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DR. VINO | THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012 Rudy Kurniawan, aka “Dr. Conti” indicted on four counts It fails to name the auction house where Kurniawan was the consignor of wines in 2008 where Laurent Ponsot dramatically stopped the sale in the room even though it has been widely reported. Rudy Kurniawan, aka “Dr. Conti” aka “Mr. Mike Steinberger posted the 25-page indictment signed by US Attorney Preet Bharara to his blog. -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012 FTC revised guidelines for disclosure: toothless or cumbersome? Further, wine blogs don’t hold lavish consumer events, as some magazines do, profiting from ticket sales while wineries whose wines could be featured in future editorial pour their wines for free. With little fanfare, the FTC released updated guidelines for endorsement disclosure on blogs. Diannej.com has a good run-down. wine writing -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012 Review of “Discovering the World of Wine” Benefits of the course. • Develop wine knowledge and increase personal or staff credibility. • Impress clients and customers and increase wine sales. • Learn wine the way people drink it -- by the grape, not by geographic area. • Discover easy approaches to wine and food pairing. "What a fabulous resource!". -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012 Massachusetts wine shops worth seeking out And as of last year, there’s no sales tax on wine (and beer and spirits) in the state, so that helps stretch the consumer’s wine dollar seven percent farther than other states. However, the state is one of the hardest for retailers to ship wine into. The Wine Bottega , 341 Hanover St, Boston. Gordon’s , 894 Main St., -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012 Wine circa 1933, LOLz, Cheval Blanc ’47, lite beer — sipped & spit Over the past decade, beer sales have slipped while red wine has grown 181%. SIPPED: circa 1933. Fortune.com republished a lengthy archive article from 1934 over the weekend. SIPPED: LOLz. “Jay McInerney writes for the 1%–that is, the 1% who are happy he replaced John and Dottie.” See also: Dr. Conti, Prison M.D.
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BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012 Forcing Myself to Drink New Wines But one day in February I was browsing in a large Manhattan store in which I don't normally shop, and I saw bottles of 2010 Montinore Pinot Gris on sale for just under $11. I could probably grow old drinking exactly what's in my cellar now and be perfectly happy. mean really - Burgundy, the Loire, Sherry, Champagne.what's not to love? -
DR. VINO | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012 Put “at rest” to rest in NY Moreover, the ancillary effects of the resultant higher unemployment, lower sales and income tax revenues collected, would further exacerbate the current economic position of the state, not improve it. What if you could not buy a book at a bookstore in New York if it had come from a New Jersey warehouse? We can agree that would be silly. -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012 Nicolas Joly on appellations, life forces and electromagnetic fields Next in his sights were herbicide producers and sales people whose products, he said, cause the plants to get sick but do not let the disease actually run its course, since they have another product to sell you for that ailment. “The concept of appellation has lost its meaning,” he said. “Earth receives life.” -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2012 Moscato di Nasty? Sales of the $6 sweet, fizzy white that ranges between 5 – 9 percent alcohol have almost doubled each of the past two years, albeit off a small base. The top-selling Barefoot moscato, made by Gallo, had $31 million in sales in 2010. Many of us wine writers praise the trend to lower-alcohol wines. But that’s fine. -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2012 How and why did light beer come to be the choice of NFL viewers? But what AB/InBev and the other big producers do want is more unit sales, which fits right in with the volume mentality. Also, sales from Big Beer have been declining while craft beer sales have been soaring , up 16% year-over-year. It’s time for the Big Game. Or, actually, the last three Big Games of the NFL season. -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2012 New Jersey wine law: half a case is better than none ” For an additional fee, licensed wineries are allowed to open more than a dozen tasting rooms for direct sales throughout the state, which also seems to advantage in-state wineries. sales. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of New Jersey? Surely, the local wine, right?! 938 annual fee. smallwinerytax.” -
A WINE STORY | FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2012 The New Chinese Palate There is a "bar bell" effect of strong sales at the very high and very low end. Panos Kakaviatos, who I see almost everywhere in the world, wrote a great news analysis for Meiningers Wine Business International about the new Chinese Palate. From the article there seem to be several key issues: 1. Competitions feature more non-French wines. -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012 Points for all? Recent evidence of wine score inflation The difference btwn 93 and 94 at the $35 price point is also another important barrier causing significant sales swings (when it is 94). Once that issue disappears subsequent vintages of a wine that got a higher rating won’t cause sales. Is inflation crippling wine scores? Fully 123 the wines received 95 or more points. -
BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2012 How to Open and Enjoy an Old Bottle of Wine For very old bottles, the best thing you can do is purchase a combination Ah-So and corkscrew worm, such as The Durand, which is available for sale at www.thedurand.com. I was given an amazing birthday gift in November, an old bottle of wine by Produttori del Barbaresco, the 1959 Riserva. In my case, not very often. generally don't. Steak. -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011 Erwan Faiveley at the helm But that might actually happen this year, he says, citing a January 31 change in the capital gains tax on real estate that may trigger sales. It’s no secret in Burgundy and beyond that Faiveley has been on a roll. And it’s no secret why: the arrival of the young Erwan Faiveley at the helm. He grew up in Nuits-St.-Georges -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2011 RedNek glasses, Vinturi tested, duty free shopping — sipped and spit Sales have hit $5 million already. Wine jobs: Director of Hospitality , retail store general manager , new store sales associate , magazine intern and more! SIPPED: anti-snobbery. What might just be the best-selling wine glass this holiday season? Good thing it comes with the lid, making it the travel mug of wine glasses. CNN ]. -
A WINE STORY | SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2011 Visiting Waterkloof in South Africa At the winery, we are warmly welcomed by blonde, affable Nadia Barnard, who had been assistant winemaker and had just jumped to her new position of handling sales and marketing. “Dazzling!”. Look in the rearview mirror and you can see the bright, almost electric blue water of False Bay, looking very cool and refreshing on a warm summer day. -
A WINE STORY | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2011 Visiting Thelema Mountain Vineyards in South Africa says Thomas Webb, Sales, Marketing and General Management and the second generation of this family-owned winery. Ginny, a friendly dog with a rhythmically wagging tale, greets us as we enter the sleek glass doors of the Thelema winery situated on the top of the Helshoogte Pass about six kilometers outside of Stellenbosch. Welcome!” News S. -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2011 Rise of “le binge drinking” — and tighter policy It’s hard to say but in Europe, it does seem to predominate in northern countries where public policies coincidentally can limit hours and sales channels, sometimes with a dose of high taxes to boot. And some towns such as Lyons are placing bans on the sale of alcohol from 10 PM – 6 AM. What causes binge drinking? -
A WINE STORY | SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2011 Tasting Wines of Ken Forrester Africa I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Forrester’s vice president of sales and marketing, Anthony Van Schalkwyk, and learn more about Mr. Forrester’s extraordinary life, his wines, his philosophy, and his wines. "So here i am, at Ken Forrester's 96 Winery Road restaurant in South Africa!". Africa for many decades. 96 Winery Road. -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2011 Wine deals: what’s the best buy now? Instead, I see a parade of deal-of-the-day web sites and closeout offers from wine shops–constant sales, rather than seasonal. Or the old “mark it up to mark it down” type of “sales,” which also never go out of season. ” Really? Have you? Especially, eegad, what if there are shortages next year?). -
A WINE STORY | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011 A Visit to De Grendel in South Africa It is a gorgeous day, and I am sitting in the bright white tasting room with Charles and Richard Theron, Sales & Marketing Manager looking out at sleek Arab horses, meandering sheep, and some healthy looking vines. "So what's the story with these gorgeous horses?" I ask Charles Hopkins, cellar master at De Grendel wines in Cape Town. -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011 If the Euro melts down, would euro wine go up? Assyrtiko, feta cheese and beach vacations would all be on sale and this would help kick start the economy. Although markets have rallied this week, the collapse of the euro is the topic du jour. Mike Steinberger talked with some players in European wine and found that none had a particular plan for handling a collapse. Probably not. -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011 Madrid, tragedy, Yao Ming, Masa BYOB — sipped and spit Yao Ming, former NBA player and current wine enthusiast living in Shanghai, has released a Napa cabernet that will sell for $289 a bottle in China (including duties and sales tax). SIPPED and SPIT: saber rattling. On his web site, Robert Parker threatens to sue over the recent revelations. Jim Budd pushes back against such a prospect. -
