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Brad Pitt to Star in The Billionaire's Vinegar
Brad Pitt to star in The Billionaire's Vinegar
- Tuesday 8 May 2012
The film, which is in development and should be released later this year, is produced by actor Will Smith, who bought the rights to Benjamin Wallace’s 2008 book.
The Billionaire’s Vinegar is the story of the affair of the Jefferson bottles and its attendant court cases has enthralled the wine world for years.
At the heart of the case is a cache of more than a dozen supposedly 18th-century bottles apparently found in a walled-up basement in Paris in 1985 by German collector Hardy Rodenstock.
Some of these, including the now-notorious bottle of 1787 Lafite, were engraved Th:J. According to Rodenstock they were bought by Thomas Jefferson when he was ambassador to Paris.
Three of the bottles were sold at Christie's between 1985 and 1987: the 1787 Lafite, a 1784 Château d'Yquem, and a half-bottle of 1784 Château Margaux.
Malcolm Forbes, the late publisher, paid US$156,450 for the 1787 Lafite in the 1985 auction, a single-bottle auction record that remains unsurpassed.
Another billionaire businessman, William Koch, has six different lawsuits or appeals running against retailers, vendors and major auction houses involving allegedly fake bottles, several of them connected with the Jefferson bottles.
In 2009 Decanter’s veteran columnist Michael Broadbent and former director of wine at Christie’s, who auctioned some of the bottles, successfully sued Random House, the UK publisher of The Billionaire’s Vinegar for libel, claiming the book made allegations suggesting he had behaved unprofessionally.
Random House apologised unreservedly for making the allegations and accepted that they were untrue, gave an undertaking not to repeat the allegations and paid Broadbent undisclosed damages
Michael Broadbent said he did not wish to comment.
More than half chateau websites not fit for purpose, survey finds
More than half chateau websites not fit for purpose, survey finds
- Monday 16 April 2012
French chateau websites are woefully inadequate, according to a new survey – while another has shed light on digital wine writing worldwide.
The first survey, by Bordeaux digital research company 10h11, looked at 145 chateaux.
Using 50 different indicators for success, including usability, e-commerce and use of social media, the study found that 92% of Bordeaux AOC estates have a website.
Of those, it found 54% were insufficient, and only 19% good. More than half (57%) are built in Flash, which makes them inaccessible on some smartphones and tablet devices.
Forty of those surveyed do not post their email address on their website.
Only Chateaux Lafite Rothschild and Marquis de Terme have a proper mobile version of their sites, and only two, Pape Clement and Palmer, allow users to sign up to an RSS feed.
In a country where the worth of wine sales online was estimated at €10m in 2011, less than one in five (4%) Bordeaux estates allow users to purchase wine direct – even by redirecting them to a merchant website.
On a more positive note, 77% are translated into both English and French, and 22% into Chinese. Eighty-five percent have a presence on Facebook.
At the same time, the Institut du Management du Vin in Dijon has been running a major study of wine blogs in China and America over the past year.
The research programme is due to last five years, with the list of target countries in the next phase enlarged to include France, England, Spain and Canada.
The aim is to get a worldwide picture on digital writing on wine and to identify the major bloggers in each of the country selected.
The results of the first year showed that US bloggers were 69% male, 75% of them received no income at all from their blog, and the majority (62%) worked outside of the wine industry.
In China, the bloggers were younger (75% between 26-40 years old, while around 40% of US bloggers are aged between 40-55), 78% male, and 81% wine professionals.
Evelyn Resnick, one of the professors of the Dijon programme, told Decanter.com, ‘So far, the major difference I found between China and America is that American bloggers are talking about wine as a pleasure when Chinese are educating their audience.’
The surveys come a year after Andrew Jefford, in his April 2011 column on Decanter.com, asked, 'why are so many websites so abysmally uninformative? And why are the websites of the best resourced companies often the very worst of all?'
WineStars: a Dragon's Den For The Wine World 2
WineStars: a Dragon's Den For The Wine World
- Wednesday 2 May 2012
An X Factor-style talent show will give wineries the chance to compete for UK listings at this year's London International Wine Fair.
Billed as a cross between hit television shows X Factor and Dragons' Den, WineStars is designed to improve communication between wineries and buyers.
