Wine Bazar

I’m a proud papa, though I don’t think myself at all unique in my position. When my little daughter figured out how to roll over this week and shake her head back and forth, I knew it was only a matter of time before she would get her MENSA membership card and first Olympic gold medal.

Nothing quite stirs our emotions like the successes of our own children, but I have to say I got a little verklempt last week more than once over happenings in the wine world.

I know, I know. I am a total and complete wine geek. But what can I say. I really did have a “moment” when I heard that for the first time ever in history British wine drinkers, those notorious Francophiles, were buying more American wine than French.

The implications of this are quite staggering when you think about it. What this means really is that California wine (95% of US exports) outsold French wine in the UK for the first time in recorded history.

Commentators chalk this up to “television advertising, big brands and cheap rosé” a claim that makes me scratch my head a little as I’m not entirely sure what TV and cheap rosé have to do with it. Rather, I think we’ve probably been aided more by the falling strength of the dollar and perhaps France’s own difficulties in the wine department.

Speaking of which, my second moment of pride this month came when I heard that Italy was poised to become the world’s largest producer of wine, knocking France out of a position it has held for the last decade.

Of course, judging success by purely the volume of wine produced is a tricky business as the French can tell you, having dealt with massive oversupply of wine in the bottom end of the market many times. But I have no reason to believe that this development results purely from growth in Italy’s lowest quality wines. In fact, if statistics are to be believed, the number of Italian wines that receive some level of certified quality designation continues to rise at a greater rate than production. Which means Italy is not only making more wine, it’s making more higher quality wine than ever.

So this month America and Italy get gold stars they can take home and hang up on their refrigerators. I’m damn proud of both of them.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Mike Birdsall)

How would you like to go a luxury wine vacation all the while knowing that you’re enjoying Napa luxury because you helped to feed some hungry schoolkids in Lesotho, Africa? That, my friends, is the beauty of the charity event called A Menu For Hope.

This is the fifth year of A Menu For Hope, the grassroots charity event for wine and food bloggers that started in response to the horrible Tsunamis of 2004. Last year’s event raised more than $90,000 for the UN’s World Food Programme, which set up a special arrangement so that 100% of the proceeds went to the people we were trying to help.

This year we’re doing the same thing. Helping the same people, the same way. By holding a big-ass charity raffle, with prizes donated from bloggers all around the world.

Here at Vinography, we’re hosting all the prizes donated by wine bloggers, plus some very special prizes donated by folks who look kindly on this effort. Before I tell you about the prizes on offer, however, you should know that winning a prize is as easy as making a $10 donation to our cause. Every ten bucks you donate gets you another “ticket” for the raffle. You designate which prize you want your “ticket” to go for, and then a computer program gives you that many chances to win. Donate $5000 and you’ve got 500 chances to win one, or many prizes.

Specific instructions for entering the raffle can be found at the bottom of this post. But let’s get on with the prizes shall we? If you don’t see something below that you think is worth ten bucks, then you’re probably beyond hope yourself. Pay special attention to the prize codes. You’ll need them when you donate.

Dinner in New York with Eric Asimov of the New York Times

Eric Asimov is the chief wine critic of The New York Times, a position he assumed in June 2004 after having covered wine with The Times’ tasting panel and in his “Tastings” column for the Dining section. He’s one of America’s most visible wine writers, and a darn nice guy to boot. So nice, in fact, that he’s willing to have dinner with someone for charity. For this prize, he′ll buy dinner for one lucky wine lover somewhere on the island of Manhattan that has a great wine list. You choose the date, he chooses the restaurant, and you can talk about whatever you want, even if it isn’t wine. Value: Priceless. Prize code: WB02. Courtesy of The Pour.

Blackbird Vineyards Magnum and Ma(i)sonry Tasting
Blackbird Vineyards is one of the hottest new wineries in Napa Valley, if only according to Vinography. This prize includes an etched magnum of the 2006 Illustration Red Wine and a certificate for a private tasting of the Blackbird Vineyards portfolio for four people at the newly opened Ma(I)sonry in Yountville. Ma(I)sonry is a “living gallery” event space, tasting room, and exclusive lounge in the heart of Napa Valley. Prize code: WB03. Courtesy of Blackbird Vineyards and Ma(i)sonry.

