All eyes on South Island wines

A $200,000 taxpayer-funded promotion of Canterbury's wine industry will begin this weekend. Up to 100 international guests and eight overseas reporters are expected for the Wine Discovery New Zealand 2010 conference that will double as the annual meeting of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network.

The Ministry of Economic Development put $200,000 into the event, and sponsors and ticket sales also contributed. While the immediate economic benefits are unclear, those involved say the long-term prospects are promising.

The Christchurch City Council, as chief organiser, had to file a report on the event within 90 days, a ministry spokeswoman said. Award-winning Waipara winegrower Nicholas Brown said any international exposure of Canterbury's wine industry would be good news.

"These types of events are a great way of spreading the word, meeting people, sharing ideas and helping the industry grow," he said.

The Canterbury event was secured after several South Island councils paid the annual $35,000 membership fee.

Canterbury's involvement attracted controversy last year when Christchurch City councillor Sue Wells took a $3000 ratepayer-funded flight to France to sign up the South Island as a Great Wine Capital of the world.

Christchurch-South Island is the newest member of the network. Wells said yesterday the event was a great chance to showcase Christchurch and the South Island.

"Our inclusion in this prestigious wine network provides access to eight other significant economies that are interested in wine science, wine tourism and wine in general – and we want to take full advantage of this."

Three United States wine writers, two from Britain and one each from South Korea, India and China will report on the event. Christchurch and the Waipara wine region will host most of the activities. The event will start on Sunday with a sightseeing tour in the afternoon before a welcome ceremony and dinner.

The conference will open on Monday with a mayoral reception to be held at the Christchurch Art Gallery.

Tours to the South Island's wine regions will be held on Tuesday, with visits to Canterbury, Waipara, Central Otago, Marlborough and Nelson planned. Symposiums on international wine research and international business will be held during the week. The public can sample wines at the Christchurch Town Hall next Wednesday night.

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Raise a glass to the best English wines in a decade

English wine growers are celebrating a bumper harvest – and the promise of one of the best vintages in a decade. Weather conditions over the past nine months have been ‘close to perfect’ for most vineyards, with a hard winter, mild spring and hot June combining to produce a tasty grape crop. Some vineyards say 2010 wines, which will be sold from the spring, are on course to be the best yet.

The good harvest will add even more credibility to English growers, who have picked up top awards for white and sparkling wine in recent years. Fraser Thompson, of the largest producer of English wines, Chapel Down in Tenterden, Kent, said: ‘It’s been a really decent year and one of the best harvests in a decade.

‘This year we have the potential to produce some of the best wines we have ever made.’Julia Trustram Eve of English Wine Producers said: ‘Vineyard managers have needed to keep their eye out for mildew in the wet weather of the last few weeks, but they are pleased about the quality of grapes.’

England produces around three million bottles of wine each year. Chardonnay is the most commonly grown grape. Earlier this year, Nyetimber’s Classic Cuvee 2003, made in Sussex, was named best bubbly in the World Sparkling Wine Championships.

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Wine troubles behind us, says Foster's chief

"There is no doubt that in recent years we have suffered from a quite serious adverse wine cycle," he told analysts during the second half of a two-day strategy briefing in Sydney. "Exchange rates have added to that, and this contributes to a bottom-of-the-cycle valuation for our wine business."

Foster's rejected an indicative offer last month from private equiteers Cerberus Capital of between $2.3 billion and $2.7bn for TWE, saying it undervalued the business. TWE has a book value of $3.1bn in Foster's accounts.

TWE's executive team yesterday laid out their strategy for boosting returns from the business, which has acted as a brake on earnings for much of its 14-year history.TWE Americas managing director Stephen Brauer said the "big opportunity" in the US market was in the $US8-plus ($8.18-plus) segment, accounting for 39 per cent of wine sales by volume, but 57 per cent by value.

Accordingly, the company was concentrating new product innovation above the $US8 price-point, while seeking to migrate customers from cheaper TWE brands on to slightly more expensive products.

TWE draws 49 per cent of earnings before interest and tax from the Americas, primarily the US and Canada, compared with 34 per cent from Australia.

Mr Brauer warned analysts that the new strategy meant Foster's market share would appear to be going backwards in coming months, as measured by market researcher Nielsen.

"We're moving to the luxury category, with a focus on profitable growth . . . there has been some short-term pain as we make that transition," he said.

