Pinot Days is the biggest Pinot Noir tasting in the world, and the most recent festival took place in San Francisco’s downtown, at the historic Westfield Centre. This leading wine event featured scores of wineries focused on the art of the Pinot Noir.
Are you interested in wine-making as a business? The information in the new Winemakers Primer book is worth its weight in gold.
California winemaker WINC is announcing their new brand of American sparkling wine, “WKND”
Sutter Home Family Vineyards has a new pre-made bottle of California-style sangria that they have recently launched. The new product comes with a custom designed label that evokes the fun and carefree atmosphere that often accompanies sangria.
One thing we discovered is that it also comes accompanied with a little voice in your head. This little voice goes with you everywhere, and any place that you see sangria being offered it says to you, “Hey, why buy a glass of sangria here when you can go back and open the entire bottle for less?”
Granted, drinking sangria in the office or at home with a few friends is different than doing it at a restaurant or a fiesta, but with a few slices of fruit and their company, it basically amounts to the same thing.
Plus, if you’ve ever tried to make sangria yourself then you know both the joy of success and the disappointment of failure. Being able to remove that uncertainty is worth the price itself.
Says Sutter: Sutter Home Sangria is inspired by traditional Spanish Sangria, but this wine has a distinctive California style—it’s lighter and juicier with subtle hints of citrus and spice, making it the perfect choice for festive social occasions. Wine drinkers today are increasingly turning to Sangria as the perfect refreshing beverage to enjoy at backyard BBQs, summer picnics, and many casual social events, driving the category up +7.2%* in dollar sales versus a year ago. “With the increasing popularity of Sangria, the timing is perfectly aligned for the brand to introduce our own version,” says Wendy Nyberg, vice president of marketing for Sutter Home. “The Sutter Home Sangria brings together what consumers love about wine and flavor, satisfying their need for a real wine that also provides a festive, fruity, and fun experience.
The Sutter Home Sangria is made from 100% premium California red wine. The winemaking team ferments the juice in stainless steel to preserve a fresh fruit character. A hint of natural residual grape sugar is added to the wine giving it just the right amount of juicy sweetness. The final blend is then infused with all natural fruit essences and spices.”
Priced at $5.99 for the 750mL and $5.99 for a single-serve 4-pack
VOGA Italia has recently unveiled a new red wine, which they call “Red Fusion.” The wine is very Italian in its profile and flavor components, however it is also designed to appeal to an American wine drinker who may have a taste for Californian styles.
“Red Fusion” is a fusion blend of 65% Zinfandel and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon from Salento in southern Italy, where the terroir is hot and sunny.
You may notice that the VOGA bottle is distinctive as well, and gives the wine a nice and somewhat sleek appeal as an affordable luxury gift.
Per VOGA Italia:
Imported from Italy by Enovation Brands, Inc., Red Fusion joins VOGA’s collection of meticulously crafted, strikingly packaged wines and reflects the VOGA Italia mission to produce distinctive, high-quality wines for the modern wine consumer.
Bursting with blackberry, black cherry and black raspberry notes, Red Fusion has a jammy fruit character on the palate and a hint of mint on the nose. The tannin structure and oak aging provide balance, complexity and a long, delicate finish to this contemporary, food-friendly blend.
After years of being passed over for single-varietal wines, a new wave of red blends are winning over consumers, with Zinfandel based blends leading the charge. “Red Fusion offers consumers the choice of a distinctive blend of two popular varieties versus a conventional, single-varietal wine,” said Enovation Brands, Inc. President Alberto Pecora. “Crafted with Salento grapes, Red Fusion also provides an Italian option for California Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon lovers.”
Packaged in the VOGA Italia award-winning trademark cylindrical bottle with re-sealable cap, the soft grey minimalist graphics communicate a subtly masculine quality appropriate for this big, bold red. At $11.99 per 750ml, Red Fusion hits the category sweet spot and delivers exceptional quality rarely seen at this price point.
VOGA Red Fusion will be available nationwide starting October 2014. The roll-out will be supported by an integrated campaign designed to communicate the outstanding product quality and global brand success calling for consumers to Taste Why The World Is Talking About VOGA.
Pierre Bettinger of Duval-Leroy
Champagne Duval-Leroy recently celebrated at 620 Jones in San Francisco several new developments and distribution of its delicious vintages in the United Sates. The event included pairings of various luxury hors d’oeuvres, chacuteries, cheeses, and even caviar with the premium champagnes from Duval-Leroy.
Luxury hors d’oeuvres from 620 Jones
Poured for tasting were the Duval-Leroy Brut Premier Cru, the Duval-Leroy Rose Premier Cru, and the Duval-Leroy Blanc de Blanc 2006 (our favorite).
The 620 Jones pairing menu consisted of selections such as prawn ceviche, caviar on a caor madeleine with creme fraichee and chive, and grilled rabit saddle with roasted figs bruschetta.
Champagne Duval-Leroy can also be found in the U.S. via the Henry Wine Group (www.henrywinegroup.com)
Vive la France!
Luxury hors d’oeuvres from 620 Jones
Luxury hors d’oeuvres from 620 Jones
Luxury hors d’oeuvres from 620 Jones
Luxury hors d’oeuvres from 620 Jones
Luxury hors d’oeuvres from 620 Jones
Chef at 620 Jones
Food and lifestyle journalist Emma Krasov
Le Menu
Team at Duval-Leroy
Caviar from 620 Jones, SF