Pin-up winemakers, smashed shiraz, a map, WBC – sipped and spit
BOOSTED: …awareness!
Young Austrian winemakers have posed scantily clad for a calendar to boost…awareness! Of Austrian wine. Which one is Miss Gru Vee again? Appearing later this year: a calendar of old hag winemakers from the mountains. [Decanter]
CRASHED: shipping container
A forklift lifted 462 cases of wine 20 feet in the air! No, this isn’t the Guinness World Record for machinery; instead, the load fell to the ground destroying the Australian shiraz therein. Although the vintner, Sparky Marquis, is crying over spilled wine, he was also insured. [NYT]
SPIT: infomercials
RJonwine has a detailed account of this past weekend’s conference of wine bloggers in Charlottesville, VA. He decried the preponderance of “paid-sponsor presentations” on the program. Another blogger who is disenchanted with blogging finds the whole event salvaged by hanging out in the wee hours with fellow wine enthusiasts.
MULLED: deposits
Massachusetts may expand its bottle deposit program to include more beverages. If they were really serious about encouraging recycling, they’d raise the rate too.
SIPPED: me on the teevee
Well, sort of. Thirteen.org has a new magazine called MetroFocus, which has an article on NY wines. Spot the Dr, Vino quotage, more or less accurate!
SIPPED: informative infographics
A very cool map of world trade in wine from Rabobank. Just wish it were higher res!
On July 27th, 2011 at 11:25 am ,Jarrod H. wrote:
I wish that map was higher res too DR V, I love learning with maps…
On July 27th, 2011 at 3:02 pm ,Jeff wrote:
Your infomercial reference sounds like “Fair and Balanced” in the vein of Fox News.
I’ve been to all four of the WBC’s and I don’t recall you ever attending which is a shame given that most wine bloggers cite you either 1 or 1A in the niche.
Jeff
On July 27th, 2011 at 3:22 pm ,Richard Henshaw wrote:
The Times makes it sound as though Sparky’s wines have never been seen on these shores before. And are Ausie Shiraz still selling for $200/bottle? And only one case survived? Conspiracy theories, anyone?
On July 27th, 2011 at 3:23 pm ,Richard Henshaw wrote:
One more thing: Where can I get a copy of that calendar?
On July 27th, 2011 at 3:35 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Jeff – I did not attend this year’s WBC so I posted two links about it. If you think the programing was less than “90%” from paid sponsors, please feel free to dispute RJonwine’s portrayal. Note that I also linked to Hardy Wallace’s post and he had a good enough time to make his travel worthwhile, but the good ties for him came only after the official schedule was over. Unfortunately, my family summer schedule has prevented me from attending the event.
Richard- Please see Jeff’s blog since he posted an interesting chart of the recent price history of Velvet Glove–and how there is a lot of supply in shops. (The press release the NYT story was based on was poorly worded, apparently, making it sound as if the wine was entering the US for the first time. Btw, who issues a press release for such an event? The cost basis on the loss must be a third of the retail value and only a third of the wine’s production was lost.)
PS For your calendar needs: http://www.e-ledermueller.com/
PPS iPhones have calendar functions thereby obviating the need for pin-up calendars. 😉
On July 28th, 2011 at 5:38 am ,Bill Klapp wrote:
I won a local pool based upon how long it would take you to discover and post on the vino pin-ups, Tyler. Thanks for the calendar. It gets lonely over here in the Piemonte at night!
On July 28th, 2011 at 5:57 am ,Bill Klapp wrote:
P.S. I understand that there is a similar Napa/Sonoma calendar for the ladies, with Manfred Krankl, Bill Harlan, Mark Aubert, Tim Mondavi, Thomas Rivers Brown, Fred Schrader, Garen Staglin, David Abreu, Bart Araujo, Luc Morlet, Steve Kistler and Ed Sbragia, but I have not seen a copy.
There was a movement a few years back to do a calendar with Ann Colgin, Helen Turley, Jean Phillips, Merry Edwards and Gina Gallo, among others, but for some reason, it never happened.
Personally, I could go for a Burgundy calendar with all 12 slots occupied by Alix de Montille, Dominique Lafon’s former main squeeze and daughter of the bland and soft-spoken Hubert de Montille. She is one saucy wench!
On July 29th, 2011 at 10:10 am ,DaleW wrote:
we always knew the Mollydooker wines had a lack of balance.
On August 8th, 2011 at 9:34 pm ,Wino wrote:
How about Jay Miller in a Speedo? Now there’s an image.