|
March
2, 2005:
Wines: the big brands, Which? magazine, UK The
UK Consumers' Association magazine, Which?, has lambasted some of
the world's largest, mulinational wine companies for producing very
substandard wines for the UK. It warned consumers to take care when
buying wines in the £4 to £8 price bracket because many of them
fail to score more than 12 out of 20 points. The magazine's panel of
expert tasters complained they were at least looking for character
and balance - but found none (or very little). They concluded it is
well worth consumers looking past the big names for a more enjoyable
drop in this price bracket. Note: Nardone Baker produces well
balanced premium wines which sit in the £5 to £6 price range - and
we are often told they "over deliver" on quality. Read our
response to this survey in our "Nardone
Baker news" section.
10 Feb 05: USA matures as a wine
market, Western Farm Press, USA A
respected wine market analyst, Jon Frederikson, has told WFP that
the US wil be the world's largest wine market by the end of this
decade. At least in total consumption. Europe will continue to lead
the way in per capita consumption. He thinks Australian wine will
dominate the market, given the US love affair with top drops from
Down Under. Ironically, Californian exports have continued to grow
too. 03 Feb 05: Australian wine
now outselling French wine in Ontario, Radio CFRA, Canada French
wine has now slipped behind Australian wine in volumes of imported
wine consumed in Ontario, Canada. Local wine still tops local
consumption, but Aussie wine is the top imported drop. Nardone Baker
Wines is currently fielding expressions of interest from Canadian
importers interested in importing our range.
02 Feb 05: French still
over-producing, Kim Hunter Gordon & Chris Jones,
foodanddrinkeurope.com Hunter Gordon
and Jones fear a 70 million Euro rescue plan for struggling French
wine producers fails to deal with the fundamental problem facing the
French wine industry - "massive over production of poor quality
wines". Despite falling production volumes for the last few
years, production for 2004 jumped a massive 23% to 59 million
hectolitres. That's an increase almost equal to Australia's total
annual output of 13 million hectalitres! . 31 Jan
05: Australian wine outsips French, The Guardian, UK France's
battered wine industry received a further blow yesterday when
figures showed that Australian vineyards are taking the lion's share
of Britain's £4bn-a-year market. Britons now drink 38% of all wine
exported from Australia. Figures from the two previous years
suggested Australian wine was losing ground in the UK, but sales
have bounced back, reaching some £350m, according to the Australian
Bureau of Statistics. 28 Jan 05: Order
Aussie wine and be seen as "adventurous" and
"fun", match.com, New York The
Australian Wine Bureau and Match.com, the global leader in online
dating, today released key findings from their recently commissioned
Zoomerang survey of single Americans, revealing their attitudes,
perceptions and preferences toward wine and romance.
Match.com polled more than 2,300 single men and women nationwide and
found that 62 percent believe that their date's choice of beverage
provides insight into their lifestyle, and 52 percent felt that it
is indicative of their personality.
"A lot of what we understand about a person is communicated
non-verbally," explains Match.com dating expert, Kristin Kelly.
"People often make quick assumptions based on how they've
interpreted these non-verbal cues, and our research confirms that
the type of beverage we choose is no exception to this
rule."
Single Americans overwhelmingly choose wine to reflect their
personalities and lifestyles on the all-important first date over
any other beverage; including beer, specialty cocktails, sparkling
water and soda. Specifically, single people are two times more
likely to order wine over a specialty cocktail or soda and four
times more likely to order wine instead of beer.
Personality perceptions associated with the top U.S. imported wine
countries:
-- Ordering a wine from Australia conveys the message that a person
is adventurous (62 percent) and fun (32 percent).
-- A person that drinks French wine is viewed as pretentious (76
percent) and high-maintenance (65 percent).
Additional survey findings:
-- The type of drink someone orders has the potential to pique the
interest of their prospective partners. When asked which person they
would be the most interested in meeting, respondents overwhelmingly
chose someone who orders wine from Australia (53 percent) over
someone who orders a vodka from Russia (18 percent), a beer from
Belgium (15 percent) or a Port from Portugal (14 percent).
-- Eighty-three percent of singles agree that a glass of wine can
make an already special moment even more romantic.
