Category: Articles

Happy National Wine Day !  Netflix Canada  & Ontario Wine…the perfect pairing!

 

 

Netflix Canada  & Ontario Wine…the perfect pairing!

Here are my three recommended pairings (movie/series and wine):

“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” PAIRED with Marynissen Estates Bottoms Up Red 2017

This lush ruby-red Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend is berry-driven and the ideal match for this flustery tale of first love.

Tasting Notes:  Seduces you immediately;  rich and expressive aromas of cherry, plum and raspberry that also carry through to the palate with a smooth long finish

“Virgin River” PAIRED with Nyarai Cellars, Field Blender’s White 2017

Nothing complements a fresh start at romance quite like wonderful aromatics and orange blossoms

Tasting Notes:  An elegant style that features rich complex and exciting aromatics; effortlessly displaying notes of apricots, honeydew melon, and orange blossoms;  edgy minerality runs throughout with crisp acidity onto a long citrus finish

“Self Made” PAIRED with 13Th Street June’s Vineyard Riesling 2018

Aromas of lime and wildflowers pairs beautifully with the inspiring confidence and drive of M.C. Walker

Tasting Notes:  Delicate whiffs of honey, beeswax lend depth to crisp ripe peach, apricot flavors with some stony mineral tones; this spry yet penetrating Riesling finishes with juicy concentrate stone fruit flair.

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#netflix #series #netflixandchill #movie #netflixseries  #movies  #film #netflixcanada #edit #tv #cinema #65inchtv #netflixmovies #seriesnetflix #netflixoriginal  #netflixshows

California bars and restaurants can now offer outdoor seating

California’s bars and restaurants can reopen for table service as long as they can provide outdoor seating, according to new measures announced this week.

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) in California has proposed regulations for bars and restaurants that will allow them to seat diners on the property that is “adjacent to the licensed premises”, such as pavements or car parks.

The ABC has previously ruled that on-trade outlets can offer take-out and home delivery to patrons so they could stay in business while the state’s lockdown measures are in place.

Pre-made cocktails and other alcoholic drinks are only to be sold as a take-out option if they are served with a meal.

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a directive to close all bars, wineries, nightclubs and brewpubs in the state on March 15 and called for all seniors age 65 years or older to stay in self-isolation, in an effort to stop Covid-19 from spreading and putting a strain on local hospitals.

The temporary authorization only allows bars and restaurants to sell alcohol “during times in which bona fide meals are being served,” and allows them to use outdoor spaces that comply with public safety and welfare requirements.

Meanwhile, venues should still “encourage takeout and delivery service whenever possible,” according to California’s latest guidance for bars and restaurants issued last week.

The ABC updated its guidelines on May 19, and also ruled that licensees that do not have their kitchen facilities and do not prepare bona fide meals on the licensed premises to partner with businesses that do offer meals ( a “meal provider”) to “sell bona fide meals in conjunction with to-go containers of alcoholic beverages.”

The regulations have been amended to provide relief to the alcohol industry while it is unable to operate in full during lockdown.

Some US states are already coming out of their own lockdowns, with restaurants now able to take bookings.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance for bars preparing to reopen earlier this month as coronavirus lockdown restrictions eased.

Donnafugata releases Dolce & Gabbana Rosé 2019

With rosé sales surging during lockdown, Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has joined the party, and teamed up with Donnafugata by designing a label for a new Sicilian rosé – Dolce & Gabbana Rosé 2019.

Donnafugata Dolce & Gabbana Rosa 2019 is a Provençal-style pale pink made from a blend of native Sicilian grapes Nerello Mascalese and Nocera grown on the northern slopes of Mount Etna and on the hills of Contessa Entellina, near Palermo.

Tasting notes include notes of jasmine, wild strawberry, peach and bergamot, with the Nerello Mascalese adding a mineral component and the Nocera bringing red and stone fruit to the blend.

The bottle’s geometrically patterned blue, red, white and pink label, designed by Dolce & Gabbana, is inspired by the ornate detailing of traditional carts native to Sicily.

“We are Italian, we love to eat and drink a good wine, like Rosa, born from our collaboration with Donnafugata. For us it is like tasting the smells of our land, seeing it’s colours and feeling its atmosphere,” the fashion design duo said.

