iPad2 WINNER ANNOUNCED: ERIC MUELLER IS THE OFFICIAL WINNER OF #CHAMPAGNEDAY LABEL CONTEST

The Champagne Bureau recently hosted a contest as part of the #ChampagneDay celebrations. To promote appreciation for and protection of true Champagne, the Champagne Bureau asked participants to send and post pictures of authentic Champagne labels.

Over 300 submissions were received, and can be viewed on their Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/pGmv1F.

Congratulations to Eric Mueller, he is the lucky winner of an iPad2!

Did you know that October 28th is the second annual Champagne Day?

To participate in tomorrow’s festivities, follow the #ChampagneDay hashtag on Twitter, Facebook, and on other social media sites. For more information about #ChampagneDay or the worldwide effort to protect wine place names and origins, please visit http://bit.ly/rhBcbh or www.champagne.us.

Liz Palmer
coHost for #ChampagneDay
@champagneHouses

Champagne Bar Launch: “Bubble in Paris” at Hilton Arc de Triomphe exclusive with Taittinger Champagne

Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris has partnered with Taittinger Champagne to create “Bubble in Paris” a Champagne bar that resembles a life-size snow globe – what fun!

The translucent bar was designed by Jean-Hugues de Chatillon, who drew inspiration from the mythical realm of Narnia, to bottle a miniature winter wonderland.

The 16-foot tall dome will house an all-white, central, circular bar, a lounge that can accommodate 35, and is open now through New Year’s Eve.

WHAT TO ORDER: the signature special €25 for a glass of Taittinger Champagne.

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses

OpenTable Diners Reveal the Top 50 Wine Lists in the U.S.

OpenTable recently released a Top 50 Wine List of restaurants in the United States. The list, which was compiled from feedback from over 10 million OpenTable users between October 2010 and September 2011, had California on top earning 11 spots on the list, followed by establishments in New York, Maryland and Virginia, each of which earned 4 spots. In all, 21 states were represented with restaurants earning an award.

The restaurants named were (in alphabetical order):

20 Brix – Milford, Ohio

The 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro – Palm Desert, California

4 Olives Restaurant – Manhattan, Kansas

Accademia Di Vino – New York, New York

Addison at The Grand Del Mar – San Diego, California

Artisanal Restaurant – Banner Elk, North Carolina

Aureole – Las Vegas, Nevada

bacaro – Champaign, Illinois

Bin 36 – Chicago, Illinois

BIN 38 – San Francisco, California

Bistro Blanc – Glenelg, Maryland

Bonterra – Charlotte, North Carolina

Carpe Vino – Auburn, California

Cinghiale-Enoteca (Wine Bar) – Baltimore, Maryland

Domaine Hudson wine bar & eatery – Wilmington, Delaware

Eno Vino Wine Bar and Bistro – Madison, Wisconsin

Enotria – Sacramento, California

Evo Bistro – McLean, Virginia

Frasca Food and Wine – Boulder, Colorado

Grand Cru Wine Bar & Bistro – Arlington, Virginia

The Hobbit – Orange, California

Iron Bridge Wine Company – Columbia, Maryland

Iron Bridge Wine Company – Warrenton, Virginia

Left Bank at Stonehedge Inn and Spa – Tyngsboro, Massachusetts

Los Olivos Wine Merchant and Wine Cafe – Los Olivos, California

Marche Bacchus – Las Vegas, Nevada

Mercy Wine Bar – Dallas, Texas

Metrovino – Portland, Oregon

Morrell Wine Bar and Cafe – New York, New York

Napa & Company – Stamford, Connecticut

Novita Wine Bar Trattoria – Garden City, New York

On The Square – Tarboro, North Carolina

Pairings Bistro – Bel Air, Maryland

palate food + wine – Glendale, California

Purple Cafe and Wine Bar – Seattle, Washington

Purple Cafe and Wine Bar – Woodinville, Washington

Reserve – Grand Rapids, Michigan

Ristorante Panorama – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

RN74 – Seattle, Washington

Robust – Webster Groves, Missouri

Soif Wine Bar & Restaurant – Santa Cruz, California

Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro – Virginia Beach, Virginia

Stone Balloon Winehouse – Newark, Delaware

The Tasting Room Wine & Tapas – St. Augustine, Florida

Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro – Foxboro, Massachusetts

UPSTAIRS 2 – Los Angeles, California

Veritas – New York, New York

Vin 48 Restaurant Wine Bar – Avon, Colorado

Vinology – Ann Arbor, Michigan

The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar – Tustin, California

Liz Palmer
@ChampagneHouses

Perrier-Jouet Champagne Paper Print Ad is Creatively Catered

Champagne is now prettier than ever, as seen in the recent Perrier-Jouet paper print ad. The campaign was created by Jo Lynn Alcorn, who perfectly roped in her Paper Frescoes theme to the sunny side of drinking.

The print ad has some paper-made flowers that that are the main feature of this crisp champagne campaign. Those who had messy ideas of drinkers associated with champagne can kiss this scene goodbye, as the new brand of floral luxury is here to stay. The print ad for Perrier-Jouet adds a touch of class and luxury to the brand.

For those who want to make the most of this bubbly, explore the Perrier-Jouet paper print ad gallery and taste the hints of delicious luxury.

