34 minute read

The Wine Group, Inc. Business Information, Profile, and History

240 Stockton Street
San Francisco, California 94108-5325
U.S.A.

Company Perspectives:

The Wine Group's innovations have changed the way millions of Americans enjoy wine. Our company pioneered the wine-on-tap category with Franzia, and made this the fastest growing wine package of the 1990s. We are also a leader in developing and marketing new varietals and blends, and recently introduced freshness assurance dating to the wine industry.

History of The Wine Group, Inc.

The Wine Group, Inc. (TWG), a privately owned company, is the third largest wine company in the United States in terms of sales volume. At its vineyards in California and New York, it produces a variety of wines sold under the Franzia, Corbett Canyon, Mogen David, Tribuno, and Lejon labels. Their product line is largely inexpensive, making them available to a wide audience. Franzia and Corbett Canyon, at their California vineyards, are principal producers of TWG's standard table wines. Franzia Winetaps, sold in boxes, are the best selling wines in the United States. Corbett Canyon, with wines sold in distinct, re-sealable decanters, produces very competitive, premium-grape varietals at its winery near San Luis Obispo. More specialized are the sweet concord grape and blackberry Mogen David kosher wines produced in New York, the premium vermouths sold under the Tribuno label, and the less expensive vermouths sold under the Lejon name. Most recently, TWG has begun marketing wines under the Foxhorn and Crysta labels as well as producing a line of wine coolers under the Lyrica name. The company has also purchased Turner Road Vintners, the Woodbridge production and bottling facilities of Sebastiani Vineyards Inc., which bottles medium-priced wines under a variety of brand names, including Talus, Vendange, Farallon, Nathanson Creek, Heritage, and La Terre.

The Wine Group's Origins in the 1980s

Early in the 1980s, several large conglomerates began divesting wine companies that they had acquired just a few years earlier. Among the sellers were the Coca-Cola Company, R.J. Reynolds, Schlitz Brewing Company, and the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York. For whatever reason, the wineries no longer fit into the conglomerates' plans for growth and diversification. The Coca-Cola Company had in fact caused quite a stir in 1977, when it created the Wine Spectrum, a subsidiary consisting of the Monterey Vineyard and Sterling Winery in California and Taylor Wine Company and Great Western Winery in New York. Some critics questioned the advisability or propriety of the soft-drink giant's entry into the alcoholic beverage market. Whether it took such concerns seriously or not, it sold its winery holdings to the Seagram Company in 1983.

By that time, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York, which had owned three wineries, had already divested itself of its holdings. These consisted of Franzia, Mogen David, and Tribuno, which were bought in 1981 by The Wine Group, a limited partnership formed for the purpose of buying the wineries. The partnership was headed by Arthur A. Ciocca, who was the president and CEO of Franzia and formerly a marketing executive with Gallo. He was joined in the venture by some other members of his team, men who had been charting Franzia's way under the ownership of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York and were opposed to a buyout involving a third party.

At the time, Franzia was a well established California winery offering a range of varietal wines. It also shipped wine, grape concentrates and brandy in bulk to the Mogen David winery in Westfield, New York, to be used in such Mogen David products as MD 20-20 and Golden Chablis. Mogen David also had a long history and was noted for its regional kosher wines, notably its sweet concord grape and blackberry table wines. Tribuno vermouths, both sweet and dry, bottled in New Jersey, were also established products. The brand was the number one premium vermouth produced in the United States. It and Lejon, a leading popular-priced vermouth, were two high-volume brands of TWG. Both produced sweet (red) and dry (white) vermouth. The wines, often used in standard cocktails like martinis and Manhattans, were also used as both aperitif and dessert wines.

The Histories of the Wineries

At the time of its acquisition by The Wine Group, Franzia had been in existence for 66 years. In 1893, Giuseppe Franzia, its founder, immigrated to California from his native Italian city of Genoa. He worked in small truck farms around San Francisco, earning a meager salary that kept him at the poverty level for several years. He was very frugal, however, and by 1906 he had saved enough to plant and cultivate a small vineyard of his own. He founded the first Franzia family winery in 1915. It was not a particularly auspicious moment, however. The country was two years away from entering World War I and just five from passing the infamous 18th Amendment, which cleared the path for the Volstead Act, barring the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.

Franzia had no choice but to close his winery during Prohibition, which lasted from 1920 to 1933. During that period, Franzia's five sons continued cultivating the vineyard, and when the Repeal came in the form of the 21st Amendment, they reopened their father's business under the name Franzia Brothers. Initially, the sons sold their wine in bulk to eastern bottlers. Then, late in World War II, they began bottling their own branded wine, using the mass-production methods that had been introduced by their in-laws, Ernest and Julio Gallo, who had opened bottling plants in Los Angeles and New Orleans. In addition to an assembly-line method of bottling, the Gallos used screw-caps rather than corks to seal the bottles, something considered almost a criminal act by some wine connoisseurs but defended as sanitary improvement by health-conscious customers.