Ten finalists will have only minutes to pitch their wines and business plans to judges, as well as to journalists and bloggers, at the annual London International Wine Fair in London’s Docklands later this month.
Three winners, as chosen by the judges, will get a UK trade listing. Only wineries not already represented in the UK can enter.
Organiser Robert Joseph – who also produces wine – told Decanter.com the aim of the competition was to encourage wineries to create a point-of-difference via marketing. ‘There's a failure to communicate in the wine industry,’ he said.
‘When a wine tastes good and it's sold at the appropriate price, all you've done is qualify for the marathon. Everything else is about how you get round the course.’
Wineries can enter free up to 10 May. A 100-strong shortlist will then be published on social media.
Ten wineries will make the final on 24 May. Panel judges include Justin Howard-Sneyd, global buying director for Direct Wines and Laithwaites, and Joan Torrents, wine director at Mitchells & Butlers.
Turkey's EU ambassador accused of 'embezzling wine'
Turkey's EU ambassador accused of 'embezzling wine'
- Monday 26 March 2012
Daryal Batibay (pictured) is suspected of using around €200,000 of public money to buy the wines, before attempting to smuggle them into Turkey.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry confirmed to Decanter.com that it and other government agencies are investigating Batibay, who retired as the country's permanent representative to the Council of Europe late last year.
Turkey's public prosecutor is standing by to press criminal charges, depending on the probe's outcome, an official with knowledge of the situation told Decanter.com.
Turkish customs authorities have seized wine believed to belong to Batibay, said the official. Most of the wine is thought to be French, including some Champagne.
After being alerted to missing funds, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent two officers from his Ethics Board to question staff at Batibay's old headquarters.
The official added: ‘In one way it's bad, because this is a corruption case. In another way it is good, because it shows that the government and the Prime Minister are willing to allow the agencies to investigate. This sends out a clear message to other officials.’
There is pressure on Turkey to show it is reducing high-level corruption, as it seeks to join the EU.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: ‘When the inquiry and the investigation is fulfilled, there could be a legal outcome.’
Batibay was quoted in Turkey's Sabah newspaper saying that he was unaware of the allegations.
Australian Shiraz Wins "World's Best Label"
The label of Alpha Crucis Shiraz 2008, produced by Chalk Hill Winery in McLaren Vale, was named best in Australia before taking on and beating the best from Europe, the US, India, Japan and New Zealand in the global final.
The awards are recognised as the peak competition for printing and label associations around the world.
The clean, minimal label, curved at the top, focuses on the constellation of the Southern Cross, in which Alpha Crucis is the brightest of five stars.
Explaining the thinking behind the design, Alpha Crucis says: ‘The ellipse or partial parabolic arc over the top of the label reflects the shape of the celestial night sky, with the Southern Cross constellation identified by a dotted line as they were in star maps from the last century.
‘Stars surrounding the Southern Cross are highlighted in muted colours with an embossed texture.
‘The gold band towards the base of the label reflects the borders found on early examples of European star maps.’
The label was designed by Motiv Design and printed by Studio Labels, which prints about 70% of South Australia’s wine labels.
Studio Labels, which is owned by Portugal’s Cork Supply Group, said the award reflected the need for the wine industry to strive for quality and focus on brand development as a long-term strategy.
‘This award is the culmination of seven years’ work and the dedication to excellence by our staff,’ said managing director Miguel Alemao.
Heavy metal legends Motörhead release wine
Heavy metal legends Motörhead release wine
- Monday 3 October 2011
- by Adam Lechmere
Rock legends Motörhead have released their own wine, an Australian Shiraz loaded with attitude – as well as fruity aromas and rounded tannins.
Motörhead Shiraz 2010 is produced by in Southeast Australia by Broken Back Winery, part of the Australian Vintage group.
The wine has already enjoyed some success in Scandinavia – where the band also has a huge following – and is now being released in the UK.
According to a statement released by Motörhead’s publicist, the wine has been ‘carefully selected by the hardrock legends’ for its ‘fruity aroma, flavours of vanilla, blackberries, plums, eucalyptus and liquorice…[and] soft rounded tannins.’
The band recommends drinking it with grilled lamp chops with garlic and rosemary, although it comes with a warning from Lemmy (pictured), legendary bassist and founder.
‘My advice is – approach it with caution. I mean, wine is deceptive, anything can happen.’