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses

LATEST POLL SHOWS EXTENSIVE SUPPORT FOR WINE TRUTH-IN-LABELLING

UNPRECEDENTED COALITION OF INTERNAIONAL WINE REGIONS JOINED BY NOTABLE CHEFS IN EFFORT TO PROTECT WINE PLACE NAMES.

Leaders from 15 of the World’s Premier Wine Regions gather in New York today, along with top international chefs to call on policymakers to heed growing consumer demand for wine truth-in-labelling.

Disclosed today were results from a recent poll of U.S. consumers (conducted by Public Opinion Strategies). Surprisingly, findings showed that Americans have very strong feelings about the role of location in making wine-purchasing decisions. Key findings from the poll of 1,000 U.S. wine drinkers include:

• 79 percent consider the region where a wine comes from an important factor when buying a bottle of wine;
• 75 percent report they would be less likely to buy a wine if they learned that it claimed to be from a place like Champagne, Napa Valley or Oregon, but in actuality was not;
• 84 percent think that the region a wine comes from is extremely important in determining its quality;
• 96 percent say that consumers deserve to know that the location where wine grapes are grown is accurately stated on wine labels; and
• 98 percent support establishing worldwide standards for all winemakers that would require that they accurately state the location where wine grapes are grown on wine labels.

“In over 20 years of polling, rarely have we seen such strong feelings on an issue like this,” said Rob Autry, partner of Public Opinion Strategies and the lead pollster on this project. “Consumer sentiment this strong is a clear signal that Americans care a great deal about the location a wine comes from and clearly want ready access to that information when looking at a bottle.”

Perhaps most troubling was the fact that despite broad interest in wine location from all sectors of the U.S. wine-consuming populace, when presented with two labels to compare side by side, most consumers were unable to determine the correct origin of the wine. This underscores the challenges winemakers face with current labelling laws.

“The research released today shows consumers are more focused on product origins than ever before and it isn’t just a passing concern, but one they feel extraordinarily strong about,” said Linda Reiff, executive director of Napa Valley Vintners. “When a place name is misused, a part of the identity of that distinctive wine region is lost and consumers can be misled. This poll also shows that U.S. consumers understand this and are looking for clear labelling of wine place names when they purchase wines.”

“The 15 regions gathered here today agree that great wine is made in unique places all over the world and that these unique place names must be protected. A failure to do so undermines all of these wine-growing regions and, as the research shows, runs counter to the expectations of the consumer,” said Bruno Paillard, representing the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne. “People want to know where their wines come from. The Declaration signatories have taken a global stand for truth-in-labelling and we are committed to working together to maintain and protect the integrity of wine place names.”

The poll was released by the signatories to the Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin, a coalition first formed in 2005 when the initial global declaration was signed. The organization has since doubled in size, welcoming two new members – Rioja and Long Island – at this year’s meeting in New York.

In addition to the growing number of wine regions joining the campaign to protect place names, some of the world’s preeminent names in food and wine have joined hands with the coalition as well. An open letter was released today signed by chefs and sommeliers lending their support for truth in wine labelling. Signatories include Thomas Keller from Per Se and the French Laundry; Ferran Adrià from El Bulli; Daniel Boulud from Daniel; Alexandre Ferrand from Alain Ducasse; Wolfgang Puck from Wolfgang Puck Restaurants; Antoine Hernandez from Joël Robuchon; Michel Richard from Citronelle; José Andrés from Jaleo and minibar; Pontus Elofsson from Noma; Charlie Palmer from Charlie Palmer Restaurants and many others.

“We support the Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin because place names are central to understanding the foods and wines we work with every day,” says José Andrés, a James Beard Award-winning chef with restaurants in Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas and Los Angeles. “We celebrate foods and wines from all over the world every day, because they bring special elements to the table and we believe that clear labelling is central to this experience.”

“Americans care about where their food and wine are from more than ever before, so we must stand together to ensure that consumers accurately receive the location-driven products they desire,” says Chef Ken Frank of Napa Valley’s landmark restaurant, La Toque.

The coalition hopes that the clear and resounding results of consumer survey data, combined with the accelerated interest on the part of chefs and other food and wine experts and an overwhelming majority of the world’s leading wine regions now working in unison will push lawmakers and others around the globe to better protect wine place names in the U.S. and beyond.

By signing the Declaration, the 15 wine regions have collectively affirmed that geographic names are fundamental tools for consumers to identify the wines from specific wine-growing areas. In their meetings today in New York, the regions renewed their commitment to working together on the consumer education and public advocacy necessary to ensure that these names are protected and respected worldwide.

The Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin was originally signed on July 26, 2005, and now has the support of 15 international wine regions including Champagne, France; Chianti Classico, Italy; Jerez, Spain; Long Island, New York; Napa Valley, California; Oregon state; Paso Robles, California; Porto, Portugal; Rioja, Spain; Sonoma County, California; Tokaj, Hungary; Victoria, Australia; Walla Walla Valley, Washington; Washington state; and Western Australia. These quality wine regions have come together to foster the growing global recognition that location is the most important ingredient in wine. To lend support and read the full text of the Declaration, visit www.protectplace.com

Liz Palmer
@ChampagneHouses