Meanwhile Europe, Middle East and Asia boss Peter Jackson said TWE would reduce its reliance on Britain, Australia's largest wine export market after the US, by boosting its presence in the continental European market.

In addition, TWE would kick back against the discounting trend that had slashed returns on British wine sales, pledging to pass on the impact of tax and excise increases scheduled for coming months and dumping low-margin sales. No further details were released on the company's plans to demerge TWE from its CUB beer division, a proposal still purportedly under consideration by the board, but widely expected to proceed.

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Fine Wine Art - How to Paint a Wine Glass

Fine Wine Art has always been a passion for the English born artist Peter Kotka. In this Article Peter shows you the secret of how to construct a picture of a wine glass. You will find all of his tutorials available on his website at www.peterkotka.com which are available to download as PDF files. Follow these simple instructions to create your perfect wine glass painting in oil.

A Profile of Peter Kotka

I started painting full time during the 1980's. I then took time to read about painters and their techniques and was inspired by the landscape paintings of John Constable. Infact, this was time well invested as many years later I copied Constables ‘Haywain' for an American client, half full size.

After some surprising success with a Gallery, and early commissioning of works which sold quickly, successful Exhibitions followed and my professional career had started. I explored different techniques and followed the detailed style such as that of Dutch Landscape painters of the 16th Century, Jacob van Ruysdael in particular. Royal Doulton also requested him to paint a series of designs for collector plates entitled 'Harvest Home' and numerous card designs followed for Hallmark and Polytint. I also started undertaking an adult education teaching post with a local College, and the classes proved so popular that I still run local classes to this day. Occasionally, if requested, bespoke ‘painting holidays' are organised for small groups of artists in fine wine areas of England, France and the US.

I decided to find a new challenge and direction and focused on perfecting ‘Still Life' painting specialising in wine, which was also something that I was starting to take a great interest in. I have developed a unique blend of working with both contemporary and traditional styles, colours and techniques, and this gives my paintings an individuality, detail and atmosphere. I don't try to recreate a photographic style like others in the field. To me, art must be art and creativity even in realism and should envelope each work in a different way and is an exploration of an idea.

In 2004 I was invited to take part in a prestigious Still Life exhibition in California, where I was the bestselling artist in the show. I have continued to paint fine wines in a still life style and have achieved much acclaim and recognition for my work.

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The launch with no beer

A new beer aimed at tackling XXXX's dominance of the Queensland market is set to hit the shelves, but the contents of the bottle remain a mystery. Brewer Foster's is keeping a lid on the new "super crisp" lager, with promoters this morning refusing a taste test at an official launch for the product.

The Victorian-based company unveiled the Great Northern Brewing Company label, which will be brewed at Foster's Yatala brewery, south of Brisbane. Despite several six packs being on hand for promotional purposes, the company refused to allow the beer to be put to the ultimate test.

Instead, head brewer at Yatala, Geoff Day, who was instrumental in developing the full-strength beer, attempted to describe it. It's a smooth, easy drinking type of beer," he said.

"It's not too bitter. It's really designed for that hot summer's day.

"It's not too filling [so] it's not something [where] you drink one and think ... I couldn't drink another one of those."

Beer drinkers can judge for themselves from November 1, when the lager goes on sale with a recommended retail price of less than $40 a case.

Cameron Levick, general manager of Foster's beer subsidiary Carlton and United Breweries, said about 20,000 cases had already been ordered across Queensland.

However, even prospective buyers have not been able to sample the amber ale.

"Most outlets [have ordered] a palette straight off the bat without even tasting it," Mr Levick said.

"We're so confident about the taste of this beer that once people try it they'll be certainly very pleased and want to come back and buy some more."

The new lager was one of three launched today, with others carry the existing Carlton Dry and Pure Blonde labels.

Mr Levick said extensive market research had been conducted to come up with the Great Northern.

The clear bottle features a marlin logo that Mr Levick said personified the "sun, sand, fishing" spirit of Queensland.

The name comes from a former Foster's brewery in Cairns, which the company owned during the 1930s.

Mr Levick said the Great Northern delivered what the state's beer drinkers had been seeking.

"The message loud and clear [from beer consumers] has been, give us something from Queensland that's been developed with us in mind, and that's what Great Northern super lager actually is," he said.

The beer will only be available in Queensland and directly targets XXXX, which is the most popular beer brand in the Sunshine State.

