südafrika, zur Verfügung gestellt von American Express Österreich, erfolgte. Unabhängige Wein- und Genussexperten hatten im Vorfeld für die Nominierung der Kandidaten gesorgt. Continue reading “VINEUS Wine Culture Award 2012: Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design als beliebtestes Weinhotel Österreichs.”
www.winespectator.com U.S. attorney accuses Indonesia-born Burgundy lover of trying to sell $1.3 million in fakes
Rudy Kurniawan, a high-flying California-based wine dealer and collector who once bought and sold millions of dollars worth of wine annually, was arrested by the FBI at his southern California home on the morning of March 8 and charged with five felony counts of wire and mail fraud. The charges center on sales of allegedly counterfeit wines.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “As alleged, Rudy Kurniawan held himself out to be a wine aficionado with a nose for a counterfeit bottle, but he was the counterfeit, pawning off prodigious quantities of fraudulent wine himself to unsuspecting auction houses and collectors.” The complaint alleges that for years Kurniawan financed an extravagant lifestyle by buying and selling millions of dollars of wine and borrowing cash from multiple sources without fully repaying. The complaint also reveals that Kurniawan has been living in the U.S. illegally since 2003, when an immigration court ordered his deportation. Man beachte die Bilder am Schluss des Berichtes! Continue reading “winespectator.com: FBI Arrests Wine Collector Rudy Kurniawan”
by Rebecca Gibb – Natural wine remains ‘marginal’ in the UK, but organisers of the UK’s first artisan wine fair still aim to attract 1500 people to the inaugural event. More than 150 natural wine producers have already signed up for RAW including the Loire’s Nicolas Joly and Alsace’s Josmeyer.
The London trade and consumer event takes place in May, and its creator, Isabelle Legeron MW, has plans to take the concept to other countries. However, the UK’s natural wine scene is embryonic, with London-based natural wine specialist Artisan & Vine recently closing its doors. Legeron admits, ‘It’s not become widespread in the UK yet. It is still marginal.”
‘But for me, calling a wine biodynamic or organic is not enough because the control in the cellar is not great. You can have a biodynamic wine and add aromatic yeasts in some countries. Reverse osmosis and cryoextraction are allowed in organic which is why there is the need to have this category,’ she explained. ‘I’m not campaigning for all wines to be natural. I want people to be aware of what’s going on so they can choose knowingly.’ RAW takes place at the Old Truman Brewery on 20 and 21 May. www.decanter.com
Wir bitten wieder um Ihre Stimme für Österreichs Weinpublikumspreis. In drei von fünf Kategorien entscheiden die Weinliebhaber, wer den VINEUS nach Hause trägt. Zu gewinnen sind fünf mal zwei Karten für die große VINEUS-Gala am 19. März. Stimmen Sie für Ihre Lieblingskandidaten! Von 6. Februar bis 5. März auf www.vineus.at.
Es ist also wieder soweit. Die VINEUS Wine Culture Awards werden vergeben. An Personen und Betriebe, die sich mit ihrem Tun dem österreichischen Wein verschrieben haben und sein Ansehen im In- und Ausland stärken. Die Verleihung findet im Rahmen einer festlichen Gala in der Aula der Wissenschaften in Wien statt. Zehn Plätze bleiben den Gewinnern aus der Publikumswahl vorbehalten. Moderiert wird die VINEUS-Gala wieder von Wiens Slow-Food-Chefin Barbara van Melle.
DIE KATEGORIEN. Continue reading “Voting-Start für den VINEUS Wine Culture Award 2012″
by Richard Woodard – London’s hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars stand to make an extra £300m from the Olympics – but there are major challenges to overcome as well, 
new research suggests.
Wine distributor Bibendum reckons that food and drink spend in the capital’s on-trade will soar to £1.24bn during 2012, up from an estimated figure of £917m in 2011.
Roughly half the spend will be made in hotels, while pubs and bars will take about one-third of the total, and about 13% will be spent in restaurants.
