Vino-Verse - VerseVino

Three Masters of Wine for Southern Oregons' 2013 World of Wine Festival Competition

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:21:34 GMT

This just in from Les Martin Executive Chairman for the festival..."Following are the judges which I was fortunate to arrange for this year’s competition." - Great job Les!

Christy Canterbury, MW – Christy is one of seven female US national Masters of Wine and an author, speaker and wine judge based in Manhattan. She also contributes articles to Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, Food Arts, Sommelier Journal and Snooth. She is the Consulting Editor of the book Rock and Vine (February 2013 release). Previously, Christy was the National Wine Director for Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group and the Global Beverage Director for Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges.

Peter Marks, MW – Peter, Vice President of Wine Education for Constellation Brands, manages the Constellation Academy of Wine team, which is responsible for Constellation Brands’ diverse wine education programs. Peter is one of only 30 Masters of Wine residing in America and received the MW title in 1995, when he also became the first American to receive the Madame Bollinger Foundation Award, which is bestowed annually to the MW candidate with the highest blind tasting score.

Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, MW – Jennifer is the fourth woman in the US to ever attain the international title of Master of Wine (MW). She was also honored with an international tasting trophy for her palate and holds an additional 5 leading wine and spirits certifications. She is the author of The One Minute Wine Master: Discover 10 Wines You’ll Like in 60 Seconds or Less and co-author of Pairing with the Masters: A Definitive Guide to Food & Wine along with Certified Master Chef Ken Arnone. Jennifer is also the author and host of five DVD series on wine and spirits.

OWA Continues Discussions with Governor's Land Use Stakeholder Group and AVAs to Achieve Consensus

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:13:04 GMT

Over the past three months OWA has continued to represent the views of membership in a series of meetings convened to discuss commercial activity on farmland. The working group meetings include a broad range of interested parties and are chaired by Governor Kitzhaber's Natural Resources Advisor Richard Whitman. The group has been working to find consensus on sunset provisions of HB 3280 leading into the 2013 Oregon Legislative Session. Attending on behalf of your Board have been OWA Land Use Committee Chairman and OWA Vice-President Bill Sweat, OWA President Emeritus Michael Donovan and OWA Board member Sam Tannahill. As noted in the last Land Use Bulletin on October 15, the legislative concepts unanimously adopted by the OWA Board on September 11 were presented to the working group on September 17 and have served an important role in framing the discussions. OWA's two land use surveys and statewide Listening Tour feedback have also helped OWA's Board representatives articulate membership positions. The working group is expected to meet at least one more time before the Oregon State Legislature convenes its general session on February 4 with the goal of introducing legislative language agreed to by all stakeholders.

Concurrently OWA has also been working with the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, Southern Oregon Wineries Association, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, Winegrowers Association of Central Oregon, and the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers to find a path that will allow the Oregon wine industry to speak with a unified voice and present a common position to the Governor's land use working group and the Oregon State Legislature.

As part of the effort, your OWA Board voted unanimously on Dec. 10 to further clarify OWA's position on the 18 special event days as follows. Special event days 1-6 will be subject to an administrative process, allowing the county to impose conditions as outlined in OWA's Legislative Concept 2. These first six events would not be subject to a local appeal and would not be a land use decision. This is a safe harbor for wineries that may want to hold an event from time to time. A special events license allowing 7-18 event days would be subject to the same administrative process, but would be treated as a land use decision subject to public notice and the opportunity for a local appeal. A final local decision would be appealable to the Land Use Board of Appeals. The OWA Board also agreed that all wineries on land zoned exclusively for farm-use, including wineries that secure conditional use permits, should be subject to the 25% income limitation outlined in Legislative Concept 3. OWA positions, adopted unanimously by your Board in Sept., which clarified marketing vs. non-marketing events and food service, remain unchanged.

OWA hopes to receive endorsements from AVA's around the state in the coming weeks.

This is interesting news considering the recent numbers released by Silicon Valley Bank regarding statistics within our industry in 2012. A special thank you to our locals, Michael Donovan & others for representing the interests of Southern Oregon.