A case of zinfandel with your own professionally designed custom label.
This prize would be good enough just as a case of Brutocao Cellars Zinfandel. But you not only get a case of wine, you get this wine with your own personalized custom label on it. Whatever you want it to say, whatever you want it to look like. Value: $700. Prize code: WB05. Courtesy of Custom Wine Source.

Half a case of Verge Syrah, and a tour of the Vineyard
Join VERGE Winemaker Mike Brunson for a special tour of Bradford Mountain where you will see firsthand what it means to farm on the edge of the wild. At just over 1200 feet elevation, Bradford Mountain is on the far western edge of Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. VERGE Wine Cellars produces small lots of block specific Syrah and these organcially grown vineyards are perfect examples of what we call Fringe Vineyards. Mike Brunson has over 15 years winemaking experience and will describe the ins and outs of organic viticulture, mountain farming, and Syrah winemaking. After the hike, you’ll enjoy a tasting of Syrahs from Bradford Mountain as well as a selection of other Syrahs from around the world. As a parting gift, you will also recieve 6 bottles of VERGE Wine Cellars′ inaugural release, the 2006 VERGE Syrah. Prize code: WB08. Courtesy of Verge Cellars.

Wine Book Bonanza
There’s only one thing better than drinking wine, and that’s drinking wine with a nice wine book on your lap. Here’s your chance to add to your library and maybe learn a thing or two in the process. Courtesy of University of California Press, pick any 5 wine books from their current list of titles. Value: approx $150. Prize Code:W᧑. Courtesy of University of California Press.

Wine Travel Guide Voucher
Travel the world of wine, but make sure you know what you’re doing before you go. That’s where Wine Travel Guides comes in. This prize includes a Gold Subscription Gift Voucher that gets you access to the whole site of wine travel guides. Value: $80. Prize Code:WB10. Courtesy of Wink Lorch.

Giant Wine Map of California
California is the second in our series of wine maps and the latest installment in our attempt to become the Edward Tufte of the wine world. The regular retail size of this map is 24 x 36 inches, however, this one will be custom printed at a giant 4 feet wide by 6 feet tall. We’re finishing the artwork right now, so be the first on your block (actually on the entire planet) to have a Giant Wine Map of California. To get a better idea of the style and quality, please take a look at our map of the Iberian Peninsula. The map of California will be just as obsessively accurate, up to date and - all importantly - suitable for framing (if you can find a frame that large). This item can only be delivered to US addresses. Estimated Value: $400. Prize Code:WB12. Courtesy of DeLong Wine Moment.

Labor of Love In The South of France

Planning a trip to southern France? Why not spend a day learning what it’s really like to own a vineyard or work in a winery! Depending on the time of year you visit, we could be pruning, plowing, picking grapes, bottling, making wine or even selling it. Our vineyards, located at the foot of the medieval village of Castillon du Gard in the southern Rhône valley, are the prefect place to enjoy a day of (very rewarding) manual labor. To celebrate your accomplishments we will prepare a gourmet dinner for you and your fellow workers at our house!

Locally grown products will grace the table and all courses will be paired with the best our local winemakers have to offer. We will taste wines from all around the southern Rhone, not just La Gramière, and you (the winner) will be paid for your hard work with 6 bottles of the current vintage of La Gramière. Now all that’s left for you to do is plan a trip to Southern France! Prize code: WB15. Courtesy of La Gramiere.

Private Wine Blending Session

Learn how to blend wine at an intimate wine blending event for eight people at Crushpad, San Francisco’s luxury custom winery. You′ll have the help of one of Crushpad’s resident winemakers and you′ll go home with t-shirts and a wine blending kit of your own so you can try your skills at making a few bottles of wine for yourself or for friends. Value: $500. Prize code: WB16. Courtesy of Crushpad.

Custom 90 Minute Wine Seminar

Bill Wilson, the host and producer of the Wine for Newbies Podcast will offer a 90-minute live wine seminar. The winner of this prize can choose the topic(s) for this wine seminar which he’ll broadcast via streaming video at a time and date of the winner’s choosing. The winner can have as many people participate as he or she wants! Since the seminar will be live via the Internet, the winner can be anywhere, as long as they understand English. Prize code: WB20. Courtesy of Wine for Newbies.

