Worldwide, overproduction has long been one of the greatest challenges to the wine industry.

In the last three years Spain, France and Italy's wine production has increased by over 24 million hectolitres. According to figures from the International Wine and Vine Organisation, a bumper crop in Australia, Argentina and Europe has put global wine production at an estimated 287 million hectolitres (the highest since 1992). Most of this increase is attributable to France, Italy and Spain - the world's three largest wine producing countries.

The European Union produces an astonishing 1.5 billion litres of unwanted of wine every year which equates to 4 bottles per person per year. EU spends half a billion euros every year turning wine we don't buy into spirit that's not needed, so that the vineyard owners can survive.

Since 1981, the EU has been distilling surplus wine into industrial alcohol which is a costly process. There is an annual budget of ?220 million which can be used to distil 11 million hectolitres of wine.

Until the 2002 vintage, there had been a crisis distillation each year since the mid-eighties. The last crisis distillation, from the 2001 harvest, removed an extra 7 million hectolitres of wine from the market.

But this year, a combination of higher production, a weak dollar and declining domestic consumption in both Spain and Italy, spells trouble for the EU wine industry - and consequently the possibility of reigniting crisis distillations.

Denis Verdier, president of the CCVF said: "It is the first time in the history that the gravity of the crisis has led to AOC wines calling upon distillation". In addition to the distillation, Mr. Verdier asks for financial assistance in pulling up vines, including 10,000 hectares in the Bordeaux region.

Several reports suggested that half the vineyards in the EU are to be grubbed up. These proposed measures are still being discussed. So the earliest any proposals can become a reality is 2008, this combined with plans to stop buying and distilling surplus wines and relax constrictive winemaking and labelling rules means that Europe is set to continue producing more wine that we want to drink!

About the Author

Visit Vintage Roots at http://www.vintageroots.co.uk, for organic wines

Short Review on Strawberry Wine

Overproduction - the Greatest Challenges to the Wine Industry


Worldwide, overproduction has long been one of the greatest challenges to the wine industry.
In the last three years Spain, France and Italy's wine pr...


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Strawberry Wine Items For Viewing

Nittnaus Premium Eiswein


Nittnaus Premium Eiswein from Austria has a brilliant yellow straw-hue. The exotic, floral aromas have a dominant muscat accent. A sharp entry leads to a medium-bodied palate with pure fruit flavors. Sweetness is balanced by vibrant acidity. This white sweet Ice wine is pure and intense. Nittnaus Premium Eiswein is a great gift to buy online. (375 ml bottle) 106227 106227


Price: 79.99 USD



Headlines on Strawberry Wine

Review of Inglenook Chablis - One of the Most Widely Served

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:08:47 -0800
Inglenook Chablis - a wide-selling but inexpensive white wine undergoes a rigorous wine tasting and formal assessment that is common to more expensive - but less popular - wines.

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Depending on style and alcohol level, certain sweet wines can be enjoyed on their own or with contrasting food elements. Watch this week’s ClassicWines TV episode as Brian gives you the inside scoop regarding dessert wines.

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This is a wonderful article all about wine. It covers different varietals of red and white as well as blends such as sparkling and champagnes, how to go about tasting so as not to get sloshed, and how to read a label. This a great, well rounded article. A must read for beginners, and a great review for more advanced oenophiles.

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This wine gets really good reviews from what I have seen. I purchased the wine based on the label (just being honest here!) and the cool red logo pressed into wax on the neck of the bottle.


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Franklin Refrigerator

Labels: Wine Manners | Wine Market

Posted by Patrick Ramsey | 0 comments

Have you ever stood in the wine aisle staring at row and row of wine bottles wondering which wine you should buy? Most people will select a wine because they like the label. They are usually drawn to an interesting graphic or clever name on the label. Wine labels are important marketing tools, but there are also facts to be learned by actually reading the label.

Who? The wine label will always tell the name of the winery that made the wine. Wineries often add a proprietary name to the wine. This is usually a marketing tool to encourage interest in the wine.

What? The label will state what type of wine is in the bottle. If it is labeled as a specific type of wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, this means that at least 75% of the wine was produced from Cabernet grapes. Blending juice from other types of grapes is a common practice and often will improve the flavor and aroma of the wine.

When? Vintage is the term used to refer to the year in which the grapes were grown. In the United States wineries are allowed to blend in wine from other years. However, 85% of the volume must be from the year on the label. Not all wines are bottled as vintage wines. If you don't see a year on the label, it is not a vintage wine. Vintage becomes important when wine from a particular year is known to be of better quality than wine from other years. Vintage is also important in aging wines.

Where? When a wine label states that a wine is made from California grown grapes, 100% of the grapes used to produce that wine must be from California. Other states are not as strict and usually require that 75% of the grapes come from a particular state.

Sometimes wine labels will specify which officially designated viticultural area a wine came from; usually this is a region such as Napa Valley that is noted for high quality wines. When this occurs, it means that 85% or more of the grapes must have been grown in that area.

Some vineyards have become known for producing wine of a superior quality. The winery will want to mention the vineyard on the label. Vineyard specific wines like these need to use 95% or more of the grapes from that particular vineyard.

There are wineries that specialize in "estate bottled" wines. Usually this would be included on the label. Estate bottled means that all of the grapes were grown by the winery and that all of the wine making processes were also under the winery's control.

The next time you are shopping for a bottle of wine, take a closer look at the wine label. You will find that wine labels can be quite informative.

About the Author

Kathy Howe and her husband, Steve Howe, spend much of their free time tasting and enjoying wine. Their interest in wine is reflected in their web site, http://www.cheers2wine.com. They continue to explore wineries throughout California to keep up-to-date on the California Wine Country.

Short Review on Michigan Wine

What You Can Learn From Wine Labels


Have you ever stood in the wine aisle staring at row and row of wine bottles wondering which wine you should buy? Most people will select a wine beca...


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Nieto Senetiner Proprietor`s Reserva Malbec


We are pleased to present this wonderful Malbec from the Nieto Senetiner Winery in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The modernization of facilities and wine making practices in Argentina are becoming more evident in the increasing numbers of quality wines that are continuing to come from the largest wine producing country in the world (1 in every 12 bottles produced in the world comes from Argentina). This Malbec, which is a traditional Bordeaux varietal, is a deeply colored and powerful red with a great concentration of berry fruit. It has complex flavors of plums, figs and dry fruit with spicy vanilla characteristics from its maturation in French oak barrels. A perfect wine for grilled meats and hearty pasta dishes! VPRW00 VPRW00


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Michigan Wine in the news

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At this time of year, we all think back on what left an impression. Wine, obviously, occupies much of my brain, and even after I'm done with the Top 100 Wines, I still have notebooks filled with tasting notes that often never see the light of day. I write...

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Voice is almost as important as vino in the new crop of wine books. Whether it's a what-to-buy wine guide, an industry insider's autobiography or a consumerist manifesto, the most intriguing wine books have a personal point of view. Another plus: Many of these books are moderately priced. Here are my five top picks: On a wine mission The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the ...


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Labels: Wine Making

Posted by Patrick Ramsey | 0 comments