However, the research, undertaken with the Local Data Company, also illustrates the potential disruption that this summer’s Olympic Games will cause. Continue reading “decanter.com: London Olympics to generate £300m for wine trade, says study”
by Adam Lechmere – London’s first specialist Italian wine merchant has opened with the biggest selection of Italian wines 
in the country.
Vini Italiani in the upmarket district of South Kensington is run by a group of Italian entrepreneurs and lists more than 500 wines from Italy.
All 20 Italian regions are represented, with some 100 wines listed in each of Piedmont and Tuscany, with Lombardy, Friuli Veneza-Giulia, Veneto, Trentino Alto-Adige and Sicily listing around 40 wines each.
‘From the top of the range wines like Sassicaia or Ornellaia and the best producers like Gaja or Biondi Santi to new, unknown biodynamic wines uncovered by our “roaming sommelier” in Italy, VI will offer the most varied and interesting range of “known-to-unknown” Italian labels in the UK,’ it says in a statement. Continue reading “decanter.com: London’s first Italian wine specialist opens”
by Adam Lechmere – Fine wine prices in 2011 showed their most dramatic fall since 2008 – with some values dropping by
nearly half.
Lafite 08 loses traction despite Chinese ’8′
According to the fine wine exchange Liv-ex, prices of the 100 top-traded wines, of which 95% are Bordeaux, fell by an average 22.5% between June and December last year.
This was the most precipitous fall since the beginning of the recession nearly four years ago. In a shorter time period, August to December 2008, the Liv-ex 100 fell by 22%.
It is top Bordeaux that is falling fastest, Liv-ex director Justin Gibbs told Decanter.com.
Another index, the Live-ex Claret Chip, which consists only of Bordeaux first growths in top vintages going back to the mid-1980s, showed an even steeper decline, dropping 26% in the second half of 2011. Continue reading “decanter.com: Lafite 2008 value drops 45% as fine wine prices fall”
by Adam Lechmere- Jay Miller has resigned from the Wine Advocate.
Insisting the move has nothing to do with the
unfolding controversy of paid-for wine visits to Spain, Miller, who was Robert Parker’s official critic for Spain, said ‘nothing could be further from the truth.’
‘Finally, some may believe my stepping down is in response to my critics,’ he said in a posting on the Wine Advocate’s bulletin board.
‘Nothing could be further from the truth. I have felt constrained in responding while still on The Wine Advocate staff. While the office has defended my actions, Continue reading “decanter.com: Jay Miller resigns from Wine Advocate”
by Richard Woodard – Retired Chinese basketball star Yao Ming is returning to his homeland – with a 2009 Napa Valley 
Cabernet Sauvignon launched under his name.
Yao, who at 7ft 6in (2.29m) was the tallest player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) until his retirement earlier this year, established Yao Family Wines and will launch the Cabernet in China immediately, before a launch in the US next year.
The company said the grapes for the inaugural Yao Ming 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon were sourced from ‘prestigious Napa Valley vineyards with a reputation for excellent fruit’.
It added that the final blend was chosen from selected barrels, with all the wine aged for at least 18 months in French oak.
Shanghai-born Yao measured 5ft 5in at the age of 10, and played for the Houston Rockets in the NBA, reaching the play-offs four times and being named in the All-NBA Team five times. Continue reading “decanter.com: Chinese basketball star launches Napa wine”
by Jane Anson in Bordeaux – European wine growing regions are battling European Commission plans to allow massive 
vineyard expansion.
Burgundy: vineyard area could double
To boost the wine sector’s competitiveness by reducing production costs, the EU has included an amendment to liberalise planting rights, from January 2016, within proposals for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – a policy which one lobbyist said would have ‘catastrophic’ consequences.
If the reform goes through, by 2019 there will be no restrictions to planting vines across the European Union, even in countries that today have no vineyards. Continue reading “decanter.com: Wine regions oppose ‘catastrophic’ EU expansion plans”
Eine App für alle, die sich beruflich mit Wein beschäftigen, die interessierten Weinliebhaber, die auch an internationalen Weinseminaren oder Verkostungen teilnehmen, und Weingenießer, die sich mit Gleichgesinnten in anderen Sprachen zu unterhalten wünschen.