Flurbereinigung

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:31:04 GMT

Great quiz question that stumped me today...

The term Flurbereinigung refers to what?

A. Dividing German wine estates among multiple inheritors
B. German sweet dessert wines
C. Re-consolidating German vineyards previously split under quasi-feudal inheritance laws
D. The process of farming steep hillside vineyards in Germany

Flurbereinigung is the post Word War II re-consolidation of land that previously, due to old inheritance laws, divided (what were previously single) German wine estates among multiple owners. Prior to Flurbereinigung, after many centuries this equal division of farmlands among heirs meant that many German farmers owned small non-adjacent vineyard plots, creating a logistic nightmare for accessing and farming those vineyards.

Thanks for the lesson localwineevents .com!
Contributor: Joe Roberts
Visit Joe Roberts's Website

High Priced Wines Take Share in 2012

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:34:29 GMT

From winespiritsdaily.com on January 8, 2013. Great updates on the industry and some surprising stats in categories you would not expect...

While perusing Nielsen data for the 52-weeks ending December 8, one of the key takeaways we noticed is that price increases in 2012 did not hinder the category's growth. Pricing was up 17 cents for all table wine and still maintained respectable sales and volumes increases of 4.4% and 1.6%, in all Nielsen-tracked channels (plus liquor and c-store).

However, things continued to slow down a bit in the 4-week period despite a stagnant price increase (+19 cents) in both the 13 and 4-week periods. Sales did increase about 3% in the 4-weeks, but that's down from a 3.5% increase in the 13-weeks. Volumes came in at -0.1% in the 4-weeks, compared to a 0.4% growth in the 13-weeks.

For the 52-weeks all wine price segments grew with the exception of the $6-$9 segment, which has been ailing for a while. Sales for the underperforming segment decreased -3.1% for the 52-weeks, and only got worse from there. Sales were at -4% for the 13-weeks and -5.8% in the 4-weeks. Volumes are the same story at -3.1% for the 52-weeks and -6.4% for the 4-weeks. Pricing for the segment remained flat for the year, while most other segments went up a few cents.

All of the wine price segments at $9 and up took dollar share from the segments with an average price below $9, for the 52-weeks. Wines in the $9-$12 sweet spot gained the most dollar share at 1.6%. Wines priced between $3-$6 lost the most at -0.7%.

Wines in the $9-$12 price segment had the best showing in 2012 with sales up 13%, which was outpaced by volumes up 14.2%. We should note, it is also the only brand to decrease pricing for the year at -10 cents.

Wines priced at $20 and above proved the theory that they have the easiest time raising pricing. The segment increased the average price by 59 cents, by far the highest increase, and delivered a 6.5% sales increase and volumes growth of 4.2%.

The growth for pricing segments $12 - $15 and $15-$20 were nearly identical for the year. Sales for the $15-$20 price category grew 7.7%, while volumes grew 7.2%. For the $12 - $15 segment, sales grew 7.5% and volumes grew 7.1%. As for pricing, the $15-$20 price segment raised the average price by 9 cents, compared to the 5-cent increase from the $12-$15 segment.

NAVIGATING THE DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS WITH VISION WINE AND SPIRITS

Vision Wine & Spirits importing company (VWS) has been in business for roughly two years and has already grown to operate in 47 states with eight of its 0wn brands and several agency brands. Some of the most popular include Txt Cellars and Funky Llama wine brands, and John B. Stetson bourbon. Your editor recently sat down with Dan Lasner, managing director at VWS and former executive vp at William Grant & Sons, to discuss VWS's strategy for navigating distribution and retail relationships.

One of VWS's toughest challenges has been getting distributors "to buy into" the company philosophy. Dan says the plethora of new products clamoring for distribution puts a lot of pressure on them, especially large suppliers that require a lot of time, attention and inventory. "That makes it a little more challenging for us."