In 1971, a family squabble over the future of the winery resulted in its sale to a group of investors in the East who subsequently sold it to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York (itself acquired by Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. of Atlanta in 1997). However, some members of the Franzia family continued in the business, creating the JFJ Bronco Winery near Modesto, California.

The Mogen David Winery, located in Westfield, New York, also had been around a long time when TWG acquired it. Originally, the company was located in Chicago, but it relocated to upstate New York in 1967, a practical move to put it closer to its supply of grapes for its Concord wines. At the time it was purchased by TWG, it was producing about six million gallons of wine annually and was the world's largest producer of Concord wines. Not all of its wines were the kosher wines for which it was best known. Popular among a younger audience, specifically college students, was its MD 20/20 affectionately know as 'Mad Dog' 20/20, a line marketed in several flavors that recalled non-alcoholic drinks, including pink grapefruit, wild berry, and Hawaiian blue.

1982-89: Becoming a Major Market Player

TWG faced some troubling prospects in the early going. By 1983, the California wine boom of the 1970s had ended, leaving a an industry in a slump and a major marketing problem. In the decade prior to TWG's formation, California had at last won the long battle to establish itself as a world class producer of wines. State vintners, buoyed by a new optimism, added considerable acreage with new grape plantings, developed new technologies, and created new wineries, including, for example, the Lawrence Winery, the forerunner of Corbett Canyon. In 1982, after a decade of an annual average growth of ten percent, wine shipments flattened out. About half of California's leading wineries shipped fewer cases than in the previous year, and between the 1981 and 1982 harvests, wine inventories climbed by 16 percent to 685 million gallons. The 3.1 million ton grape crush of 1982 broke all previous records; it also caused wine prices to plummet, aided by a general recession that was reining in a growth in the sales of all alcoholic beverages.

The wine glut compelled wineries to use new marketing strategies, and it soon became clear that the 1980s would be ruled by the low-cost producers and marketers. TWG responded with some innovative measures for producing and marketing its array of bargain-priced wines. Notably, with Franzia, TWG pioneered the 'wine tap' container, a box containing a pouch with a tap. It would become the fastest growing wine package of the 1990s. Because a loophole in federal wine standards allowed boxed wine producers to dilute the wine with water and still market it under classic varietal names such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the new packaging caused some industry flack. Also with Franzia, TWG helped initiate the wine cooler craze in the 1980s.

In 1988, the company took an important expansion step, buying Corbett Canyon from Glenmore Distilleries Co. The vintner was originally established in 1979 as the Lawrence Winery but was re-established as Corbett Canyon in 1983. From grapes grown on its 350-acre Los Alamos Vineyards in the Edna Valley, outside of San Luis Obispo, California, the winery was producing a line of award-winning Coastal Classic varietals and Reserve designated wines. Its line would eventually grow to include Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Muscat, Muscat Canelli, Sauvignon Blanc, White Zinfandel, and Zinfandel. Growing sales would also compel it to buy some of its grapes from other producers.

1990 and Beyond: TWG Becomes the Nation's Third Largest Producer

In most ways, TWG fared very well in the 1990s. It enhanced its reputation as an innovator, introducing, for example, freshness assurance dating to the wine industry and garnering some awards for the distinct design of some of its bottles. Both its Franzia and Corbett Canyon brands were highly successful. According to A.C. Nielsen ratings, in the mid-1990s, Corbett Canyon was the fastest growing domestic wine. From 1995 to 1996, Corbett Canyon produced one million cases, a 67 percent leap in production. The wine maker--one of 19 wineries and vineyard members in the Edna Valley Arroyo Grande Valley Vintner's Association--was so successful that it had to close its doors to the public; it needed its tasting-room space for additional barrel storage to accommodate its growing product line and sales. In 1995, after cultivating additional acreage, it added Merlot and Zinfandel to its range of Californian varietals. However, the closing move made it the only winery in the Association to turn away visitors and prompted some criticism because the vintner, immensely popular, had previously drawn many visitors to the area, a benefit to all the other area wineries.

It was also in 1996 that Corbett Canyon received a Wine Business Monthly Clear Choice Award for package design for its 1.5 liter bottles that tapered from rounded shoulders to square bases, a distinct, innovative shape. Still, it was not just TWG's break from the traditionally shaped bottle that made Corbett Canyon a great seller. It won plenty of accolades for it caliber, and even 'wine snobs' were buying some of Corbett Canyon's line, its Sauvignon Blanc, for example, that in 1997 still cost under $5 for a .75 liter bottle.

As for Franzia, in 1997 it was the top selling brand of wine in the country. In that year it recorded depletions of 18 million nine-liter cases, 6.6 million cases ahead of its closest competitor, Carlo Rossi. Even Mogen David continued to lead in its particular market sector. In 1998, 1.5 million adults were drinking Mogen David, beating out it chief competitor Canandaigua's Manischewitz wine by 100,000. Demographics indicated that the drinkers of the kosher wines produced by Mogen David and rival Manischewitz were not typically part of a kosher community or even Jewish. The non-vintage kosher wines, with their relatively high sugar content, had an appeal to a broader customer base, principally to consumers who preferred sweet dessert wines in traditional flavors like blackberry and concord. Mogen David was also tapping into a more youthful market, a mainstay of TWG.

