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Global Sound Byte! BevCast Weekly News Episode #10

Bevcast Weekly News is a news series giving you a quick look at the most important news, trends, and developments of the week.

22/02/2019



Listen to Industry News and other Insights on the Bevcast Podcast Channel on Soundcloud. Bevcast Weekly News is a news series giving you a quick look at the most important news, trends, and developments of the week.

Bevcast Weekly News is brought to you by China Wine Competition, which is an international wine competition that Beverage Trade Network hosts in Shanghai where wines are judged For On-Premise Market on Food Pairability, Typicity, Value, Quality, and Package.

 Submission is now open for the 2019 China Wine Competition. Please visit ChinaWineCompetition.com for more information on how winning the China Wine Competition medal can help you grow your wine brand.

So gear up for your week ahead - these are our top stories of the week.

*To listen to the full Podcast and more, kindly stay tuned into BevCast channel on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Stitcher.

Australian Wine Industry Re-Inventing Itself With Premium Wines

Australia’s efforts to boost awareness of its wines appear to be having an impact. Noteworthy wine critic Richard Siddle of The Buyer walked away from a recent Wine Australia trade tasting in London impressed with Australia’s new focus on showcasing premium wines made with alternative varieties (such as Sangiovese instead of Shiraz).

Wineries Are Updating Tasting Room Experiences For Millennials

In an effort to woo over the all-important millennial wine drinker, wineries are completely reinventing the typical tasting room experience. It’s no longer out of place for wineries to offer vineyard yoga sessions, to create unique, Instagram-worthy settings to enjoy wine, or to welcome families with their pets.

Premium Spanish Rosé Making Headlines

In Spain, premium Rosé is emerging as a viable new category. Decanter recently reviewed 18 of the very best Spanish Rosé wines, finding that many Tempranillo and Garnacha Rosés actually have great ageing potential. These wines have a more refined style than easy-drinking Rosé wines currently on the market.

New Spotlight on Oregon’s Innovative Winemakers

If you immediately think of Pinot Noir when someone mentions Oregon wine, think again. Wine Enthusiast recently profiled a handful of cutting-edge Oregon winemakers who are experimenting with new grape varieties, sustainable farming practices, and natural fermentation practices. The future of Oregon wine will likely include Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet.

New York State Hemp Winery Will Add a Tasting Room in Summer 2019

It’s not only beer makers pondering the impact of cannabis on their industry. Sovereign Wines, a winery based in New York’s Finger Lakes wine region, is preparing for the state’s future legalization of recreational marijuana by opening a new tasting room for its innovative hemp-infused wines.

Organic Wine Segment Continues to Be a Standout Performer

While the overall still wine market is projected to grow at a 0.5 percent rate over the next five years, the organic wine market is actually performing quite well. According to the IWSR, worldwide organic wine consumption will increase from 56.3 million cases in 2017 to 87.5 million cases in 2022.

Burgundy Plays a Starring Role at Fine Wine Auction Sales

In 2018, Sotheby’s Wine reported total wine & spirits sales of $100 million, a sharp increase from the $64 million reported in the year-earlier period. The two biggest auction sales featured Burgundy wines from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, including one bottle of 1945 DRC that sold for $558,000.

The Most Expensive Corkscrew in the World

Would you pay more for a corkscrew than a bottle of fine wine? A rare wine corkscrew dating back to the 18th century just sold via online auction for over $23,000. The English-made corkscrew had a rare design on its handle that 74 bidders from around the world wanted for their personal collection.

Black History Month Celebrates African-American Wine Pioneers

The “Black Vines” event in Oakland, California will celebrate 20 African-American winemakers and showcase the influence of the African-American experience on the U.S. wine industry. The timing of the event will coincide with the national celebration of Black History Month.

Chicago Sommelier Wins “Best USA Sommelier” Title

If sommeliers are the new celebrities of the wine world, then get ready to hear a lot more about Dustin Chabert, a sommelier at Spiaggia, a highly-acclaimed Italian fine dining restaurant on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. He recently won the “Best USA Sommelier” competition in Kansas.

Wine Australia Unveils New Website and Branding Campaign

In an effort to raise global awareness about Australian wines, the trade group Wine Australia has unveiled a new “Australian Wine Made Our Way” branding campaign. Wine Australia, which received $50 million in support from the Australian government in order boost exports, will showcase 65 different wine regions in the country.

A Debate Over the Future of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

It’s not only Australia that could be re-thinking its approach to winemaking. Elsewhere Down Under, the recent Sauvignon 2019 celebration in Marlborough featured a controversial speech by an American wine critic suggesting that New Zealand winemakers should take a “Champagne approach to blending” instead of obsessively focusing on terroir.

Wines From Portugal Are Winning Over Wine Drinkers

According to the latest Wine Intelligence report, the market for Portuguese wine is growing significantly. As wine drinkers turn away from mainstream, commercial brands, they are embracing smaller, boutique wine brands. Greater tourism in Portugal is also driving this trend, as is an overall financial recovery.

California’s Sonoma Wine Region Has a New Branding Campaign

With a slogan of “Life Opens Up,” Sonoma has unveiled its latest tourism branding campaign that is based around classic wine terminology emphasizing stories and emotional bonds. An ad for “A Cool Crisp Finish,” for example, shows a couple holding hands on a California beach at the end of the day.

Cannabis-Infused Drinks Category Growing in Popularity

By 2022, cannabis-infused drinks could be a $600 million market opportunity. According to Bloomberg, producers are racing to create “sessionable” drinks infused with cannabis that can be consumed the same way as traditional alcoholic drinks. Beer makers such as Anheuser Busch InBev and Molson Coors are viewing these beverages as beer alternatives.

South African Wines Could Be the Next Big Thing

According to top British wine critic Jancis Robinson, South African wines are “seriously undervalued.” Recent stellar vintages are the best signal yet that South African winemakers are capable of producing distinctive, age-worthy wines. It could be just a matter of time before prices catch up to the growing critical acclaim.

Pernod Ricard Has a New Strategic Plan to Boost Profit Margins

Activist investors have been pushing Pernod Ricard, the company that owns Jameson Irish whiskey, Beefeater gin and Absolut vodka, to improve its overall financial performance. In response, the company has released a new three-year strategic plan to boost profit margins and make the company’s stock more attractive for investors.

Wine Retailers Looking For Ways to Keep Up With Amazon

With its acquisition of Whole Foods, Amazon has the potential to create a wine-delivery service that could challenge major online wine retailers. At the recent Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium in San Francisco, participants discussed steps that wine retailers can take to ward off Amazon’s inevitable entry into the wine market.

An Innovative Way to Get Rid of Cork Taint

And, on the topic of corks and corkscrews, Napa Valley vintners are experimenting with a new approach to combat cork taint. They are using former drug sniffing dogs from Chile, including Labrador Retrievers, to hunt down areas where the cork taint problem originates.

Robots in the Vineyard Are No Longer Science Fiction

Vineyard robots are a growing trend, according to an applied research engineer at the French Vine and Wine Institute. The first “wine bots” appeared in 2012, and are growing increasingly sophisticated. Currently, they are being used to address soil management issues, but their uses are rapidly expanding.

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Thank you again for going through the Bevcast Weekly News. Once again, a quick reminder to enter your wines in the 2019 China Wine Competition, the international wine competition that is organized by Beverage Trade Network every year in Shanghai that rates wines by Quality, Value, and Package.

That’s it for now, Subscribe to BevCast for weekly Audio News updates.

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