Avenue Vine
August 27, 2008
Euro drinkers Oked for Cocaine High-Caffeine Energy Drink
The controversial energy drink called Cocaine, which while drug-free, contains 350 per cent more caffeine than rival brand Red Bull, this week hit UK shelves amidst criticism from politicians over the launch.
As the namesake of an illegal drug, the product has generated no end of headlines over its branding, but the attacks also reflect wider potential health concerns over the consumption of high-caffeine, so-called ‘energy drink’ products.
However, while prominent British politicians have slammed Cocaine's Los Vegas manufacturer Redux Beverages, the product’s formulation remains perfectly in line with EU guidelines for high-caffeine beverages, according to European health experts.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
ALICE’S NOW AND ZEN FEST 2008
*****DON’T MISS*****
CELEBRATES 11 YEARS OF GREAT MUSIC AND GOOD VIBES
*Duffy, Sugar Ray, Gavin DeGraw & Sara Bareilles*
OCTOBER 12, 2008, Noon to 5 p.m. @ Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park
TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27 AT 10:00 AM
Through www.ticketweb.com and Ticketmaster
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
August 26, 2008
2008 California Olive Crop Down by Nearly 50 Percent
The 2008 California olive crop forecast is 65,000 tons, down 49 percent from last year's crop of 132,500 tons, according to the USDA/NASS California field office.
Bearing acreage is estimated at 31,000 for a yield of 2.10 tons per acre, compared with last year's yield of 4.27 tons. Of the total production, an estimated 53,000 tons will be utilized for canning, and the remaining 12,000 tons are expected to be harvested for oil or specialty products.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
2008 California Olive Crop Down by Nearly 50 Percent
The 2008 California olive crop forecast is 65,000 tons, down 49 percent from last year's crop of 132,500 tons, according to the USDA/NASS California field office.
Bearing acreage is estimated at 31,000 for a yield of 2.10 tons per acre, compared with last year's yield of 4.27 tons. Of the total production, an estimated 53,000 tons will be utilized for canning, and the remaining 12,000 tons are expected to be harvested for oil or specialty products.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
2008 Grape Raisin Crop Forecast for Increase
The California raisin-type variety grape forecast is 2.20 million tons, up 7 percent from the July forecast. Based on the objective measurement survey, bunches per vine totaled 40.6 compared to 38.3 recorded in 2007.
Acreage of bearing age is 227,000.
The 2008 California raisin-type grape crop is shaping up to be an average to slightly above average sized crop. A frost in April hit some grape growers hard, but raisin variety grapes had minimal damage. Water was also a concern for some growers, especially in the Fresno area. Pest and disease pressure was low this year.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
2008 Grape Raisin Crop Forecast for Increase
The California raisin-type variety grape forecast is 2.20 million tons, up 7 percent from the July forecast. Based on the objective measurement survey, bunches per vine totaled 40.6 compared to 38.3 recorded in 2007.
Acreage of bearing age is 227,000.
The 2008 California raisin-type grape crop is shaping up to be an average to slightly above average sized crop. A frost in April hit some grape growers hard, but raisin variety grapes had minimal damage. Water was also a concern for some growers, especially in the Fresno area. Pest and disease pressure was low this year.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
August 25, 2008
Earth-friendly Box Wine Does It Actually Taste Decent?
Many people think conservation requires hardship and sacrifice.
Me, I've been sitting on the front porch with my feet up, sipping wine.
To be sure, growers here offer opportunities to drink locally, the varying quality notwithstanding.
But my greening has led me to the new wine boxes, even though the contents may come from as far away as California and Australia.
Boxed wine emerged years ago, mostly as a convenience. You could take it on picnics and there was no bottle to break. No worries if you forgot the corkscrew.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
Appellation's First Tasting Room & Winery in Three Years Breaks Ground
The first commercial tasting room and winery to be built in Anderson Valley in three years just broke ground. Foursight wines began construction this month on a modest, 1,600-square foot tasting room and winery building located just south of downtown Boonville.
The last winery and tasting room to be built in Anderson Valley was in 2005 and was located in between Boonville and Philo. Previous to that, it had been 12 years since a new tasting room had been constructed in this cool-climate, Mendocino County appellation.
Foursight begins new wine legacy in Boonville
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
NEW VALLEY OF THE MOON ZINFANDEL AND SYRAH
Winemaking is both science and art, and it is the latter where winemakers earn their keep. Each grape variety is intrinsically different, and winemakers draw on both experience and instinct to bring out its full potential in the finished wine. Such is the case with the 2006 Valley of the Moon Sonoma County Zinfandel and 2005 Valley of the Moon Sonoma County Syrah; these different grapes required individually tailored winemaking to show their appealing best.
SHOWING THE INFLUENCE OF GRAPES ON WINEMAKING
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
Fruit-Based Light, Refreshing Beers Way-Hot Items for Summer
Three years ago O’Fallon Brewery near St. Louis quietly launched Wheach-a wheat beer flavored with peach extract. At first the brewery made fewer than 1,000 cases, but this year it is producing between 7,000 and 8,000 cases.
