10
Beverage Media
November 2012
RED BLENDS
KEEPONCOMING…
At the risk of sounding like the Blend of the Month Club, brace your
shelves for yet more Splendid Blended mixed-grape reds. The fact that
they are coming from big players suggest this trend has not crested yet.
From Pernod Ricard:
Deadbolt
,
$14. From Geyser Peak:
Uncensored
,
$14. From E.&.J. Gallo:
The Naked Grape Harvest Red Blend
,
$9.
And from Purple Wine Company:
Cryptic
(
whose varietal mix is revealed
when the eye-catching bottle is held up to a mirror), SRP: $16-$20.
MAKING A CASE FOR
ORNELLAIA
One of Italy’s most collectible wines just got
more giftable. A wooden box, handcrafted
in solid oak by a Bolgheri artisan and
varnished in a rich red lacquer, encases the
Ornellaia Collezione
.
This limited edition (500
collections for the entire world; 50 for the U.S.)
contains six individually numbered bottles, two
each from 2006, 2007 and 2008, all aged in
Ornellaia’s wine library.
foliowine.com
WINE
BUZZ
MIMOSA
TO GO-GO
Soleil Mimosa
,
the RTD blend of premium sparkling
wine and fresh-squeezed orange juice from Southwest
Wines, is now available in slim 187ml aluminum cans.
The refreshing low-alcohol (8%) bubbly is now light,
recyclable, convenient and primed for impulse buys in
grab-and-go four-packs (SRP $10.99). The cans can be
enjoyed where glass bottles are discouraged (sporting
events, beaches, in airplanes); great for picnics—or
stocking stuffers, too. fresh-mimosa.com
WINE
BUZZ
AUSTRIA SHINES
SOME LIGHT ON RED
It’s becoming well-known that Austria’s Gruner Veltliner is happening white wine,
but the
Austrian Wine Marketing Board
—
taking advantage of Zweigelt’s 90
th
birthday—is hoping to spread draw some fresh attention to the county’s reds.
Fall is featuring a variety of tasting events, dinners, seminars and more across
the country—plus a “where to buy/taste” map at AustrianWineUSA.com. About
a third of Austria’s grape production is red, comprised mostly of the indigenous
grapes Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent (the latter two grapes were actually
crossed to create Zweigelt). Generally fruity and smooth, Austrian reds make a nice
fit for palates that lean toward light-bodied wines like Beaujolais, Pinot Noir and
Bardolino. AustrianWineUSA.com/austrian-reds
Above: As with their Grüner
Veltliner bottling “GROONER,”
Monica Caha Selections
brings a Zweigelt to the U.S.,
labeling it phonetically as
ZVY-GELT.
Photo Courtesy of AWMB/Faber
