Owner: Lyke2Drink URL:http://lyke2drink.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:30:46 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Lyke2Drink was created by veteran drinks journalist Rick Lyke. Lyke2Drink features beer, wines and spirits; travels to distrilleries, wineries and breweries; events and festivals; alcohol issues; beverage marketing; and fun. Site statistics:Click here
SABMiller Enjoys the Snow in China 2006-12-07 23:54:00
(Photo courtesy of Vismedia.)
SABMiller Plc, the London-based brewing giant, has a number of big brands in markets around the globe, but which one do you think is the biggest? Miller Lite? Castle Lager? Pilsner Urquell? All good picks, but all wrong.
SABMiller's new top dog is a lager from China
called Snow.
SABMiller holds a 49 percent stake in China Resources Snow Breweries. Sales of the Snow brand are up 91 percent through the first nine months of the year, rocketing the brand into the elite among big brews around the globe even though few people outside of China have ever tasted the product.
Budweiser from the U.S., Skol from Brazil and Corona from Mexico are ahead of Snow in world beer volumes, but it appears fairly certain that the brand will pass Brahma from Brazil, Coors from the U.S., Heineken from the Netherlands, Miller Lite from the U.S. and Asahi from Japan among the 2006 global sales leaders. Not bad considering it was just last year when Snow passed Tsingtao to bec
Brewing in the Dark? Pittsburgh Brewing's Creditors Growing Impatient 2006-12-07 23:46:00 A potential shut off of water service forced PittsburghBrewing
into bankruptcy last December. Now the maker of Iron City could see its electricity service cut off because of lack of promised payments.
Duquesne Light Co. has petitioned the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for permission to shut off power to the 145-year-old brewery saying the brewery had failed to make a $9,807 security deposit the court ordered paid in February and the company owes more than $45,000 for three months of service.
A year ago today the brewery filed for bankruptcy protection after the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said it would shut off water over unpaid bills. The water utility says Pittsburgh Brewing still owes $55,000 on a $110,000 security deposit, plus $75,570 in back bills.
Pittsburgh Brewing claims to have new investors lined up ready to pump millions into saving the brewery. It wants the court to allow interim financing from that group so it can make it through the holidays, a key beer selling seas Read more:Creditors
, Growing
Are You Beer Drinker of the Year Material? 2006-12-07 14:17:00
We all have special talents. I recently heard a bit from a comedian who said she was sure that she was a prodigy in something -- she just had not discover what it was yet. Well, if beer drinking is something you do better than anyone else, your chance to get that 15 minutes of fame has arrived.
Wynkoop Brewing Co. in Denver has launched its 11th annual search for the Beerdrinker of the Year. No, this is not a chugging contest. Beerdrinker of the Year recognizes the most passionate, knowledgeable beer lover in the United States. If you have a beer drinking philosophy, love the history of beer and have been known to travel great distances in search of a rare craft beer, this contest is for you.
To enter you need to send Wynkoop your "beer resume" by Dec. 31, 2006. The 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year wins free beer for life at Wynkoop (highly useful during the GABF week in Denver!) and $250 of beer at their local brewpub or beer bar. They also win apparel proclaiming them The 2007 Beerdr Read more:Drinker
American Academy of Pediatrics Says Advertising at the Roots of Kids Ills 2006-12-06 13:17:00 The AmericanAcademy
of Pediatrics
wants Congress to take action to stem what it calls a rising tide of advertising targeting kids. In a policy outlined in the group's magazine, Pediatrics, that was released this week it says childhood obesity, anorexia, early sexual behavior and drinking are all the result of the 40,000 television ads per year kids are exposed to, plus Internet, print and radio messages.
The doctors say that ads for alcohol make drinking appear cool. They want Congress to mandate that television ads for beer, wine and spirits be limited to just showing product shots without the use of cartoon characters or people.
The group also wants the government to cut the amount of commercial time on kids programs to no more than six minutes per hour, which is about half of current levels. Read more:Advertising
Chavez Placing Luxury Tax on Scotch 2006-12-06 13:15:00 First it was a ban on street sales from beer trucks, now Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
is taking aim at Scotch
by announcing plans for a 15 percent luxury tax on whisky.
The cost of imported spirits have already jumped 50 percent since this summer, when the Chavez government imposed foreign currency restrictions and linked all transactions involving imports to the official exchange rate for bolivares.