* * *

HOW TO ENTER:

If you’re interested in buying into the raffle, here’s what you need to do:

1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from above or from the master list at Menu for Hope at

2. Go to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope5 and make a donation.

3. Please specify which prize you’d like in the ‘Personal Message′ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code. Example:

Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02. Example:

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we can contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

Check back on Chez Pim on Wednesday, January 9 for the results of the raffle.

Thanks for your participation, and good luck in the raffle!

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Ian Love)

Meet Michel Chasseuil. He’s 67, drives a beat-up old car, never goes on vacation, and is perhaps not unlike so many aging Frenchmen of his generation. He does have one particular thing that makes him somewhat unique, and of great interest to most anyone interested in fine wine, however.

Chasseuil owns what many consider to be the greatest single wine collection in the world: 20,000 bottles of 18th, 19th and 20th century wines from the world’s greatest producers, especially those in France. He started off as a serious wine enthusiast and investor, and the thrill of collecting eventually took over, leading him to amass a collection of some of the rarest and most expensive bottles of wine in existence.

But almost none of these wines will ever be tasted, if Chasseuil has his way, and he will never sell any of them. He’s looking for funding to create a museum where he can house his collection for the enjoyment of wine lovers everywhere.

And that makes me sad.

There’s something quite poignant, not to mention ironic, about a museum full of bottles of wine that no one will ever drink. Wine is not like jewelry, or glassware, or old coins, or art. It is created to be drunk and each bottle of wine is only meaningful if that possibility continues to exist.

I don’t object to buying wine for investment purposes because when wine is bought and sold eventually some of it gets consumed. Locking it away forever seems a bit of a crime, really. Why not empty the bottles and keep them in a museum? The bottle is the only part of the wine a visitor would ever get to appreciate anyway.

Economics has created a world where wine can be treated like an treasure instead of the sustenance it was created to be. I can’t fault that reality. But I can regret that someone, somewhere is never going to have a truly amazing experience that one of these bottles might offer, even if that person most assuredly would never have been me.

If we’re going to worship wine, we should do it in our glasses, not from behind a glass wall. It’s meant to be drunk.

Read the full story.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Ian Love)

Every year the Culinary Institute of America sponsors an induction of several luminaries in California wine into the Vintners Hall of Fame (which really should be called The California Wine Hall of Fame, since it includes people who are not winemakers and it is exclusively focused on people who have made an impact to the California wine industry). Despite its misnomer, since its founding in 2007, this organization has admirably sought to recognize the individuals (historical and current) that have contributed to the remarkable success of California wine.

The contenders for induction are decided upon by a nominating committee (in the way of full disclosure, I have been part of that committee since last year) and then they are put out to a vote among 45 of America′s top wine journalists. Nominees fall into two categories, “General Nominees″ who are still living or very recently deceased, and “Pioneers″ who have passed away prior to 1989.

This year’s winners, announced this morning, are:

Warren Winiarski, PhD, the founder of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars whose inaugural vintage won the famed 1976 Judgement of Paris Tasting.

Jack & Jamie Davies, who revitalized the old Schramsberg wine estate in the 60’s.

Carole Meredith, PhD, whose 20 year tenure at U.C. Davis included major discoveries of the genetic origins of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Zinfandel.

Jess Jackson, founder and owner of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates.

Justin Meyer, one of the original Christian Brothers winemakers, and co-founder of Silver Oak Cellars.

Gerald Asher, the wine writer who spent more than 30 years at the helm of Gourmet’s wine department.

And finally, inducted into the ranks of the Pioneers, Frederick and Jacob Beringer, also known as the Beringer Brothers, some of the first and most successful Napa wine producers.

I was overwhelmingly glad to see Jess Jackson finally make it in. I’ve voted for him every year, and look forward to seeing other Sonoma-based names fill up the roster that currently leans very heavily towards Napa. I was also quite pleased to see Warren Winiarski added to the roles.

On the flip side, I was completely taken aback to see Gerald Asher beat out Robert M. Parker, Jr. on this year’s ballot. Floored, as a matter of fact. I don’t understand how a panel of wine journalists could possibly justify the argument that Asher has had more of a positive impact on California wine in any objective sense.

Don′t get me wrong, I love Asher’s writing about wine, but the guy didn′t do much for California wine in particular. Heck, he wasn′t all that fond of it, to tell the truth. Parker on the other hand, more than any other critic or journalist has literally made the fortunes of hundreds of California winemakers, and offered a rising tide of praise that has literally lifted the entire California industry.

