Posts tagged as:

Varietal

European women as wine consumers

January 2, 2010

The International Associated Women in Wine conducted a study on the consumption of wine by European women. The results were announced in June 2008 during the general Assembly of the organization and the official analysis was just released. Some intriguing points were raised by the answers to the questionnaire, depending on the country where it [...]

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Santa Barbara Winery: surfing on the wine wave

August 19, 2009

Santa Barbara Winery was established in 1962 by French Canadian Pierre Lafond. It was the first winery opened in santa Barbara since the Prohibition. It was a bold move when wine was still not very trendy in the US and more specifically in California. The winery developed nicely over the decades: acres were acquired, mono [...]

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Innovative blends, creative wines

August 14, 2009

As a French wine professional, I’m always amazed by the creativity of American wine producers. While in France, you identify the wine regions by the type of grapes (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Burgundy and Champagne, Cabernet and Merlot in Bordeaux, Mourvèdre, Grenache or Malbec in the South West…), California is paradise for a lot [...]

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Alsacian wines: variety or not on the label?

July 16, 2009

A few days ago I was pondering about the problem faced by Alsatian vintners following the new EU regulations on the origin of wine. The question became a controversy in Alsace where labeling relies a lot on the grape since most wines are mono-varietal. The same wine maker can produce gewürtztraminer, Pinot Gris and Rieasling [...]

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Vinexpo – Day 5: innovative strategy in Alsace

June 25, 2009

Today I met Jean-Claude Rieflé, owner and wine maker of the Domaine Rieflé in Pfaffenheim, near Colmar. The Rieflé family goes back to 1850 in the history of Alsace wine. Jean-Claude is also an expert in international commerce. As many of his peers, Domaine Rieflé produces Riesling, Late Harvest and all the varietal wines of [...]

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A new label for J wines

March 23, 2009

A few years ago, I was in a wine store in Charlotte, N.C. when a young woman walked in, looked around and grabbed with obvious delight a bottle of a red wine adorned with a stylish J on the bottle: no mention of the varietal or the vintage on the front part of the bottle. [...]

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Update on Cahors Malbec and Black Wine

February 25, 2009

In Wine Brands, I devoted a long section on the marketing strategy of the Cahors Vintners association and their black wine. Over a year has passed since this writing and it’s time to update the information. Let’s see what happened when my interest in Cahors wines started in 2006. Though well-perceived as a high quality [...]

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Lunch at the White House: wines on the table

January 20, 2009

Today, the world is looking to Washington DC and the inauguration of the new American President. As a wine marketer and writer, I was curious about the menu and the wines served to the new President. First fact: no Kenyan dish on the menu, as it was decided upon a few months ago and should [...]

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Napa Valley’s historical roots

January 8, 2009

To a lot of wine drinkers around the world, there is the Old World of wine – mainly Europe – and the New World of wines – mainly the US, Australia or South America. Andy Beckstaffer, one of the most prominent grape growers in Napa Valley, initiated a research to map the old vineyards of [...]

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