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News from Vibrant Rioja:
"Off-Premise Wine Sales Up 3 % in September
"Off-premise wine sales increased over 3 % in September, compared to the same time period last year, according to The Nielsen Company. In the 13 weeks ending during the same period (September 17, 2011), sales increased almost 4 %. Domestic wine outsold imports, increasing 5%, while imports fell 1.5%. The $20-plus and $9-$11.99 categories had the fastest growth in terms of value and volume: The $20-plus segment grew nearly 9% in value and 10% in volume, while the $9 and up category grew by 8% in value and close to 10% in volume. The $15-$19.99 price category showed a similar growth rate, increasing 7% in value and 8% in volume. The $0 to $2.99 and the $6 to $8.99 segments declined in sales by 3% and 5%, respectively.
(WineBusiness.com, October 2011)
"Our Thoughts
The weak dollar is causing a difficult time for imports in the U.S., although consumption is still on the rise. Growth in the more expensive wine categories is proof that consumers are regaining some confidence in their spending in this particular category. However, we believe that discounts are contributing to this trend, and that consumers are still looking for good deals.
"Consumer Spending Declines in September
"Consumer spending is down from $74 per day in July to $65 per day in September, reaching the same levels as in March and April of this year, Gallup reports. The study looked at the overall self-reported daily U.S. consumer spending in stores, restaurants, gas stations, and online. People earning more than $90,000 a year spent $108 in September, $20 less than in July. Average spending fell from $63 to $59 for people earning less than $90,000.
(Gallup.com, October 2011)
"Our Thoughts
Even though we’ve seen a steady growth in the wine market, the American economy in general remains unstable. Consumers remain insecure, so planning for both the best and worst case scenario is important despite positive projections about the wine industry’s future. Don’t forget that pricing is still playing an important role on consumers’ buying decisions.
"Wine Consumption Increases among U.S. Hispanic Adults
"According to a survey by Experian Simmons, wine consumption among the U.S. population is on the rise, especially among Hispanic adults. Since 2005, Hispanic wine consumption has grown by 34%, while non-Hispanic consumption has only increased by 14%. Averaging 26%, the consumption of wine among Hispanics is still more than 11% lower than among non-Hispanics
(East Valley Tribune, October 2011)
"Our Thoughts
"In a competitive market like the wine market, it’s important to maximize your profits. If you are looking to increase sales and market share, targeting programs towards the Hispanic population in the U.S. may be an important strategy."
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Gratitude Gourmet, a California-Certified Bay Area Green Business, has just released a new Gourmet Chocolate Line, including Vegan Chocolate-Covered Pistachio, Almond, and Hazelnut Pralines!
More information is here, and you also have a chance to win the new line!
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With the holidays fast approaching, wine lovers will surely be looking to shore up their entertaining arsenal and shop for gifts. But in today’s more eco-conscious, time-constrained world, finding high-quality home and wine specialty items is often a tedious, time-intensive and gas guzzling process.
Now there’s a way to order decanters, electric wine openers, preservers and aerators, glasses, display racks and more right from the comfort of your couch, in the airport while waiting for a flight, or anywhere that’s convenient, with Catalog Spree.
Catalog Spree is a FREE catalog shopping app for the iPad that allows users to browse, search, discover and BUY from over 30+ catalog partners with the touch of a finger, including holiday entertaining and wine accessories from Vinotemp, Wine Enthusiast, Hammacher Schlemmer, NapaStyle, Artisan Table and more. Catalog Spree offers an easy alternative to the sometimes frenzied nature of in-store shopping, allowing oenophiles to browse and buy items right from the app, even if they are sold out in stores
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TRAVEL GLUTEN-FREE, VEGETARIAN OR KOSHER WITH ARTISANS OF LEISURE
Luxury tour operator provides global assistance to travelers with special diets or food allergies
