• DRINK TASTES CHANGE IN HARLEM

    par | Déc 4, 2011

    By JOSEPH BERGER / THE NEW YORK TIMES — Dec. 1, 2011

    As Tastes Change in Harlem, Old-Look Liquor Store Stirs a Fight.
    Some affluent residents of a gentrified section of Harlem would prefer a trendy shop that offers high-priced wines.     Many neighbors agree that their genteel enclave of brownstones in the heart of Harlem does need a shop where they can pick up, say, a good cabernet for a dinner party.
    But the liquor store seeking to open on Lenox Avenue near 119th Street is decidedly not what they have in mind.

    Fred R. Conrad/The NYT

    With its roll-down steel gate, its bulletproof plexiglass to guard against robbers and drunken vagrants, and its flamboyant red-and-yellow sign, the store is a throwback to the old crime-ridden, ramshackle Harlem, some neighbors say, not the reborn Harlem they have been advancing during the past decade.  “We want to be Park Slope with charming little stores and become a destination for people,” said Ruthann Richert, a 25-year resident who is treasurer of a local group, the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association.  “A store like that is going to attract the people hanging out, drinking wine, so if you’re looking to buy a $30 bottle of wine, you’re not going to go in there.” (suite…)

  • CHANGING THE WAY AMERICANS DRINK WINE

    par | Août 25, 2011

    From ASHLEY PARKER – THE NEW YORK TIMES, July 29

    Serving some wines by the glass straight from the barrel has long been a practice in Europe, and it slowly began catching on in California seven or eight years ago.
    In NYC, Daniel Boulud’s downtown outpost, DBGB, and City Winery, which opened in 2009, also pour wines on tap.

    But at a growing number of restaurants, many of them trendy locavore spots known as much for their cutting-edge attitudes as for their culinary prowess, the draft wine comes from Gotham, which was founded in 2010. Gotham installed its first tap, dispensing riesling, at Terroir Tribeca when it opened in April 2010.
    The benefits, according to the Gotham Project founders Mr. Bieler and Mr. Schneider, include freshness, eco-friendliness and convenience.  Besides, the idea of wine from a keg of cool     — and the moment just felt right. (suite…)

  • A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS PREFER WINE OFF MEALS

    par | Mar 29, 2011

    From the INDIAN WINE ACADEMY Newsletter — 28 March 2011 11:40

    Whereas the European and high-end Californian producers are still persuaded that wine is a food product and needs to be part of our meals, a recent study in the US claims that no more than 40% of Americans are drinking wine with meals, a majority of them drinking it away from the dinner table (preferring off dry or slightly sweet wines).

    According to a report from Napa Valley Register which says this study confirms that a majority of wines is drunk in the US without food, the USA include about 77 million wine consumers.
    The study was conducted by Wine Opinions of about 800 wine drinkers selected from their 5,500 consumer panel members — from the 29 million Americans who drink wine daily or several times a week. (suite…)

  • BORDEAUX DEFINITELY SUFFERING

    par | Déc 8, 2009

    by SUZANNE MUSTACICH

    suzannepdfEven as Chateau Lafite leads a surge for Bordeaux vintners in Asia, US retail prices for the same wines have skidded below wholesale cost as a major importer dumps stocks worth tens of millions of dollars.

    US importer Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines (DC&E), a subsidiary of the British drinks giant Diageo, has abandoned Bordeaux wine after 35 years, aggressively liquidating its warehouse stock on an already shaky market.

    A source within DC&E who asked to remain anonymous, blamed « enormous stocks » of unsold Bordeaux for their exodus. « It’s all about making money. The margins are getting thinner each year and Americans are trading down. » DC&E’s turbulent withdrawal, which has heated up in recent weeks, is having a « huge impact on the market, » Chris Adams, chief executive of Manhattan retailer Sherry Lehmann, told AFP. (suite…)

  • FINE WINES OF NEW YORK STATE

    par | Avr 5, 2009

    By DEAN TUDOR

    The Time and Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 2PM to 5 PM
    The Event: Uncork New York : the Fine Wines of New York
    The Venue    : Chefs’ House, George Brown CAAT, 215 King St. East, TORONTO, 416-415-5000
    215 King St E
    The Target Audience: wine press and wine trade.
    The Availability/Catalogue: at best, scattered. There are some agents (e.g., Hanna for Raphael, Edward’s for Bedell) but Robert Ketchin is your best bet for details on availability. The emphasis, of course, was on expensive wines, over $25 to showcase the productions.
    The Quote/Background: It has been years since the last New York trade show was in town, also at George Brown. Much marketing has been concentrated at the Fall and Spring consumer wine shows, as well as HOSTEX.
    We were delighted that there was a seminar for us to catch up with New York wine development. Robert Ketchin led a PowerPoint presentation and we had notes and a CD of screen captures.
    We tackled the three principal areas: Finger Lakes, Long Island and Hudson River (33 wineries on the Hudson), with many facts and figures and wines to taste. (suite…)