But XXXX Lion Nathan told brisbanetimes.com.au yesterday it was not concerned by the new rival.

"We're focused on our business and to be honest with you we don't spend a lot of time thinking about what our competitors are doing," spokesman James Tait said.

"XXXX will never take its loyal drinkers for granted and that's why we'll always focus on first rate quality and on continuing to bring exciting new brands to market, like XXXX Summer Bright Lager."

Mr Day said the new beer would boost Queensland's economy, as it would access the state's sugar, malt, wheat and yeast.

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Wine, cheese make for holiday merriment

With the holidays fast approaching, wine and cheese combinations are perfect for entertaining. Although wine and cheese seem to go together like carrots and peas, there are different styles of both that must be carefully matched. Recently we paired three very different cheeses with three wines from the Robert Mondavi Private Selection Series.

When combining wines with cheeses, a few basic rules apply. To begin with one should research and taste different cheeses to sample the flavors and establish a flavor preference. Cheese should be served at room temperature while the wines should be served around 55 to 60 degrees F. White wines should be served slightly cooler.

To paraphrase Ted Allen, who wrote an excellent article on pairing of wine and cheese, white wines are best served with soft cheeses that have a stronger flavor while red wines pair best with hard cheeses that have milder flavors.

The Robert Mondavi Private Select Series has introduced three new wines in time for holiday entertaining. Robert Mondavi founded the Private Select series of wine in 1994 to take advantage of the diverse grapes of the central coast of California. The result has been excellent wines with good flavor and easy drinkabilty with affordable prices.

The Private Selection 2009 Chardonnay ($11) is a crisp, refreshing white wine made from 100 percent Central Coast grapes. The wine was matched with Pierce Point, a Cowgirl Creamery Fall seasonal white cheese, washed in muscato wine and rolled in dried herbs resulting in a semisoft cheese with excellent flavors.

The Chardonnay was an excellent match with the cheese. The Private Selection 2008 Meritage ($11) is a flavorful red wine made from the classic Bordeaux blend varietals including cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

The red wine was served with a Carmody from Bellwether Farms and is made from Jersey cow milk aged at least six weeks. Gold in color, the cheese is smooth with a wonderful taste.

The final wine was a Private Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($11), which was made from grapes from both Monterey and Paso Robles areas of California. The wine has flavors of blackberries with floral aromas and was matched with a Crater Lake Blue Cheese from Rogue Creamery. The blue cheese flavor worked perfectly with the Cabernet Sauvignon.

All the cheeses sampled are from the U.S. West coast and can be purchased online or retail stores in the area, as can the wines. For holiday entertaining, wine and cheese will always work.

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Pernod Ricard sells wine brands, assets for $88m to Lion Nathan

Pernod Ricard New Zealand, the local arm of the French liquor company, has sold a dozen wine brands and some wineries to a Lion Nathan New Zealand-led joint venture for $88 million.

Lion Nathan will pick-up a dozen new wine brands including Lindauer, Corbans, and Saints, while its partner Indevin, an independent winemaker, will take ownership of the Gisborne Winery, some vineyards in the Gisborne region, and the Twin River's vineyard in Hawke's Bay.

The sale is subject to Overseas Investment Office approval after Lion Nathan was bought out by Japanese beverage maker Kirin Holdings for A$3.4 billion last year.

"We remain highly committed to New Zealand, our people and the long-term development of our wine and spirits portfolio," said Fabian Partigliani, Pernod Ricard NZ managing director, in a statement.

Pernod Ricard NZ, which produces luxury liquor brands including Absolut Vodka and Chivas Regal whisky, will keep ownership of local brands Brancott Estate, Church Road, Deutz and Stoneleigh, while divesting budget brands including Aquila, Bernadino and Chardon in the Lion deal. The sale aims to streamline the French company's brand portfolio a production, the statement said.

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Putting the Wine Bar to Work

An unlikely new business has taken over what used to be a bar and art venue in the heart of Williamsburg: an urban winery. Brooklyn Winery, an 8,000-square-foot space on a residential block surrounded by row houses and new condos, will feature a wine bar and a venue to host events. But the winemaking is the real draw.

In its first season, the winery expects to churn out 100 barrels of wine with grapes coming mostly from Sonoma, Calif., and also from vineyards in the North Fork of Long Island and the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York. Aspiring winemakers will also be able to try their hand at winemaking as well. Customers will take part in the entire eight- to 24-month-long process starting with crushing and fermenting the grapes all the way to hand bottling the wine. Winemakers can customize the blend of their wine and design their own labels.