| New York, NY, October 20, 2011 - A gluten-free dinner with geisha in Japan, kosher meal delivery to hotels in Tuscany, a vegetarian dinner at an ancient monastery in Vietnam--these are a few of the recent dining experiences luxury tour operator Artisans of Leisure has arranged for travelers with dietary restrictions. The innovative leader in personalized travel, Artisans of Leisure specializes in fulfilling individual travel dreams and requirements. The company is taking a proactive role to help ensure that travelers with dietary restrictions can travel comfortably and enjoyably during their international tours. Because several Artisans of Leisure travel experts have their own dietary restrictions, including celiac disease and vegetarianism, they understand how difficult it can be to find suitable meals when traveling overseas. "Dealing with dietary demands while away from home is one of the biggest challenges facing a growing number of international travelers," said Ashley Isaacs Ganz, founder and CEO of Artisans of Leisure. "Dietary requirements need not force passionate travelers to stay home or limit their international travels." "Travelers are so appreciative that Artisans of Leisure acknowledges their needs and goes above and beyond expectations to accommodate them," said Ganz. "In some cases, it's as simple as being aware that special meals are available on trains throughout Europe and ordering them for travelers in advance. In other cases, it requires considerable work to make things happen, such as flying kosher meals to a safari lodge in the remote South African bush or coordinating extensive, multi-country arrangements for a family with severe nut allergies. We also arrange unique, related activities, such as visiting an organic farm in India for a vegetarian lunch or having a gluten-free pastry lesson with a chef in Paris." "We hope that more companies within the travel and hospitality industries--including tour companies, hotels, airlines and restaurants--will join us in acknowledging the needs of such travelers by providing ever more options and expertise," said Ganz. Artisans of Leisure assists travelers with food allergies, special diets and other food restrictions in many ways, including:
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Prosper & Martine Assouline, Daniel Boulud, and Xavier Herit
present Cocktails & Amuse-Bouches
What:
Assouline celebrates the launch of Daniel Boulud’s Cocktails & Amuse-Bouches, For Her & For Him
Who:
Assouline, Daniel Boulud, JP Morgan, and Cointreau
Prosper & Martine Assouline, co-founders of Assouline
Daniel Boulud, award–winning chef-owner and author
Xavier Herit, cocktail mixologist and author
Notable guests also included: Jay McInerney, Terry Lundgren, Dana Cowin of Food & Wine
When:
6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Where:
DANIEL, 60 East 65th Street, New York City
Direct Image Link: http://www.patrickmcmullan.com/site/event_detail.aspx?eid=39049&home=1&page=1&pgSize=64&sortdir=DESC
Details:
- Last night, Assouline introduced one of the most anticipated titles for the holiday season, Daniel Boulud’s Cocktails & Amuse-Bouches, For Her & For Him. Chef Boulud and mixologist Herit were the perfect dynamic duo bringing the book to life giving classic cocktails and hors d’oeuvres a modern twist. This chic two-volume slipcase set, For Her & For Him, is a creative gift for the contemporary host and hostess. Each book in the set includes 20 cocktail and 10 amuse-bouche recipes.
- Mixologist and author Xavier Herit carefully crafted each cocktail, utilizing the treasure trove of exotic ingredients from the DANIEL pantry and beautiful ice cubes that took two weeks to prepare. Cocktails included The White Cosmo, The Smokey Bandit, French 65, and The Duke, all featured in the book.
- “There is an art to making a good cocktail,” Chef Boulud and Mixologist Herit said, in reference to the idea that exquisite food needs to be accompanied by an equally elegant cocktail.
- Chef Boulud prepared delectable hors d’oeuvres from recipes included in both For Her & For Him.
EVENING MENU:
FOR HER
Tempura Squash Blossoms
Crispy Duck with Spiced Plum
Gougères with Espelette
Peppered Ham and Gruyère Quiche
Panisse with Piquillo Ketchup
FOR HIM
Black Olive Grissini
Squid and Chorizo
Sardine and Seaweed Butter on Puffed Rice Cracker
Yuzu Razor Clam Ceviche
- Proceeds from last night’s book sales benefited Citymeals-on-Wheels
and their vital work delivering food to New York’s homebound elderly.
- Cointreau and Wódka generously donated alcohol for the book launch.
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"Crowdfunding campaign gets underway for first ever wine matching search engine [dated Oct. 18, 2011]
"Born out of an afternoon at their favorite Bistro, VinoMatch co-founders Olivier and Pierre were looking to give the general public access to a sommelier at their fingertips.
"VinoMatch has developed the first online wine search engine catering to personal preferences in taste and aroma. VinoMatch enables wine consumers, without in-store personal assistance or strenuous wine education to easily and consistently identify wines they will enjoy and buy with confidence every time.
"VinoMatch allows consumers to search wine based on tastes and aromas, in addition to traditional search criteria (vintage, region, etc.) It matches wine to personal taste preferences using an intuitive visual sensory rating system and gives the customers a clear idea of a wine’s tatse--before purchase.
"Now, the team at VinoMatch is in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign to help get the search engine off the ground.
"VinoMatch’s crowdfunding campaign is going strong-- they have 55 days left to raise a large portion of their very lofty goal! The monies raised will help them to complete recommendation, food pairing, personal account, tasting notes and wish list, develop VinoMatch Mobile Sommelier for the iPhone and Android platform as well as enter the first 10,000 wine profiles in the VinoMatch database."