• Schnell und einfach zum passenden Weinwort in sechs Sprachen
• Wörterbuch in Deutsch, Englisch, Spanisch, Französisch, Italienisch und Schwedisch
• Je Sprache über 2 000 Begriffe aus allen Bereichen rund um den Wein, die in herkömmlichen Wörterbüchern nicht zu finden sind. Continue reading “Wine Words App für iPhone und iPad – ohne Internetverbindung”
by Panos Kakaviatos – The US congress last week approved the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement which will eliminate tariffs 
and other barriers to trade in most goods and services within five years.
The agreement, KORUS, immediately removes a 15% tariff on US wines imported to South Korea.
The elimination of South Korea’s high import duty on US wine allows California wineries to be more competitive in this promising wine market, according to a press release from the Wine Institute, which represents more than 1,000 California wineries. Continue reading “decanter.com: New US-South Korea trade agreement will boost wine exports”
by Rebecca Gibb – The container ship that ran aground on a reef off New Zealand’s North Island last week contained at least 4000 cases of wine.
Marlborough producer Astrolabe confirmed it had 4000 cases of wine on board cargo ship, Rena, with a retail value of up to NZ$800,000 (£400,600). It is likely there are more wineries affected with one local wine insurance specialist urging clients to come forward with documentation. Continue reading “decanter.com: New Zealand wine producers assess wine loss on stricken ship”
For international wine clubs of leading business schools, higher education establishments and universities.
After the great success in 2011 with the presence of the United States, China, the Netherlands, England and France and with general demand, “20 of wine,” wine tasting international competition for high schools, will be held again in 2012.
According to the well-known concept of the America Cup, challengers from North America, Asia and Europe will come to compete against the best wine clubs of universities, leading business schools and higher education establishments in France.
Chaired by Baron Eric de Rothschild, owner of Château Lafite Rothschild, Continue reading “The 11th event of the “20 sur vin” Wine Tasting Competition”
by Richard Woodard – Chinese wine consumers use the internet and social media to source information far more than their 
western counterparts, according to new research.
Three quarters of wine consumers surveyed by research company Wine Intelligence said they often go online to look for wine information, with 62% frequently using social media as a source.
These ‘highly wired’ consumers are far less likely to rely on the recommendations of shop staff (32%) or word of mouth from friends and family (39%).
Wine Intelligence said the research, taken from interviews with more than 1,000 Chinese upper middle class drinkers of imported wine, offered a ‘dramatic’ contrast with western countries, where word of mouth is considered far more important. Continue reading “decanter.com: Chinese wine buyers highly wired – survey”
by Adam Lechmere – Rock legends Motörhead have released their own wine, an Australian Shiraz loaded with attitude – as 
well as fruity aromas and rounded tannins.
Motörhead Shiraz 2010 is produced by in Southeast Australia by Broken Back Winery.
The wine has already enjoyed some success in Scandinavia – where the band also has a huge following – and is now being released in the UK.
According to a statement released by Motörhead’s publicist, the wine has been ‘carefully selected by the hardrock legends’ for its ‘fruity aroma, flavours of vanilla, blackberries, plums, eucalyptus and liquorice…[and] soft rounded tannins.’
The band recommends drinking it with grilled lamb chops with garlic and rosemary, although it comes with a warning from Lemmy (pictured), legendary bassist and founder.
‘My advice is – approach it with caution. I mean, wine is deceptive, anything can happen.’
Ewen Cameron of distributor Great Wine Online said, ‘This is rock ‘n roll’s grape number one, and just like Lemmy it can survive just about anything.’ Continue reading “decanter.com: Heavy metal legends Motörhead release wine”
by Panos Kakaviatos in Shanghai – French and Chinese wine authorities are collaborating in an effort to fight counterfeit
bottles and educate Chinese consumers and importers.