The only explanation I can possibly come up with is something along the lines of jealousy or petty vindictiveness among the wine writers judging. Seriously people, Gerald Asher !?!

Other misses of note include the fact that pioneering winegrower Andy Beckstoffer keeps missing out on induction by a hair, having lost by only a single vote for the second year in a row. Bonny Doon founder Randall Grahm also narrowly missed being inducted this year.

Here’s a link to the official press release, for those who are interested, as well as the official web site for the Vintners Hall of Fame.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

Every year the Culinary Institute of America sponsors an induction of several luminaries in California wine into the Vintners Hall of Fame (which really should be called The California Wine Hall of Fame, since it includes people who are not winemakers and it is exclusively focused on people who have made an impact to the California wine industry). Despite its misnomer, since its founding in 2007, this organization has admirably sought to recognize the individuals (historical and current) that have contributed to the remarkable success of California wine.

The contenders for induction are decided upon by a nominating committee (in the way of full disclosure, I have been part of that committee since last year) and then they are put out to a vote among 45 of America’s top wine journalists. Nominees fall into two categories, “General Nominees” who are still living or very recently deceased, and “Pioneers” who have passed away prior to 1989.

This year’s winners, announced this morning, are:

Warren Winiarski, PhD, the founder of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars whose inaugural vintage won the famed 1976 Judgement of Paris Tasting.

Jack & Jamie Davies, who revitalized the old Schramsberg wine estate in the 60’s.

Carole Meredith, PhD, whose 20 year tenure at U.C. Davis included major discoveries of the genetic origins of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Zinfandel.

Jess Jackson, founder and owner of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates.

Justin Meyer, one of the original Christian Brothers winemakers, and co-founder of Silver Oak Cellars.

Gerald Asher, the wine writer who spent more than 30 years at the helm of Gourmet’s wine department.

And finally, inducted into the ranks of the Pioneers, Frederick and Jacob Beringer, also known as the Beringer Brothers, some of the first and most successful Napa wine producers.

I was overwhelmingly glad to see Jess Jackson finally make it in. I’ve voted for him every year, and look forward to seeing other Sonoma-based names fill up the roster that currently leans very heavily towards Napa. I was also quite pleased to see Warren Winiarski added to the roles.

On the flip side, I was completely taken aback to see Gerald Asher beat out Robert M. Parker, Jr. on this year’s ballot. Floored, as a matter of fact. I don′t understand how a panel of wine journalists could possibly justify the argument that Asher has had more of a positive impact on California wine in any objective sense.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Asher’s writing about wine, but the guy didn’t do much for California wine in particular. Heck, he wasn’t all that fond of it, to tell the truth. Parker on the other hand, more than any other critic or journalist has literally made the fortunes of hundreds of California winemakers, and offered a rising tide of praise that has literally lifted the entire California industry.

The only explanation I can possibly come up with is something along the lines of jealousy or petty vindictiveness among the wine writers judging. Seriously people, Gerald Asher !?!

Other misses of note include the fact that pioneering winegrower Andy Beckstoffer keeps missing out on induction by a hair, having lost by only a single vote for the second year in a row. Bonny Doon founder Randall Grahm also narrowly missed being inducted this year.

Here′s a link to the official press release, for those who are interested, as well as the official web site for the Vintners Hall of Fame.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

Why do I feel like the wine media watchdog these days? Maybe the holiday spirit brings out the misinformation campaigns like no other time of the year. Or perhaps journalists are getting lazy and are scrounging for material that they can recycle out of press releases they have stuffed in the bottom drawers of their desks.

So what’s the rant about? Today’s piece of crap in the Telegraph, entitled “Screw Cap Wine Bottles Threaten Rare Species.” The occasion for repeating this completely asinine claim that somehow if we don’t stop using screwcaps all those delicate ecosystems of the cork forests will disappear appears to be an upcoming BBC documentary series that repeats the same idiotic logic.

I have no basis for alleging that this whole thing is yet another arm of the multi-pronged marketing strategy cooked up by the struggling cork manufacturers to save their asses in the face of falling demand for their product, but I will say that it is any commercial agricultural company′s wet dream of a PR campaign. Let’s get the environmentalists to indirectly endorse our products by suggesting that if we go out of business, the little creatures that happen to live in our fields will be in danger.

