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Welcome to
VOLUME VI,
NUMBER 8 of Wine News, the e-Letter from the WineCountry.IT network. (Would you
rather see the e-Letter on your favorite browser? Use
this link. Usa il link seguente se vuoi leggere
le News in italiano).
August, the sacred summer vacation month for most Italians, when smart foreign tourists choose to visit the boot's art cities as they are almost deserted, has arrived. August offers the unusual sight of historic downtown centers devoid of traffic, thus inviting visitors to walk ancient cobblestone streets or stroll in the shade of arched porticos.
The majority of Italian businesses shut their doors for two to four weeks and whole families will hit the road for the sun of the Mediterranean coasts, or for the cooler environment of Alpine resorts.
The most drunk wines of the month will be chilled, sparkling Prosecco as aperitif and paired with lighter summer fare; crispy, mineral whites paired with seafood recipes; frothy Lambrusco with simple cold cuts and cheese plates; and flowery, fresh rosès poured throughout the meal. The lovers of full bodied red wines will stick with their favorite drinks and pair them with roast lamb in Sardinia, or venison in the Apennine towns from Emilia Romagna to Campania.
For your pleasure there are several articles as usual. Read about the exclusive US distribution rights agreement for the Centellino which we signed this past month. Find out the irony of Calistoga's Chateau Montelena being sold to a French estate the same month as a movie celebrating Jim Barrett's estate and the 1976 Paris Tasting debuted in Calistoga. These are but some of the articles available herein.
Enjoy your summer and drink well, but responsibly.
Loris Scagliarini, WineCountry.IT President |
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Articles |
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The Revenge of Paris: 32 Years Later |
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 Calistoga's Chateau Montelena, one of the US estates which shocked Paris and the rest of the wine world 32 years ago with the quality of its products, has been bought by a French winery.
The famous 1976 Paris Tasting has taken on a quasi-mythical status in Napa Valley. As a matter of fact, just 10 days ago we published an article about the Calistoga debut of a movie entitled Bottle Shock which tells the story of Chateau Montelena's Jim Barrett and the '76 Paris Tasting.
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European Vs. US Wines |
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 For a while now I have been thinking of writing about the fact that, despite the historic low rate exchange of the dollar against the European currency, generally speaking American wines continue to be more expensive than the imported European wines. Why is that? As many small wine importers are considering closing their businesses because of the low margins left by the weak dollar, US wines, sometimes produced a stone's throw away from where they are purchased, often still cost a little more than equivalent or superior imported quality wines.
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Italian P.M. Berlusconi Compares Himself to Brunello: …Getting Better with Age |
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 As further proof that the effect of the image-damaging scandal around the Brunello di Montalcino is quickly setting in, there is the salacious comment of Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi. As could be expected, the prime minister's wisecrack has been commented on in the Italian news by both the left and the right as well, of course, with irony.
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Bottle Shock: The Movie |
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 Bottle Shock, the movie about inspired novice vintner, Jim Barrett, who risked everything to realize his dream of creating the perfect hand-crafted California Chardonnay, hits the theaters at the beginning of August.
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San Francisco International Wine Competition: 28th Annual Results |
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 Forty-five wine industry professionals from throughout the United States, worked together June 13th, 14th and 15th to taste, score and rank over 4,240 wines from 1,205 wineries during the San Francisco International Wine Competition, held at San Francisco's Hotel Nikko. In its 28th year, the San Francisco International Wine Competition examined wines from 23 states and 23 countries.
Photos by Martha Bruce Photography
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San Francisco International Wine Competition: Label Award |
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The 2008 Label Competition awards is one of the various prizes assigned by the professional judges at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, held at San Francisco's Hotel Nikko on June 13th, 14th and 15th, 2008. This award honors excellence in label design in the wine industry.
The jury selected the winning designs for their high artistic merit and brand-enhancing communicative qualities.
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A Glass of Quality Wine, Anybody? |
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 Until now, California law limited to 1-ounce samples the amount of wine which the state's wine tasting rooms could offer visitors. Thank to a bill signed into law Wednesday, July 16, 2008, by Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger, they can now serve visitors as much as they like. In fact, now wines can be drunk at winery tasting rooms or surrounding picnic areas, either by-the-glass or full bottles.
