First World Wine Problems.
October 30, 2012
World’s Most Expensive Wine Goes on Sale.
October 29, 2012
Ok, so I’m a little late on this one! This is a news story from June, that seems to have slipped me by until now…
Aussie winemaker Penfolds has unveiled what it says (correctly so) is the world’s most expensive bottle of plonk. The 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon, that the vineyard claims are from the oldest continuously producing vines in the world, will set you back a staggering $168,000 and comes completely encased in a futurist-looking hand-blown glass vial, with no cork or screw-cap.
The bottle holds the same as a standard bottle of wine, is designed to preserve the pricey grapes, and is suspended within a wooden jarrah cabinet. When owners want it opened, since the bottle cannot be opened by itself, Penfolds will send a senior winemaker to wherever they are in the world, the company said.
Penfolds have taken the wise move to limit the Block 42 to the lowest production for any of their wines, only 60,000 cases! Just kidding…only 12 ampoules will be available for sale.
The Block 42 vines were transported from France to Australia in the 1830s and are now located in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, northeast of Adelaide.
See below for the extremely boring video for the Penfolds Ampoule Project:
Click here for the full article from DailyMail.co.uk.
My Thoughts…
Hey, if you have the money, GO FOR IT! I would, just to say I did it! Also just so that they would have to fly an Aussie winemaker out to pop it open! Let’s face it though, it isn’t really the wine you’re paying for. The juice can only be so good….
Posted in News | Tagged Australia, Penfolds, Worlds Most Expensive Wine | Leave a comment //The Age of Oak.
October 29, 2012
Self-Serve Wine Stations on the Rise.
October 29, 2012
Tech trend analysis company Technomic has indicated in its recent Bartender Quarterly report that “serve-yourself” wine stations appear to be gaining significant momentum in wine bars/restaurants across the United States.
One of their case studies, with diners at the Trifecta Grill in Winnetka, Illinois, showed wine drinkers were willing to spend more of their hard earned cash (often up-to $29 a glass) if they knew the wine had been stored in a WineStation, and therefore preserved correctly.
“Operators have found that they can actually sell a greater volume of more expensive, unique or finer wines when the guest has the opportunity to explore on their own. In retail environments, guests also for the first time have the opportunity to try before they commit to a purchase,” said Jayne Portnoy, Vice President, marketing and brand strategy, Napa Technology.
87% of people stated they are more willing to order an expensive wine by the glass that would otherwise be cost prohibitive by the bottle. A further 76%of business surveyed stated that consumption of wines by the glass has increased over the past year (presumably due to economic conditions).
Click here for the full article from Digital Journal.
My Thoughts…
Let me cut to the chase: I LOVE new technology, I’m a HUGE nerd for it.
I’ve had the chance to play around with these wine stations a little over the past few years. My stance is that whilst I can say I’m a fan of what they’re trying to achieve, I can’t say that I’m 100% in favor of wine bars who SOLELY rely on their use i.e. without any human interaction.
The main flaw in the plan with wine bars who choose to go “100% automated” is that they need to have someone (human) ring you up for your wine card, which is to be then used in the machines to dispense your vino. The unfortunate thing is that this human usually holds about as much wine knowledge as a Nomacorc.
There is NO WAY you can base a business around throwing a bunch of wine machines into a building and have some 19 year old Muppet, who isn’t able to answer any of your wine questions, or even consume wine legally, ringing people up. It won’t work.
It’s called HOSPITALITY for a reason. I don’t want some bloody robot pouring my glass of wine. I at least want the CHOICE of dealing with a human. A human who knows what they’re doing.
To this end, I still think that there’s a solid future ahead for these “things.” Train stations, airports, areas with high levels of foot traffic etc., would all be ideal locations for self-service wine stations. The key is to integrate them into the service environment. Not have them try and replace the “human element” and wine training altogether.
Posted in News | Tagged winestation | Leave a comment //Win 2 Tickets to the Riverside Wine Festival!
October 27, 2012
The 10th Annual Riverside WineFest & 5 Points Fall Festival is set for Sat, Nov 17, 2012!