Throughout the decade, TWG continued to develop products with a primary appeal to that market sector, one that was not hide-bound by tradition and was willing to try anything at least once. In 1999, it started shipping its new, clear-bottled Lyrica brand in a variety of flavors: Raspberry Merlot, Passion Berry White Zinfandel, Peach Chardonnay. The bottles, created at the San Francisco design shop Primo Angeli, were again unique, reinforcing the impression that TWG always did things a little differently than other wineries. However, in 2000, it appeared that TWG was also going to invest some more in standard varietals and pricier wines. Sebastiani Vineyards Inc. agreed to sell its Woodbridge production and bottling facilities, the Turner Road Vintners, the largest in the Lodi, California, area, to TWG. The facilities included a crushing and wine making complex with a 275,000 square foot bottling plant and distribution warehouse located nearby. The Turner Road Vintners produced about 7.8 million cases of wine per year (about 90 percent of Sebastiani's wine) bottled under a variety of brand names: Talus, Vendange, Farallon, Nathanson Creek, Heritage, and La Terre.

In addition to being an industry leader in the development and marketing of new varietals and blends, throughout the decade TWG played an exploratory part in the development of new markets, including Mexico. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that went into effect at the start of 1994 encouraged American wineries to make a serious attempt to export wines to Mexico and other south-of-the-border countries. Mexico's tariff was reduced by 20 percent and would continue to decline by two percent per year until it would finally be eliminated. Arthur Ciocca, TWG's CEO, noted that once the tariff barrier was sufficiently lowered NAFTA would give American wine makers an opening in a market with enormous potential.

The Wine Group was clearly going to remain a major industry player at the century's turn. In the first calendar quarter of 2000, The Wine Group shipped 5.47 million nine-liter cases of wine, an increase of 7.2 percent over the same period of the previous year. Its exporting volume also soared by 46 percent over the same period in the previous year. Furthermore, TWG was rapidly closing in on second-ranked Canandaigua, which shipped 5.56 million nine-liter cases. Though both trailed industry leader Gallo by a wide margin, they were way ahead of fourth ranked Robert Mondavi.

Principal Operating Units: Franzia; Corbett Canyon; Mogen David; Tribuno; Lejon.

Principal Competitors: Canandaigua Wine Company; E. & J. Gallo Winery; Sebastiani Vineyards Inc.; Sutter Home Winery, Inc.; Robert Mondavi Corporation.

Related information about Wine

The alcoholic beverage produced from the fermentation of grapes or other fruits. The alcohol content varies from 7% to 13%, but is usually 12%, the point at which fermentation stops. A wine's taste is determined by the type of grape used, the soil in which it is grown, and the local climate. It may be white, red, or ros辿, dry or sweet, still or sparkling. White wine can be made from red (or black) grapes as well as white (or green): the final colour depends on whether the skins are left to ferment with the juice. Sweet wine is taken from the vat before fermentation has finished, while some sugar remains; dry wine is left to ferment until all the sugar has been converted to alcohol. Sparkling wine is produced by bottling it before the fermentation process is completed, so that fermentation continues in the bottle. Fermentation is stopped by the addition of alcohol (eg brandy) to produce fortified wines (eg sherry and port).

Known since ancient times, viniculture was taken to Italy by the Greeks, and by the Romans to Gaul (modern France). France has long been regarded as the producer of the greatest wines, in Bordeaux (claret) and Burgundy. France and Italy are the leading growers and producers, with Spain and Germany also traditional winemaking centres. The 20th-c saw the development of vineyards all over the world, and in the 1980s other European countries (eg Bulgaria) began to produce large quantities of wine for export. Following the devastation of European vineyards by the phylloxera insect in the 19th-c, most grapes in Europe are grown on cuttings grafted on to American root stock (which is resistant to phylloxera). In California and Australia, winemaking has developed as an industry; all processes, from the delivery of the grape to the packing of filled bottles for transportation, can be carried out in factory surroundings, to produce all qualities of wine from basic to excellent.



Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of the juice of fruits, usually grapes. Non-grape wines are called fruit wine or country wine. Other products made from starch based materials, such as barley wine, rice wine, and sake, are more similar to beers. Beverages made from other fermentable material such as honey (mead), or that are distilled, such as brandy, are not wines.

Etymology

The word wine comes from the Old English win, which derives from the Proto-Germanic *winam which was an early borrowing from the Latin vinum, (which can mean either the "wine" or the "vine"), from Aeolic Greek F?????, (woinos) which itself was based on non-Indo-European languages such as Arabic ???? (wain).