-- Ordering a glass of wine for that special occasion does not have
to be expensive. Fifty-nine percent of women and 47 percent of men
are not willing to spend more than $25 on a bottle of wine on a
first date.
-- Overall, men were more likely than women to indicate that they
have a great knowledge of wine.
12 Jan 05: Expert predictions
for 2005, Bill Daley, Chicago Tribune, USA Bil
Dayley has asked Chicago wine professionals for their forecasts for
2005 in terms of wine and Nardone Baker seems well positioned as a
result. While predictions are for syrah from California to increase
in popularity, "thirst" for Australian shiraz will remain
strong. Furthermore, one expert says there is already a trend away
from buying a couple of bottles of "Yellow Tail" and
opting for one bottle of "nicer" shiraz. Women are
expected to grow in number as the main buyers of wine for US
households. And while "great wines under $25" are IN,
synthetic corks are set to be OUT.
06
Jan 05: Sparkling wine sales soar, The Australian
Sparkling wine sales have
surged in Australia as consumers accept that "bubbly" can
be an everyday drink, not something reserved for special occasions
only. Sparkling wine now accounts for 15% of all wine sales in
Australia, with Sparkling Shiraz particularly popular in its home
state of South Australia. Nardone Baker Wines released its sparkling
range late 2004 and sales have grown exponentially since then. Read
our tasting notes here.
22
Dec 04: Americans increase wine consumption, New Kerala, India
Americans have drinking
more wine while toning down martini, bourbon and beer consumption.
The Wine Institute of California reports average wine consumption
has increased to 15 bottles of wine per person per year, up 5.2%
over the previous year. Increased penetration of Australian wine in
the sub $10 a bottle category is cited as one of the reasons for and
beneficiaries of the trend. Italy is still the leading wine
consumption nation with the average person consuming around 70
bottles per year. 22
Dec 04: Aussie Shiraz makes a great gift, wine writer, Doug Frost,
Kansas City Star
Some people like to buy
practical gifts, like socks or gloves. But what could be more
practical than wine? A nice bottle of wine can wait in the cellar
until the perfect meal, creating a momentous dinner with friends or
family.
Some people tell me they choose wine based on the label, and they
usually select a label with an animal on it. But I don't find this
to be good strategy. For most winegrowers, animals are competitors
in the pursuit of ripe, delicious grapes. One winemaker I know used
to put a blue jay on his label. A closer inspection revealed bullet
holes drawn into the bird.
Too many wine neophytes focus on the score the wine has received
from certain wine magazines or particular critics. But some of those
magazines use committees to review the wine, so there is no
consistency in their recommendations. And unless the famous wine
critic who praised this particular wine is the recipient, does that
critic's score really matter? Do you really want to hand the bottle,
tastefully wrapped, to your friend, and as they stare at an unknown
label, blurt out, It got a 96 from the Wine Speculator!
There's something wrong with a gift that needs an immediate
justification.
Instead choose a wine that most wine drinkers find delicious.
Australia's Shiraz wines have skyrocketed in fame, partly because
they are round, soft and juicy. It hasn't hurt that the wines are
often cheap.
Edited version of article by Doug Frost, world-traveling wine and
spirits consultant based in Kansas City. He holds the rare dual
designation of Master of Wine and Master Sommelier. 14
Dec 04: Price and Variety attracts wine buyers, National Nine News,
Australia
University of South
Australia research has discovered that Price and Variety are more
important to wine buyers than Region and Brand. The study was based
on more than 560,000 wine transactions by 5,000 consumers over three
years. The study found strong loyalty for certain varieties like
Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, with consumers preferring
straight varieties over blends. The study also found most consumers
do not turn bottles over to read the back label with most consumers
taking just 12 seconds to make a purchase decision.
11
Dec 04: Aussie wine in favour in the UK, Sally Williams, Western
Mail, Wales
Wales - and the rest of the UK - is fast becoming a
nation of chocoholics, wine quaffers and lager lovers as latest
industry figures show sales have soared in the past year. Wine still
a popular tipple, with sales up 6.3% to £3.73bn. Twelve of the 15
biggest selling wines come from New World countries such as
Australia and Chile. In 1985 there was only one such wine.