The party starts at 6pm, and the 1000 block of Park Street will be closed to traffic for you to enjoy the wines and live entertainment. Food venders will also be in the street and stores will be open extra hours for your enjoyment.
Personally, I have 2 favorite wine tasting events in Jacksonville: Caring Chefs and the Riverside WineFest. Unfortunately since the Riverside event falls right-around my birthday, I am usually out of town for it….BUT NOT THIS YEAR!!! I will be there in full force!!!
The Riverside WineFest lets you taste over 300 wines from around the world and shop at participating merchants for great fall and holiday specials. While there are a lot of wine events in Jacksonville, no other event offers so many quality wines for such a small donation!
You’ll be pleased to know that I have two tickets to give away for the Riverside WineFest (a $60 value!) and I’ve made it VERY easy to win! All you have to do is answer the following question and email me the answer:
Last year, how many people attended the Riverside WineFest (the answer can be found at the Riverside Liquors website)
a) Less than 100 people
b) 200-500 people
c) 500-100 people
d) More than 1,000 people
Once you have chosen the correct answer from one of the 4 options above, shoot me a quick email at kris@blogyourwine.com and you will be entered for a chance to win. The competition deadline is Saturday Nov 3rd at midnight. One entry person. Entry will be selected at random. All email addresses will be added to JacksonvilleWineGuide weekly email newsletter. Tickets will be made available to you on the day of the event at Riverside Liquors.
Good luck, and remember that even if you aren’t chosen as the winner, tickets to the Riverside WineFest are only $30 a person with the proceeds being donated to Riverside Avondale Preservation & Big Brothers & Big Sisters Of North Florida. Click here for more information on the Riverside WineFest.
Posted in Events, Giveaways | Tagged Jacksonville, Riverside Liquors, Riverside Liquors Jacksonville, Riverside Wine Festival, Riverside WineFest | Leave a comment //Vincent Girardin “Emotion” Pinot Noir, Burgundy, France.
October 26, 2012
Grapes
100% Pinot Noir
Facts
- When is a French Pinot not a French Pinot? When it’s the Vincent Girardin “Emotion,” of course!
I consider a wine like this a timid step forward for those looking to ever-so-slowly “get their wine-drinking into France,” when they used to drinking mainly Cali Pinot.
The problem I have found is that when people start out their wine drinking lives by starting with New World Pinot Noir and then try to back into the Old World, their main criticism always seems to be that the wines are “weak” and “watery.” This used to really bother me! I would always try to explain about “subtlety,” “femininity,” “restraint,” “savory elements” and “elegance” which is to be found in a large proportion (but not all) of the wines of Oregon and Burgundy.
This in contrast to what seems to be “the norm” coming out of California in the sub-$25 Pinot category, with descriptors such as: “intense,” “heavy on the oak and alcohol,” “off-balanced,” “Mega Purple” and “that feeling you get when you’re being punched in the face by an angry red cherry and then kicked on the ground by a pissed-off strawberry.”
Converting Pinot drinkers doesn’t bother me anymore. I help where I can, but it’s not a paid gig, and don’t consider myself the Mother Teresa of Old World wine. I would rather have people find out for themselves, and if they don’t “get it”…..well….then there’s more for the rest of us.
- The Girardin family has been making wine as far back as the 17th century, which makes Vincent Girardin an 11th generation winemaker. France is deemed an “Old World” winemaking country for a reason!
- Needless to say, ol’ Vincent Girardin has a decent amount of pressure to continue the family legacy and keep producing world class wine! Vincent only actually owns 20 hectares of vineyard space (spread throughout 8 villages in the Southern Cotes de Beaune), with the rest of his grape supply coming from is known as a “fermage” (essentially a minimum 9 year land lease). Because so many of the land rights have been passed down through the generations, this “rent a vineyard” concept is prevalent throughout a great number of French wine regions.
- Vincent Girardin is easily one of the most respected winemakers in Burgundy, with his wines being widely distributed throughout the world….and it’s for this reason that it shocks me that they only offer their website in French, with no available English translation! Google Translate won’t even work on the site, since the whole thing has been built in Flash. And the French wonder why they have a such a hard time selling their wines overseas!!! It comes to something when I can’t go to a winery’s own website to find out the nitty-gritty on their wine!
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