Funny wine video

Have you hugged your Grenache today?

Today is International Grenache Day!

The idea of International Grenache Day  grew out of the success of last year’s International Grenache Symposium in the Rhone Valley.

Last year the first International Grenache Symposium in the village of Crestet in the Southern Rhone attracted 250 wine producers – including Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, Vincent Avril of Clos des Papes in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chester Osborn of d’Arenberg and South Africa’s Eben Sadie.

Events include a Grenache wine treasure hunt in South Africa run by wine journalist Michael Fridjhon, in Australia renowned producers such as Hewitson, D’Arenberg, Henschke and Torbreck are supporting the event, as are wine retailers and other professionals in California, Spain, Hong Kong, Brazil, London and Singapore.

Have a glass of Grenache tonight to celebrate!

Cheers

Tim

Zaca Mesa hires new assistant wine maker Kristin Bryden

Just in time for harvest, Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyard has appointed Kristin Bryden to the new post of Assistant Winemaker. Kristin began her employment with the award-winning estate winery on August 15.

“We are delighted to have someone of Kristin’s caliber on our team,” said Zaca Mesa President and CEO, Brook Williams. “She has just the right blend of practical experience and creativity in the cellar that complements our wines.”

Originally from Redding, California, Kristin is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo where she studied Food Science and gained an interest in winemaking. Starting her professional career at Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards in Templeton, California, Kristin worked her way from a production technician to an enologist, and eventually to Assistant Winemaker in 2006. In that position, she managed the lab and assisted in the planning and execution of all winemaking activities, with an emphasis on quality control. Kristin also benefited from the Wild Horse Vineyards’ diverse collection of winegrape varieties, allowing her to explore their many profiles and associated styles.

Zaca Mesa Winery, located in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, is dedicated to estate grown and bottled Rhône varietal wines. They hand craft their wines with integrity using traditional methods from grapes sustainably grown in their vineyard.

Are you ready for wine in a can?

French filler Cacolac has signed a contract with Australian company Barokes Pty Ltd (now registered in Europe as Vinsafe International Pty Ltd) licensing them to fill wine in a can using Barokes' Vinsafe technology. The Vinsafe process is the only wine-in-a-can packaging system, combining long shelf life with high product quality and managed by global patents. Cacolac is the second European filling facility to be awarded this license after the Spanish company Font Salem. Ball Packaging Europe, one of the leading European beverage can manufacturers, is the only European supplier of Vinsafe cans for wine using Barokes' technology. 

The market for wine in cans offers great potential, as the double-digit growth of sales figures for Europe in recent years demonstrate. Reasons for that development are changing market structures as well as new trends in consumer behavior. Small-sized cans with a volume of 200 to 250 ml are particularly attractive to consumers who only enjoy wine occasionally or in single-serve quantities such as in single households.

Cacolac is based in Léognan, just south of Bordeaux, within one of France's premium wine-growing regions. In early August, the Cacolac facility underwent a comprehensive Vinsafe accreditation process to fill wine in a can. In May, the Spanish filler Font Salem became the first company licensed to fill wine in a can.

Only accredited and certified (Vinsafe) filling facilities can be relied on by wine producers to ensure the consistent quality of their wine in a can products thus offering unique protection to this new global wine category.