Early history

Wine residue has been identified by Patrick McGovern's team at the University Museum, Pennsylvania, in ancient pottery jars. Records include ceramic jars from the Neolithic sites at Shulaveri, of present-day Georgia (about 6000 BC) www.stonepages.com/news/archives/000498.html, Hajji Firuz Tepe in the Zagros Mountains of present-day Iran (5400-5000 BC) and from Late Uruk (3500-3100 BC) occupation at the site of Uruk, in Mesopotamia www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/NearEast/wine.shtml. The identifications are based on the identification of tartaric acid and tartrate salts using a form of infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The identifications have not yet been replicated in other laboratories.

In his book Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003), McGovern argues that the domestication of the Eurasian wine grape and winemaking could have originated on the territory of modern Georgia and Armenia and spread south from there. It is plausible that early foragers and farmers made alcoholic beverages from wild fruits, including wild grapes (Vitis silvestris). This would have become easier following the development of pottery vessels in the later Neolithic of the Near East, about 9000 years ago. There is also increasingly abundant evidence for wine making in Sumeria and Egypt in the third millennium BC. The ancient Chinese made wine from native wild "mountain grapes" like Vitis thunbergii www.eykhoff.nl/Wine%20in%20China.pdf for a time, until they imported domesticated grape seeds from Central Asia in the second century BC. There is scant evidence for earlier domestication of grape, in the form of grape pips from Chalcolithic Tell Shuna in Jordan, but this evidence remains unpublished.

Exactly where wine was first made is still unclear. Wild grapes grow in Georgia, northern Levant, coastal and southeastern Turkey, northern Iran or Armenia.

Ancient Egypt

In Ancient Egypt, wine played an important role in ceremonial life. The industry was most likely the result of trade between Egypt and Canaan during the Early Bronze Age, commencing from at least the Third Dynasty (2650 ? 2575 BC), the beginning of the Old Kingdom period (2650 ? Winemaking scenes on tomb walls, and the offering lists that accompanied them, included wine that was definitely produced at the deltaic vineyards. The advent of wine in Europe was the work of the Greeks who spread the art of grape-growing and winemaking in Ancient Greek and Roman times.

Wine in ancient Egypt was predominantly red. Residue from five clay amphorae from Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb yielded traces of white wine. while the exact arrival of wine in Greek territory is unknown, it was known to both the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures. www.greekwinemakers.com/czone/history/2ancient.shtml Dionysos was the Greek god of wine and revelry, and wine was frequently referred to in the works of Homer and Aesop. In Homeric myths wine is usually served in "mixing bowls", in which strong wine was diluted (presumably with water) in order to serve a large number of people.

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire had an immense impact on the development of viticulture and oenology.

Medieval Europe

In medieval Europe wine was consumed by the church and the noble and merchant classes, ale being the drink of the general populace. The Benedictine monks became one of the largest producers of wine in France and Germany, followed closely by the Cistercians. Home recipes for meads from this period are still in existence, along with recipes for spicing and disguising off flavors in wines, including the simple act of adding a small amount of honey to the wine.

Wine in the New World

Grapes and wheat were first brought to what is now Latin America by the first Spanish conquistadores to provide the necessities of the Catholic Holy Eucharist. Planted at Spanish missions, one variety came to be known as the Mission grapes and are still planted today in small amounts.

Wine production

Wine producing countries


Wine production by country 2005
Rank Country
(with link to wine article) 		Production
(tonnes)
1 France}} France 5,329,449
2 Italy}} Italy 5,056,648
3 Spain}} Spain 3,934,140
4 United States of America}} United States of America 2,232,000
5 Argentina}} Argentina 1,564,000
6 China}} China 1,300,000
7 Australia}} Australia 1,274,000
8 South Africa}} South Africa 1,157,895
9 Germany}} Germany 1,014,700
10 Chile}} Chile 788,551

Wine producing regions


Wine grapes grow almost exclusively between thirty and fifty degrees north or south of the equator. The world's most southerly vineyards are in the South Island of New Zealand near the 45th parallel and the most northerly is in Flen, Sweden, just above the 59th parallel uk.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&GridE=16.58951&GridN=59.05667&lon=16.58951&lat=59.05667&search_result=Flen%2C%20Flen&lang=&db=SE&keepicon=true&place=Flen%2C%20Flen&pc=64295%20&advanced=&addr2=&client=public&addr3=flen&overviewmap=&scale=50000. France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Chile, the United States of America, Germany, South Africa, Portugal, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Croatia and Argentina. In 2000, Great Britain imported more wine from Australia than from France for the first time in history.
The leaders in export volume by market share in 2003 were:

  • France, 22%
  • Italy, 20%
  • Spain, 16%
  • Australia, 8%
  • Chile, 6%
  • United States, 5%
  • Portugal, 4%
  • Germany, 4%

Wine grape varieties


Wine is usually made from one or more varieties of the European species, Vitis vinifera. When one of these varieties, such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Merlot, for example, is used as the predominant grape (usually defined by law as a minimum of 75 or 85%) the result is a varietal, as opposed to a blended wine. indeed, some of the world's most valued and expensive wines from the Bordeaux, Rioja or Tuscany regions, are a blend of several grape varieties of the same vintage.