"It's an addicting process," said the 27-year-old proprietor, Brian Leventhal. Mr. Leventhal doesn't come from a wine background or even have bar or restaurant experience. He most recently worked for tech start-up in Manhattan. Before that he was a business consultant in New Jersey.While working at the tech start-up, Mr. Leventhal met his business partner, John Stires. They began making trips out to New Jersey to a winemaking facility where they were introduced to the winemaking process.

After making three batches of their own wine (the process takes around one year) Messrs. Stires and Leventhal decided to bring the winemaking experience to Brooklyn. By February 2010, they quit their jobs and began finalizing their plans to get a space of their own.

Brooklyn Winery is among several urban wineries that have opened up around the country in recent years, including City Winery on Manhattan's West Side, which also offers the chance to make wine. Brooklyn Winery hopes to stand out by offering relatively cheaper winemaking packages.

(On the low end, customers pay $600 to make two cases of wine, which works out to $25 a bottle. A full barrel, or about 300 bottles, costs $5,700.)

Final touches are being put on the wine bar and event space, which are expected to open in about one week. Wine will be on tap and bottles of wine will be available to go.Instead of the customary intimate spaces found in most wine bars, the Brooklyn Winery has set up large communal tables to encourage conversation among patrons. "The point of the wine bar," Mr. Leventhal said, "is to make wine really approachable to people."

For example, the winery will be making two different Chardonnays, one aged in oak barrels and another aged in stainless-steel barrels. Patrons will be able to taste both to compare the crisp, acidic flavor of the Chardonnay aged in stainless-steel to the buttery, well-bodied taste of the Chardonnay aged in oak. Winery employees can then explain why the wines taste different even though the same type of grape is used.

"I just don't think that's happening right now, at least from my experience from places that serve wine," Mr. Leventhal said.

Brooklyn Winery tapped Conor McCormack to oversee wine production. Mr. McCormack had been in charge of production at the urban winery Crushpad in San Francisco for the previous two years. He was hesitant at first about moving to New York to work at Brooklyn Winery. "Winemaking and Brooklyn-they don't generally match up," said Mr. McCormack who had made wine in California since 2003.

For the past several weeks Mr. McCormack has overseen would-be winemakers making their first batches of Merlots, Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs in the Brooklyn Winery's 3,500-square-foot production rooms

"I think there is so much that goes into a bottle of wine and there is so much mystery behind it," Mr. Leventhal said. "I find it fascinating being able to make decisions which will impact the final product, especially for something as age old as wine."

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Wine: California Rhone-style blends

You know you are on to something when there is a large, nonprofit organization promoting the wine you are considering buying."Rhone Rangers" is an organization devoted to promoting Rhone-style wines made in the United States. In the Rhone Valley, France, 22 grapes are approved for growing by the government. The best known to Americans are probably syrah, grenache and viognier.

At least 12 of those 22 grapes are grown in substantial numbers in the United States, and they go with a wide range of foods. My wine-tasting group compared a half dozen Rhone-style reds. We found some flavorful values. The results of our blind tasting are below.

- 2006 Stephan Vineyards Paso Robles L'Aventure Optimus. $49.99. A lively nose high in alcohol showed scents of tobacco, mocha, leather, evergreen, cedar and eucalyptus. On the tongue, we tasted cherries, tobacco, leather and dusty fruit. This wine had a nice transition from fruit to dusty to more fruit. Nicely dry, it needed duck confit. We voted it first place.

- 2006 Robert Hall Central Coast Rhone de Robles. $19.99. We smelled cranberries, blueberries, dark chocolate, cherry cola and wet earth. Flavors included dark fruit, chocolate and black currants. This was a really dark wine from aroma to finish. It tied for second.

- 2007 Liberty School Central Coast Cuvee. $16.99. The Liberty School was very aromatic, with rose petals, potpourri, lavender and wet earth. The palate echoed the aroma. It was delicate, feminine and seductive. It tied for second.

- 2008 Villa Creek Willow Creek Paso Robles Cuvee. $35. The nose reminded us of raspberries, blueberries, cedar and blackberries. The taste of raspberries flowed over the tongue, along with notes of blueberries and cedar. My panelists called this "killer juice, not overbearing."

