Tuesday 27 May 2008

Tragedy of wine producer

A wine producer was killed in a freak accident at his vineyard when he was crushed by hundreds of bottles.

George Musgrave, 66, who ran Polmassick Vineyard in St Ewe, Cornwall, with his wife Barbara, 62, was killed when half a tonne of empty bottles fell on the father of two.

He was airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, but later died from his injuries.

Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

Monday 19 May 2008

India set to shine in the world of wine

The London International Wine Fair opens in London this week and some of the more unusual brands on display are from India.

Industry experts are predicting that India will emerge as one of the largest wine producers in the world in the next fifty years.

Some of the Indian brands to be showcased at the fair include Marquise De Pompadour, Tiger Hill, Indage Reserve, Chantilli, Riviera, Ivy and Omar Khayyam.

Most of their technology and advice is from Europe, Indian winemakers are now promoting themselves in a big way to catch the attention of the rest of the world. Though India offers an ideal climate for winemaking and Indian wines have also won many prizes abroad, the biggest challenge for their industry is to make wine lovers around the world comfortable with the Made in India tag.

Tuesday 13 May 2008

China will be leading wine producer by 2058

China will come to the fore in the next half-century and emerge as the leading wine producing country. This is according to a new document out from Berry Bros & Rudd entitled 'The Future of Wine Report'.

Two significant areas are set for change in the next fifty years, it says. Firstly, the rise of wine brands will lead to massive changes in the marketing and packaging of wine products and secondly New World wine countries will see radical changes as climate change sets in.
China especially (currently the world's sixth largest wine producer and number four in terms of area under vine) will come to prominence as the leading producer by 2058.

The report says Cabernets and Chardonnays, in particular, will be in demand.

Alun Griffiths MW said: "China has the vineyards, but not the technical expertise, however, if good people from wine producing countries think there is opportunity to make wine in China, they will go there and invest."

Friday 9 May 2008

Just for the computer buffs?

Our prayers have been answered!!

Women hospitalised after cafe mistakes washing up liquid for wine

Two women have been taken to hospital after a New Zealand cafe mistakenly served dishwashing liquid as mulled wine.

Chico's Restaurant in the mountain resort of Queenstown on South Island pleaded guilty to a charge of selling food containing extraneous matter — the chemical sodium hydroxide — that caused injury

Customer Sarah Ferguson had ordered a glass of "Mountain Thunder" mulled wine from the cafe and spat out the liquid when she experienced a burning sensation on her lips and mouth.
Cafe worker Bethany Sim then offered to test the drink and suffered a similar reaction.

I can think of some so-called popular wines over here that may struggle to pass the dishwasher test!!