Wine can also be made from other species or from hybrids, created by the genetic crossing of two species. Vitis labrusca, Vitis aestivalis, Vitis muscadinia, Vitis rupestris, Vitis rotundifolia and Vitis riparia are native North American grapes, usually grown for eating in fruit form or made into grape juice, jam, or jelly, but sometimes made into wine, eg.

The variety of grape(s), aspect (direction of slope), elevation, and topography of the vineyard, type and chemistry of soil, the climate and seasonal conditions under which grapes are grown, the local yeast cultures altogether form the concept of "terroir." Many small producers use growing and production methods that preserve or accentuate the aroma and taste influences of their unique terroir.

However, flavor differences are not desirable for producers of mass-market table wine or other cheaper wines, where consistency is more important. Red wine is made from red (or black) grapes, but its red colour is bestowed by a process called maceration, whereby the skin is left in contact with the juice during fermentation. A form of Ros辿 is called Blanc de Noirs where the juice of red grapes are allowed contact with the skins for a very short time (usually only a couple of hours).

Sparkling wines, such as champagne, are those with carbon dioxide, either from fermentation or added later. Other international denominations of sparkling wine include Sekt or Schaumwein (Germany), Cava (Spain), Spumante or Prosecco (Italy).

Brandy is a distilled wine. Grappa is a dry colorless brandy, distilled from fermented grape pomace, the pulpy residue of grapes, stems and seeds that were pressed for the winemaking process. The sugar content of grapes can be measured in brix, at harvest, and this determines the combined level of alcohol and residual sugar (in the absence of chaptalisation). Sweetness is in actuality determined by the amount of residual sugar in the wine after fermentation, relative to the acidity present in the wine.

Specific flavors may also be sensed, at least by an experienced taster, due to the highly complex mix of organic molecules, such as esters, that a fully vinted wine contains. Many people are very sensitive to animal scents in wine, and with possible exception of mourvedre almost all of these flavors, whether viewed positively or not, are the result of natural yeasts producing these scents.

Generally an experienced taster will distinguish between the aromas that the natural grape produces--called primary qualities--and the bouquet that is imparted by secondary effects such as winemaking practices or aging.

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Some red grapes

  • Cabernet Franc: tobacco, green bell pepper, raspberry, new-mown grass.
  • Cabernet Sauvignon: blackcurrants, chocolate, tobacco.
  • Gamay: pomegranate, strawberry, red fruits.
  • Grenache: smoky, pepper, raspberry
  • Malbec: violet, fruit
  • Merlot: black cherry, plums, tomato.
  • Mourv竪dre: thyme, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, violet, blackberry.
  • Nebbiolo: leather, tar, stewed prunes, chocolate, liquorice, roses.
  • Norton: red fruit, elderberries.
  • Petite Sirah (Durif): earthy, black pepper, dark fruits.
  • Petit Verdot: violets (later)
  • Pinot Noir: raspberry, cherry, violets, "farmyard" (with age), truffles.
  • Pinotage: bramble fruits.
  • Sangiovese: herbs, black cherry, leathery, earthy.
  • Syrah (Shiraz): tobacco, black pepper, blackberry, smoke.
  • Tempranillo: vanilla, strawberry, tobacco.
  • Teroldego: spices, chocolate, red Fruits
  • Zinfandel: black cherry, pepper, mixed spices, mint.

Some white grapes

  • Albari単o: lemon, minerals.
  • Chardonnay: butter, melon, apple, pineapple, vanilla (if oaked, i.e., vinified in new oak aging barrels)
  • Chenin Blanc: wet wood, beeswax, honey, apple, almond.
  • Gew端rztraminer: rose petals, lychee, spice.
  • Gr端ner Veltliner: green apple, citrus.
  • Marsanne: almond, honeysuckle, marzipan.
  • Melon de Bourgogne: lime, salt, green apple.
  • Muscat: lilac, honey, grapes, lime.
  • Palomino: honeydew, citrus, raw nuts.
  • Pinot Gris (Pinot Grigio): white peach, pear, apricot.
  • Prosecco: apple, honey, musk, citrus.
  • Riesling: citrus fruits, peach, honey.
  • Sauvignon Blanc: gooseberry, lime, asparagus, cut grass, bell pepper.
  • S辿millon: honey, orange, lime.
  • Ugni Blanc, also known as Trebbiano: lime, herbs.
  • Verdicchio: apple, minerals, citrus.
  • Vermentino: pear, cream, green fruits.
  • Viognier: peach, pear, nutmeg, apricot.

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By vintage

Wines may be classified by the year in which the grapes are harvested, known as the "vintage". It can sometimes profit from aging 2-3 years and some Prestige Cuv辿es even much longer.

There is some disagreement and research 64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:PinM43tiLk4J:www.liquidasset.com/WEILVDQS.PDF+%22Roman+L.+Weil%22+%22Parker+v.+Prial%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1 about the significance of vintage year to wine quality.