The CIVB – the Bordeaux wine trade body – has been making random visits to Chinese supermarkets and wine shops in order to compile a database of false bottles, which has been passed on to Chinese investigators.
‘This is so that they can see links between companies that sell those false bottles, and where those bottles may have been produced in China,’ said Thomas Jullien of the CIVB, which represents some 60 appellations of Bordeaux and some 8,500 producers.
Jullien said Chinese authorities had approached the CIVB for advice on counterfeit bottles. ‘They want to establish links between importers and producers because they need proof that a product is false. They appreciate our help.’
The CIVB will not release figures on numbers of counterfeit bottles, nor will it indicate which brands are being faked, though images (pictured) obtained by Decanter.com show seized cases labelled ‘Forlatour’, and a Margaux ‘Grande Reserve’ called ‘Chateau French Tour’. Officials have indicated they consider these suspicious. Continue reading “decanter.com: French & Chinese join forces to fight wine fraud”
by Adam Lechmere – Senior members of the South African wine community have condemned the recent report into 
vineyard conditions as statistically unreliable and misleading.
The 96-page report, ‘Ripe with abuse: Human Rights conditions in South Africa’s Fruit and Wine Industries’ was published in August.
It said workers on fruit farms and ‘wine farms’ lead ‘dismal, dangerous lives’.
Workers, it found, were exposed to pesticides, badly paid, lacking basic sanitation, forced in one case to live in a pigsty, unrepresented by unions, and in two cases paid in wine, a throwback to the infamous ‘dop’ system of the apartheid era.
The industries were ‘rooted in human misery’, Human Rights Watch’s Africa director Daniel Bekele said.
News articles worldwide made it clear the wine industry was central to the report. In a full-page story, the Guardian opened by saying South Africa had a ‘flair for producing … world-class’ wines at affordable prices, ‘ but the provenance of South African wines is altogether less savoury…’ Continue reading “decanter.com: South African wine pros condemn Human Rights report”
by Rebecca Gibb in Auckland – The New Zealand Wine Company has multimillion dollar losses for 2011 – a sign of the wider financial malaise facing the country’s wine industry.
NZWC, which produces the Marlborough eco-brand Grove Mill, reported a loss of NZ$3.18m (£1.63m) in the year to June 2011 in addition to a shortfall of NZ$1.89m (£97,000) the previous year.
Chief executive officer Rob White said, ‘the combination of the over-supply of grapes, a strong NZ dollar and the global financial crisis has put intense pressure on revenue, margin, net earnings and cash flow management for all NZ wineries and grape growers and has resulted in NZWC posting a significant loss.’ Continue reading “decanter.com: New Zealand Wine Company ‘significant loss’”
At a wine merchant’s, the regular taster died
and the director started looking for a new one to hire.
A drunkard with a ragged, dirty look came to apply for the position.
The director of the factory wondered how to send him away.
They gave him a glass to drink.
“It’s a Muscat , three years old, grown on a northern slope,
matured in steel containers. Low grade but acceptable.”
“That’s correct”, said the boss.
Another glass….
“It’s a cabernet, eight years old, a south-western slope,
oak barrels, matured at 8 degrees.
Requires three more years for finest results .”
”It’s a pinot blanc champagne, high grade and exclusive” calmly said the drunk.
The director was astonished.He winked at his secretary to suggest something.
She left the room, and came back in with a glass of urine. The alcoholic tried it.
“It’s a blonde, 26 years old, three months pregnant, and if you don’t give me the job, I’ll name the father.”
by Rebecca Gibb – The UK has become a nation of wine-drinking ‘discount junkies’, fuelled by constant price promoting in supermarkets, a new survey claims.
The latest report from market research specialists Mintel has found that 55% of all Britons who purchase wine to drink at home buy ‘depending on which has the best discount’.
John Forsyth, senior drinks analyst at Mintel, says ‘The discounting strategy of major multiples may be controversial but it is a key purchase driver in such a fragmented market place.’ Continue reading “decanter.com: UK wine drinkers are discount junkies, says research”
