Mamma Jumbo Shrimp’s Post

BORDEAUX AND PROVENCE HIT BACK ON ‘SWIMMING POOL ROSÉ’ REPORTS National newspapers have claimed there is a “battle” between two French regions about “swimming pool rosé” but is it all a storm in a teacup (or wine glass)? db spoke to representatives from both regions to find out. According to newspaper reports this week, including articles in The Times and The Guardian, there is a debate between Bordeaux and Provence about the standard and style of rosé wine. Citing a so-called “rosé aristocracy”, The Times’leading wine and food critics claimed discord, claiming “purists” in Provence are “attacking” Bordeaux for turning to making lighter rosé, following a drop in traditional red wine sales by 36% in the past decade in the latter region. Claiming there is a “fad” for pale pink wines, and a so-called “swimming pool plonk” rosé, often associated with celebrity endorsements, The Times argued that Provence and Bordeaux have now become battlegrounds over the style and quality of the wine. Read more: https://lnkd.in/efGjRaHU CIVP - Vins de Provence Vins de Bordeaux - CIVB The Drinks Business #bordeaux #provence #rosé #roséwine #swimmingpoolplonk

My article on the use of ewes in the vineyard and 60 years of Berkmann Wine Cellars:

Wine growing areas in France: 797.000 ha of vineyards | Wine production: 34 million hectoliters of wine (20% white, 80% red. At 797.000 hectares, the total vineyard area in France accounts for a full 11 percent of the world's vineyard area. There are 230.000 hectares of vines in Languedoc Roussillon alone, 112.000 hectares in Bordeaux, and 33.000 hectares in Champagne. 

This empty shelf can only mean one thing: Top Wineries 2024 is coming! We've just finished reviewing thousands upon thousands of wines for our Top Wineries of Australia and New Zealand 2024 lists. Are you excited for this year's lists? Which producers will be awarded The Real Review Winery of the Year? #therealreview #topwineries #topwineriesofaustralia #topwineriesofnewzealand #winereviews #australianwine #newzealandwine

When asked what the most popular grape in Italy is, most people will answer "Sangiovese", but the Montepulciano grape is the second most planted red grape and one to know. Montepulciano tends to dominate the more mountainous and warmer eastern and southern portions of the Italian peninsula, especially in Abruzzo. It is dark and inky, yet is easy drinking and enjoyable. That is why the 2021 Febo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

Lobster Reef Sauvignon Blanc: Fresh, clean, medium intensity. Green herbs and lime on the nose. The palate is lively and refreshing. Worth value wine.

Marketing matters - a lot. Yesterday we took a wine tour from Porto to the Douro Valley. This valley is one of the oldest wine regions, dating back to 1756, when it was well known for Port. But this region has only been a tourism destination for about two decades. Why? We were surprised at how big this region is. Our guide told us that there are 19k certified wineries in the region. He had other stats that blew my mind because I didn’t know much about this region before. Then we had two great tastings. One was from an 8th generation wine maker whose ancestor saved the vines in this region from phylloxera by grafting the roots with American vines. No pesticides are used to protect from bugs, instead they have olive trees strategically planted all over which are what the bugs gravitate to instead. Cork trees are planted to make corks and make up a large percentage of total wine corks in the world. None of the wineries we visited proactively tried to sell their wines. So different from Napa and Sonoma. If you’re a wine fan, or interested in the history of wine making, I highly recommend visiting the Douro Valley. #livethewidth #travel #marketingmatters

Always check beforehand when wine tasting. There's a lot of wine regions that don't allow you to simply walk-in and some are.ot open to the public. #wine #winery #adventure #agribusiness #agritourism #farm #agriculture #winetasting #tourism #tourismo

A fellow swimmer asked me recently which wine in our portfolio is my favourite. I looked at him surprised, he couldn't see that with my goggles on. What a question, I had no clue. I believe that's the benefit of selecting wines based on data rather than personal preferences 😅 So I did what I do… Looked at my own orders data and found out my favourite wine producer is Grangehurst with a presence in 38% of my total orders. Now I can share what I really like about these wines : - Outstanding quality That’s the obvious part, for instance their Pinotage is by far the best I tasted in my career - Ageing The founder of Grangehurst, Jeremy Walker, believes in releasing his wines when they have reached the right maturity ; they, on average, hit the market after 15 years ageing in bottles. - Price Apart from the wonderful Red Blend, they all are priced under £30. That’s right, wines that have been aged for over a decade. I had the chance to meet Jeremy in London and my first question was: “How did you manage your cash flow when you started in the early 90’s?” His answer was priceless: “People who invested in the project trusted me, and I paid them back in wine”. Here’s the link to the producer page for your perusal: https://lnkd.in/eNfV-seG Oh! And which is my favourite wine from our portfolio? The data says Grangehurst Cabernet-Merlot (2009 and 2008 before that) and I always trust the data ;) #wine #winebuyer #businessanalyst #wineindustry #corporategifting #winebusiness Photo: before a looooong swim

A SNAPSHOT FROM AWAROA HELENSVILLE | A delicious destination meal, and then a couple of nearby favourites, in Awaroa Helensville, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Read more on Substack thefoodpath.substack.com