By wine style


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Some red wines

  • Amarone: Italy
  • Barbaresco: Italy
  • Barolo: Italy
  • Beaujolais: France
  • Blaufr辰nkischer: Austria
  • Bobal: Spain
  • Bordeaux: France
  • Brancellao: Spain
  • Brunello di Montalcino: Italy
  • Burgundy: France
  • Cabernet Franc: France, USA (California, Virginia)
  • Cabernet Sauvignon: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Italy, Moldova, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Turkey, USA (California, Texas, Washington State), Venezuela
  • Cannonau: Italy
  • Carmenere: Chile
  • Cencibel: Spain
  • Chianti: Italy
  • Dimyat: Bulgaria
  • Feteasc? Regal?: Romania
  • Garnacha, also known as Grenache and as Cannonau: Australia, France, South America, Spain, USA (California)
  • Gumza: Bulgaria
  • Kagor: Moldova
  • Kalecik Karasi: Turkey
  • Malbec: Argentina, France
  • Mavrodafni: Greece
  • Mavrud: Bulgaria
  • Mazuela: Spain
  • Melnik: Bulgaria
  • Merlot: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Italy, Moldova, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Turkey, USA (California, Washington State), Venezuela
  • Mirodia Red: Moldova
  • Monastrell: Spain
  • Norton: USA (Eastern and Midwestern States)
  • Nosiola: Italy
  • Pamid: Bulgaria
  • Petite Sirah: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, USA (California, Washington State)
  • Pinot Meunier: France, Germany
  • Pinot Noir: Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Moldova, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, USA (California, Oregon, Washington State)
  • Pinotage: New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe
  • Rioja: Spain
  • Syrah/Shiraz: Australia, France (Rh担ne), Italy, South Africa, Turkey, USA (California, Washington State), Venezuela
  • Tempranillo: Argentina, Spain, Venezuela
  • Trollinger: Germany
  • Valpolicella: Italy
  • Zinfandel: USA (California, Washington State)
  • Zweigelt: Austria

Sparkling red wines

  • Brachetto: Italy
  • Cabernet Sauvignon: Australia
  • Lambrusco: Italy
  • Syrah/Shiraz: Australia

Soleras wines

  • Marsala: Italy
  • Moscatel: Portugal
  • Palomino (grape used in Sherry): Spain
  • Pedro Xim辿nez: Spain
  • Porto: Portugal, South Africa ("port style", EU regulations forbid "port(o)" on labels)

Some white wines

  • Air辿n: Spain
  • Albillo: Spain
  • Aleasa Dulce: Moldova
  • Chablis: France
  • Chardonnay: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Moldova, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Turkey, USA (California, Midwest States, Washington State)
  • Chenin Blanc: France, South Africa, Venezuela
  • Do単a Blanca: Spain
  • Feteasc? Alb?: Moldova, Romania
  • Frascati: Italy
  • Gavi: Italy
  • Gew端rztraminer: Australia, Canada, France (Alsace), Germany, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, USA (Washington State)
  • Goldmuskateller: Italy
  • Gras? de Cotnari: Romania
  • Gr端ner Veltliner: Austria
  • Kerner: Italy
  • Macabeo: Spain
  • Malvas鱈a: Italy
  • Meursault: France
  • Mirodia White: Moldova
  • Misket: Bulgaria
  • Moscatel: Spain, Venezuela
  • M端ller-Thurgau: Austria, England, Germany, Italy
  • Muscat: Australia, Moldova, Romania, South Africa, Turkey
  • Orvieto: Italy
  • Pedro Xim辿nez: Spain
  • Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio/Grauburgunder: France, Germany, Italy, Romania, USA (Oregon)
  • Pouilly-Fuiss辿: France
  • Retsina: Greece
  • Riesling: Australia, Austria, Canada, France (Alsace), Chile, Germany, Idaho, New Zealand, Romania, Italy, USA (New York - Finger Lakes, Oregon)
  • Sauvignon Blanc: Australia, Austria, France, Italy, Moldova, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Turkey, USA (California, Washington State), Venezuela
  • Semillon: Australia, France, South Africa, Turkey, USA (Washington State), Venezuela
  • Silvaner: Germany, Italy
  • Soave: Italy
  • T?m但ioas? Rom但neasc?: Romania
  • Tokaji: Hungary, Slovakia
  • Torront辿s: Argentina, Spain
  • Traminer: Australia, Italy, Romania, Moldova
  • Verdelho: Australia, Portugal
  • Verdicchio dei castelli di Jesi: Italy
  • Vermentino: Italy
  • Vidal Blanc: USA (Virginia, New York)
  • Viognier: Australia, France (Rh担ne), USA (California, Virginia)

Sparkling white wines

  • Asti Spumante: Italy
  • Cava: Spain
  • Champagne: France
  • Franciacorta: Italy
  • Moscato d'Asti: Italy
  • Prosecco: Italy
  • Sekt: Austria, Germany
  • Txacol鱈: Spain
  • Vin Spumos (Zarea):Romania

Pink wines

  • Busuioac? de Bohotin: Romania
  • Lagrein Rosato: Italy
  • Ros辿: Australia, France, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, USA, Turkey

(col-end)

By quality

Premium wines

At the highest end, rare, super-premium wines are amongst the most expensive of all foodstuffs, and outstanding vintages from the best vineyards may sell for thousands of dollars per bottle. Some high-end wines may be Veblen goods.