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Major Focus on Wine at Paris' SIAL 2008 |
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 SIAL Paris 2008, the Salon International de l'Agroalimentaire International (International Salon of International Agriculture and Food), or the world summit for international food and beverage decision makers scheduled for October 19, to 23, 2008, announced an expanded Wine and Fine Food sections in the newly added Hall 7. The wine section was added in 2006 and currently attracts over 16,000 visitors and 154 exhibitors from 23 countries.
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Introduced the AIS Wine Guides La Romagna da Bere and L'Emilia da Bere 2008 – 2009 |
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 Monday, June 14, 2008, at the Regional Enoteca in Dozza, a town in the province of Bologna, the 84 vini eccellenti (excellent wines) or the top regional wines according to the Italian Association of Sommeliers' (Associazione Italiana Sommeliers, or AIS) guides entitled Emilia da Bere (Emilia to Drink) and Romagna da Bere (Romagna to Drink), received their awards in the presence of the Regional Agriculture Councilor, Tiberio Rabboni, and the two presidents of the AIS chapters of Emilia and Romagna.
La Romagna da Bere and L'Emilia da Bere are two guides which introduce wines, wineries, and typical local food products.
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| Eighty Four Excellente Wines from Emilia Romagna 2008 – 2009 |
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 Herein we provide the complete list including the 84 'excellent wines' from Emilia Romagna. The wines were selected by the tasters of the Emilia and Romagna AIS (Associazione Italiana Sommeliers, or Italian Association of Sommeliers) and awarded during the presentation of the fifth edition of the guides entitled La Romagna da Bere (Romagna to Drink) and L'Emilia da Bere (Emilia to Drink) 2008 - 2009.
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Latium Excellent Wines: 275 Labels Made the List |
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 The results of the fourth competition entitled Selezione dei Vini del Lazio (Selection of Latium Wines), the event organized by ARSIAL (Agenzia Regionale per lo Sviluppo e l'Innovazione dell'Agricoltura nel Lazio, or Regional Agency for the Development and Innovation of Agriculture in the Latium Region), in collaboration with Rome's provincial administration and the Consortiums for the protection of the regional wines, which took place from June 19th, to 21st, 2008, were announced.
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Brunello di Montalcino Wine Crisis Over |
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 The worst seems to be over in the three-month-old crisis which hit Brunello di Montalcino because of the addition of grapes other than the allowed Sangiovese Grosso cultivated in specific areas, identified as Denominazione d'Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), in the surroundings of the medieval town of Montalcino, in the Tuscan countryside. On July 3, 2008, the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Luca Zaia, signed a decree in Montalcino on July 3, 2008, calling for inspection of all the exported bottles.
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WineCountry.IT
Columns |
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Merket Views |
WineCountry.IT and Table Top s.a.s., the company which produces the Centellino AreaDivino, the exciting new top-of-the-bottle mini decanter which allows wine lovers to appreciate the aroma, perfume and nuances of important wines right from the first sip, have reached an agreement for the exclusive distribution of this amazing accessory in the US. I might come across as a snob, but I bring my centellino with me when I go to a restaurant.
We already knew that the Centellino is currently enjoying well deserved success, brought about by years of trial and research. The posting on YouTube of non professional videos by people who appreciate the object though, tells us that the Centellino is rapidly becoming one of those accessories which is a must for the passionate wine lover. In addition, in this case the success has not been brought about by a multi-million dollar advertising campaign, but rather sprang from a grass roots, word of mouth movement generated by the appreciation for this object on the part of user who had the opportunity to try it.
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This month we present a well known and appreciated rice from Veneto, the Vialone Nano Veronese IGP, which is considered the king of the risotto by gourmands worldwide, with either meat-, seafood-, or vegetable-based sauces,
and the Lenticchia di Castelluccio di Norcia IGP (Lentils from Castelluccio di Norcia IGP, or Lens Esculenta Moench in Latin) from the central, land-locked region of Umbria, where this healthful legume has been cultivated for centuries.
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Saturday, July 26, 2008, the first round of the finals to select the wines for the Vini Buoni d'Italia 2009 (Good Wines of Italy 2009) guide, published by the 
A ban that prevents Massachusetts wine lovers from purchasing their favorite wines will get its day in court July 29, as attorneys for the Coalition for Free Trade represent the 700+ winery-member trade association and plaintiff Family Winemakers of California.
