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Wine
Schwarzenegger
Signs
New Sonoma Wine Law
More grapes from Sonoma County are now required
in wine with Sonoma on the label
At least 75 percent of grapes used to make
wine must be from
Sonoma County in order for the region to appear on wine
labels
or in a brand name, according to a new law signed by California’s
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Sept. 30.
“
California produces some of the finest wines in the world.
From the delicate
Pinot Noir of the Central Coast to the Cabernet from Napa
or Sonoma, our
state boasts an abundance of remarkable wines,” said
Gov. Schwarzenegger
in a statement. “This bill is important for wine
makers and consumers as it
protects the integrity of Sonoma County wines by ensuring
that a bottle’s
label accurately reflects its contents.”
The Senate bill introduced by Sen. Wesley Chesbro, D-Arcata,
applies
to wine produced, bottled or labeled after Dec. 31, 2008.
It was designed
to close loopholes in federal brand name legislation from
1986 in which a
grandfather clause exempted brand names already in use.
The new law has its detractors. “It’s inconsistent
with the Napa statute,” said
Wendell Lee, general counsel for the Wine Institute, the
California wine
industry’s main lobbying organization. “It’s
very selective in the protection
that it rendered. It was pretty clear to us that some of
the unintended
consequences would be dramatic if we didn’t make
an effort to change the
bill.” The lobby did have an impact: “It started
out as a fairly overreaching
bill,” continued Lee. “In its first incarnation
it would have applied to all
counties, but as more counties started to object to being
included, it
shrank rapidly from a 54-county bill to a one-county bill.”
One change that Lee considers a win: “Carneros straddles
both Napa and
Sonoma. There’s a provision within the bill that
allows for wineries located in
both counties to use the term Sonoma in their advertising.”
As an example, Horiuchi cites the North Coast viticultural
area. “It contains
five counties, including Sonoma,” she says. “Federal
regulations require that
85 percent of grapes are from within the boundaries of
the viticultural region
in order for the name to appear on the label.” But
now in order to use the
name Sonoma in advertising, producers would need 75 percent
of grapes to
be grown in that region alone.
California is one of the largest wine producers in the
world, supplying more
than $27 billion in products every year. The wine industry
contributes $45.4
billion to the state economy and 200,000 jobs. California’s
1,300 commercial
wineries are predominantly small or family owned-and-operated
businesses.
Is White Wine As Healthy As Red?
The
health benefits of white wine may equal those of red
wine,
according to a study headed by Dipak K. Das, Ph.D., of
the
University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
Researchers have long known that
grape skins and seeds contain
many cardioprotective compounds.
Thus, red wine has been assumed
to be healthier than white wine,
because grape skins and seeds are
generally crushed with the pulp to
make red wine, a practice much less
common in the making of white wine.
However, Dr. Das’ study revealed
that grape pulp contains as many
cardioprotective compounds as
grape skin.
“
Although further study is needed to
identify the principal ingredients
responsible for the cardioprotective
abilities of the grape flesh,” the
researchers said, “to the best of
our knowledge, our study provides
evidence for the first time that the flesh
of grapes is equally cardioprotective
with respect to the skins.”
Dr. Das collaborated on the study
with other Italian researchers. It was
published Aug. 23 in the Journal of
Agricultural & Food Chemistry.
BUT CAN IT RECOMMEND AN APPETIZER?
A robot may change how we decide what to eat or drink
A new machine called Wine-Bot
can actually “taste” food and wine,
according to a report published by
Japan’s NEC System Technologies.
Engineers from NEC and from
Japan’s Mie University worked
together to develop the culinarily
sophisticated machine.
By making use of infrared
spectroscopic technology, a
technique often used in food science,
the robot can examine food and
wine, and then list its ingredients,
the project developers claim. They
also say the robot can provide
food/wine recommendations and
health-related information in as little
as 30 seconds.
Apparently, wine challenges the
robot more than food, because
differences among wines are
statistically smaller than differences
among foods. Additionally, the
robot is programmed to help a user
develop a set of wine preferences.
“ Like a human sommelier,
the robot asks a minimum number of questions
in order to narrow down the choices
among the best wines,” NEC’s
report said.
Although the holiday shopping
season is just around the corner, don’t
plan on adding Wine-Bot to your wish
list just yet. “We have no plans to sell
to consumers yet,” said Yukie Endo
of NEC. The robot was developed
in part for a technical conference
oriented toward the development of
practical technological applications
for the future.
Jackson Buys Murphy-Goode
Sonoma County wine maven
makes deal for Alexander Valley winery
Jackson Family Wines, the parent company
of the popular Kendall-Jackson wine brand, purchased
fellow Sonoma winery Murphy-Goode Estate Winery in June
for an undisclosed amount.
Founded in 1985 by three California wine industry veterans— Tim Murphy,
Dale Goode and Dave Ready — Murphy - Goode Winery garners consistent
praise for its Fumé Blanc.
In a statement released after the purchase, Jackson Family Wines founder
Jess Jackson said the acquisition is an exceptional addition to his company’s
portfolio of wines. “As a friend and a neighbor in the Alexander
Valley, I have watched Murphy-Goode grow over the years,” said Jackson, “producing
one exceptional wine after another. We all started in this business at
the same time, and we plan to continue their historic family legacy of
passion and commitment to quality.”
The Murphy family retains ownership of their vineyard holdings in the Alexander
Valley and in the
Russian River Valley.
WineStyles
Franchise Hits Atlanta
Fast-growing wine franchise
opens a store in the city’s Perimeter area
Laura Murvartian was a high-placed executive
at Turner Broadcasting when she had an epiphany.
“ I loved wine and the whole lifestyle that goes with it,” Murvartian
said. “So I did some research and found the WineStyles Web site. I just
loved the look and the feel of it and thought it would do really well in Atlanta.”
Murvartian decided to turn that speculation into reality: She recently opened
Atlanta’s first WineStyles
store. As opposed to many other wine retail outlets, the store organizes
its wine by style—crisp, silky, rich, fruity, bubbly, mellow or bold—instead
of by varietals or region. Most wines are $25 or less, although Murvartian
has an “If You Insist” section where customers can get more expensive
wine.
The WineStyles franchise concept, which began in 2004, has grown to more
than 100 franchises in 15 states, with stores set to open in Mexico and Puerto
Rico. According to Murvartian, four more stores are expected to open soon
in the metro Atlanta area, as well as one in Savannah, Ga.
Murvartian, who is not only the new store’s owner but WineStyles’ Georgia
area developer, likes the appeal of the store itself and of the work experience
it promises.
“ It seemed like it would be less of a business and more like a party every
day,” she says.
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