Venezuela loves its whisky. It is the seventh largest market for Scotch in the world and sales have increased as oil wealth flows into the country. The Scotch Whiksy Association pegs the value of Scotch sales to the South American nation at $145.2 million. It has aksed the European Commission to look into the situation as a possible international trade rule violation. Read more:Luxury
Tuesday Tasting: Four Holiday Brews 2006-12-06 05:02:00 Tuesday
Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. In this bonus session we taste four more holiday brews.
Holiday
beers are among my favorites and I was pleased to get a home delivery of several this evening by my Brother-in-Law and good friend Darrin Pikarsky. In fact, a couple not listed below are safely stored in my fridge for tasting later in the week. I plan to keep reporting on holiday beers over the next several weeks. We did crack open four and found each to be enjoyable.
St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel Belgian Special Ale: I think this is the first time I've had the chance to try an abbey ale from St. Feuillien Brewery in Le Roeulx, Belgium. It was an enjoyable experience. This 9 percent alcohol by volume beer had a nice rocky head and was a cloudy amber color. The flavor was slightly fruity with a very nice malty finish.
Cisco Brewers Celebration Libation: This winter warmer from Nantucket had a flashy
Tuesday Tasting: Leblon Cachaca 2006-12-06 05:00:00 Tuesday
Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we travel to Brazil to taste a unique sugar cane drink.
There are reportedly 4,000 different brands of cachaca poured in Brazil, but I readily admit that this is the first I have ever tried. The word means fire water and many of the typical brands are said to be just that -- raw and rustic. However, Leblon Cachaca is a smooth classy drink that fits very well with its rum cousins.
Leblon is made in Brazil, but aged and finished in France. It is a clear drink made from sugar cane. There is a slightly cotton candy essence to the nose, which soon fades into a smooth drink that is clean with faint hints of oak in the flavor base. This spirit is perfect for making many classic cocktails. I would recommend keeping the recipe simple. Plenty of fruit juice, some ice and you are ready to go. The company that imports Leblon is pushing a drink called the Caipirinha
Scotch Prices Going Up? Blame the Chinese 2006-12-05 14:14:00 The emerging middle class in China and the size of the nation's economy have already been cited as factors in rising crude oil prices. Now consumers from Beijing to Shanghai are being blamed for draining the world's liquor cabinet of Scotch
.
Imports of Scotch to China have skyrocketed in just the last few years, up from $2.9 million in 2001 to more than $90 million in 2005. China is expected to join the world's top 10 Scotch consuming nations this year and, with sales up 84 percent last year alone, it appears Chinese
consumers have developed a love for the Highlands.
The Scotch Whisky Association notes that distilleries currently have 18.5 million casks maturing so there is no impending shortage of Scotch. However, Scotch prices have crept upward and the demand of a major new market like China places particular pressure on a category of product that has developed its worldwide appeal through the exclusivity of Single Malts and through aging whiskies 12, 18 and 25 years.
While wester Read more:Prices
, Going
, Blame
It's Nine O'Clock Somewhere 2006-12-05 02:14:00 The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) says it wants to protect kids. It's pushing the European Parliament to vote new anti-alcohol advertising standards in what is called the Audiovisual Directive, which sets up legal guidelines for television stations operating in the European Union. The laws cover a number of things, including television advertising, product placement and sponsorship rules.
So what is the EPHA pushing for that will protect youth from Ireland to the Balkins? A ban on advertising alcohol before 9 p.m. The group claims that studies show that young people enjoy and remember alocohol ads. By prohibiting them before 9 p.m., the EPHA believes most people under the legal age for purchasing alcohol will miss the ads. The group notes that alcohol ads show people having fun and do not show the social and health consequences of drinking.
A ban on ads could also have an impact on sponsorships of sporting events and other promotions. A number of major soccer teams in Europe Read more:Clock
, Somewhere
The Great Beer Truck Robbery 2006-12-05 01:51:00
On occasion you hear the tale of a beer truck driver gone bad. A delivery truck full of beer goes missing and a few months later police track down their man. Leave it to the British to do the underworld one better and teach us that if you are going to steal beer, you might as well steal mass quantities.
Over the weekend a warehouse complex in Gloucester was ripe for the picking. Four beer delivery trucks fully loaded with alcohol were apparently ready for Monday deliveries. Thieves had another idea. The nearly $500,000 in bottles and cans of Stella Artois, Boddingtons and Becks are still missing. Scotland Yard is still looking for the four Ainsworth and Martin Ltd. lorries.