Dan believes a successful distribution strategy involves more than the relationship with each distributor. "We have to develop relationships not only with the distributors, but with retail and the on and off-trade to help push our products through the system," says Dan. "It helps the distributors do their jobs. "

VWS works with both large chain accounts as well as multiple independents. "When we're talking with retailers we try to find out what works best for them. We're always questioning the retailers in terms of, what's working today, what's not working today, what are consumers buying, what consumers are looking for."

Although he believes distributor consolidation will likely continue over the next several years, he doesn't believe it will add to the challenge. "I think that's always going to be an issue in our industry. We see it in the beer industry too. Going back 15 years ago, there were three-times as many distributors as there are today."

Instead, Dan sees it as an opportunity for entrepreneurship. "At the same time, there are a lot of mid-sized and small distributors with operations that see there is a void and that the big distributors just can't handle everything in the market. As much as there is consolidation, I think there is a lot of entrepreneurship that you'll see over the next couple of years."

So, what are the key trends VWS is hearing about? For one, Dan believes consumers are transitioning from traditional varietals to lifestyle brands. "We see that happening with brands like Cupcake and other categories, so we got into the lifestyles in a very heavy way."

One of VWS's best-selling lifestyle brands is Txt Cellars, billed as a "unpretentious" and "easy to drink" wine. The line includes WTF pinot noir, OMG chardonnay and CYA syrah etc. It was designed to appeal to Millennials with contemporary packaging and the tagline: "The times have changed... has your wine?" However, he says they're finding that the average age is closer to the late 30's.

As for spirits, Dan says there's no question that premium brands are doing well and will continue to do so. He believes better packaging is the way to differentiate a brand in this category. "Better packaging creates better price points," he says.

Going forward VWS will continue to grow the business on a national basis with an eye out for brands that fall under one of their four essential categories: prestige, premium, value or innovation/lifestyle. "The change in the consumer trends are constant and we're just trying to stay one step ahead of the next trend."

BERNSTEIN PREFERS PERNOD TO DIAGEO

As the No. 1 and 2 spirits companies in the world Diageo and Pernod Ricard are in very good standing, currently. However, in a recent note to clients Bernstein Research concluded that Pernod "has a slight edge over Diageo, " at least in terms of investor value. While Diageo has the upper hand in Scotch, especially in Latin America, Pernod benefits primarily from premium cognac in China and future growth from Jameson. "Overall, we have a slight preference for Pernod Ricard given current relative valuation and the fact we believe Pernod Ricard's growth model is perhaps slightly more top-line oriented," writes Bernstein senior analyst Trevor Stirling.

WSD BRIEFS:

BLACKHEATH EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH ATLANTICO RUM. Blackheath Beverage Group will now represent the Atlantico Rum throughout the US in 2013. Blackheath will serve as the Dominican Republic rum's exclusive sales agency, while Park Street Imports will remain as the exclusive importer.

BEAM ADDS BOURBON AMBASSADOR. Adam Harris, long-standing employee of Beam Inc, has been promoted to the position of bourbon ambassador, North America. As part of the new role he will represent Beam's premium and super-premium bourbon brands through the US. Prior to the promotion Adam worked as Beam's distillery specialist in Austin, Texas.

BUCKEYE VODKA MOVES INTO KENTUCKY. With the addition of Kentucky, Crystal Spirits' Buckeye Vodka will now be available in 35 states through The Party Source. Buckeye retails for approximately $17 a 750 ml and will be represented by Heidelberg Distributing.

MERRYVALE AND STARMONT HIRE NEW COO. Mark Evans will take over as coo of Starmon winery as well as Merryvale vineyards. Mark has 26 years of experience in the industry, most recently as manage director at Negociants/Yalumb USA. Before that he held stints at Kendall Jackson Winery, and Schramsberg & Trefethen Vineyards. In his new role he will be responsible for day-to-day operations at Starmont, focusing on sales, marketing and general management, as well as broad market sales for Merryvale.

Until tomorrow, Emily

"Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it."
- Jules Renard

Interesting & Fun Wine Industry News

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:01:18 GMT

Great links to explore Southern Oregon digitally!