“We can’t make enough of it,” says co-owner Fran Caradonna. “It is a very drinkable beer, especially in the summer. It’s one that people will try, as opposed to the bigger, bolder, more challenging beers.”
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
August 24, 2008
Massa and Ferrari Win 2008 European Grand Prix
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa celebrated his 100th Grand Prix and made up for his late-race disappointment in Hungary by dominating Sunday’s European Grand Prix at Valencia from start to finish.
However, his victory was only confirmed once stewards had investigated his second pit stop on lap 37, in which he was deemed to have been released unsafely into the path of Force India’s Adrian Sutil. It resulted in a reprimand and a hefty €10,000 fine for the Brazilian.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
British Beer Market Shrinks as Diageo Faces Questions About Heineken Merger
Diageo chief executive Paul Walsh is expected to be quizzed this week on growing speculation linking the spirits company with Heineken.
It is thought Walsh will reveal further evidence that the future of Guinness lies outside the UK and Ireland as it looks to protect itself from declining beer markets in the UK by increasing its range of "super-premium" products such as Dutch vodka brand Ketel One.
Analysts say beer is moving rapidly down the path of consolidation and there are companies such as Heineken and SAB Miller that are the same size as Diageo. Last month Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch succumbed to a £28bn bid from rival InBev.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
August 23, 2008
Massa and Ferrari On Pole for European Grand Prix
For fleeting moments in Saturday’s qualifying session in Valencia McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton appeared to have done enough to secure his third consecutive pole position, but Felipe Massa’s final run in the Ferrari unseated the Englishman.
The Brazilian said that it all came together beautifully for him in the first sector, yielding a lap of 1m 38.989s to Hamilton’s 1m 39.199s. Behind them, Robert Kubica was very happy with his BMW Sauber as he took third on 1m 39.392s. All three used Bridgestone’s super-soft tyre, whereas Kimi Raikkonen stuck with the harder prime tyre for his fourth-fastest lap of 1m 39.488s.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
AVF Awards Scholarships to Viticulture and Enology Students
The American Vineyard Foundation (AVF) and the André Tchelistcheff & Dr. Richard Peterson Scholarship Committee has awarded two UC Davis students, Alexander Chassy and Annegret Rust, with scholarships to help support their current research and educational goals.
“For our committee members, who included Dr. Richard Peterson, Dorothy Tchelistcheff, Robert Steinhauer and Scott Deitrick, awarding scholarships to these two commendable students was an easy decision to make,” said Hal Huffsmith, the AVF’s Board Chairman.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
August 19, 2008
<strong>DOING SYSTEM UPGRADES</strong
DOING SYSTEM UPGRADES BACK ONLINE FRIDAY AFTERNOON, AUGUST 22, 2008
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
California Almond Shipments Soar Globaly
Exports of California almonds soared for the marketing year just closed, according to the Almond Board of California, Modesto, Calif. Almonds soared to new all-time records, indicating continued strong global demand.
Record shipments accompany the industry’s largest crop ever. 1.38 billion pounds of almonds, 24 percent more than the previous year, were harvested during 2007.
Total worldwide shipments grew by 18 percent over the prior crop year to reach 1.26 billion pounds. Specifically, shipments within the U.S. rose 7.2 percent to reach 394.8 million pounds. The U.S. is the largest single market for California almonds. Domestic shipments accounted for 31 percent share versus 69 percent for export shipments.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
August 18, 2008
Shannon Donnell Named Grower Relations Representative/Luxury Brands
Shannon Donnell has been named to the new position of Grower Relations Representative/Luxury Brands for Brown-Forman, focusing on ultra-premium brands Sanctuary, Sonoma-Cutrer and Fetzer Coro Mendocino.
Grape Quality/Sourcing Will be the Focus Of Shannon’s New Position, Serving Sonoma-Cutrer, Sanctuary, Fetzer Coro Mendocino
Donnell, who most recently served as viticulturist at Duckhorn Winery in St. Helena, will ensure the highest possible grape quality from winegrowers serving Brown-Forman's luxury brands, and, according to Robert LaVine, who oversees Grower Relations at B-F, she will "drive the search for additional vineyards, support future supply needs planning and represent Brown-Forman in the winegrowing community in Sonoma County, where she will be based."
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
Wine Industry Importers Trying to Cope With Skyrocketing Fuel Costs
That crisp Pinot Grigio or mellow Cotes du Rhone is costing you up to 20 percent more than last year, not because it's cleaner on the palate or smoother going down. It's because of the rapid spike in what it costs to go from grape to glass.
The suddenly pricey journey from a European vineyard to your favorite restaurant and liquor store is producing a sea change in where wine is imported from and has local wine businesses scrambling.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
Sonoma County Wine Grape Growers Curve-Balled by Wildfires
Sonoma County wine grape growers have been thrown many curves this year. The results of nasty weather have reduced the opportunity to harvest a normal crop. Yet the latest pitch, wildfires, has actually provided some limited benefits to the vineyards.
Categories: Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
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