11
Dec 04: Aussie wine exports barrelling along, Leon Gettler, The Age,
Australia
Australia exported 624.2 million litres of wine in the
year to October, valued at $AUD2.6 billion. This is an increase of
16.7% over last year. The figures are in stark contrast to 16 years
ago when Australia only export 39 million litres.
22
Nov 04: Aussie wines are better value, wine writer, Bob Johnson,
Daily Press
"Australia is best
known for its engaging, fruit-forward wines and consumer-friendly
prices. In fact, those prices have been driving French winery owners
nuts because side-by-side comparisons of similar Aussie and French
wines almost always identify the Down Under bottlings as far
superior values."
21
Jul 04: Aussie wines are better value, wine writer, Bob Johnson,
Daily Press
"Australia is best
known for its engaging, fruit-forward wines and consumer-friendly
prices. In fact, those prices have been driving French winery owners
nuts because side-by-side comparisons of similar Aussie and French
wines almost always identify the Down Under bottlings as far
superior values." 21
Jul 04: Latest French Crisis, Too Much Wine, Toronto Star
PARIS French vintners held a crisis meeting today as the
wine industry braced for its latest dilemma: a bumper harvest.
The talks come two days after the French Agriculture Ministry
forecast that France will produce 5.7 billion litres of wine in
2004, or 20 per cent more than last year, when production was hurt
by a record-breaking heat wave that scorched Europe.
According to figures published today in the financial daily La
Tribune, the value of French wine exports fell 10 per cent in the
first five months of the year compared with the same period in 2002.
Exports also fell compared with 2003, which is seen as an
atypical year because of the heat wave and a lucrative sell-off of
Bordeaux wines made in 2000.
Wines from places like Chile, Australia and California overtook
French wines on global export markets for the first time in 2003.
France exported 1.78 billion bottles; so-called New World vintners
exported 1.93 billion.
28 Apr 04:
China toasts the better life with more red wine
Red wine is making a comeback in the Middle Kingdom.
Contrary to popular belief, the Chinese have long had a taste for
wine, quaffing it as far back as the days of the Tang dynasty
(618-906).
Now that the country is enjoying brisk economic growth, red wine
is flowing along with the cash-especially in coastal regions.
In contrast, consumption of baijiu, a potent traditional
distilled spirit, is plunging. Only the high-grade baijiu called mao-tai
is gaining ground.
These trends are believed to reflect the changing face of Chinese
society. The popularity of high-end liquor may signal the rise of a
new moneyed class in a country that has flung open its once-barred
doors to global markets.
``Please enjoy South African wine,'' says a ruddy Niel Van Staden,
director of Far East marketing for South African winemaker KWV. KWV
was hosting a wine-tasting at a posh Shanghai hotel in January. With
a smile, Van Staden raised his wineglass as he welcomed guests.
Such wine-tastings are held every week in Shanghai. In addition
to wines from France and Italy, the city is being introduced to
products from the United States, Australia, South America and other
regions.
`I feel there are infinite business opportunities here in
China,'' says Van Staden.
Both producers and consumers might drink to that.
When a Japanese businessman visited Guangzhou last fall, he
noticed that everyone at a Chinese restaurant he visited had a tiny
serving of red wine. Thinking at first he had stumbled into a
wine-tasting, he soon realized that the diners were simply getting
ready for a toast.
``I thought, `Oh, it was to ensure that people can drink it up in
one gulp,''' he said.
Government officials, company employees and individual consumers
are all taking on the tradition of toasting with wine at
celebrations.
More than 80 percent of the wines consumed in China are reds. The
top-selling imported wines are priced at a little under 100 yuan
(1,300 yen), while the most popular domestic wines go for slightly
under 50 yuan. Wine is also popular among women.
``Wine is good for you and it has a stylish feel to it,'' says a
female office worker living in Beijing. ``I often drink wine with my
mother at home.''
ASC, a Beijing-based major wine importer run by an American
family, saw its business expand rapidly beginning in 2000.
``Now that Chinese society has become wealthier, there are more
social engagements,'' says Don St. Pierre Jr., president of Shanghai
Saint Pierre Wine Co., an affiliate of ASC. ``But since consumers
still lack knowledge of wines, they tend to choose wines from
well-known regions like Bordeaux instead of choosing wines that go
with their meals.''
By KEIKO YOSHIOKA,
The Asahi Shimbun
|