Police have warned people not to be tempted by offers of discounted beer. The beer bandits may find stealing the beer was one thing. Just wait until they try to return the empties. Read more:Great
, Truck
, Robbery
Take Time Tuesday to Toast the 21st Amendment 2006-12-04 13:57:00 Prohibition. It was a reality in the United States from January 16, 1920 to December 5, 1933. In some so-called Dry Counties across the country it lives on today. In Zeeland, Mich., voters in November ended Prohibition, now businesses face potential boycotts for backing the measure.
Prohibition is most often promoted by religious zealots as a cure for all of society's ills. They ignore the fact that Jesus turned water into wine and that he offered his disciples wine at the Last Supper as a symbol of his blood, instead they paint all drinking as evil. There is little argument over the fact that the United States did not exactly become a utopia between 1920 and 1933.
Prohibition came to the U.S. after decades of work by militants to push an agenda and gain political clout. Rep. Andrew Volstead, a Republican from Minnesota and a teetotaler, wrote the law that enforced the 18th Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified by 36 states. He would be voted out of office in 1922 aft Read more:Tuesday
, Toast
New Zealand Winery Caught in Judging Scandal 2006-12-04 01:54:00
Although just about everyone involved is calling it an honest mistake, one of the top New Zealand
wine brands finds itself in the middle of a controversy that caused a magazine to pull its top rating after it was discovered the wine submitted for judging was not the same as most of the wine available to consumers under the same label.
Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2006 received a five star rating and was named as one of the top 10 New Zealand
sauvignon blancs by Cuisine magazine in a recent tasting. Then wine critic Michael Cooper thought he detected a difference between what he tasted in the entry bottle and a bottle he bought at a supermarket. Following a blind tasting comparing the two by Cooper and two other judges, along with a laboratory analysis by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research it was found that the wines were indeed different. The lab analysis showed that the competition sample and the supermarket wine had different levels of alcohol, sugar and acidity. Read more:Winery
, Caught
, Judging
, Scandal
Shelton Brothers Runs Afoul of Maine Regulators 2006-12-02 17:30:00
While it continues to battle New York officials, Shelton Brothers
of Massachusetts is now taking the Maine
Bureau of Liquor Enforcement to federal court because that state will not allow three brands the company imports to be sold in the state.
One of the beers, Santa's Butt Winter Porter, is also involved in the New York dispute. Maine regulators also feel that the label featuring Santa Claus will appeal to children. The other two beers are being censored because the label art features bare-breasted women.
Shelton is bringing the lawsuit with the help of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, saying the art on the label is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Les Sans Culottes, a French biere de garde, uses a Eugene Delacroix painting from the 1830s in the Louvre collection, "Liberty Leading the People." The label on Rose de Gambrinus, a Belgian lambic, has a watercolor painting with a naked woman.
Officials in Maine say they reject very few label applications eac Read more:Regulators
Grupo Modelo Building $520 Million Brewery in Northern Mexico 2006-12-02 17:00:00
Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo
, which makes the top selling U.S. import Corona, announced this week it plans to build a $520 million brewery in Piedras Negras, Coahuila. The brewery, locoated in northern Mexico
, will add 10 million hectoliters to Modelo's annual capacity when it is fully operational in 2010.
Anheuser-Busch has a 50 percent stake in Modelo. The company recently finished a $470 million expansion of its Oaxaca brewing operation, doubling the plant's capacity. Read more:Northern
, Building
, Brewery
Pittsburgh Brewing: We Have the Money, Almost 2006-12-01 17:04:00 The 145-year-old PittsburghBrewing
Co. may live to brew again. The makers of Iron City told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge on Thursday that they have found an investor willing to keep the company in operation.Brewery President Joseph R. Piccirilli, who was part of a group that purchased the company when it was bankrupt in 1995, said an investor is ready to put up more than $7 million to fund modernization of the brewery and marketing campaigns. Attonreys for the company and investor are trying to finalize details of the deal. Piccirilli and Pittsburgh's attorneys would not identify the mystery investor group, but said they planned to file a revised financial disclosure statement by Dec. 20. The name is likely to be in that filing. The brewery hopes to get creditors to sign-off on a reorganization plan by mid-February. Pittsburgh Brewing filed for bankruptcy in December 2005 when the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority threatened to shut off water because of unpaid bills. The federal go Read more:Money
, Almost
French Government: Teach School Children About Wine 2006-12-01 15:01:00 You have got to hand it to the French
. While many Americans do all they can to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage drinkers and eliminate advertising messages in places where kids might see them, a French government report suggests primary schools should start teaching youngsters about French wine.
