Blog - If you can't drink wine at work, at least you can read about it!
New California Wine Labelling Law Approved
By Matthew Protti on 30 Aug 2010 | 0 comments
On Friday, the California Legislature unanimously approved a proposed wine label law for Sonoma County vinters that will require them to put Sonoma County on any label that names a local appellation.
The legislation means that any wine labeled with an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located entirely within Sonoma County — such as Russian River Valley or Dry Creek Valley — must also include the word "Sonoma County" on the label, starting in 2014.
Sonoma has 13 viticultural areas in total and over 250 wineries. Previously California has approved this type of labelling law for Napa Valley, Lodi and Paso Robles. The new labelling format should help the consumer understand where exactly their wine is coming from and improve Sonoma's brand. The Sonoma vintners worked with a bipartisan group of legislators for 10 months to make this work.
It seems like a no brainer. I'm just surprised it took so long for Sonoma to follow the lead of Napa and others. I'll be looking for those new labels in about 5 years.
Fancy wine spout thingers
By David Gluzman on 24 Aug 2010 | 0 comments
Over at WC HQ we tend to make quite the mess of things during our tastings. Actually who am I kidding, we have practically destroyed kitchen counters with wine stains.
Solution?
French designer aurélien barbry created his 'wine & bar' series for normann copenhagen.
the series is made predominantly from cork, comprised of three different designs that
combine a stopper and pourer. one of the stoppers imitates the form of a wine glass.
I'd like to put in the request for some fancy wine pouring thinger things. I think this would help immensely. Now where did I put my credit card!?
*Hat tip to Design Boom on these wine thinger-ma-bobbers.
Growing Food in Calgary
By Matthew Protti on 13 Aug 2010 | 0 comments
Gardening in Calgary is challenging, but even the most well prepared urban farmer can get frustrated. This summer has been comprised of, in no particular order, rain, hail, temperatures under 30 degrees, thunderstorms and the worst hail storm on record.
We've been unusually lucky at WineCollective HQ, avoiding both the big July 12th hailstorm and the destructive July 27th storm which caused flooding and downed trees in south Calgary. The moisture was a boon at the start of the growing season but because our season is so short (90 - 120 days) we need heat. And heat is one thing which hasn't been around much this summer.
Complaining aside, the urban farm is paying dividends. We are knee deep in mesclun lettuce, having enough for a couple salads a day. We've also been harvesting our sugar snap peas and young beets, all of which are crops which enjoy cool weather. We harvested a good sized head of broccoli the other day and look to have 10 - 15 more heads to come. Our pumpkins are starting to take over the garden as planned, and as you can see in the picture above we have decent sized pumpkins already growing. Given 6 weeks of growing season left, we're hoping for 20 lbs+ pumpkins (come on Indian summer!) Unfortunately our melon and cantaloupe crop, while growing, doesn't look like they will produce any fruit. Just didn't get enough heat this year.
Our carrots and tomatoes (see above) have created a veritable jungle of growth. We'll be picking our beets within the next couple of weeks, while the potatoes, onions, parsnips and carrots will likely be in ground until late September. Last year we had carrots in the ground until November 1st (yes, even with the -20 degree temps last October). We mounded them up with dirt, covered them with blankets and they keep well until the ground actually freezes.
Follow us on Twitter for more updates as we get closer to harvesting. As we move into fall, we'll also be providing recipes for dishes which can be paired with some of our fantastic wine selections. Stay tuned!
Dom Perignon pays tribute to Andy Warhol
By David Gluzman on 05 Aug 2010 | 0 comments
With the creation of an exclusive collection of three bottles by the Design Laboratory at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art & Design, Dom Pérignon pays tribute to Andy Warhol, creative genius and one of the most illustrious artists of the 20th century.” Love press releases that start like that. Especially when followed by fun anecdotal excerpts from Warhol’s Diary! “Went to the gallery where they were having a little exhibition of the glittery Shoes, and had to do interviews and pics for the German newspaper and then we had to go back to the hotel and be picked up by the “2,000” people - it’s a club of twenty guys who got together and they’re going to buy 2,000 bottles of Dom Pérignon which they will put in a sealed room until the year 2,000 and then open it up and drink it and so the running joke is who will be around and who won’t…” This is an entry from Andy Warhol’s diary on March 8th, 1981. I can’t help but wonder what ever happened to those 2000 bottles… but it is pretty awesome that “Inspired by Warhol’s unconventional representation of icons, and the playful use of codes and colour in his work, Dom Pérignon commissioned the Design Laboratory at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art & Design to reinterpret its timeless bottle. The result is a unique collection of three bottles, each with its distinct label in red, blue or yellow, paying homage to Warhol’s iconic colour games.
And here we thought Dom Perignon was fancy before! :)
*Hat tip to Notcot for this story.
France creates four new Appellations
By Matthew Protti on 23 Jul 2010 | 0 comments
Earlier in July, France's Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), the administrative body which governs French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOCs) created four new Appellations in Burgundy and the Rhone Valley.
The Appellation system represents the quality wines which are sold under the geographical name of the appellation rather than the varietal. The INAO made the switch so that producers in Burgundy would be able to better market and sell their lower-cost wines, while in the Rhône one appellation gets a bump in rank and the other just gets a name change.
Côteaux Bourguignons - AOC Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire is now known as Côteaux Bourguignons. The previous AOC designation wasn't used much in marketing, likely due to the "Ordinaire" title. Côteaux will still be at the bottom of the Burgundy heirarchy and will focus on low-cost wines.
Bourgogne Côte d'Or - A new name indicating wines will be from the Côtes de Nuit and Côtes de Beaune specifically and will be made exclusively from Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, excluding Gamay.
Grignon Lès Adhémar - A simple name change from Côteaux de Tricastin. It is an appellation on the SE Rhône area with Grenache and Syrah being the main varietals grown. The reason for the name change? The Tricastin nuclear power plant leaked 30,000 litres of uranium solution into the ground in 2008. Pollution was found in the Gaffiere, Rhone and Lauzon rivers. Sales have obviously suffered.
Rasteau - Previously labeled Rasteau Côtes du Rhône Villages, while "Rasteau" was reserved for fortified reds. The area is about 10 miles from Châteauneuf-du-Pape and there are some high quality wines coming from the area. The promotion of the AOC puts Rasteau on a new level for wine consumers.
