Planet Wine Blog

FLOWER DAY PLANTING SETS THE WHEELS IN MOTION FOR FIRST ORGANIC WINES
The picturesque and historic Tenuta San Leonardo, situated high in the alpine valleys of north-east Italy's Trentino region and already famed for crafting award winning old school Bordeaux blends, is just three years off becoming an EU-certified organic wine producer. Having halted the use of pesticides and allowed the soil to rest for three years [...]

IS THE WORLD’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH PROSECCO ABOUT TO LOSE ITS FIZZ?
As the Northern hemisphere enters summer, fizzy drinkers have been thrown into a panic that has run wildfire through social media and seen shoppers scouring the supermarket shelves to hoard their favourite sunshine tipple. It seems Prosecco stocks may not last out the season – so we’ve been led to believe.Export manager for Italian producer [...]

ONE WOMAN, ONE WINE, COUNTLESS ACCOLADES
The Titolo label, which has become known as a benchmark for the ageability of aglianico wines, one of Italy’s oldest old but largely undiscovered varietals, may never have existed if it weren’t for a last minute ‘shot to the heart’ of winemaker Elena Fucci.In 2000, the Fuccis were considering selling the picturesque vineyards the family [...]

LOW OR ZERO ALCOHOL BEER NO LONGER SECOND BEST
Finding yourself taking to low-alcohol or non-alcoholic beer on an increasing number of occasions, not just because you have to, but, well, because you’ve started to quite like the taste? If that’s the case, according to speakers at the Canadean International Beer Strategies Conference in Amsterdam earlier this month, you’re not alone.Beverage Daily.com reported Canadean account director Kevin Baker as [...]

Hot Red Hawke's Bay - Sample the Best Red Wines from NZ's non-Pinot Noir Capital
HOT RED YOUR CHANCE TO SAMPLE COVETED REDSUnison Vineyard’s much lauded and soon-to-be-released 2012 Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Syrah will be previewed alongside the winery’s full range of reds at Hot Red Hawke’s Bay, the popular annual trade and consumer event that showcases the region’s finest wines in Auckland and Wellington on 11 and 12 June.The 2012 Syrah was [...]

Breaking up the Family for better Wines
Breaking up the Family for Better WinesRoberto Anselmi and daughter Lisa have revolutionized the family's winemaking ethos. Roberto Anselmi forced his own father to quit the family business in order to improve the wines.By W. Blake Gray | Posted Tuesday, 26-May-2015In the late 1970s, Roberto Anselmi fought with his father, who wanted to keep [...]

Bumper Vintage sees local NZ Wines Sales rocket
A bumper 2014 vintage for New Zealand wineries has seen domestic sales rocket by 18 percent.Figures revealed by New Zealand Winegrowers for the year to March 2015 show that some 60 million litres of New Zealand wine were sold locally. According to chief executive Philip Gregan, a large chunk of the growth in the period under review was from [...]
Emerging from the Wave - Waving, not Drowning
A most excellent trade tasting held at Apero Bistro on K’Road in Auckland last night. Produce of some of the Movers and Shakers of the South African winemaking scene: @Sadiefamily, @Blake Family Wines, @Savagewines, @Beyerskloofwines, @Cederberg Wines and the 1990 and 2008 vintages of Klein Constantia Vin de Constance. For many tasters this was [...]

New-Old World red trumps Old-Old World red
SOUTH AFRICAN BORDEAUX BLEND BEATS THE FRENCH The Morgenster Reserve 2004 from Somerset West in South Africa has been chosen as the top wine in a blind tasting organised by the winery’s owner to measure his older wines against similar vintages from the Bordeaux region of France. Giulio Bertrand took the opportunity of a visit in April [...]
Not all that glitters is Gold
Award stickers: friend of foe?How often have you been in this situation? Dinner invitation received, outfit selected, small gift wrapped, ready to go. Jump into car, stop outside wine shop on the way to party. Rush in (after all, an hour is disrespectfully late), flick a quick hello to the manager and [...]