The report, compiled ruling UMP party deputies Philippe-Armand Martin and Gerard Voisin, said French schools need to teach wine appreciation as a way to educate kids about healthy living and to help ailing vineyards, caused in part by more young drinkers turning to beer and cocktails. The French wine industry has seen exports decline because of increased competition from American, Australian and other vintners. This is compounded by a lagging domestic market. In one study, 92 percent of people under 25 in France said they like other drinks more than wine. Per capita wine consumption in France is 55 percent of what it was in 1970. Some vineyards have had to distill perfectly good wine i Read more:Children
, Government
, School
Anheuser-Busch Signs Deal to Import InBev's European Brands 2006-12-01 14:22:00
The folks at Anheuser-Busch
in St. Louis are winding up 2006 showing they have no plans to slow the rate of changes they are willing to make to grab a greater share of the American beer market. In a move that has implications for the balance of power in the import segment, A-B has signed a deal with InBev, the Belgian-based beer giant, to handle Stella Artois, Beck's, Bass Ale, Hoegaarden and Leffe in the U.S.
Fighting against sluggish sales in the premium domestic category that has hit brands like Budweiser, A-B has gone on a brewing, sales and marketing blitzkrieg in recent months. The company has launched regional craft brands, acquired the Rolling Rock brand, signed deals to import Grolsch and other brands, and even introduced a spirits product. The InBev deal may cast the biggest shadow because it gives A-B distributors several strong import brands to use in selling against the likes of Heineken, Corona and other imports. It will afford A-B even more control over taps in tave Read more:Import
, European
, Brands
To Your Health: Red Wine Benefits Arteries 2006-11-30 13:23:00 Most of the recent good news about red wine and health has involved a compound called resveratrol, which is found in a thin layer between the skin and flesh of the grape. There's one hitch to the research: while resveratrol can do some amazing things and it is found in red wine, you would need to put away massive amounts on a daily basis to replicate the dose that appears to have benefits in lab mice.
Now comes a study from Queen Mary's School of Medicine in London that says another substance found in red wine may have even more benefits -- and procyanidins appear in high enough natural concentrations that scientists don't have to figure out how to concentrate them into pill form. A glass or two of red wine a day should do the trick, helping repair cells in arteries that feed the heart.
In a study being published in the journal Nature, scientists looked at the increased longevity in certain regions of France. They found that Madiran wines produced in the southwest of France, where Read more:Health
, Benefits
, Arteries
, Red Wine
World's Oldest Whisky Sells for $28,895 at London Auction 2006-11-29 20:46:00
A bottle of Scotch that experts claim could be the oldest in the world has sold in London this evening for $28,895 to an anonymous bidder. The Glenavon Special Liqueur Whisky
was put up for sale at Bonhams Auction
House by an Irish woman who said it had been in her family for generations.
Glenavon, which was located in Banffshire, operated during the 1850s before it was absorbed into The Glenlivet Distillery. Estimates are that the Glenavon was bottled between 1851 and 1858. Some questioned whether the bottle was produced at the original distillery or later, after the consolidation, at the site of the present Glenlivet facility. In either case, whisky experts believe it was produced no later than the 1870s, making it an extremely rare Scotch.
The 14-ounce green bottle was said to appear to have been full and unopened. The whisky created interest among collectors around the globe and the auction house was ready to accept bids from the United States and Asia. Read more:World
Steam Whistle Brewery Thanks Canadian Troops 2006-11-29 13:36:00 Thanks
to the management and staff at SteamWhistleBrewery
in Toronto, Canadian
troops serving in Afghanistan will be able to enjoy a brew this holiday season. Beer is not readily available in the Muslim country, but Canadian troops are allowed to have alcohol on base three times a year: Oktoberfest; an event in November; and Christmas.
Steam Whistle employees donated their weekly beer allotment and it was matched by the company co-founders Cam Heaps and Greg Taylor. The Canadian Armed Forces agreed to accept the shipment of Steam Whistle Pilsner in holiday 12-packs.
The gesture of the Steam Whistle Brewery staff should remind us all that freedom is not free. Politics is politics, but no matter what your feeling is about the fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq the fact is that there are thousands of men and women half way around the world paying the tab for you and me.
While we cannot ship alcohol to our troops, we can show our support and concern through letters and care packages. If Read more:Troops
Tuesday Tasting: Christmas Comes a Little Early for Beer Drinkers 2006-11-28 12:57:00 Tuesday
Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we taste four holiday beers.