Click here to vote for your favorite Harvest Video

Click here to check out Oregon Wine Research Institute's Harvest Newsletter

Make Your Mouth Happy - Plan Now For Uncorked 2012

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:11:11 GMT

Don't forget to buy your uncorked tickets for this Sunday! Serra Vineyards be featuring Silver Ridge Outfitters showing off their Dutch Oven cooking skills!

Futures Tasting:
2011 Chardonnay
Shibui & Emerald River Ranch Olive Oil Caprese Skewer

Pre-Release:
2010 Merlot
Cracked Pepper Rubbed Dutch Oven Tri Tip

Enjoy 17 wineries, appetizers, tastings & fun at this self-paced barrel tour event.

Fall 2012 Uncorked Event happening Nov 18th from 11AM – 5PM.
Tickets are $39 each and include a commemorative Wine Trail wine glass.

World of Wine Festival Class Schedule 2012

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 18:13:45 GMT

In 2011 the Southern Oregon wine industry partnered with the city & business leaders of Jacksonville, Oregon to facilitate growth of Southern Oregons' World of Wine grand tasting into a multi-day festival. One of the additional offerings last year for the first time ever was a duo of classes open to both the trade & the public focused on wine education. With standing room only in both classes offered last year, the Executive Committee of the event is proud to offer the following four classes this year.

August 23rd, 2012

Morning Session - 930am
The History of the Rogue Valley
Presented by MJ Daspit
Come learn the history of our wine growing region & the varietals that have thrived within it. Discover little known facts about the families and the wines that have brought our industry to where it is in the state of Oregon. While we fill our heads with knowledge, we will be pouring two medal winners from festivals past to sip on.
Buy Tickets

Afternoon Session - 1pm
A Sensory Exploration
Presented by Dwayne Bershaw
Dwayne Bershaw, Associate Director of the Southern Oregon Wine Institute at Umpqua Community College, will lead the class on how to evaluate & identify wines. He will teach us helpful systems & tools to both identify varietals & flaws in addition to pairing wines with food. Palates attending should be prepared to explore two flights of four to five wines.
Buy Tickets

August 24th, 2012

Morning Session - 930am
“Unraveling the Mystique of Terroir in Southern Oregon & Beyond”
Presented by Dr. Greg Jones
The term 'terroir' is a French notion that encompasses the climate, landscape, soil, and people that contribute to the growing of great grapes and the making of fine wine. Unlike most other beverages, wine has a special quality of invoking positive images of a specific place - it is the expression of the distinctiveness and individuality of a particular site. While many of the effects of terroir on wine production are reasonably well known, other aspects and their interrelationships are more mystical. This talk will provide some insight into what we know about terroir and its role on wine typicity and style and provide examples of different terroirs around the world and Southern Oregon, where unlike centuries-old wine regions, grape growers are still understanding the region’s terroir and the varietals that do well here.
Buy Tickets

Afternoon Session - 1pm
Southern Oregon vs. The Old World
Presented by Dr. Peter Adesman
Physician by day and wine educator by night, Dr. Adesman has long been revered by Southern Oregon wine nuts for his palate. In addition to commanding a cult "cork dork" following Dr. Adesman tends to be extraordinarily generous with his extremely deep cellar. As such we have coerced him into leading a side by side tasting of some of the best wines produced in the Old World next to some of the brightest stars produced in Southern Oregon. Which wines will your palate prefer? You'll have to join us to find out....seats are limited for this class and it is sure to sell out early, so get your tickets today!
Buy Tickets

Tickets for each class is $30 per person and seats are limited at 30 people per class to ensure an intimate learning environment. The goal of the committee is to continue to expand the number of classes each year and to do so, we need your support & attendance! For more information & to check out all of the events happening at this years festival, please visit www.worldofwinefestival.com

Britt Festivals - A Taste of Summer

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:47:33 GMT

Join Southern Oregon Wineries in Jacksonville this Saturday!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the Magnolia Inn as I proudly pour fine wines from Serra Vineyards! Here are the details for those interested...