A WINE STORY | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011 Discovering the Wine Properties of AXA Millesimes This night at dinner I also met two key women who were to be our guides, Geraldine Giroux, marketing manager who works very closely with Marie-Louise Schyler and travels to all the properties, and Andrea Hanyecz, whose title of sales manager for Disznoko doesn’t seem to match her many and varied responsibilities. Sunday: Dinner in a Chateau. -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2011 Cheval Blanc, half bottles, Beaujolais, cot – sipped and spit Senior account executive (PR) , California Direct Sales Manager for an import portfolio, assistant cellarmaster internship at BALTHAZAR, executive assistant to the CEO at Acker Merrall , and more! SIPPED: Bordeaux brands. How big is your brand extension? Decanter.com ]. Oh my cot! SIPPED: diversity. SFGate ]. SIPPED: Beaujolais. -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2011 There’s no point! Wine retailers that say no to scores But that sales strategy is sooo 1990s! An item on Bloomberg yesterday detailed how Spaniards are drinking less wine, which has prompted Spanish wineries to pursue export markets more. In my view, many American wine consumers have moved beyond scores, and an increasing number of wine shops have too. In NYC: Astor Wines. Chambers Street Wines. -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2011 Introducing the wine jobs board at Dr. Vino Are you interested in becoming a sales rep for a wine distributor with the area industry’s “highest salaries”? Or becoming a senior buyer at a chain of 78 wine stores grossing $1 billion? How about a senior PR position at a wine importer? Would you like to be a sommelier at a leading restaurant in New York City? -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2011 Developing: Vineyard for sale? In France, perhaps many It’s not every day that we get to talk about tax reforms on this site. Especially foreign tax reforms! But a recent change in the tax on capital gains from real property in France may cause several vineyards to sell before February 1 of next year. French tax code previously had a zero percent tax on property held more than 15 years. -
A WINE STORY | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2011 25th Anniversary of Gloria Ferrer At the time, it was seen as a risky move, yet now Gloria Ferrer is one of the best known and best selling sparkling wines in the world, with increasing sales to China, Japan, and elsewhere. Bob Iantosca, Executive Winemaker. We went to California for wine instead of gold!" can read here, and Jose set up Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma in 1982. -
A WINE STORY | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011 #EWBC Kicks Off in Brescia with a Bang In addition to people like Jim who brought a wine representative of his region and passion, or others who brought Franciacorta to celebrate our hosts and pay homage to their wine, were some sales-y types who brought new brands they wanted to try out. "Where's our wine?". Anything good to try!" Beerenauslese anyone? -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011 Scent of a woman — and a wine — through her nail wraps By producing the first ever scented version we have created an innovative marketing vehicle that will allow us to engage with women outside of the wine isle, ensuring maximum visibility for the brand and ultimately driving sales. Has merlot rosé ever inspired anything? Apparently it has: scented nail wraps. Lanzarote? Sicily?) -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011 Wine politics: Oregon congressman supports HR 1161 & more! Consumer choice could be reduced; many small wineries depend on the wider margins of direct sales to keep in business. ” In other wine and money news, Steve Grossman, Massachusetts state treasurer whose office regulates liquor sales, raised $45,000 from the industry at an event last month according to Boston.com. Apparently not. -
WHY WINE BLOG | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2011 Baus Family Vineyards Alexander Valley Zinfandel 2009 locally, but that was also a sale price, down from $16. It's been a lazy Sunday afternoon, watching NFL games and Nascar while waiting for playoff game two between the St. Louis Cardinals and my Phillies. Today it will be a 2009 old vine Zinfandel from Baus Family Vineyards in Sonoma County California. The Baus Vineyards produce two Zins. -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2011 Prohibition’s lingering bad taste [Ken Burns] Online wine sales have been hampered. If you’ve turned on PBS during the past couple of nights, you’ve probably encountered slow zooms and pans of black and white photographs. And the people in those photos may have been women protesting saloons or men using hatchets to destroy barrels of whiskey. The Colbert Report. Ken Burns. -
DR. VINO | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 John Slover, Solomonic sommelier He said wine sales have been strong, adding that the bottle-splitting program “has made money, certainly not lost any.” King Solomon was known for his wisdom. And when he ordered a baby cut in half, he made a woman cry. John Slover is the Solomonic sommelier, though his splitting is more likely to make people happy. Ciano, 45 E. -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 SIPPED: diary of a wine rep diary of a wine sales rep. Just stumbled on this fictitious (or not?!?) Some LOLz for you whether you are in the wine trade or a wine geek who has ever wondered what it might be like selling the wines you love. The entry on the Languedoc gets two-and-a-half stars. Er, wait, they have wine to sell–92 points. DearWineBuyer.com. -
