Month: March 2010

Angel Champagne – Mariah Carey’s Latest Business Venture

Yes, Champagne. She’s following Francis Ford Coppola‘s path.

Angel Champagne will be introduced in the United States this Spring. Angel has been blended and cellared in Reims, France. Currently, it’s sold in Europe in liters and jeroboam bottles.

Give Mariah Carey credit. Not only does she do a powerful turn in Precious but she also has created a powerful champagne. I think she’ll be winning awards for this last. Angel really is sent from heaven. How appropriate considering it’s like nectar from the gods.

www.angelchampagne.com

The World’s Most Expensive Champagne

Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck.

These hundred year old bottles of Champagne from the Heidsieck vineyard took over eighty years to reach their destination. Shipped to the Russian Imperial family in 1916. A shipwreck off the coast of Finland caused this Champagne to be lost at sea until divers discovered over 200 bottles in 1997. They are now finally being sold to wealthy guests at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow. The wine’s extraordinary tale and incredible age are what makes it the world’s most expensive Champagne.

Bordeaux Under One Roof (Toronto) Interview with Pascal Loridon, Marketing Director, Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) by Liz Palmer

October 28, 2009, Polson Pier, Solarium, 11 Polson St. Toronto

The venue surprised me – it had a stunning view looking out onto Lake Ontario with lots of natural light. The Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) hosted a wine tasting/seminar in collaboration with wine agents to help discover the diversity of Bordeaux wines under $30. These wines are available through LCBO and/or through relevant wine agents. There were 18 tables with over 40 wines to sample. Most of these wines were relatively young, with a preponderance of ‘05 and ‘06 vintages. There were some ‘07 and with limited ’08. I found the better ones were closer to $30. None of the wines were overly-complex.

I had the opportunity to interview Pascal Loridon, Marketing Director, Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB).

Welcome to Toronto Mr. Loridon…
Can you give me your thoughts on the harvest this year?

The harvest this year has been excellent – the weather could not have been better; we have had cool dry nights, rain whenwe needed it, and lots of sun. The weather has not been this good for a long time.

Do you believe 2009 will be another great vintage?

We are predicting 2009 will be a great vintage and are very happy with the high levels of ripeness, healthy grapes, rich colours, promising acidity, and overall balance.

For the 2009 vintage we will have a true Bordeaux: elegant with garnet/ruby colours, black fruits, wood, with “cigar box” aromas.

Do you have any suggestions for investors?

The outlook for 2009 is very promising and it would be a good opportunity for investors.

What is Organic Wine ?

Organic wines are produced by using only organically grown grapes. There are strict rules that govern the winemaking process, such as hand-harvesting, the types of yeasts to be used during fermentation, abstaining from all chemical substances such as herbicides, fungicides and pesticides in the vineyard, and most importantly, not introducing additional sulfates into the winemaking process.

When selecting Organic wine, here is how you interpret the labels:

“100% Organic” means that the wines are produced with grapes that are certified 100 % organically grown and do not have any sulfur dioxide added.

“Organic” means that the wines are produced with a minimum of 95 % organic grapes – may have low level of sulfur dioxide added.

“Made with Organic grapes” refers to wines that have a minimum of 70 % organic grapes – may have sulfur dioxide added.

Liz Palmer
Wine and Travel Writer
Liz.Palmer@rogers.com