Saturday June 9 • 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Downtown Jacksonville
No admission fee; prices apply for specific activities

Spend the day in Jacksonville celebrating the beginning of another Britt summer in Jacksonville. The afternoon will include live music, food from local restaurants, demonstrations by the artists of Art Presence, a wine walk featuring several local wineries, children’s activities on the courthouse grounds, street performers and more!

Live Music Location: SOUTH 3rd STREET
Blue Lightning: 12-2 p.m.
Left: 2-4 p.m.

Location: CALIFORNIA STREET (next to Pico's Worldwide)
Phoenix Sigalove: 12-2 p.m.
Kites & Crows: 2-4 p.m

Location: NORTH 3rd STREET (next to Blue Door Garden Store)
Djamenco: 12-2 p.m.
The Fret Drifters: 2-4 p.m

Location: COURTHOUSE STEPS
The Blank Notes: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Wine Walk The following wineries and tasting rooms are participating in the wine walk. Tickets will be available, beginning at noon, at the Britt/Chamber booth at the corner of S. 3rd Street and California

Wine tastings ticket: $14
Wine glass: $8
Tastings are open from 12-4 p.m.

Belle Fiore, Caprice Vineyards, Cliff Creek Cellars, Corks Wine Bar, Daisy Creek, Devitt WInery, Edenvale Winery, Fiasco, Grizzly Peak, LaBrasseur, Merrill Cellars, Pebblestone Cellars, Quady North, Serra Vineyards, Soloro Vineyards, South Stage Cellars, Umpqua Wineries, Valley View Vineyards, Weisinger's Vineyard

Beer Garden Beer garden sponsored by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, located at the northeast corner of California and 5th Stret.

Food Booths on 3rd Street by: Frau Kemmling, Bella Union, Gary West, Back Porch BBQ

Also, local restaurants will be open!

Free Puppet Show Performance Britt and The Storytelling Guild present the Tears of Joy Puppet Theatre performance "When Animals Were People"

Show time: 3:30 p.m., Britt Pavilion
Free admission, with donation of new or gently used book for local outreach programs

Art Presence The following artists will be demonstrating downtown:
Anne Brooke
Alx Fox
Cheryl Garcia
Katharine Gracey
Ron and Dee Moore

Also, the Art Presence Art Center on N. 5th Street (former children's museum/courthouse area) will be open, with artists present.

Children's Activities Doc Griffin Park will be a hub for young children's activities, including activities by local churches, World Arts Outreach and more

Activities on the Courthouse lawn: Farmers' market
Demonstration by Wildlife Images
Paragliding demonstration

Classic Cars Street Performers Thanks to Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce
Jacksonville Oregon Business Association
Airport Chevrolet
Wineries and Tasting Rooms
Art Presence artists
City of Jacksonville

For more information, visit the Britt Festivals website!

Chinese New Year - 4709 Year of the Dragon

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:43:23 GMT

A gift for you, here is a great recipe by my hero Cecilia Chang to ring in the New Year right.
Treat your taste buds this Monday...& Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Shanghai Style Shrimp
(you bao xia)

Makes 24 Shrimp
24 Medium Shrimp (about 3/4 pound)
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
1 teaspoon Shaoxing Wine
Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 green onion, white part minced to make 2 teaspoons, green part thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 teaspoons sugar

Rinse & drain the shrimp and then pat them dry with towels. For each, snip off about half of the tail with kitchen scissors, remove the legs & leave the shell on. Collect the prepared shrimp in a bowl and have them ready near the cook top.

Heat a wok or skillet over high heat until a bead of water dances on the surface and then evaporates. Add the oil with a pinch of kosher salt and swirl to coat the pan. Add the shrimp & using a spoon or spatula, toss to coat them in the hot oil. Add the wine & toss the shrimp between each addition; add the ginger, the minced white part of the green onion, sugar & another pinch of salt. Cook about two minutes, stirring continuously.

To serve, turn the shrimp out onto a platter, sprinkle with a few green onion slices & serve hot or at room temperature, but not chilled, which I think diminishes their flavor.
From Cecilia Chang's Book - The Seventh Daughter, pg. 85

Good Works Wine Club

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:42:32 GMT