Aranda de Duero has been named “European City of Wine” for 2022

Aranda de Duero has just been named European Wine City by the European Wine Cities Network (RECEVIN).

Aranda de Duero, one of the cities that make up the Spanish Association of Wine Cities (ACEVIN), has been ratified as the next European Wine City, an initiative created by the European Network of Wine Cities (RECEVIN) and in which each year a city related to wine production and culture is selected, located in an area protected by a Denomination of Origin.

Aranda de Duero is located in the heart of the Spanish wine region of Ribeira del Duero. The vineyards are located at high altitudes, between 720 and 1100 meters above sea level. The hot and dry summers that cool down significantly at night, give the red wines the concentration and structure for which they have become famous.

The decision was made at the meeting held a few weeks ago in which Rosa Melchor, president of ACEVIN, and Raquel González, mayor of Aranda de Duero, proposed the postponement of the initiative until next year due to the unstable global situation caused by the health crisis of covid-19.

The European City of Wine initiative is on a rotating basis and countries that are part of RECEVIN can participate in it. Applications must always have a European dimension and demonstrate creativity, following criteria such as reinforcing awareness-raising activities in wine culture.

 

 

The Bollinger Family to Acquire Oregon’s Famed Ponzi Vineyards

The Bollinger family, owners of iconic Champagne Bollinger in addition to four other historic estates in France, announce the upcoming acquisition of their first winery in the United States, with the purchase of Oregon’s famed Ponzi Vineyards. The transaction will unite the Bollinger family with the Ponzi family, building on the legacy the Ponzis have established as one of Oregon’s original wineries, leading the success and growth of the region’s Pinot Noir over the last 50 years.

Bollinger family holding group Chairman & CEO Etienne Bizot comments, “The United States is such an important market for luxury Champagne, Burgundy, Sancerre, Cognac, and other regions in which our family owns wineries. If there was anywhere outside of France where we felt it was critical to invest, it is in the U.S. We have quietly considered opportunities for a number of years, but it is finally with the Ponzi family that we feel we have found the ideal fit. Their bold vision to come to Oregon, the subsequent decades of recognition for continually innovating and improving – we have so much respect for what the Ponzis have achieved, and look forward to building on it together, and connecting all our brands more closely with the U.S. market.”

“We have dedicated our lives to demonstrating Oregon’s Willamette Valley as one of the greatest places on the planet for producing cool climate, high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay,” remarks Luisa Ponzi, the winery’s recognized leading winemaker who trained in Burgundy. “This transaction makes sense for our respective families because of our well-aligned values and shared commitment to producing wines of the very highest quality.”

“It gives us immense satisfaction to have the opportunity to pass our legacy winery on to the Bollinger family, who will continue to elevate the brand on a global scale,” Winery president Anna Maria Ponzi shares. “This is the natural next step for our brand and winery.”

The purchase includes the winery and hospitality facilities 40 minutes from Portland, Oregon in addition to 35 acres of vineyard land in the newly established Laurelwood District AVA. The winery has been an introduction to the region for countless numbers of people through not only visits but major events that the Ponzi family has been instrumental in creating and supporting, such as the International Pinot Noir Celebration, Oregon Pinot Camp and the Salud Pinot Noir Barrel Auction.

Under the leadership of a new CEO, whose recruitment is ongoing, Anna Maria will continue to lead the sales & marketing over the transition period and Luisa will remain as the Director of Viticulture and Winemaking. The Ponzi family will retain 100 acres of vineyard land and will grow and sell the grapes to Ponzi Vineyards under a long-term contract.

VINTUS, current Ponzi Vineyards national sales and marketing agent, and importer of Champagne Bollinger, Champagne Ayala, Domaine Chanson and Langlois-Chateau, will continue to represent Ponzi’s trade distribution in the United States.

#winenews #industrynews #champagne #bollinger #bollingerchampagne #Ponzivineyards#wineindustry #oregon #wine #oregonwine #willamettevalleywine #instawine #winewednesday @ponzivineyards @champagne_bollinger

 

Lady Gaga Collaborates with Dom Pérignon

Singer-songwriter Lady Gaga will be featured in an advertising campaign for Dom Pérignon Champagne starting April 6th.