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"Now, the team at VinoMatch is in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign to help get the search engine off the ground.
"VinoMatch’s crowdfunding campaign is going strong-- they have 55 days left to raise a large portion of their very lofty goal! The monies raised will help them to complete recommendation, food pairing, personal account, tasting notes and wish list, develop VinoMatch Mobile Sommelier for the iPhone and Android platform as well as enter the first 10,000 wine profiles in the VinoMatch database."
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Wine Bloggers' Conference, Portland, OR, August 2012 [dated Oct. 18, 2011 -- 50 bloggers already registered]
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Morellino di Scansano DOCG (All of the following update concerns a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, a wine of specific origin and regulated type from Italy. There has been an explosion of new DOCGs in Italy in the last year -- about 60 new ones, I believe.)
"The Consorzio Tutela Morellino di Scansano DOCG began its first tour of the United States today, meeting with members of the wine press and trade in Chicago. Local wine expert Tom Hyland led an educational seminar about the wines of the Morellino di Scansano DOCG region. The seminar, followed by a grand tasting featuring the wines of 11 participating wineries, took place at the Hotel Sax.
"The “Morellino Week” tour enables members of the US wine trade and press to develop their knowledge of this distinctive area of Tuscany and to taste and discuss a range of wines representative of the region's signature variety Sangiovese. The tour will continue in New York City as part of the Vinitaly in the World tour at the Metropolitan Pavilion on Wednesday, October 19th; Robin Kelley O'Connor will present a seminar. The final leg of the tour will take the Morellino di Scansano Consortium to Miami, where events will be held at the Fontainebleau Hotel on Friday, October 21st. Wine educator Charlie Arturaola will present the seminar in Miami.
"Morellino di Scansano is a fresh, contemporary, full-bodied and versatile wine that is well-priced and has recently begun to capture the fascination of American wine drinkers. The Morellino di Scansano area is one of 11 DOCGs situated in Tuscany, one of Italy's hidden gems. As throughout much of Tuscany, the predominant grape variety of Morellino di Scansano is Sangiovese, but the wines of Morellino di Scansano differ from those Sangiovese-based red wines made elsewhere in Tuscany due to the distinctive ripeness levels that the grape can achieve in southern Tuscany, where Scansano sits.
"Morellino di Scansano is produced in the hilly area of the province of Grosseto, between the Ombrone and Albegna rivers. It includes the entire community of Scansano and parts of Manciano, Magliano in Toscana, Grosseto, Campagnatico, Semproniano and Roccalbegna.
"Morellino di Scansano wines are all made from at least 85% Sangiovese grapes. The remaining 15% can be indigenous varieties such as Alicante or Ciliegiolo or international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
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Cru Vin Dogs
"After years of crafting outstanding wines from some of the most exclusive vineyards the world over, charitable wine brand Cru Vin Dogs is launching a new series of wines to benefit man’s best friend. Wines from The Loyal Companion Series will dedicate a portion of the proceeds from each bottle toward local animal shelters and rescue groups that help find homes for orphaned dogs.
"Partnering with regional canine-related charities under the PAW Program (Partners And Wine), Cru Vin Dogs has assigned a special donation code for customers that provide $1 per bottle to their organization of choice to use when purchasing online. Furthermore, when purchased at select restaurants and retailers in their home town, $0.50 per bottle will benefit local shelters in their home towns.
"The Loyal Companion Series currently includes two elegant wines from Sonoma County, California: a crisp, cool-climate Chardonnay and a concentrated red blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Zinfandel from small prestigious vineyards. The next release will most likely be a luscious Pinot Gris from Oregon. Each label in the Loyal Companion Series features artist Jay Snellgrove’s illustration of “Chica,” a shelter dog who exemplifies how animal adoption can change the life of a Loyal Companion in need.
"About Cru Vin Dogs
"Cru Vin Dogs Wine Group makes small lots of wine from exceptional vineyards throughout the world to craft masterful blends that give back to canine-related charities. Each label in the portfolio features original illustrations of real dogs, some with special stories, drawn in graphite or pastel pencil by artist Jay P. Snellgrove. Cru Vin Dogs is dedicated to combining a passion for outstanding wines, fine art, and worthy canine-related causes in order to a make a difference in the lives of others. Proceeds of all sales are donated to charitable organizations that involve dogs."
P.S. Cru Vin Dogs has a website, www.cruvindogs.com, which for some reason shows up completely blank on my browser when I try to find it. Maybe you will have better luck.
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