Meiomi Launches 1st Red Blend

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Meiomi Wines releases Red Blend, adding another flavor forward offering to its award-winning portfolio. Sourced from Meiomi’s signature California regions, the Red Blend pulls out the best of California for a taste like no other, creating a richly layered wine of bold character and exceptional balance.

Meiomi’s Red Blend offers a well-balanced, richly flavored, deliciously complex taste. A deep ruby color, the wine opens to reveal lifted aromas of dark, jammy fruit and sweet vanilla with expressive dark roast mocha and juicy blackberry flavors. A soft, velvety mouthfeel highlights the full flavor, leading to a smooth finish. The wines are carefully crafted so that these characteristics continue to enhance and build on each other for an evocative and memorable Red Blend.

After introducing the Cabernet Sauvignon to the portfolio in 2020, the Red Blend is the newest release under the direction of Jason Becker, Director of Winemaking for Meiomi. “We pride ourselves on creating flavor forward and unrivaled wines here at Meiomi.” Becker says. “We know what the Meiomi drinker likes and we are excited to create something new that that will give them the same premium taste they expect but with new, bold flavors and more options. The Red Blend is carefully crafted, using grapes specially chosen from California’s best vineyards to achieve balance, complexity, and richness of flavor.”

The Red Blend is aged primarily in French oak, whose flavors and textures complement the fruit and structure of the wine. The end result is an intensely flavored wine that is well-balanced and complex.

The initial release is made up primarily of Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot, while the exact blend and varietals may vary with each vintage to showcase the best of these regions year after year. The Red Blend bottle will include signature Meiomi packaging including the iconic bottle shape, beveled die-cut label and screwcap closure.

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Belle Glos Launches Its 1st White Wine

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Belle Glos Glasir Holt Chardonnay (SRP: $55). Belle Glos is known for making luxurious, terroir-driven Pinot Noirs from maritime-influenced vineyards in California. Hand-dipped in the easily identifiable Belle Glos wax style, the coastal Glasir Holt Chardonnay will be exclusively available direct to consumer, through the Belle Glos Wine Club and at Quilt & Co. Tasting Room and Lounge, one of Wagner’s more recent ventures, located in the heart of downtown Napa, with hopes for national distribution in the future.

“No other vineyard that we have farmed throughout California’s coast could match the character and quality of the Chardonnay at Glasir Holt,” says Joe Wagner, fifth-generation winemaker and founder of Belle Glos.  “It is more than an exceptional place and it shows in the grapes and in the wine. With the winemaking, we took a very traditional approach to allow for the purist expression of what Mother Nature gave us, which was a glaringly articulate embodiment of the soil and climate. So much so, that I could not deny its place as a vineyard designate to sit alongside its Belle Glos brethren.”

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Sagamore Spirit Releases Rum Cask Finish Rye Whiskey

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

It’s a blend of  barrel-aged 5- and 6-year-old straight rye whiskies,.  After blending some of it was placed in hand-selected barrels from South America, and the rest in barrels from Jamaica, aging both for an additional 10 months. Once aged, the whiskey from both barrels were then blended back together. The Jamaican rum barrels contribute notes of ripe banana and bright pineapple, which are then balanced by the rich vanilla and brûléed sugar character from the South American rum barrels. The result is a complex, yet approachable take on Sagamore Spirit’s award-winning rye whiskey at 98-proof.  SRP: $79l

“This product is another great example of our distilling team’s commitment to excellence,” said Brian Treacy, Sagamore Spirit’s co-founder and president of distillery operations. “Rum and rye whiskey were both favorites in Maryland’s early days, dating back centuries. Our team brought them together again in a whole new way that brings out the best of sugarcane and rye grain, all in one bottle.”

Rum Cask Finish is part of the Sagamore Spirit Reserve Series, a collection of limited-edition Maryland-style rye whiskies that celebrate the legacy of Maryland distilling, with an unyielding focus on excellence from start to finish. Past releases include 8-Year-Old Rye Whiskey, Manhattan Finish and Tequila Finish.

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Raventós Codorníu Launches DtC Website Featuring 6 Wineries

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Raventós Codorníu, Spain’s oldest wine producer, launches a new experiential e-commerce platform in the U.S., 15bodegas.us. With the goal of making prestigious wines and Cavas available to wine lovers around the country, the new website enables U.S.-based consumers to order from six wineries for direct delivery. In celebration of the launch, online users will receive a discount of 15% and $5 flat-rate shipping during the month of March, 2022.

the website provides an interactive guest experience that showcases each winery, including its history, location, wine tourism, winemaking, and vineyards. The 15 Bodegas blog hosts informative content, such as pairing suggestions and harvest information, written by winemakers, journalists, and other industry experts. Subscribers will gain access to video content and virtual tastings, as well as wine promotions and updates on future releases. As the site evolves, travelers will be able to book wine tourism experiences directly through the site.

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Who & What —

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Korbel Champagne Cellars promotes Paul Ahvenainen to Vice President – Operations and Winemaking.  He has been with Korbel for 37 years, most recently directing winemaking and grower relations.

Victoria Eady Butler, master blender for Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey becomes the first person to be designated Master Blender of the Year at Whiskey Magazine’s American Icons of Whiskey Awards.  She’s the great-great-grandaughter of Nearest Green, the brand’s namesake.

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Manufacturing Grew in February

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Joel Whitaker

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in February, with the overall economy achieving a 21st consecutive month of growth although the U.S. manufacturing sector remains in a demand-driven, supply chain-constrained environment, the Institute for Supply Management reports.

The COVID-19 omicron variant remained an impact in February; however, there were signs of relief, with recovery expected in March. A higher-than-normal quits rate and early retirements continued. Panel sentiment remained strongly optimistic, with 12 positive growth comments for every cautious comment, up from January’s ratio of 7-to-1.

Demand expanded, with the (1) New Orders Index increasing and remaining in strong growth territory, supported by stronger expansion of new export orders, (2) Customers’ Inventories Index remaining at a very low level and (3) Backlog of Orders Index increasing to historically high levels.

Consumption (measured by the Production and Employment indexes) grew during the period, though at a slower rate, with a combined minus-0.9-percentage point change to the Manufacturing PMI® calculation. The Employment Index expanded for a sixth straight month; panelists indicate their ability to hire continues to improve, but to a lesser degree than in January.

Challenges with turnover (quits and retirements) and resulting backfilling continue to plague panelists’ efforts to adequately staff their organizations. Production expanded satisfactorily, despite staffing and supplier delivery headwinds. Inputs — expressed as supplier deliveries, inventories, and imports — continued to constrain production expansion. The Supplier Deliveries Index again slowed at a slightly faster rate, while the Inventories and Imports indexes increased, both at slightly faster rates. In February, the Prices Index increased for the 21st consecutive month, at a slightly slower rate.

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