Exclusive wines come from all the best winemaking regions of the world. The most common wines purchased for investment are Bordeaux, California cult wines and Port. The rise, in the late 1990s, of wines produced by the garagistes in Bordeaux, and the heavily tannic, highly fruit-driven wines of the New World, especially in California, Washington State, Australia and New Zealand, all selling for prices above that of the First Growths appear to reflect the influence of Parker and changing wine tastes. A fifth was added in 1973 after decades of lobbying by its owner.)

Investment in fine wine has attracted a number of fraudsters who play on fine wine's exclusive image and their clients' ignorance of this sector of the wine market. Wine fraud scams often work by charging excessively high prices for the wine, while representing that it is a sound investment unaffected by economic cycles. An example is the Mildara Rhine Riesling produced in 1973 to mark the opening of the Sydney Opera House.

Cheap wines

At the lower end of the quality spectrum, bulk wine or cooking wine is usually sold cheaply and in large quantities. Cleanskin wine is a type of cheap wine, of ever-increasing popularity in Australia, whose label does not feature the winery nor the winemaker's name. Examples of recognized locales include: Napa Valley, Russian River Valley, Willamette Valley, Sonoma, Walla Walla, Central Coast, etc. Historically, wines have been known by names reflecting their origin, and sometimes style: Bordeaux, Rioja, Mosel and Chianti are all legally defined names, reflecting the traditional wines produced in the named region. These naming conventions or "appellations" (as they are known in France) dictate not only where the grapes in a wine were grown, but also which grapes went into the wine and how they were vinified. The appellation system is strongest in the European Union, but a related system, the American Viticultural Area, restricts the use of certain regional labels in America, such as Napa Valley, Santa Barbara and Willamette Valley. For example, in most of the world, wine labeled Champagne must be made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France and fermented using a certain method, based on the international trademark agreements included in the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.

While most countries restrict the use of European place names, there exists a legal definition called semi-generic in the United States that enables U.S. winemakers to use certain generic terms (Champagne, Hock, Sherry, etc.) if there appears next to the term the actual appellation of origin in order to prevent any possible confusion. Thus, the finest sparkling wines from California will be labeled "sparkling wine", while some less expensive sparkling wines from California as well as states such as Ohio and New York may bear such names as "Ohio Champagne" or "New York State Champagne."

Some European producers protest the practice for fear that it causes loss of sales, although it would appear that only the most unsophisticated consumer could ever be confused or misled by the practice.

Some blended wine names are marketing terms, and the use of these names is governed by trademark or copyright law, rather than a specific wine law or a patent on the actual varietal blend or process used to achieve it. For example, Meritage is generally a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and may also include Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.

Uses of wine

Wine is a popular and important beverage that accompanies and enhances a wide range of European and Mediterranean-style cuisines, from the simple and traditional to the most sophisticated and complex. Red, white and sparkling wines are the most popular, and are also known as light wines, because they only contain approximately 10-14% alcohol. (Alcohol percentages are usually by volume.) The ap辿ritif and dessert wines contain 14-20% alcohol, and are fortified to make them richer and sweeter than the light wines. Although there are many classes of dinner wines, they can be categorized under six specific classes as follows:

  • Ap辿ritif (or better known as "appetizer wines"): include dry sherry, Madeira, Vermouth, and other flavored wines, made to be consumed before eating a meal.
  • Red wines are usually dry and go well with such main-course dishes as red meats, spaghetti, and highly-seasoned foods.
  • Ros辿 wines (also called "pink wines") can be served with almost any dish, but are considered best with seafood, salads, cold cuts, pork, and curries.
  • White wines can be very dry to rather sweet, these wines should be served chilled, and go well with white meats, seafood, and fowl. In reality, in those regions where grapes ripen fully, such as California's hot Central Valley, a large portion of New World red wines have between 14 and 15.5% alcohol, yet are still certainly 'table wines' in the practical sense.
  • Dessert wines range from medium-sweet to very sweet. Among these are port wine, sweet sherry, Tokaji (Tokay), Sauternes and muscatel.
  • Cooking wines typically contain a significant quantity of salt. For aeration to provide any benefit whatsoever, the wine must be decanted.

    Religious uses

    Wine is also used in religious ceremonies in many cultures and the wine trade is of historical importance for many regions. Libations often included wine, and the religious mysteries of Dionysus are usually thought to have used wine as an entheogen.

