Winning in the wine world

Dear FSB: What is the success rate for a small local winery in an area of between 40,000 to 60,000 people?

- David Poland, Galesburg, Ill.

Dear David: In the wine world, it's not size of your hometown, but the measure of your patience and perseverance that determines success.

Boutique wineries in tiny villages - such as the historic Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, N.Y., population about 6,000 - can have as much success as one founded amid hundreds of acres of vines in the famed Napa Valley of California.

Enormous changes in the way grapes are grown, and how wine is made and distributed, have made it possible for anyone to begin a label - whether they live in midtown Manhattan or mid-state Illinois.

But that's not to say it will be easy.


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Boutique' winery ordinance on tap

Herman Salerno, owner of the Salerno Winery in Ramona, favors a proposed county ordinance that would allow 'boutique wineries' to host tasting rooms at their facilities. The county Planning Commission will consider the ordinance on Friday.
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Wine making taught at Alba Vineyard

Enroll in "Wine 101" at Alba Vineyard, Pohatcong Township, and be taught by nationally award-winning winemaker John Altmaier.

Classes are held at 11 a.m. every Saturday in March and April. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from a professional winemaker with over 25 years of experience.

Join Altmaier and discover wine in this 90-minute class.Understanding the basic elements and characteristics of common wine varietals and how they are crafted will take your appreciation to a whole new level, helping you to evaluate wine and identify your own taste preferences.It will build the foundation for a lifetime of wine appreciation.

Cost of $15 per person includes a wine glass. Reservations are required; call (908) 995-7800. Class size is limited.


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eWine Match Service Now Sends Expert, Real-Time Wine Pairings to Your Desktop or Cell Phone

FINE Design Group, a West Coast-based design and technology company, and Foster's Wine Estates Americas, a leading Napa-based premium wine company, announced the launch of eWineMatch.com, completing the first real-time food and wine pairing service available via both the web and mobile phone channels.

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Bill aims for store wine, beer tasting

Drink some beer.

Yup. Barring an unexpected legislative hiccup, a handful of grocery stores across the state will offer shoppers free wine and beer samples, starting this fall.

Some lawmakers, worried about drivers and what children will think, say it�s an unbelievably bad idea.

�Let�s take a look at this bill. It�s about drinking � in grocery stores!� said Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland. �What are we thinking?�

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The valley's love affair with wine

Drinking wine in the Vail Valley is sexy.

From social gatherings among local restaurant wine experts to posh winemaker dinners, the valley has no shortage of wine or those who love to savor every drop.

Local restaurants are practically incomplete without their resident sommeliers, or wine experts, on hand to pair luscious wines with decadent dishes. Most of the high-end restaurants in town have at least one sommelier. La Tour in Vail Village has six � the restaurant wants to make sure that every guest has access to expertise that will make dinner tastier.

�The most fun I have working the floor isn�t necessarily selling the wine, it�s the educational side,� says Steven Teaver, one of La Tour�s sommeliers. �It�s about really being able to open people�s eyes.


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Acorex Wine Holding launches new series of Moscatel sparkling wines

The Acorex Wine Holding has worked out a new series of sparkling wines - Salveto, especially for beautiful ladies. According to the company’s experts, the series includes the Salveto Muscatel sparkling red wine with light tones of fruits and rose and the Salveto Muscatel sparkling white wine with tones of apricot and peach. "The Muscatel wines are considered to be women’s beverages. They have a pleasant and soft taste, they are light. Their bouquet is rich in various tints. The Salveto series consists of genuinely ‘female" wines with a romantic character, they are sweet and semi-sweet Muscatels and Traminers, Acorex Wine Holding representatives say. In February 2008 the Salveto Muscatel sparkling white wine won two golden medals – Authoritative Commissions of international wine tasting contests in Moscow and Chisinau gave unanimously were the highest mark to the new product.


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