shiraz

Metal Band Introduces Motorhead Wine Glasses

Filed under: Wine

The link between rock music and wine seems to be one that's deepening over time. More and more rock stars have wine labels or wine collections from Sting to Whitesnake. One of the wine business's most intriguing entrepreneurs, Maynard James Keenan, is also the frontman for Tool. Metal band Motörhead is also in the wine business. The band had previously released 1,000 cases of Motörhead Shiraz which reportedly sold out in a week. There are now Motörhead wine glasses. Oddly enough they come in a set of three, with engraved logos and in a protective case. They sell for $115.90.

[via Gibson.com]

Tags: motorhead, shiraz, wine glasses

JAQK Cellars

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

There's a new arrival on the wine scene bound to whet your appetite and stir your inner gambler. JAQK Cellars, a playful take on the Jack, Ace, Queen and King of cards, is offering eight distinctive limited production wines this season. From the High Roller 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon to the Charmed 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, this creative and alluring brand pairs a healthy dose of frivolity with the enticing draw of a smoky, high-end casino. Completing the selection are Black Clover 2006 Merlot, Soldiers of Fortune 2006 Shiraz, Pearl Handle 2007 Chardonnay, 22 Black 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bone Dance 2006 Merlot, and Her Majesty 2007 Chardonnay. The bottle will cost between $23 and $70 but their four-bottle gift boxes offered for the holidays range between $120 and $220. I'd be willing to bet this California-based wine will increase your odds of enjoyment.

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Tags: 22 Black, 22Black, black clover, BlackClover, bone dance, BoneDance, cabernet sauvignon, CabernetSauvignon, chardonnay, charmed, Her Majesty, HerMajesty, high roller, HighRoller, JAQK, JAQK Cellars, JAQK wine, JaqkCellars, JaqkWine, merlot, pearl handle, PearlHandle, sauvignon blanc, SauvignonBlanc, shiraz, soldiers-of-fortune

Whole Foods Launches Green Path Wines

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Green

The move toward the acceptance of wine in Tetra Pak packaging gets a big boost with the introduction of Green Path wines at Whole Foods market. The Green Path wines are made with certified organic grapes using a growing process with minimal environmental impact and "bottled" in Tetra Pak Tetra Prisma packaging. The wines being sold are a 2006 Chardonnay and a 2006 Shiraz from Australia, sourced from Organic One Wines. The wines sell for $12 each.

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Tags: australian wine, chardonnay, organic wine, shiraz, tetra park, wine

Kono Baru Wine, Upside Down Is Right Side Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Don Sebastiani & Sons, the folks behind Used Automobile Parts wine are at it again. This time with wine with upside-down labels. Kono Barú. The upside-down labels represent the fact that the wines are sourced from vineyards in the Southern hemisphere. The initial launch is of six varietals from three countries. A Sauvignon Blanc, unwwoded Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile; a Riesling and a Shiraz from Australia; and a Malbec from Argentina. The Chilean and Australian wines are around $12 and the Malbec is around $16. The line is meant to represent a step up from the bargain-priced wines from Chile and Australia with something a little bit more upscale. The initial launch is around 100,000 cases.

[via Wine Business News]

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Tags: australian wine, AustralianWine, cabernet sauvignon, chilean wine, kono baru, KonoBaru, malbec, red wine, RedWine, riesling, sebastiani, shiraz, white wine, WhiteWine, wine

Princess Diana's Butler Sells Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Celebrity Shopping

Here's a new twist on celebrity wine. Paul Burrell, whose claim to fame is being the late Princess Diana's former butler has released a line of wines. The Royal Butler Wines are an Australian Chardonnay, a Shiraz and sparkling rose which sell for from $12 to $18. Apparently they are flying off the shelves at the Publix stores in Florida. The wines were created by winemaker Philip John at Hunter Valley winery Hungerford Hill and there are 100,000 cases of the 2006 vintage. Burrell is also planning a line of California wines called Royal Butler Jewels. Burrell has an entire line of Royal Butler products selling in places like the Home Shopping Network, has published a series of books about his life with the royal family and appeared on the UK TV reality show I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
The Decanter article also references the fact that Seamus Quigley of Vintage Wine Management, Burrell's US-based global sales and marketing agency is working on a wine project with Bono. Now that might be a wine worth checking out. As for the butler, I think I'll pass.

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Tags: chardonnay, paul burrell, royal butler wines, RoyalButlerWines, shiraz, sparkling rose

2003 E & E Black Pepper Shiraz Released

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

I've sung the praises of the Barossa area of Australia before, mainly in the form of Penfolds. This area produces some of the best and most expensive Shiraz around. The 2003 E&E Black Pepper Shiraz has recently been introduced in the U.S.