A time honored tradition of the brewer's art is to create special beers to mark the seasons and holiday celebrations. The first of these beers were likely brewed in connection with pagan celebrations marking the winter solstice. Later the Catholic Church would permit churches and monasteries to brew special beers for special occasions to reward the faithful and provide an income flow to local orders.
I find holiday and winter beers to be among the most intriguing brews on the market. My love affair with the category -- it's not really a style since these brews can be all over the board from golden ales to dark lagers -- started back in the early 1980s with F.X. Matt's Season's Best. I not only enjoyed finding the first 12-packs of this brew at retail each year, but I also used bottles of this beer to trade with contacts Read more:Christmas
, Early
Flying Right at Airports 2006-11-28 01:04:00
Vino Volo is a wine bar and retail store chain that thinks consumers might want to gain a little altitude before they board a plane. They are not alone. A number of airports in the United States have wine bars and brewpubs offering quality beverages for thirsty travelers.
Vino Volo, which in Italian means "wine flight," has locations at Dulles International in Washington, D.C., and Sea-Tac Airport in Washington State. Others are on the drawing board for Baltimore, Md., and Sacramento, Calif. Busy travelers can grab a quality glass of wine and a decent plate of food, or if they have more time enjoy a flight of wine featuring several vintages. The wines offered are premium labels and priced accordingly.
At my home airport, Charlotte Douglas, North Carolina vineyards have set up a tasting room that I have enjoyed a couple of times during flight delays. The Albany, N.Y., airport has a Saranac Brewhouse that features craft beers. Similar beer friendly locations can be found at several a Read more:Flying
, Right
, Airports
Minnesota: Supermarkets Want to Sell Wine 2006-11-28 00:40:00
Supermarkets in Minnesota
are again raising the concept that they should be able to sell chardonnay and merlot along side steaks and poultry. Liquor stores want the Minnesota State Legislature to maintain a Prohibition-era law that does not allow food and alcohol to be sold under the same roof for off-premise consumption. This debate has come up from time to time during the last three decades.
Minnesota grocers are using a recent legislative study indicating that the current rules limiting where alcohol is sold costs consumers millions of dollars. The study found that wine prices in Minnesota were 5-7 percent higher than Wisconsin, which allows grocers to sell wine, beer and liquor. Messages about the situation are being sent to consumers to try to put pressure on legislators. The supermarket lobby points out that 33 states allow food stores to sell wine.
Liquor stores have countered saying that allowing groceries to sell wine would dramatically impact their businesses. They say th
Brewing News: Beer Dispatches From Around the Globe 2006-11-27 13:43:00 Fuller Set to Grow: After experiencing a 31 percent jump in profits during a six month period following the acquisition of George Gales & Co., executives at British brewer and pub company Fuller, Smith & Turner said its thirst for acquisitions has not yet been quenched. Fuller is said to be placing a greater emphasis on food in its pubs as Britain prepares for a pub smoking ban in 2007. +++ +++ +++ +++SABMiller Plans More Investments in India: Fresh off its acquisition of Foster's Group holdings in India, SABMiller says it plans to pump $125 million into existing operations during the next two to three years. The money will be spent on marketing and brewery expansion at nine plants in India. The company's brands in India include Royal Challenge, Haywards 5000 and Castle. The company is the second largest brewery operation in the country behind and United Breweries. +++ +++ +++ +++Beer Too Cheap?: A beer price war among supermarkets in the United Kin Read more:Brewing
, Dispatches
, Globe
Brewery is Home to a Church 2006-11-26 19:06:00
You probably know someone who claims to have had a religious experience in a bar. If they happen to live in Wisconsin they just might be telling you the truth.
Adullam Vineyard Church
in Green Bay, Wisc., is a start up church with a bit of twist. Services are held in a meeting room at a brewpub. Bill and Teresa Sergott left the Catholic Church and became licensed pastors with Vineyard Community Churches. They came to Green Bay in 2002 and began forming the church. In April, Adullam started meeting in a room at Titletown Brewery
. About 40 people attend the weekly services.
Titletown Brewing Co. opened on December 3, 1996, in a disused train depot that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1899, the station was the arrival point in Green Bay for Presidents Taft, Franklin Roosevelt and Eisenhower.
Samuel Adams Looking at Options to Expand Brewery Options 2006-12-08 15:34:00
Boston Beer Co. is looking at options to increase its production capacity and may spend $200 million to build a new brewery.
