This Week in Wine 7/24/11
July 24, 2011
Oops! Forklift smashes $1M worth of Australia wine
A malfunctioning forklift dropped 462 cases of wine in Australia on Thursday, a spill with a price tag of more than $1 million.
The 5,544 bottles of 2010 Mollydooker Velvet Glove shiraz, with a price tag of $185 a bottle, fell almost 20 feet to ground of a wharf in Port Adelaide as the forklift was loading it for shipment abroad, according to media reports.
The lost wine represents a third of his company’s output for a year. Marquis said he was working with insurers to get compensated for his loss.
Click here for the full article.
My Thoughts
Ooops indeed! I dropped a $30 bottle of wine once, and I think I had tears in my eyes!
Farm Thieves Target Grapes, and Even Bees
It seems that “agri-crimes” are on the rise.
Sergeant Walt Reed — who eventually arrested a suspect after staking out a Kern County vineyard — is just one of dozens of deputies on the front lines of agricultural crime in California, home to the nation’s most productive farms and the people who prey on them.
While other states have their own agricultural intrigue — cattle rustlers in Texas, tomato takers in Florida — few areas can claim a wider variety of farm felons than California, where ambushes on everything from almonds to beehives have been reported in recent years. In Madera County, about 130 miles east of San Francisco, officials saw a rash of bee burglaries this year, as a shortage of able-bodied pollinators drove up the price. Brian Long, a beekeeper based in Colorado, was one of those hit, losing more than 400 hives — valued at about $100,000 — in California in January.
Click here to read the full article.
My Thoughts
Grapes are one thing, but good luck to the guy that’s trying to steal bees!
Red Wine Could Benefit Astronauts in Orbit
New research suggests wine might actually might be good for the health of astronauts.
The study found that red wine could help prevent the ill effects of prolonged weightlessness on the human body.
An ingredient in red wine, called resveratrol, has shown promise protecting against the bone density loss and insulin resistance that can be side effects of flying in space, researchers said. The finding is based on a study of rats held upside down by their hind limbs and tails to simulate weightlessness. The rats fed resveratrol did not develop the adverse symptoms of the other group.
Click here to read the full article.
My Thoughts
Awesome! Way to get your priorities right on this research! We don’t even have a space program any longer; however a team of scientists decided to dedicate their valuable towards hanging rats upside down and feeding them fine Bordeaux. Bravo indeed!
New Zealand vineland value drops 60%, but no takers
New Zealand vineyard prices have fallen significantly over the last four years, but the market for vineland is still stagnant, experts say.
Prices across the country have come down by as much as 60% but there are still properties that have been on the market for several years.
Click here for the full article.
My Thoughts
I’ve been wondering how long it would take before the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc bubble burst. I guess this is it. POP!!! It’s too late for words of advice now; but in retrospect, to put all your eggs one basket like that is risky indeed. Then again, hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Green Wine Award Goes To Parducci
Green oenophiles, take note – the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) has awarded the 2011 International Award of Excellence in Sustainable Winegrowing to Parducci Wine Cellars of Mendocino County, California.
Harry Bartel, chairman of the organization’s sustainable winegrowing judging committee, noted that the committee was impressed by Parducci’s use of certified sustainable winegrowing practices, as well as the fact that the winery uses 100 percent renewable energy, recycles 100 percent of its waste water, and is carbon neutral. "Parducci sets a high standard for itself and the winegrowing industry," he said in a statement.
Click here for the full article.
My Thoughts
I’ve been noticing a big rise in the number of consumers requesting sustainable and organic wines; and so there’s definitely an increased demand in the market. Parducci is certainly paving the way for North American wineries, and so over the next few years I would expect to see a big rise in the number of wineries which start taking green wine-making more seriously. The question remains as to whether consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable / organic wines. My guess is no, they’re not.
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