Wine News

THAT'S THE ESPRIT
48˚ 00' N

Ontario-based (48˚ 00' N) Vincor Canada, one of Canada's largest winemakers, can add Official Wine Supplier of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to its portfolio. In addition to VQA wines from other Vincor brands in the Olympic sponsorship-program - Inniskillin, Sumac Ridge, Nk'Mip and See Ya Later Ranch - VANOC and Jackson-Triggs created a co-branded wine series called Esprit Wines. Originally, Jackson-Triggs said Olympic Esprit couldn't meet quantity demands if produced entirely from Canadian grapes, but thanks to a good 2007 growing season, all Esprit wines are made from 100-percent Ontario- and B.C.-grown grapes. For every co-branded wine bottle sold, $1.25 is donated to the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). Proceeds from Inniskillin's Vidal Icewine Commemorative Edition and Sumac Ridge's Tribute sparkling wine sales will also be donated to Vancouver's Olympics and the Canadian team. (Michelle Lindstrom)
 
C'EST LA VIE
44˚ 49' N

A community project in Saint Emilion, France (44˚ 49' N) has winemakers planting hedges instead of grape vines to benefit their vineyards for years to come. By diversifying plant life in and around their vines using hedges and ground cover, soil erosion and harmful bug infestations are expected to decrease significantly. This method of biodiversity is gaining in popularity as more vineyards are trying to reduce their environmental impact. A winemaker's definition of biodiversity involves creating complexity within a vineyard by growing more than just grapes. This diverts the attention of vine-threatening bugs away from the profitable fruit and onto any other plant life grown in the vineyard. Fewer bugs means less need for insecticides, and thus fewer chemicals seeping into the ground. (ML)

BURNING BRIDGES
50˚ 46' N

The B50, a four-lane bridge and highway, is under construction in Mosel, Germany (50˚ 46' N), much to the dismay of wine-lovers around the world. The road threatens Mosel's vineyards, which date back 2,000 years. The bridge/road location runs along and across the Mosel River, where numerous vineyards are perched precariously on steep hills, and are thought to be incapable of surviving the vibrations from the heavy road-building machinery. Nearby vineyard owners are also concerned about the dust and shadows that will be cast on their primarily riesling vines and how the deep trenches built to accommodate the massive road will affect water distribution. Most major political parties in Germany are in favour of the seven-year construction plan to complete the B50's 20-kilometre stretch of road and bridge. It doesn't appear residents or protestors will be able to sway their decision. (ML)

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOUR
38˚ 19' N

If you like sake, you might like Makgeolli, a Korean milky-white, carbonated rice wine. But, then again, you may not. Its flavour is described as a cross between sake and beer with a sharp, fruity aftertaste. The traditional alcoholic beverage is enjoying a resurgence in Korea (38˚ 19' N), leading scientists and even South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak to endorse the drink. The next step is to get the international market also interested in the traditional wine, which is what scientists are working on. Makgeolli winemakers and scientists are refining the taste for Japanese and American palates by adding fruit and making Makgeolli-based cocktails in hopes of increasing the number of countries selling the wine from 15 to approximately 30. (ML)