    The New Testament states that Jesus' very first miracle was to turn water into wine (John 2:1-11), and the Old Testament states that the fermentation of grapes was known by Noah after the great flood described in Genesis. However, wine continues to remain an essential part of the Eucharistic rites in the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican denominations of Christianity.

    It was used in nearly all Protestant groups until Welch's created commercial grape juice in 1869 by applying pasteurization to grapes to stop the natural fermentation process. The influence of the temperance movement and Prohibition also convinced some of them to switch from wine to grape juice; On Pesach (Passover) during the seder it is also required to drink four cups of wine.www.jewfaq.org/holidaya.htm In American Jewish practice it is common to use a kosher wine made from Concord grapes, though the wine produced is not popular outside Jewish liturgical circles;

    Wine based drinks

    Main article: List of cocktails with wine
    • Brandy: A general term for distilled wine which has been aged for at least 2 years.
    • Calimocho: A cheap alcoholic drink, comprising 50% red wine and 50% cola drink.
    • Mulled wine (known in Scandinavia as Gl旦gg and in Germany as Gl端hwein): A red wine, combined with spices, and usually served hot.
    • Sangria: A wine punch, comprising red wine, chopped fruits, sugar, and a small amount of brandy or other spirits.
    • Spritzer: A tall, chilled drink, usually made of white wine and soda water.
    • Wine cooler: An alcoholic beverage made from wine and fruit juice, often in combination with a carbonated beverage and sugar.
    • Zurracapote: A popular Spanish alcoholic drink comprised mainly of red wine, spirit, fruit juice, sugar and cinnamon.
    • Rebujito: A mixture of manzanilla wine, mixed with a soft drink like Sprite or 7 Up.

    Medical implications


    [[Image:Wine consumption world map.png|thumb|300px|Wine yearly consumption, per capita:

    ]]
    The health effects of wine (and alcohol in general) are the subject of considerable ongoing study. In the USA, a boom in red wine consumption was touched off in the 1990s by '60 Minutes', and other news reports on the French paradox.

    It now seems clear that regular consumption of up to 1-2 drinks a day (1 standard drink is approximately equal to 5 oz, or 125 ml, of 13% wine) does reduce mortality, due to a 10%?40% lower risk of coronary heart disease, especially for those over the age of 35 or so (see Alcohol consumption and health). One particularly interesting polyphenol antioxidant found in red wine is resveratrol, to which numerous beneficial effects have been attributed. Red wine also contains a significant amount of flavonoids and red anthocyanin pigments that act as antioxidants. With excessive consumption, however, any health benefits may be offset by the increased rate of various alcohol-related diseases, primarily cancers of mouth, upper respiratory tract, and ultimately, cirrhosis of liver, especially if consumption of red wine is immoderate.

    Other studies have shown that similar beneficial effects on the heart can be obtained from drinking beer, and distilled spirits. Dr. Sinclair of Harvard University and others claim that resveratrol is the active molecule responsible for the significant difference in lowering cancer risks and that the required amounts are only found in red wine.

    Sulfites (or sulphites) are chemicals that occur naturally in grapes and also are added to wine as a preservative. They can trigger a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction in a small percentage of consumers, primarily asthmatics. Many consumers who have adverse reactions to wine, such as headaches or hangovers, blame added sulfites but are probably reacting instead to naturally-occurring biogenic amines such as histamine.

    Corks

    Professions

    • Cooper: Someone who makes wooden barrels, casks, and other similar wooden objects.
    • N辿gociant: A wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers, and sells them under his own name.
    • Vintner: A wine merchant or producer.
    • Sommelier: A person in a restaurant who specializes in wine. They are usually in charge of assembling the wine list, staff education and making wine suggestions to customers.
    • Winemaker: A person who makes wine.
    • Oenologist: A wine scientist. movie trailer
    • Mondovino, USA/France 2004: A documentary film directed by American film maker, Jonathan Nossiter, explaining the impact of globalization on the various wine-producing regions.
    • Sideways, 2004: A comedy/drama film, directed by Alexander Payne, with the tagline: In search of wine. The series was very popular and a wine named Falcon Crest even went on the market.

    See also

    • Alcoholic beverage
    • Glossary of wine terms
    • List of wine-related articles
    • List of wine personalities
    • List of wine producing countries
    • List of wine producing regions
    • List of vineyards and wineries
    • Wine competitions
    • Wine tasting
    • Wineography

    References and sources












Chronology

  • Key Dates:

  • 1915: Giuseppe Franzia founds family winery in California.
  • 1979: Lawrence Winery is established.
  • 1981: The Wine Group (TWG) partnership is formed to buy Franzia Bros., Mogen David, and Tribuno brands.
  • 1988: TWG acquires Corbett Canyon, formerly known as the Lawrence Winery.
  • 1997: Franzia is the top selling brand of wine in the United States.
  • 2000: TWG buys Humphrey and Brown International Wine Marketers from the Sebastiani and Cuneo families.

Additional topics

Company HistoryBeer, Wine, & Liquor

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