Actually it’s more like ‘”Last Week in Wine”, since I didn’t get a chance to post this yesterday!
Shelf crash destroys 6,810 wine bottles
A Wisconsin liquor store that lost 6,810 bottles of wine and champagne in a shelf collapse has posted footage of the incident to YouTube.
Superior Discount Liquor in Sheboygan posted security camera footage of the collapse, which occurred in July as Badger Liquor Co. salesman Nick Haen was restocking the shelf, to the video sharing Web site.
"I heard a little shift and all of the sudden I looked up and just saw bottles start coming, and so I turned around and booked it as fast as I could," Haen, 23, told Friday’s Sheboygan Press. "It was a little bit of a rush, a little bit of a, ‘Holy man, did that just happen?’ It was unbelievable."
Store manager Lori Gregorie said the prices for the lost bottles ranged from $3.99 to $149.99.
My Thoughts
Oh the humanity!!! I can only imagine the noise that made. If I’d have been that guy stacking shelves, I think I’d have had a heart-attack! On the other hand, this is probably the most interesting thing that has happened in Sheboygan in years!
World wine regions, chefs and consumers support truth-in labeling efforts
Napa Valley Vintners joined representatives from Paso Robles, Sonoma and 12 other international wine regions gathered in New York Wednesday to announce a growing consumer demand for truth-in-labeling on wine labels.
At issue is the ongoing effort to dissuade producers from using place names on wine labels when the wines are not from that region, and to put an end labeling wines “bungundy” “chablis” “port” “sherry” or “champagne” unless they have been produced in that wine region. One of the names most abused is “Sherry,” the British version of the name for the distinctive wines produced in Jerez, Spain. What shows up in $4.99 bottles of “cooking sherry” sold in U.S. supermarkets bears no relation to the renowned wines of southern Spain, noted Terry Hall, also from Napa Valley Vintners.
A poll reported that:
• 79 percent consider the region where a wine comes from an important factor when buying a bottle of wine.
• 75 percent report they would be less likely to buy a wine if they learned that it claimed to be from a place like Champagne, Napa Valley or Oregon.
• 84 percent say the region a wine comes from is extremely important in determining its quality.
Click here for the full article.
My Thoughts
Be careful what you wish for!!! I keep saying that sometimes a little information is often a bad thing! I see no problem with more clarity in labeling origin
One thing I found interesting about this study: “75% of those polled report they would be less likely to buy a wine if they learned that it claimed to be from a place like Champagne, Napa Valley or Oregon, but was not”. My question is: are the other 25% complete idiots?
Banana Republic dresses up wine bottles
The pairing of fashion and alcohol is no huge stretch. We’ve seen Jean Paul Gaultier put a Piper Heidsieck champagne bottle in a sexy red corset, and Pucci dress up a sleek bottle of Veuve Clicquot.
The trend is going more mass market this holiday season as Banana Republic has paired with Northern California winery Clos du Bois on a stylish label that will adorn their best-selling blends.
Banana Republic’s creative director Simon Kneen has illustrated two labels especially for Clos du Bois two most popular wines — the North Coast Chardonnay and North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon.
It’s no corset, but these bottles are also much more accessible than a bottle of champagne wearing couture covering. The Chardonnay is $16.99 and the Cabernet Sauvignon $18.99. Both are available beginning Nov. 1 atwww.ClosduBois.com.
Click here for the full article.
My Thoughts
Anyone who claim that they haven’t bought a wine because of a good-looking label is a liar!
Jordan Vineyard And Winery Releases ‘Honey Badger’ Parody
In an effort to corner the viral video market, Healdsburg’s Jordan Vineyard and Winery released a parody of Randall’s "The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger." But with grapes.
In the video, Jordan uses Randall-like phrases to inject some sass into the otherwise stale process of grape growing. Admittedly it’s not quite Honey Badger (or even the Stiffy Goat), but the video does have its moments. ("This is cover crop. It gives my soil nutrients and deprives me of water, which totally stresses me out." "Excuse me? Vineyard Manager? Can I get some sunblock over here? I don’t want to turn into George Hamilton before harvest.")
And to those who bristle at the idea of using the Honey Badger to promote advertising: remember that even Randall himself isn’t above a little commercialism.
Check out the Jordan Vineyard and Winery video below. Then, check out a few of our all-time favorite viral advertising videos.
My Thoughts
A good effort! Trying to make a wine viral video is a huge task! I know most wineries are worried about jeopardizing their image, so for Jordan to step-up and put together a video like this is a big deal! Watch for other wineries following suit…if they dare!
Wineries hit by worker shortage
Local wineries that employ temporary harvest workers say they are having a tougher time getting the crews they need this season.
When last week’s rains interrupted picking, Lino Bozzano found he couldn’t get the same workers back the next morning.
“Here at Laetitia, it’s all hand-picked,” said Lino Bozzano, vice president of vineyard operations for Laetitia Vineyard and Winery south of Arroyo Grande. “We really had to scramble.”
Laeticia’s estate vineyard has more than 600 acres. It also owns another in Cuyama that’s 750 acres.
Some small vineyards, on the other hand, are “too small to make it worth it” for seasonal pickers, said Jason Mainini, whose family owns Mainini Vineyard on Indian Valley Road in San Miguel.
“There will always be a need for pickers for head-trained vines,” he added. They sit lower to the ground, making them difficult to machine pick.
Click here for the full article.
My Thoughts
The is the first year that I have actually thought that I wouldn’t mind getting myself out to California to work harvest. I had a few friends that did it, and said they had a blast, although it’s a lot harder than you can ever imagine! I’ve been seeing a bunch of headlines from wineries all over California reporting a shortage of labor…maybe next year…