A WINE STORY | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 Marathon 2011 Bordeaux / New York David LAUNAY – Director of Sales at. Today is the first day of Harvest at Brane-Cantenac. one of my favorite wineries in Bordeaux and I must say, I wish I was there! Above is a photograph taken earlier, and the grapes look perfect and ripe! When i think of Bordeaux, I usually think of fun and sun (and wine, of course) and not running. -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2011 Bordeaux in a can, robots, BDX10, winery stores – sipped and spit Only five percent of sales went to Asia. new law in NY will allow wineries to open up to five sales rooms throughout the state. SIPPED: keepin’ it klassy. Forget screwcap or cork: a company has just been authorized to put Bordeaux in a can. SIPPED: robots again. The world of dining remains safe for humans! CNN ]. Bloomberg ]. -
BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011 Finding the Greatest Pleasure that a Thing has to Offer She has an interesting and slightly frustrating job because the store is a little neighborhood place with no internet sales, they sell bottles to customers who walk in, that's it. Most sales are of the $10 variety, I would guess. very much like the woman who buys the wine there. And so she went to Spain, to Galicia and to Rioja. -
A WINE STORY | TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2011 Australian Wine & Music in Williamsburg 100%of the profits from the wine sales goes directly to OSA's park developments and greening of the urban landscape in Brooklyn. As a result, we’ve developed a program using Foursquare and connections with local retailers that we are sure will help drive sales. Now this is fun. and so very cool! Wakefield Sauvignon Blanc 2009. -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2011 New legislation threatens the diversity New York’s wine market Further, the state’s coffers would suffer from a loss of sales tax revenue on these wine sales. Last week in the NYT, Eric Asimov highlighted the wine program at the restaurant Nice Matin, a restaurant on the Upper West Side that has remarkable breadth of offerings, depth of vintages and sharp pricing. Full text of A06884. -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 This wine rox!! #tastingnotes #grammar #scores While I could see grammar and readability in tasting notes–either user-generated or from critics–making a difference on sales, wine writing (for better or generally for worse) has its own Mechanical Turk for smoothing out all those pesky words: the score. I’m sure that would b gr8 4 sales…LOL GTG. wine writing -
BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011 Wine Lullaby And yes, the bar might not have made as much money on the sale because something like two or three glasses of wine were poured for free as tastes. The bulk of the wine sales business doesn't involve us, though. I met a friend the other night at a wine bar. good place to meet a friend and enjoy a glass of wine together. She asked. -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011 Scan wine flash sale sites, at a glance Still in beta, the site aggregates offers from the leading “ flash sale sites. Beyond detailing the sales, the site also offers various “social features, such as voting up the deals and discussion boards. But there are now so many that it can be hard to keep up with them all. Thus the new site winehoarder.com. -
A WINE STORY | THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011 Champagne Perrier-Jouet: The Perfect Pleasure The good news is that Champagne sales are up around the world. Pierre-Aymeric du Cray, sales director Champagnes, told us the history of Perrier-Jouet which began in 1811. and in 2011, Perrier-Jouet remains the classic among the Champagne houses. The tasting started with the Perrier-Jouet Blanc de Blanc 2000. Cheers! -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2011 Tasting Matarromera Spanish Wine in NYC Garcia Sales Executive, and Sandra & Sandra. Luis E. So is this a modern style. or traditional?" I asked Carlos Hubner-Arteta, President of Vinos Libres Wine Merchants, already knowing the answer. Esperanza Castra, co-owner Grupo Matarromera. It is crisp and refreshing. Francisco Romeo, editor of Hombre. The march of red wines began. -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011 Traditional Rioja, the anti-en primeurs wine If Bordeaux pre-sales irk you, then consider Rioja, where some of the producers age the wine for you! Why pay en primeur prices for young Bordeaux that won’t arrive for two years? case against that certainly comes in the form of the traditional Riojas from R. Lopez de Heredia. But it was deliciously fun snapshot. -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2011 Loire Valley comes to NYC Above (black and white polka dot) is a picture of Sophi Patron, sales manager for Domaine Henri Poiron. Have you had a Loire wine recently? love Loire wines. you can find so much variety in the whites and the reds, with each region presenting so many different soils and varieties of the same varietal. Very well done event! -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011 Did social media save a winery from bankruptcy? The warehouse where he made his wine was for sale and the bank wouldn’t grant him a line of credit