- 2007 Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Lodi Alicante Bouschet. $17.99. The bouquet suggested milk chocolate, clove, cinnamon and acetone. The palate had stemmy fruit tastes plus herbs and cloves. Our bottle had a baked fruit character.

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Aussie wine for Rome's MacKillop celebrations

The Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, Tim Fischer, had asked the Coonawarra Vignerons' Association to send the wine for official embassy functions. Michelle Stebhens, for the winemakers, is pleased the shipment has arrived in time and says the donation will help lift the wine region's profile. "I'm very proud that we get to be a part of it. Certainly obviously the Penola, Coonawarra, connection's very strong (with Mary MacKillop)," she said.

"It was a wonderful idea on behalf of ambassador Fischer to include us and it really is a once in a lifetime event that we get to be a part of."In Adelaide, an exhibition of paintings celebrating the life and work of Mary MacKillop will be opened by the SA Governor. Artist Veronika Dimac's exhibition, Love Made Visible, is in the foyer of the SA Water Building in Victoria Square in the city.

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Seafood and Wine Festive Comes To a Rocking End

The Seafood Wine and Music Festival at Frank Brown Park came to a spectacular end Sunday night in front of thousands of patrons. For the base price of $20, visitors to the festival got the chance to eat some seafood, enjoy wine tastings, and listen to great music.

The festival wound down Sunday to the tune of the Little River Band and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd. Organizers say that more than 5 thousand people were in attendance for the finale. 150 thousand dollars of money from BP was given to the festival planners, via the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, to assist in bringing in world-class entertainment. Headlining bands that performed in the festival included REO Speedwagon, Lorrie Morgans and The Bellamy Brothers along with The Little River Band and Lynard Skynyrd. The event ended late Sunday night and will return in the fall of 2011.

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Light drinking during pregnancy 'does children no harm'

Light drinking in pregnancy does babies no harm in the long run, according to a substantial new study which challenges the government's advice that women should abstain completely for nine months.

The study showed that the children of mothers who drank one or two units of alcohol a week during pregnancy have suffered no ill-effects by the time they are five. They do not have behavioural difficulties and nor are they behind in their intellectual development.

The work is published online today in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. It should help to give women credible information on which to base their choice, said joint author Dr Yvonne Kelly of University College London's department of epidemiology and public health.

"This isn't about heavy consumption or foetal alcohol syndrome in any sense or about binge-drinking," said Kelly. "It is about the occasional drink and whether that is associated with developmental problems."

She did not want to comment on the current advice from government. "I'm not sure we're in the business of acting as advocates but if women have information, it is plausible that they can make informed choices," she said.

The study is based on a large sample from the millennium cohort study – 11,500 children who were born between September 2000 and January 2002. The mothers were interviewed in person about their drinking patterns while they were pregnant.

They were placed in one of five categories: teetotal; those who drank but not in pregnancy; light drinkers (one to two units per week); moderate (three to six units a week or three to five at one sitting); and binge or heavy drinkers (seven or more units a week or six at one sitting).

Just under 6% of the women never drank and 60% abstained during pregnancy. Just under 26% said they were light drinkers, 5.5% were moderate drinkers and 2.5% were binge or heavy drinkers.

The team have already published their results for children up to the age of three. The latest paper follows them to the age of five, to ensure there is no "sleeper" effect of the alcohol their mothers drank during pregnancy.

They found that children whose mothers had been heavy drinkers were more likely to be hyperactive and have behavioural and emotional problems than those whose mothers abstained during pregnancy.

But there was no evidence to suggest that the children of light drinkers, whose mothers had no more than the odd glass of wine a week, had been in any way harmed.

Women who drank occasionally tended to be from more advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, which the authors took into account in their calculations.

Their children were 30% less likely to have behavioural problems and had higher scores in mental development tests than those of women who abstained in pregnancy.

But the government reiterated its advice that pregnant women should not drink at all.

"After assessing the available evidence, we cannot say with confidence that drinking during pregnancy is safe and will not harm your baby," said a spokesperson.

"Therefore, as a precautionary measure, our advice to pregnant women and women trying to conceive is to avoid alcohol."

Dr Anthony Falconer, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said current evidence showed one to two units a week was acceptable. The key public health message is that "light drinking is fine but heavy and binge drinking should be avoided", he said.