The maker of the SamuelAdams
line of beers has been considering a site in Freetown, Mass., but is also evaluating whether it should expand its two current breweries or acquire another existing facility. The company acquired the former Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewery
in Cincinnati eight years ago and spent $7 million in 2005 to expand capacity at the plant.
Plans for the Freetown brewery call for a 700,000 to 1 million barrel operation. Costs for the plant have nearly doubled from original estimates. The brewery would employ about 75 people. The company has already secured a 20-year tax agreement with the community to help fund the project and the site has good water and sewer capacity, as well as access to rail and road transportation.
Founded in 1984 by Jim Koch, Boston Beer recently reported record quarterly profits. The company finds itself in an interesting Read more:Options
, Expand
Health Canada: Tax Booze Based on Alcohol Content 2006-12-10 18:23:00
A study at the Centre for Addictions Research at the University of Victoria funded by HealthCanada
recommends lowering the taxes on reduced-alcohol beer, wine and spirits as a way to get Canadians to cut alcohol consumption, which the group says increases the risk of injury and chronic disease.
The study recommends taxing higher alcohol products at higher rates as a form of good public policy. The researchers at the University of Victoria say it is difficult to find lower alcohol beers in government run beer stores. It notes that in Australia, which has lower taxes on lower-strength beers, 10 percent of beer sales are on brews between 2.5 and 3.5 percent alcohol by volume.
The study says that beer, wine and spirits should not be taxed based on price, but rather based on alcohol content. It also suggested that tax incentives should be given to drinks companies to introduce lower alcohol products and that higher strength products face increased taxes. It also recommends that tax rev Read more:Booze
, Alcohol
, Content
Something to Wash Down All of that Meat 2006-12-10 17:34:00
On Friday night I was in Chicago with my daughter, Brhea, and her boyfriend Jake Koneman. We went to Brazzaz, a Brazilain steakhouse located on North Dearborn Street not far from the Grand stop on the Red Line, for dinner figuring two "starving" college students would enjoy the feast. We were impressed with the service, upscale salad bar and the array of eat-until-you-drop meats. The lamb chops, pork tenderloin and sirloin were big hits.
If you have never done a Brazilian steakhouse, basically the concept is that gouchos roam the restaurant with skewers of meat. You are given a puck that has "yes" on one side and "no thanks" on the other. If the yes side is facing up, the servers will stop and offer you slices of meat that has just emerged from the kitchen. The range on the night we were there went from shrimp and chicken to lamb and beef.
With all of the meat flying around you might suspect I would have went for a red wine, which many of the tables around us were enjoying. The lis
Looking for Low Cost Holiday Party Wine? AOL Offers Five Picks 2006-12-10 16:28:00
If you have ever been faced with managing an office holiday celebration or finding some affordable gifts for a bunch of people, you know the challenge when it comes to selecting a wine. You don't want to see people react to bottles of Sutter Home, but you also have to live within a budget.
Finding a good wine under $20 a bottle is not that difficult. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, can be found on the market. But what if the challenge is to find something under $10? The international wine glut is pushing prices downward, but my experience with sub $10 a bottle wine is that you better have tasted it before you decide it is good enough for guests and friends. I don't mind if someone knows I bought a bargain wine, as long as they think that I'm a pretty good shopper and came up with a great value that tastes pretty good, too.
The folks at AOL recently took on the challenge of recommending five wines under $6. They offered up Trader Joe's Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon, Amaicha Torrontes, Read more:Holiday
, Party
, Offers
, Low Cost
The Grape Vine: News About Wine 2006-12-10 23:23:00
French May Try to Block EU Wine Reforms: The European Union is ready to institute several measures that face objections from the French wine industry. EU lawmakers are considering elimination of subsidies for pulling out vines, so-called crisis distillation programs and grants for winemakers retiring from the industry.
The EU says the programs cost too much, do little to improve quality and have not had an impact on the wine glut in several nations. France, Italy and Spain, the largest EU wine producers, receive about 90 percent of the subsidy payments. Changes to the laws would have an impact on the 2008 vintage.
+++ +++ +++ +++
NFL Takes the Tiger Out of the Fermentation Tanks: Jungle Juice Wine maker Elk Creek Vineyards has found out just how many lawyers the National Football League has on its staff. Saying that the orange and black stripes on the label infringed on the trademarks of the Cincinnati Bengals the NFL sent the winery a cease and desist letter. Read more:Grape
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