Maybe the cork companies just got lucky, but even if they had nothing to do with this story, it still stinks to high heaven.

Let’s start with what a cork oak forest looks like:

Photo by Ryan Opaz of Catavino.

Not exactly pristine natural habitat, is it? Looks more like a farm, which is exactly what it is. I wonder what the place looked like before humans got the idea to start stripping the bark off the trees? I could be wrong, but I’d be willing to bet that there were a lot more wild animals in the forest before we started farming it.

But let’s for a moment take at face value the claim that these cork forests are indeed valuable habitat for a number of creatures. It’s not much of a stretch to believe such a thing, even if it were a particular species of dung beetle, let alone a beautiful creature like the Iberian Lynx. But the notion that because some animals might live in these forests, then somehow any competitive threat to the cork industry is tantamount to environmental destruction and species endangerment is utterly and completely laughable.

Here’s an analogy: You have a farm, and I have a farm. I grow barley, which everyone has eaten for years. You grow wheat, which is a newfangled grain that people are just getting excited about. And I’m a bit of a sloppy farmer, so that the barley I bring to market is rotten about 6% of the time. After a few years, people are tired of getting rotten barley, they′re starting to like the taste of wheat, and I’m losing money, and can’t afford to till all of my fields. Did I mention that I have long haired rabbits that live in my fields? How excited would I be if an environmentalist came along and wrote an paper saying that people need to stop eating wheat because it is endangering the long haired rabbits?

This so called “species endangerment argument” against screwcaps completely ignores basic principles of economics and the fact that the whole reason that screwcaps were ever put on wine bottles in the first place was because the cork industry were supplying many people with an inferior product that ruined countless bottles of wine.

Yet somehow a bunch of scientists and reporters manage to concoct a drama that pits the screwcap wine closure industry against the poor Iberian Lynx.

And about that Iberian Lynx….It’s the most endangered feline species on the planet, and the most threatened carnivore in Europe. It’s so critically endangered that there were only about 100 of them left in 2005, and every single piece of the cat’s current habitat, the majority of which is not even in the country of Portugal, let alone it’s cork forests, is protected by law. The biggest cause of death for the Iberian Lynx at the moment? Automobile collisions.

The cork industry, cork farmers, and the cork forests of the world are subject to the same laws of economics as the rest of the world. If wine drinkers no longer want their wines closed with tree bark (unlikely to happen anytime soon) then the cork industry will most certainly suffer. Farmers who now grow cork oaks will most certainly rip them out and plant other things that they can actually use to feed their families, as well they should, in the absence of any other way to do so, or any incentive from the government to encourage conservation.

It may be that, indeed, cork forests deserved to be preserved for any number of reasons, whether cultural, environmental, or even simply for civic enjoyment. This would presumably involve people and governments who care about such things deciding to spend the money to do so.

It also may be factually true that cork closures are literally better for the environment than screwcaps, from the standpoint of their total carbon footprint, amount of chemical pollutants, et cetera, but I have yet to see a definitive study on the subject. The scientific jury is still out on whether they are indeed the best closures for wines that will age a long time, though many believe this to be true (myself included).

Regardless, we should not tolerate lousy journalism and crappy environmental science that suggests to consumers that their choice of wine bottle is threatening endangered species, and that winemakers should suffer having portion of their product ruined every year… for the kitties.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Alyssa Nair)

If I had some extra cash laying around right now, in addition to plowing it into the stock market, I’d likely be out there buying investment grade wine, as well as wine from my favorite expensive producers.

If you’re a consumer of news about the wine industry, then you understand what is going on in the wine retailing and wine auction world at the moment. On the chance that Vinography might be one of your sole sources of contact with the wine world, let me bring you up to speed: the wine market is doing what the Dow Jones Industrial Average just did for the last three months.

While the wine industry has trailed the general market malaise and the dive has not been as precipitous, things are tough right now in the world of wine. And the more expensive the wine, the tougher things are.

Champagne sales had already dropped by 25% in September and according to some sources, holiday sales are are expected to be half of what they were last year. Retail sales of high end wines are plummeting, and the wine auctions where collectors unload (and snap up) some of the world’s finest wines are seeing record numbers of lots go unsold or sell for far below their estimates.