It has a tough act to follow, the 2002 got 97 points from Wine Spectator and was said to be one of the best around. Stuart Bourne, winemaker at Barossa Valley Estate, has been quoted as saying that the dry weather in 2003 put a bit of vine stress on the grapes. The end result was lower yields and smaller grapes resulting in a rich flavor with cherry, plum and coffee notes. The Barossa Valley Estate is sourced from the low-cropped Shiraz vineyards located in the drier northeastern part of the valley around Ebenezer and over 35 growers contributed to this vintage. Winorama in Australia tasted this back in August and reported that it has black fruit and peppercorn flavors and has nice tannins, describing it winningly as "a luxurious and comfy ride" and giving it 92 points. The wine can be found for around $85.

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Tags: australia, barossa valley, shiraz, wine

The World's Largest Wine Bottle Comes To The United States

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The world's biggest wine bottle has hit New York. The Five Virtues Shiraz bottle is six feet, five inches tall and weighs 1,300 pounds easily besting Maximus, the 4.5 foot bottle of Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon that we wrote about back in 2004. The bottle is the equivalent of 387 regular bottles and is sealed with a cork worth $3,500. It cost $11,000 to fly the bottle to and from its home in Australia. The bottles was shipped to the U.S. as part of G'day USA: Australian Week. The idea was conceived by Kim Bullock a liquor store owner and the Shiraz was created using grapes from five different winemakers and 12,000 normal-size bottles were also created. You can check out a pic of the bottle in all its oversized glory here.

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Tags: australia, shiraz, wine

2005 Fat Bastard Shiraz

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The fact that this French wine is called a Shiraz and not a Syrah lets you know they are going after the hearts of Americans. Another clue is that the wine is called the "hippo cuvee" which makes it nominally (to me at least) a "critter wine." As a rule, I'm trying to stay away from wines with animals on the front but my partner picked this up because he loved the name and so I was saddled with this wine with dinner. The Fat Bastard is 100% Shiraz and at around $10, it's not exactly a luxury wine. Sometimes a $10 wine can be surprisingly amazing. Not this one. I'm not so much a Shiraz fan and this wine is a prime example of why. It comes on strong with a big red fruit flush and a whole lot of peppercorn aroma and then... Nothing. It drifts away with hardly any finish. It's the wine equivalent of a comedy starring Owen Wilson. You choose it because you think it will be fun and charming and entertaining, instead you just end up unfulfilled.

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Tags: fat bastard, FatBastard, french wine, shiraz, wine

2003 Penfolds RWT Shiraz Wins Best Export

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

If you are familar with wine at all you are probably familiar with Penfolds Grange but the Australian winemaker has another wine that has garnered praise. It also costs quite a bit less than the Penfolds Grange. The 2003 Penfolds RWT Shiraz has been named Australia's best export wine of the year. According to an Australian article, it beat out 16,000 competitors to win the George Mackey Memorial Trophy for 2005-06 which is awarded by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation.

The RWT in the name stands for "red winemaking trials" which was a title used when the wine was first being developed. The wine is created from Barossa grapes matured in French oak. According to descriptions it's a bit lighter and fruitier than the Grange and has been described as capturing the essence of Australian red wine. It can be found at prices ranging from $65 and up but seems to be selling out fast.

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Tags: australia, barossa, penfolds, shiraz, wine

Nick Faldo Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Celebrity Shopping

Add another golfer to the list of celebrity winemakers that includes such legends as Greg Norman and Ernie Els. Nick Faldo's wine line was launched in 2000 and is made by the Katnook Estate in Australia. There are four wines, a Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, a Shiraz and a sparkling Shiraz which are all made of estate-grown fruit. Faldo is less hands-on than some of the other wine celebs, he leaves the actually winemaking to the experienced hands at Katnook. The Cabernet and the Shiraz have received good marks but I'm most curious about the sparkling Shiraz which is the newest wine in the range. The wines sell for around $22.

[via The Toronto Star]

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Tags: cabernet sauvignon, nick faldo, NickFaldo, shiraz, wine

Australian Wine Sales Down

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Is Australia losing its taste for the fruit of the vine? Australian wine has been grabbing a larger share of the worldwide market over the past few years but sales of wine in Australia are down 4.2 percent from last year. Red and rose wine sales were off 9.3 percent. The news was even worse for brandy, down 44.7 percent, and fortified wines, down 18.4 percent. Also with wine consumption down through much of Europe and wine surplus issues rising, the tide seems to be turning for the Australian wine industry in general. The Barossa winemaker Cockatoo Ridge saw profits fall 42 percent in the second half of the year and their chief exec, Ivan Limb was quoted in the The Advertiser as saying these are tight times for winemakers.

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Tags: australia, australian wine, cockatoo ridge, shiraz, syrah, vines, vineyards, wine, wine consumption, wine facts, wine surplus