Worldbeat

Wines & Vines,  March, 2000  by Larry Walker

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In an effort to regain consumer confidence--and sell more wine--the Bordeaux CIVB has announced that tough new quality standards are being imposed and that any wine not meeting them will be held off the market. In a story in the January issue of Wine & Spirit International, the U.K. trade publication, the CIVB said the checks are necessary to confirm that individual brands are meeting the quality standards laid down by the Institut National d'Appellations d'Origine (INAO). Those wines failing to meet the standards will be held off the market until necessary improvements can be made.

The action was probably spurred by a tasting organized in London a year ago by Charles Sichel, the export director for the Peter Sichel company in Bordeaux. Sichel, who felt that standards of generic Bordeaux had fallen, put several dozen bottles of Bordeaux wines in a tasting with global opposition. The writers invited to the tasting wrote a number of articles highly critical of the Bordeaux bottles, a result which Sichel said he had expected.

Sichel believes such shock tactics were necessary to make sure the wines of Bordeaux met global standards and he is reported to be pleased by the tougher stances taken by the CIVB.

The Peter A. Sichel company contracts for grapes from over 50 growers and in the past few years has started to work directly with the growers to get the quality of grapes they want; this is not common in France. Charles Sichel says there has been an apparent increase in quality. The company exports some 85% of its production. About 60% of all Bordeaux wines are sold within France and about 45% of that sold through giant supermarket chains.

French Forests Devastated

It is unclear whether the massive storms that hit France in late December did major damage to the oak forests. According to barrel broker Mel Knox, most of the trees brought down by winds that hit 120-miles-per hour were pine and fir or shallow-rooted species. Foresters estimate that three years of tree harvest was brought down.

Knox reported that the destruction was staggering and that restoration of the forests may take generations.

In Other News

The wines of Terrale, produced by Casa Vinicola Calatrasi from Apulia in southern Italy and Sicily are being introduced into the U.S. The international style wines, made by Peter Douglas, the Australian winemaker who has been with Penfolds and Lindemans, will sell at $6.99 for the 750ml and $9.99 for the 1.5 liter. There are two reds from Apulia, Terrale Primitivo and Terrale Sangiovese/Primitivo as well as a Chardonnay. A D'Avola/Sangiovese blend and a Catarratto/Trebbiano blend are from Sicily. The wines will be marketed by Palm Bay Imports at 100 S.E. Fifth Avenue, Suite 514, Boca Raton, Fla. 33432; Tel.: (561) 362-9642, Fax: (561) 362-7296. For more information visit www.palmbayimports.com

Winebid.com will expand its online auctions outside the U.S. beginning March 16. The company, based in Napa, will open a facility in London to receive European wine collections. The company plans to expand to other parts of the world later in the year.

Mills Reef Winery of New Zealand is expanding its export program to the U.S. In 1999, the family-owned winery sent a small amount of Sauvignon blanc to North America. On the heels of good response, they will now ship a Reserve Sauvignon blanc, a Reserve Chardonnay and a Cabernet-Merlot blend. The wines will retail at $16 to $24. The U.S. agent is the San Francisco Wine Exchange, (415) 546-9484.

The Boisset Group, with headquarters in Nuits-Saint-George, has purchased Vins et Vignobles, a Rhone wine firm that deals in Beaujolais and Cotes du Rhones. This is part of a continuing Boisset policy of building a strong presence in each producing region in which they have wines. The purchase makes Boisset second only to Georges Duboeuf as a dealer in Beaujolais.

Paraiso Springs, the Monterey county winery, has launched a drive to increase exports in 2000, according to David Fleming, director of operations for the winery. Fleming is especially excited about the Japanese market, which saw a ten-fold increase on a small base by the end of 1999. Paraiso Springs produces 20,000 cases of wine a year and the goal is to export 25% of production.

Benefit for Ronn Wiegand Family

Writers Ronn Wiegand and his wife Brenda Boblitt, publishers of the well-regarded Restaurant Wine newsletter, and their two sons were involved in a very serious automobile accident in Napa in November. They are facing severe problems both in terms of health and finances. The two son's injuries are now healing and are both back at school. Ronn will need many weeks of rehabilitation before he can resume work. Brenda's condition remains very serious; she faces a number of major operations.

A benefit dinner and wine auction was held February 4 at the Culinary Institute of America's Grey-stone Barrel Room in Napa Valley. All costs of the dinner were underwritten by Wine Spectator.

A contribution can be sent directly to the Wiegand Family Fund, Bank of the West, 3300 Jefferson Street, Napa, Calif. 94558, account number 094268174.

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