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“Collection of wine news and wine-related feeds”

Tag Archives: 2008

September 26, 2009 Top 10 restaurant wines

Plate and wine

For 2008, the top 10 wines (by volume) sold in American restaurants, as reported by Restaurant Wine News, were:

1. Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, Vintner’s Reserve, CA
2. Cavit Pinot Grigio, Italy
3. Beringer Vineyards White Zinfande, CA
4. Sutter Home White Zinfandel, CA
5. Inglenook Chablis, CA
6. Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, Italy
7. Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio, Italy
8. Copper Ridge Vineyards, Chardonnay, CA
9. Yellow Tail Chardonnay, Australia
10. Franzia Winetaps, White Zinfandel, Vintner Select, CA

No Pinot Noirs and not even a single red wine. So much for the Sideways effect.

And the top 10 brands by volume were:

1. Kendall Jackson
2. Sutter Home
3. Beringer Vineyards
4. Franzia Winetaps
5. Inglenook
6. Yellow Tail
7. Copper Ridget
8. Cavit
9. Woodbridge
10. Salmon Creek

Read the press release here.

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May 7, 2009 Jancis & Simon on Bordeaux 2008

Don’t worry about Mr Parker.  Listen to Jancis Robinson and Simon Staples, Berry Bros, review 2008 Bordeaux here <link>. They’ll tell you all you need to know.

“Who would have thought that after months of continuous bad weather and set-backs in the vineyards, and weeks of speculation about the quality of the wines, that we would actually come away with anything better than mediocre praise for these specimens?  But there’s no denying that many of the wines surpassed our expectations (though it must be said that many didn’t).”

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December 14, 2008 Wine Spectator’s 2008 vintage report is out

harvest

Get it here <link>. Always an excellent read. Click on to part 2 for the French regions.

Bordeaux soundbite:

“The grapes were harvested very late this year, with extremely low yields and very high alcohol and a balance of good acidity,” said Jean-Guillaume Prats, head of Cos-d’Estournel in St.-Estephe. “At Cos, it is the smallest yield per hectare ever (apart from 1991, a frost vintage). This vintage could be a blend of 2002 and 1988.”

Burgundy:

“Early reports suggest Chardonnay is more successful than Pinot Noir. The white grapes were healthier and the botrytis-affected Pinot Noir required diligent sorting. However, 2008 is a year where generalizations won’t apply and the results will vary not only from grower to grower, but also from parcel to parcel.”

Rhone:

“The Southern Rhône’s string of outstanding vintages since 1998 (save for 2002) may have come to an end in 2008, a difficult growing season marked by cool, rainy weather and a very small crop.”

But don’t take my word for it, get the whole story at the WS site .

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February 9, 2008 San Francisco Chronicle awards

Here they are folks, the winners of the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition <link>.

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