to buy it. But more importantly, sales started flowing, and he had 20,000 euros of sales in two weeks. Facebook and Twitter may contribute to toppling regimes these days. case study is unfolding in France. French wine -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011 Should critics embargo Bordeaux 2010 scores? #jancis Jancis Robinson floated a novel idea on her website last week: what if critics, who descend on Bordeaux shortly to taste 2010 barrel samples, withheld their scores until the Bordeaux trade had finished their pre-sale campaign (known as en primeur )? Bordeaux wine writing -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2011 Tapena comes to New York! Spanish Tapas Party Today, the Ferrers operate over 11 wineries in Spain with sales all over the globe. Tapena, the Spanish wine from Friexenet with the friendly price, is now available in New York! The celebration started with a party at the very cool Tia Pol located at 205 10th Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Streets in Chelsea. Why Tapena? Why Now? -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2011 A Wine Story - Untitled Article One of the reasons that wine sales historically linger behind cocktail and beer sales is that wine sellers haven’t bothered to listen to the people who don’t drink wine. Those restaurateurs evince interest in selling dessert wines, but insist that sales are insufficient to justify opening a bottle of wine. -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2011 Gary Vee unplugs from Wine Library Much of Gary’s new media personality is built on how he harnessed the power of the internet to exponentially increase sales at the wine store. Wine Library TV has kicked the Jets bucket! Well, sort of. Instead, he has started a new web site and app called the Daily Grape. So now, it seems, he has only his own business to grow. -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 Was Snooth crushed by Google’s new algorithm? For web ad sales, more page views can mean higher ad revenues. Google reshuffled its proprietary algorithm recently to favor quality and penalize “content farms that were gaming the system, producing content optimized for search engines, rather than humans. guess time will tell the fuller story. wine writing -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 Headaches, histamines and GM yeast [ML01] He undertook the research at Stellenbosch University as well as the University of Guelph, and at UBC in Vancouver; the three institutions share in license royalties from the sale of the yeast. Hennie van Vuuren (right) suffers headaches after drinking young red wine. His solution: ML01, a genetically modified yeast. wine science -
A WINE STORY | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2011 The Italian Wine Masters 2011 spoke with Silvia Fiorentini who gave the positive news that sales were up 30% over last year. Imagine. Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore all in one room! What's up in Chianti Classico? Silvia Fiorentini. And Brunello Di Montalcino? spoke with Dott. -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011 Guacamole: impossible food-wine pairing?!? Apparently the Super Bowl also brings out avocados in force (although it doesn’t have such an impact on sales as some may think according to snopes ). The Super Bowl brings to the host city all kinds of things ranging from pulse-pounding punt returns to prostitutes. Or is it… impossible ?!? food and wine -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2011 How Angelus became James Bond’s choice Co-owner Hubert de Bouard had previously told decanter.com that the impact on sales was “unbelievable.. In a memorable scene in Casino Royale, James Bond sipped Chateau Angelus on a train while meeting Vesper Lynd. The St Emilion maker of bold blend of merlot and cabernet franc paid for the placement in cash and wine. TV and movies -
BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2011 A Coteaux Champenois Tasting I have trouble selling them, especially a non-vintage still red wine from Champagne that would retail for $50," said Kevin Pike, Director of National Sales and Marketing at Michael Skurnik Wines. Not all Champagne is sparkling wine. Many Champagne producers continue to make small amounts of still wine, called Coteaux Champenois. -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2011 Sideways in Japan, $20 Champers, Bordeaux takes on the world! – sipped & spit The Bordeaux wine trade unveils a plan to boost sales of lower priced wines from the region. CHUGGED: Pinot? If you missed the Japanese remake of Sideways, check the trailer above. Glad the dump bucket scene was included! CONQUERED: world wine bars. part of that is opening wine bars selling only Bordeaux in London, NYC and Hong Kong. -
BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2010 Great Champagnes, Under $50 Here are some of my favorite Champagnes that cost $50 or less before sales tax: Blanc de Blancs. It's the time of year for lists of Champagne's greatest hits. Well, I want to add my.02 cents. Pierre Gimonnet Selection Belles Annees Brut Premier Cru , $34, Terry Theise Selections/Michael Skurnik Imports. Bright fruit, a graceful style. -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010 Spitting, India, Wal-Mart, millennials, Champagne – sipped & spit Speaking of distress sales, a French blogger wonders if a Chinese bidder may emerge for Heidsieck Champagnes. SIPPED: spitting! “The length and precision of the stream are just unbelievable. No, this is not something from Urology. They actually have a wine spitting contest in France! France24 ]. SIPPED: tariffs. WSJ ]. Redbox DVD? -