Ewen Cameron of distributor Great Wine Online said, ‘This is rock ‘n roll’s grape number one, and just like Lemmy it can survive just about anything.’
Motörhead, formed in 1975 by Fraser ‘Lemmy’ Kilminster – who had been sacked from his previous band, Hawkwind, for ‘doing the wrong drugs’, as he put it – is one of the most enduring and greatest bands of the 1970s English heavy metal scene.
The Virgin Encyclopaedia of Popular Music describes their 'fearsome barrage of instruments topped off by Lemmy's hoarse invocations' and pays tribute to the frontman's 'highly sensitive lyrical and vocal scope'.
With album sales of more than 30m worldwide – 1980’s Ace of Spades is one of many classics - they continue to tour with Lemmy as the only member of the original lineup.
Motörhead currently consists of Lemmy on bass and vocals, Phil Campbell (guitar) and Mikkey Dee (drums). They tour the UK this autumn.
Consumers pay more for tongue-twisting wines
Consumers pay more for tongue-twisting wines
- Wednesday 22 February 2012
In a study by Brock University professor, Dr Antonia Mantonakis, it found English-speaking wine consumers were more likely to buy wine from a winery with a difficult-to-pronounce name.
Participants also rated wine more highly in a blind tasting, and were prepared to pay more money for the same wine, if it had a name that was difficult to say in English.
Dr Mantonakis said: ''Wines associated with more difficult-to-pronounce names are associated with higher ratings.
'Things that are difficult to pronounce are unfamiliar because they are usually rare,' she added.
'Perception of tastes are different if they are associated with a more disfluent winery name and that result is especially pronounced for high wine-knowledge participants.'
Mantonakis admitted the laboratory findings might not be reflected in wine purchases. 'Whether these results would replicate in a more natural setting is something that we don't know.'
Drops of God gets English translation
Drops of God gets English translation
- Friday 9 September 2011
- by Jane Anson
Drops of God, the Japanese wine manga that is often cited as more powerful than Robert Parker in Asia, will soon be released in English.
The English version comes three years after a French translation, and seven years since the original manga (comic, or graphic novel) appeared in Japan in November 2004.
In Japan, Drops of God (or Kami no Shizuku) has a weekly readership of 360,000.
The new translation is by Vertical Publishing in the United States, specialists in translating contemporary Japanese literature, and is due for release in the UK on 20 October.
A second volume comes out on 13 December 13.
In Decanter’s 2009 Power List, Drops of God was placed at number 50, and described as, ‘arguably the most influential wine publication for the past 20 years’.
Fine dining goes hi-tech as restaurants embrace iPad wine lists 2
- Wednesday 1 February 2012
- by Adam Lechmere
The trend that started at the beginning of the century with Aureole in Las Vegas, the contents of whose four-storey, stainless-steel-and-glass wine tower that diners browse via an ‘ewinebook’, has now gone global, Brian St Pierre writes in the latest issue of Decanter.
‘These days, I’m using an iPad more than a corkscrew,’ Ronan Sayburn MS, wine director for the Hotel du Vin chain, told St Pierre. ‘We’re trialling them in Birmingham and 90% of our customers have liked them.’
The list of UK restaurants that now present customers with an iPad instead of a paper wine list is gettting longer every day: several of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, Asian-fusion restaurant Australasia in Manchester, London’s Rib Room, and the Vineyard,which has one of the most comprehensive American wine lists in the country.
‘It will give our guests the opportunity to better look at our long wine list and easily access their preferences, but without replacing our interaction,’ Vineyard head sommelier Yohann Jousselin said.
Worldwide, St Pierre namechecks restuarants from New York (Thomas Keller’s Per Se), Argentina (La Bourgogne at the Alvear Palace among some 80 others), Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Spain and points between that have adopted the iPad.
Even France, he writes, is succumbing to the lure of the tablet. While one sommelier is quoted as saying the iPad will never catch on, St Pierre is able to list half a dozen restaurants, starting with Les Tablettes in Paris, that use it.
Not everyone is equally keen, however, with several high-ranking professionals expressing doubt.
Andrew Connor, of Luytens restaurant in London, is one. ‘Too many times technology has let me down,’ he says. ‘Air-conditioning broken, reservation systems crashed, lights gone crazy – I prefer a low-tech solution where possible.’