The campaign is to be shot by British fashion photographer Nick Knight, although no further details are available at this stage.

She captioned the post on Instagram: “I am very excited to announce my collaboration with @domperignonofficial! Dom Pérignon and I are both driven by the need for creative freedom, and we’re excited to share the Queendom with you, an artistic universe we created with my dear friend @nick_knight! (sic)”

Lady Gaga and the Champagne house will also be embarking on a wider collaboration that will see the release of limited-edition Dom Pérignon bottles along with a sculpture designed by Lady Gaga.

Dom Pérignon will also be supporting Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way Foundation.”

 

What’s in a name? The Bourgogne family explains…

In 2012, on the request of its elected representatives, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) decided to stop translating the word “Bourgogne”, whatever the country. The aim is to help consumers find their way by ensuring coherence between our wine labels and the name of the region where the wines were created.

Bourgogne wines enjoy a strong global reputation with half of all Bourgogne wines produced being sold at export to around 170 territories. However, the farther the consumer lives from France, the more they struggle to understand our appellation system. They can get their bearings thanks to the wine’s origins, which is the name of this winegrowing region. It is therefore essential to use only one powerful name, a synonym for excellence and the respect for origins: Bourgogne.

Historically, Bourgogne is the only wine-producing region in France whose name is translated into different languages: “Burgundy” for English speakers, “Burgund” for Germans, “Borgogna” in Italian, to name but a few. This dates back to ancient times when the region was established as a crossroads for trade between the north and south and the east and west of Europe, as it still is today.

As such, Bourgogne wine producers and fans find themselves caught up in something of a paradox. The 200 million bottles of Bourgogne wine sold every year have the word “Bourgogne” on their label, either due to their appellation, which might be Bourgogne, Crémant de Bourgogne, Bourgogne Aligoté, and so on, or because they are a “Vin de Bourgogne” or a “Grand Vin de Bourgogne”. But consumers can find them amongst a range referred to Burgundy, Burgund, or Borgogna… Confusing, to say the least.

 

“We felt it necessary to return to our original name, Bourgogne, in order to affirm our true identity, in a unified and collective way,” explains François Labet, President of the BIVB. “I’d say that our appellations are like our forenames, which makes Bourgogne our family name. A name that unites us all with our shared values embracing all the diversity of our wines. You don’t translate a family name!”

 

#BourgogneWines #frenchwine #instawine

#Beaune #Burgundy #BurgundyLovers #Wine #Vin #Bourgogne #France

Just in time for summer – Kendall-Jackson launches a low-calorie chardonnay

Kendall-Jackson is launching a lower calorie variant to tap into the ‘lighter wines’ category in the US.

Starting in May this new offer will be under the Kendall-Jackson brand.  Did you know that Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay has been the most popular Chardonnay in the US for over 26 years?

This low-calorie chardonnay will be called “Avant” is only 85 calories, has no sugar, and has 3 grams of carbs per serving” according to the producer.

This new low-cal wine contains 23% fewer calories than the standard Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, based on a 150ml serving of wine at 14% abv, which contains 111 calories.

Kendall-Jackson winemaker Randy Ullom explains, “An initial harvest of grapes picked on the earlier side ensures lower sugar. A secondary harvest later in the season offers more complexity and concentration, which complements the wine, producing a full-bodied blend that’s structurally balanced and delicious, yet lower in alcohol and calories.”

Like the Vintner’s Reserve, the Avant Chardonnay is aged in oak barrels to bring a touch of vanilla to the wine, which is described as tasting of “grapefruit, pineapple, creamy lemon meringue and delicate white flowers”.

The 9% Chardonnay is also vegan-friendly and comes with an RRP in the US of $17.

Jackson Family Wines highlighted the commercial potential for this new wine by noting that the ‘lighter wines’ category had grown by 90% in the US in 2020.