In short, just like the stock market right now. It is a serious buyer’s market. I don’t know a single wine retailer worth their salt that isn’t in serious sale mode at the moment — with heavy discounting going on from the bottom of their inventory to the top. In hard economic times where it’s sensible to have a good cushion of cash in the bank, the last thing anyone wants to do is have too much capital tied up in inventory.

Just by way of a single example, a friend of mine forwarded me a newsletter from a New York wine store that showed the 1997 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red wine (a 100 pointer from one of CA’s most stellar vintages) being offered at a discount of nearly $800. While not half-off, that’s getting pretty close, and a remarkable steal for a wine that could easily be held for two years and sold for well over the pre-discount price.

And the final bonus: the strengthening dollar. Which means that apart from the sales, the cost of most imported wine has fallen considerably from the heights it was at merely 6 months ago. Direct imports are selling for a 20 to 30 percent discount off of those highs.

So if I had $10,000 laying around, I’d be likely plowing it into top Burgundies, Bordeaux First Growths, Barolos, and Napa cult Cabernets with the idea that I’d drink some in 5 or 10 years, and in 18, the rest would pay for my daughter’s first year of college.

NOTE: It’s a sad, sad thing that I even have to think about it, but I must make clear that the article above doesn’t constitute investment advice in any way, shape, or form. I’m not a professional, and if you buy wine based on what I say and lose your hard earned savings, then you should just open the damn bottles and drown your sorrows because it won’t be my fault.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Alyssa Nair)

One of the latest e-mail scams going around the Internet appears to be targeted at the wine industry. This scam operates at a slightly more sophisticated level than the now famous Nigerian scam. That scam begins with polite greetings (usually in all capital letters) and ends with with promises to share in a large sum of money if the victim will only help with the transfer of a large sum of money out of [insert country name here].

This latest wine focused scam masquerades as request for a private wine tasting and dinner for a large group from “out of town.”

Here is the text of the e-mail recently received by a San Francisco wine retailer:

I am Bernie James.I want to book for a group of 10 persons arriving from London for the month of November.They will all come in your place as from November 17th,18th, and 19th each for wine tasting and dine .if you are available for my date,send me details about what you offer and pricing.

Contact us via berniejames101@yahoo.co.uk

Best regards,

Bernie James
+447045752007

Innocuous enough, no? When the retailer in question wrote back with a quote, this is what they received in response:

Hello ,

Thanks for your reply and assistance so far. Base on trust and confidence, I will make a payment of $2,000.00 to you in advance, this is because I m not sure of what the guests might like to eat and drink as such will cover the cost of their meals, and their transportation arrangement to your place.

Moreover, we were able to make an arrangement with a pre-paid car hiring agent who will supply the guests with vehicles and drivers and other logistics prompting and arrangements for the group, which they will be using in going to your place . So in order not to share the credit card information with a third party, I have decided that only one person will have to handle the credit card information.

More so, the prepaid agent is not yet a credit card merchant therefore cannot charge credit cards. On my own side, i would have sent him his money direct. So once you are in receipt of my credit card details,you are required to charge $8,000.00 in your account then deduct $2,000.00 as initial deposit and transfer $6,000.00 to the prepaid car hire agent whose information I will forward to you once this is confirmed.

NOTE: That the Agent will be providing cars and drivers, purchase of flight ticket and visa, luggage handling, security and other logistics prompting and travel arrangements,
Confirm this message and provide me with your
(1) YOUR FULL NAME
(2) FULL ADDRESS
(3) PHONE NUMBERS for office record.
All checks and balances shall be done with the group leader on the final day.

Get back to me immediately.

Regards,
Bernie James
+447045752007

Luckily the retailer in question smelled a rat and stopped communicating with Mr. Bernie James, but he is no doubt busy sending e-mails to other retailers or wineries each day.

It goes without saying, but any requests to transfer money should be looked upon with great suspicion and under no circumstances should companies or individuals give out their bank account numbers, routing numbers, or credit card numbers to prospective “customers.” Even if they do have UK cell phone numbers instead of Nigerian ones.

For more information on how to spot fraudulent e-mails, please see this handy guide provided by Microsoft.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

Looks like a piece of news slipped by me a couple of months ago. Every year I look forward to a report, which more than any other single piece of news, speaks the truth about the state of wine in America. Restaurant Wine magazine commissions and publishes a report every year on the top 100 wines and top 100 wine brands sold in restaurants around the country, from family diners to fine dining restaurants.