DR. VINO | SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2010 When celebrities sell wine [Lloyd Webber] Reader Richard Henshaw commented there, pointing out that this wasn’t the first time that Lord Lloyd Webber had sold wine at auction and that when he had his first sale, many of the wines that were auctioned were, in fact, young wines. “Lloyd Webber to auction wine collection to affluent Asians, read the headline on Reuters. -
A WINE STORY | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2010 Hospices de Beaune 2010 – The Magical Journey Sales to Europeans and Asians accounted for 9.7.5% of the sale. Christie's organized the sale and also tastings of the wines of the Hospices Beaune all over the world. of the sale ( by value), Asia 12.5%, USA 1.6%. The sale featured 32 cuvées of red wine and 13 of white. Europe accounted for 85.5% -
BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010 A Conversation with Neal Rosenthal - Part 3 NR: That's why we added Clarke (Boehling), the first new sales rep I've hired in seven years. This is the final post about my conversation with Neal Rosenthal. It was a great experience for me to spend time with him, and I hope that you've enjoyed reading about it. We talked a bit more as we finished our lunch. How do you grow your business? -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2010 James Bond, champagne houses for sale, spooky vines – sipped & spit The movie had an “unbelievable impact on sales, says owner Hubert de Bouard. After recent successes in Hong Kong , auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s graced New York with sales this past weekend. SIPPED: sizzle. Chateau Angelus will be James Bond’s choice of claret, reports decanter.com. Bloomberg ]. -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2010 In India, the prime minister toasts Obama with juice [Indian wine] While China has recently caught the attention of the wine world with eye-popping sales, India has yet to break out. The Obamas’ first state dinner was in honor of Indian Prime Minster Manmohan Singh and his wife. When the moment came to raise a ceremonial glass, Prime Minister Singh did so–with juice. She replied, “Oh! -
A WINE STORY | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2010 Libation in Lisbon With me tonight are two gentlemen, Tiago Macena from the commercial sales department, and Pedro Lufinha, General Manager. The challenge was that the 120 ha property was not for sale – in fact, an old man with a rifle greeted him at the door. … so when you think of Portugal, you probably think of Port, yes? About Lisbon. -
A WINE STORY | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010 Visiting Disznoko This night at dinner I also met two key women who were to be our guides, Geraldine Giroux, marketing manager who works very closely with Marie-Louise Schyler and travels to all the properties, and Andrea Hanyecz, whose title of sales manager for Disznoko doesn’t seem to match her many and varied responsibilities. Disznoko Estate. -
DR. VINO | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2010 Hong Kong buyers pay three times retail for Lafite 2009 Other rarities in the sale of 2,000 bottles spanning 139 years set record levels. But one aspect of the sale that struck me was the premium paid over retail prices. Last week, Sotheby’s held an auction of wines from Chateau Lafite-Rothschild in Hong Kong that broke many records. “Sheer unbridled enthusiasm, he said. -
VIGNA UVA VINO | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2010 Instituto Grandi Marchi Tasting Hosting the panel was Charles Curtis MW, Head of North American Wine Sales Christie's, New York, and representing the new media was Gregory Dal Piaz from Snooth. On October 25th at The New York Public Library The Instituto Grandi Marchi presented their “Premium Brands”. He said, "Each bottle should share all these qualities with the drinker". -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2010 Lafite 08 speaks Chinese, wine profits, Bode Miller, Holland-sipped & spit FOR SALE: one of the World’s Great Wine Estates…asking price: $10 million. SIPPED: wine lifestyle…in New Hampshire. Bode Miller, the gold medal skier who once admitted to racing while hungover, plans to become a vintner in his home state of New Hampshire. It’s all downhill from here… [ Reuters ]. SIPPED: profits. -
A WINE STORY | MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2010 Discovering the Wine Properties of AXA Millesimes This night at dinner I also met two key women who were to be our guides, Geraldine Giroux, marketing manager who works very closely with Marie-Louise Schyler and travels to all the properties, and Andrea Hanyecz, whose title of sales manager for Disznoko doesn’t seem to match her many and varied responsibilities. The Control Room. -
VIGNA UVA VINO | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010 Cantina Di Soave Launches Three Brands One of Veneto's top producers, Cantina Di Soave has launched three new brands and National Sales Manager Gary Grunner poured samples at Columbus Circle Wines. The brands include Duca Del Frassino, a Premium Wine-In-A-Box, Re Midas, an all new fresh affordable everyday indigenous wine, and Rocca Sveva on the higher end. retails for about $22. -
BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010 Scenes from the Hokkaido Food Fair There were all sorts of delicious looking things for sale, but sadly, most of these things were not available in small portions for sampling. Went with a friend and also my 3 and a half year old daughter to the Hokkaido Food Fair at Mitsuwa , the large Japanese market in Edgewater New Jersey. This place was crowded! Another time. -
A WINE STORY | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2010 Puglia Wine Week NYC 2010: Meeting Nicola Rossi of Cefalicchio Sales of wines from Puglia are on an upswing, possibly because of the classic :wine geek's" eternal quest to find a grape varietal off the beaten path. or something like that?" Mr. Nicola was a soave and energetic host, and spoke with genuine passion about his winery, the land, and the respect for the environment. -
WHY WINE BLOG | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2010 Will American Wine Clubs Disappear? Another 29% of American wineries use DTC to some extent…and since the value they receive for each sale of wine in the traditional system is approximately 2/3 less, my assumption is that much of the profit they make come from DTC sales. If they lose this sales channel how many will be able to stay in business? Do the math! -
DR. VINO | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 Fill ‘er up: self-serve tanks bring wine to French supermarkets So she turned to what she says she knew how to do: sales.) Keg wine and wine vending machines just got supersized: 500 and one-thousand liter kegs have landed in French supermarkets. Bring your own resealable bottles, Poland Spring containers, jerrycans, whatever. Or you can get one at the store. Select your grade (red, white, or rosé). -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 Benfold’s, somm video, Viagra, wine competitions – sipped and spit Beijing Boyce posts about finding a wine labeled as “Benfold’s for sale in China. SIPPED: impossible pairings! The robotic sommelier videos are back! And this could be the funniest one ever! Click above to view the encounter between diner an open/close-minded diner and an exasperated somm. SIPPED: Red, white and…blue? -
DR. VINO | MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2010 Wherefore art thou, rosé in a box? Since then, box wine sales have skyrocketed and many more selections, both foreign and domestic, have come on the market. A couple of years ago, I had an op-ed in the NYT arguing for wine in a box. But one category that seems woefully underrepresented stateside is rosé. Last week I was on vacation and wished I had a box of rosé in the fridge. -
DR. VINO | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2010 Mondo barrel, Bordeaux reorganizes, Enomatics thwarted – sipped and spit In an effort to help sales beyond the top wines of the region, local trade authorities in Bordeaux have proposed a four new price categories: Art, Exploration, Fun, and Basic. CHUGGED: Dornfelder. Nothing says par-tay like 4,000 liters of Dornfelder! The cause was a two-day bash called the Riessen Weinfass. TheLocal.de ]. AFP ]. -
A WINE STORY | TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010 Using Current Events To Boost Wine Sales When I was head of Deg.Com Communications in Boston, working with small companies to build buzz for their business, I often spoke at a variety of conventions ranging from the Institute of Management Consultants to Book Expo America to the National Speaker’s Association. Are you a PR rep for a wine company? -
WINE TASTING GUY | TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010 Wine Tasting Guy » Ying Yang Wine -
A WINE STORY | SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010 MW Student Visit to Chateau Prieuré-Lichine In 1952, Alexis Lichine, author of Guide to the Wines and Vineyards of France and On the Wine Routes of France, found the dilapidated vineyards (11 hectares) for sale for $18,000 and bought it, changing the name from Chateau Prieuré-Cantenac to Chateau Prieuré-Lichine. He is buried in a little knoll in the middle of the vineyard). -
DR. VINO | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010 Men, Bitch, Bordeaux, Bourgogne blanc – sipped and spit And that’s just it: the top producers release fractions of the total production for pre-sale so what demand there is, pays top dollar. SIPPED: tranche. The wine word of the moment is “tranche. SPIT: wine’s a Bitch. Wines in the company’s portfolio include “Bitch and “Evil. vitisphere ]. SPIT: men. -
BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2010 Martha's Vineyard Most of the Vineyard is dry - no alcohol for sale. We took our summer vacation kind of early this year, and spent most of the past week in Martha's Vineyard. We had a fantastic time - just a great vacation. This is a part of the country where places have names like Woonsocket and Squibnocket. The view from our deck was kind of nice. -
DR. VINO | THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2010 Organic wine, factory wine, machines, 99p wine — sipped & spit In their lengthy Q&A, the PLCB doesn’t state whether the grocery stores–not known for giving up precious square footage without slotting fees or a profit incentive–are profiting from the sale of liquor on the premises. If so, then maybe it’s time to simply liberalize wine sales? SPIT: human interaction. -