"Anecdotally, the majority of women are responsible and tend to stop drinking once they find out they are pregnant," he said. "But with rising levels of binge drinking among younger women, we are concerned about those who find it difficult to wean themselves off alcohol, as heavy, sustained drinking will damage the foetus.

"These women should be given the support they need, not just during pregnancy but in the longer term."

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Constellation Brands’ profit down

Constellation Brands’ second-quarter profit fell 8 percent year over year, but the performance still beat Wall Street estimates, boosting the Victor-based company’s stock during Wednesday’s trading. Constellation, among the world’s largest wine, beer and spirits companies, posted a profit of $91.3 million, or 43 cents a share, down from $99.7 million in the 2009 fiscal second quarter.

Excluding restructuring and other one-time costs, earnings for the quarter that ended Aug. 31 were 52 cents a share, off from 54 cents in 2009. Net sales year over year fell 1.6 percent to $862.8 million. Wall Street analysts had forecast an adjusted profit of 49 cents a share on sales of $856 million, so Constellation Brands beat expectations on both counts.

The results boosted the company’s stock more than 4 percent to $18.52 on the New York Stock Exchange.

“I’m pleased with the second-quarter results given the unsettled nature of the market,” CEO Rob Sands said in a conference call with investors. “It is consistent with our goal of organic growth. We believe we are gaining market share across the board.”

Wine accounts for much of Constellation’s sales. North American sales rose 4 percent while sales in Europe and Australia fell 12 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Among its brands are Woodbridge, Ravenswood and Clos du Bois.

Performance of the company’s joint venture with Grupo Modelo of Mexico was off year to year, with sales of the Crown Imports beer products down 2 percent. Those beers include Corona, Pacifico and Negra Modelo from Mexico, St. Pauli Girl from Germany and Tsingtao from China.

But Sands was upbeat about the prospects for the line of brews. “Consumer demand for Crown’s products remained solid for the second consecutive quarter, driven by the Win the Beach and World Cup soccer promotional initiatives,” he said. “Crown is targeting to build on this momentum with new advertising programs during the NFL season.”Constellation Brands affirmed its profit outlook for the full fiscal year. It projects earnings of between $1.63 and $1.78 a share.

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Wine is a gift topper this festive season

Moving away from traditional festival gifts like sweets, cakes and dry fruits, Chandigarhians have found a fresh and innovative concept of gifting beautifully-packed wines, scotches and champagnes to their friends and corporate honchos. The trend has picked up fast this festive season and, not to miss the bonanza of cashing in on the sudden shift in gift pattern ahead of the festive season, wine companies are flooding swanky stores with any number of these exclusive gifts.

Ajay Gothwal, marketing manager of a Gurgaon-based wine company, said high-flying professionals and officials had turned big time towards gifting aesthetically-packed wines. "Taking this into account, companies have started making one or two-bottle packs to attract festive buyers," he added.

Another wine company representative said, " Corporate gifting is a big business and wine has been the latest addition to it. Earlier, the most popular gifts included chocolates, scotches, whiskies, but wine is something new in the trend."

Fed up with gifting sweets, fruits, dry fruits and other bakery items to the friends and relatives during the festive season, city's leading industrialist MPS Chawla, said, "People have started disliking sweets due to health reasons. Even dry fruits, cakes and chocolates have gone out of fashion. The time has come to gift low-alcohol wines, scotches and champagnes to your dear friends and corporate colleagues." Another socialite, requesting anonymity, reasoned that wine gifting also reflects a businessman's standing. "If you are planning it in a big way, you can have your logo and a personalized handwritten note on the bottles. Nothing can be more pleasing than a customized message," he added.

According to a city-based swanky liquor store owner, "Gifting of wine bottles can be in different shapes and budgets. You can gift a set of one bottle with one glass and so on."

Gothwal said festival wine gift hampers could be packed in beautifully-designed baskets, boxes or wine bags.

"You can be imaginative in your approach. Silk bags, jute bags, paper bags, wooden boxes, etc, are some of the examples. If you want to be little funny and witty, then there are funny accessories like wine stoppers, in different shapes and sizes."

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Asda sued over frog in wine bottle

Isolde Beesley says the small frog fell out of the bottle of Spanish wine and into her glass during a family celebration. Ms Beesley, from Leicestershire, says she has suffered stomach pains ever since the incident and has hired lawyers to pursue a claim for compensation.