The wine goes on sale via the Dolce & Gabbana website June – just in time for summer.

This isn’t the first time Dolce & Gabbana have moved their brand beyond clothing. They have put their hands to everything from pasta tins for Pastificio di Martino to juicers, toasters and kettles in a lucrative collaboration with Smeg.

Website:  https://www.donnafugata.it/en/

 

 

Millennials are vital to Champagne’s future  

“Millennials are vital to Champagne’s future… because they are willing to look beyond the ‘just for celebrations’ mantra,” states Françoise Peretti, Director of the UK’s Champagne Information Bureau.

Millennials are deemed to be more digitally connected and open-minded than baby boomers.

Peretti further stressed the need to attract a younger generation of drinkers, and the potential demand among “open-minded” millennials.

“Unlike the Baby Boomers, they are open-minded consumers, willing to look beyond the ‘just for celebrations’ mantra,” she said of the age group, which covers those people from their early 20s to late 30s.

“This is their most important attribute: a desire to embrace the idea that Champagne can be a drink for the weekend, not simply New Year.”

Mentzendorff’s Andrew Hawes, who is the current chairman of the Champagne Agents Association believes that grower Champagnes are the key to unlocking the millennial market.

Hawes states “A quiet revolution has been building in the independent sector over the past few years.”  He further adds, “Independents are selling more and more grower Champagne to millennials – they are naturally drawn to the ‘craft’ credentials of smaller brands.”

In the US, Chicago-based sommelier Zach Jones recorded a similar development, and he goes on to say,  “Grower Champagne has had a huge surge in popularity with younger drinkers in the US, because there is a great story to tell and it gives younger consumers the sense that they are supporting a small family winery, not a massive machine.”

Sources:
Drinks Ontario
Champagne Information Bureau – UK

Vinexpo New York announces 2021 dates

It’s official… pencil in February 3 – 4 2020 in your Calendar!

Vinexpo New York has announced dates for its 2021 return to Jacob K. Javits Center. The move is a vote of confidence in the resilience of the wine and spirits industry and the show’s dates, February 3-4, will make it the first opportunity for the global market to gather as a community in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jointly organized with Diversified Communications, Vinexpo New York is the leading international exhibition in North America open exclusively to the wine and spirits trade. It features two full days of educational programming and networking opportunities. The exhibition hall is strategically organized to foster business relationships between both domestic and international producers and American importers, distributors, retailers, brokers, e-commerce representatives, on-trade buyers and sommeliers. Attendee and trade registration will open online in mid-September.

The 2021 show will feature all of the signature offerings of the 2020 show. These include a robust schedule of conferences and masterclasses; a Key Buyer Program offering VIP perks to high-volume wine and spirits buyers; a complimentary business matchmaking service; The Buzz, a dedicated space for knowledge exchange, networking and group discussion; and the WOW! Pavilion showcasing organic wines. US-based importers will also be exhibiting their portfolio of brands. Program details will be announced as they develop.

In the meantime… register for the June 3 webinar…

“The New Normal: Beverage Alcohol in a COVID Environment,” June 3

Vinexpo New York has introduced a webinar series to provide a forum for industry discussion well before it convenes next February. Moderated by Diversified Communications’ event director, Beckie Kier, the series launched on May 5 with The Evolving Landscape of the Wine and Spirits Industry. A second, planned for June 3, will explore The New Normal: Beverage Alcohol in a COVID Environment, and will feature Brandy Rand, chief operating officer, Americas, of the IWSR and a Vinexpo New York Advisory Board member. It will air live at 11:00-11:45 a.m. EDT and registration is available here. As the webinar program continues to develop, future events will be announced at https://www.vinexponewyork.com/webinars/.

“As the international wine and spirits industry, like so many others, navigates the unprecedented upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vinexpo and Diversified are unwavering in our shared commitment to providing a global platform to address the community’s needs, both through our new digital offerings and the return of our in-person event,” said Kier.

Added Vinexpo CEO Rodolphe Lameyse, “The extraordinary challenges posed by COVID-19 are impacting every aspect of our industry. Vinexpo New York 2021 will provide a vital platform for producers, importers, distributors, buyers and more to share their experiences and learnings and to hear from international experts as we all continue to adapt and innovate our way through the crisis.”

For further details visit vinexponewyork.com.