Based on the simple measure of how many cases of each wine were sold at these restaurants, we get a picture of the most important person in America when it comes to wine: the average American wine consumer.

And why is this person so important? Because they are the bread and butter of the wine industry. They are the fuel for the wine engine. They are the bottom 95%, so to speak, whose spending habits make (or break) the market and who make up the pool of wine drinkers from which true wine lovers slowly graduate to more expensive wines and esoteric habits like…reading wine blogs.

I like knowing what the rest of America drinks when it comes to wine. Here at Vinography, here in San Francisco, here in my group of friends, I live in a bubble of unreality when it comes to wine. In this bubble, $40 bottles of really good wine are a steal and most everyone I hang out with knows how to pronounce Viognier (”vee-own-yay”). But that doesn’t represent wine drinking America any more than San Francisco represents the political tenor of the rest of the country.

This is what wine drinkers in America drink:

1 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay USA
2 Beringer Vineyards White Zinfandel USA
3 Cavit Pinot Grigio Italy
4 Sutter Home White Zinfandel USA
5 Inglenook Chablis USA
6 Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio Italy
7 Yellow Tail Chardonnay Australia
8 Copperidge Chardonnay USA
9 Yellow Tail Shiraz Australia
10 Franzia Winetaps Vintner Select White Zinfandel USA

Those are the top 10 wines consumed by Americans (by volume) in 2007.

And here are the top 10 wine brands sold in American restaurants in 2007:

1 Beringer Vineyards, Foster’s Wine Estates Americas
2 Kendall-Jackson, USA, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates
3 Franzia Winetaps, USA, The Wine Group
4 Yellow Tail, Australia, W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Ltd.
5 Sutter Home, USA, Trinchero Family Estates
6 Inglenook, USA, The Wine Group
7 Copperidge, USA, E. & J. Gallo Winery
8 Cavit, Italy, Palm Bay Imports
9 Woodbridge, USA, VineOne (Constellation)
10 Foxhorn Vineyards, USA, The Wine Group

For me and for the wine lovers that I hang out with (and no doubt the folks that read this blog) these are somewhat sobering lists, if only because for most of us, these are wines we generally don′t, and wouldn′t, consume given the choice. The average retail price of these wines is well below $8 per bottle, and the last time I asked you readers what you spend on average per bottle it was somewhere around $20.

And some of you probably didn’t think that you were all that sophisticated when it came to wine, did you? Notice how the top 10 wines only includes a single red wine? If you’re a Cabernet drinker you’re a member of the wine elite. And I’m only partially kidding.

Here are some additional interesting facts about this year’s list:

- White Zinfandel sales are down 15%
- Chardonnay was more popular than Pinot Grigio for the first time
- Pinot Noir sales were up (again) by 89%
- Merlot sales were down (again) by 9%
- Sauvignon Blanc and Sangiovese wines appeared for the first time on the top 100 list (bravo!)

So what to make of all this? I take a number of things away from this list every year. The first is appreciation for how lucky I am to be able to drink the quality of wine that I do regularly. The second is humility — a reminder that while I may not choose to drink them, these wines, the companies that make them, and the people that drink them are what really make the wine world go ’round. And finally, I always finish my perusal of these numbers with hope. The amount of wine America drinks continues to go up, and slowly, but surely, the diversity of that wine continues to expand.

And that means that we’re making progress.

Read more details on the annual Restaurant Wine report.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

I′ve always privately believed that if everyone just drank a bit more wine, the world would be a better place. Who knows if that’s really true, but apparently it’s quite likely that if everyone drank more wine, the world would be more democratic.

According to analysis by Jon Bonné, Wine Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, Obama was elected by The Wine Vote.

What’s that, you ask? Wine drinking liberal elitists? Guilty as charged. But get this little statistic:

Amount of wine produced in states that McCain won: 4.3 Million Gallons
Amount of wine produced in states that Obama won: 773 Million Gallons
Percentage of wine produced in America that comes from states that Obama carried: 98.6

Harper’s Index eat your heart out. The whole thing makes me giggle. And while Obama is a big beer lover, it’s clear that the White House wine cellar will get a lot more attention starting in January than it has for the last eight years.

Check out Jon′s blog post.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Unknown)