A WINE STORY | MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2010 Discovering the Wines of Groupo BSV The clock of the learning tower is also for sale here (at least, you can make an offer) with its inner workings fashioned into a display trolley. Aurora Ochoa of Penin Group and Marta Tornos Camacho of Groupo BSV. Now you know garnacha - of course you do. Day 2?? Hoses are everywhere. After the laboratory we saw the bottling area. Day 3. -
DR. VINO | FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2010 Rosé 2009s: Clos Roche Blanche, Peyrassol, and brightness The other wine that I bought after the tasting was the Commanderie de Peyrassol, a Provencal rosé that is consistently fun and delicious (and a good value, on sale for $14.39 It’s sunny with a high of 86 today in New York. They used to do free tastings weekly in the store but now have switched to larger ones only once a month. -
BROOKLYN GUY LOVES WINE | THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 More Tales from the Dark Side: Wine Retail Horror Stories think it is the responsibility of the wine store owner and manager to make sure that the sales staff knows something about the wines being sold. asked a sales guy if he had more bottles. The sales guy then says "They shouldn't do that in the Jura. Ready for some more strange retail stories? know I am. I'd like three," I said. -
SLAKED | THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010 Good News for Wine Industry? Some buyers are choosing the same products, but less often; others wait till those products go on sale; but 20% "tried less expensive products but weren't happy with the quality or experience !" Nielson reported yesterday that " Despite Improving Economy, Alcohol Beverage Consumers Cautiously Indulge." emphasis supplied). -
SLAKED | SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 2010 Fruit Set In Napa Valley Vineyards During a recent tour of Wilson Ranch, I had a fascinating talk with sales manager Daivd Heil about valley floor Sauvignon Blanc. You can see in the picture below that our Sauvignon Blanc fruit has set and begun to flower. couple things David impressed upon me are worth repeating. -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010 Launch of Magnums of Cuvee R. Lalou 1998 The next day, journalists had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Mariotti and his colleague Fabian Gay, Regional Director of Global Sales - GH Mumm & Perrier-Jouet, at a more relaxed lunch. “We front row girls only go for the best!” said a woman sitting next to me at the very exclusive National Arts Club in Manhattan. Cuvee R. -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010 Launch of Magnums of Cuvee R. Lalou 1998 The next day, journalists had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Mariotti and his colleague Fabian Gay, Regional Director of Global Sales - GH Mumm & Perrier-Jouet, at a more relaxed lunch. “We front row girls only go for the best!” said a woman sitting next to me at the very exclusive National Arts Club in Manhattan. Cuvee R. -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010 Launch of Magnums of Cuvee R. Lalou 1998 The next day, journalists had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Mariotti and his colleague Fabian Gay, Regional Director of Global Sales - GH Mumm & Perrier-Jouet, at a more relaxed lunch. “We front row girls only go for the best!” said a woman sitting next to me at the very exclusive National Arts Club in Manhattan. Cuvee R. -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010 Launch of Magnums of Cuvee R. Lalou 1998 The next day, journalists had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Mariotti and his colleague Fabian Gay, Regional Director of Global Sales - GH Mumm & Perrier-Jouet, at a more relaxed lunch. “We front row girls only go for the best!” said a woman sitting next to me at the very exclusive National Arts Club in Manhattan. Cuvee R. -
A WINE STORY | WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2010 Q/A with Dennis Cakebread of Cakebread Cellars Now you know that I had to ask Dennis about the Cakebread name, predicting that the delicious sounding, fun, and memorable name probably helped push sales early on. it's always fun to sit next to a winemaker / winery owner during a wine dinner at a top restaurant like Park Avenue Spring in New York City. cakebread cake. -
DR. VINO | WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2010 Thirst Wine Merchants – Fort Greene, Brooklyn Moving back to New York, Michael got a job as a sales manager for a book publisher while Emilia continued working in restaurants, including at Franny’s in Park Slope. A couple of months ago, we had a discussion about what makes a great, independent wine shop. John label in the East Bay. 718.596.7643. Sunday–Wednesday 12–9. -
A WINE STORY | TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2010 Restaurant Trends for 2010: Wine & Spirits 2nd Annual Top of the List As I write this it is May of 2010 and the headlines of the major and financial newspapers still indicate something of a recession, yet according to the panel sales have dramatically improved since fall of last year. The panel consists of three very influential people in the NYC restaurant world. | |