Asda, who took the Moscatel de Valencia wine off the shelves as a precaution while it conducted an investigation, says it has rigorous inspection procedures in its bottling plants and that it is ‘virtually impossible’ for a frog to enter a wine bottle during the bottling process.

Ms Beesley bought the wine on 23 December last year and opened it on Boxing Day. She has since handed in the frog and bottle to her local environmental health department for analysis
Asda said it was taking the case ‘very seriously’.

A spokeswoman for Asda said: 'We have fully investigated this issue with our suppliers and found no inadequacies with the bottling process and no pests were present at the factory.'

'We can only apologise to the customer that they had a bad experience with our wine and itis something we will watch out for in the future.'

Ms Beesley’s solicitor, Michael Connor, partner at TPS Solicitors, said:‘Mrs Beesley clearly had a contract with Asda who are under a duty by virtue of the Sale of Goods Act to make sure the wine was fit to drink.'‘Clearly, selling a bottle of wine apparently contaminated with a deadfrog makes the wine unfit for consumption.’

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Auction sobers view on wine price

The 139 buyers spent a total of R3.8-million, 25% less than last year, on the 39 wines on offer. Spread over 19 types and styles, this year's auction, held at Spier Wine Estate, offered a record 13 white wines. The total volume under the hammer was similar to last year, and all the wines cases - 2298 - were sold.

Brisk bidding for Etienne le Riche's Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2006 kick-started the auction, going under the hammer at R3800 for a case of six. The highest price achieved for a case was Peter Finlayson's Bouchard Finlayson Unfiltered Pinot Noir 2007(1.5-litre bottles) at R5 100 - R100 less than last year. Other top selling red wines were Dewaldt Heyns' Saronsberg Die Erf Shiraz 2007 at R4500 a case and Abrie Beeslaar's maiden auction wine, Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2007, at R3700.

Czech Republic restaurateur Zdenek Lang paid R16000 for this year's charity item, a 12-litre blend of top 2007 vintage wines from the 41 members of the Cape Winemakers' Guild.

"There was no crazy bidding going on, and I suspect some of the restaurants and retail buyers were working together [to avoid driving up prices], said Edgebaston winemaker David Finlayson. "This year's prices are a market correction after the highs of last year."

Cape Winemakers Guild chairman Johan Malan said the auction was a reflection of the state of the economy.

"Last year we were pleasantly surprised with our best auction ever, the mood was positive prior to the World Cup. Now the reality of supply and demand is clearly visible."

The lower prices were also attributed to the increase in the number of white wines on auction.

"High prices are an ego thing. I am pleased that more of my wines were on auction this year and they were cheaper, meaning more people will get to drink them," said Adi Badenhorst of AA Badenhorst Family Wines.

More than 80% of the wine was bought by 110 local buyers, with 29 overseas buyers registered. Alan Pick of The Butcher Shop and Grill triumphed for the 9th consecutive year as the biggest spender - R644600. The biggest overseas buyers came from the UK, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Belgium, Denmark, Namibia, Canada, Czech Republic, the US and Germany.

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Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is an autumn special event that transforms Epcot Theme Park into a food and wine lover's paradise with specialty food items, culinary events, sophisticated parties and live musical entertainment.

Try delicious regional foods, wines and beers from around the world at special marketplaces set up along World Showcase Promenade. Learn from renowned chefs and winemakers at special programs and demonstrations, and sample the finest cuisine from around the globe at spectacular culinary events. When you arrive at Epcot, visit the Festival Welcome Center to plan your day. Then you'll also find the Festival Wine Shop and the Wonders Bar¿where you can purchase champagne and wine or attend official book signings with celebrity chefs and authors. The Stockpot shop offers marvelous merchandise, including the collectable marketplace cookbook. Plus, there is more to do than just enjoying great food and beverage. Enjoy the Eat to the Beat concert series and unwind with a stellar lineup of celebrated musical acts.

In 2010, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, presented by Vanity Fair, makes its grand return, transforming the theme park into a destination filled with the world's tastiest regional foods and drinks, rockin' concerts, and unforgettable sensory experiences. Guests will delight in tantalizing new additions ¿ from the robust and exotic flavors of Belgium & South Korea to world-class performers like Taylor Dayne, Billy Ocean and 38 Special... who will take the stage at the Festival for the very first time!

Epcot Theme Park admission is required. Some Epcot International Food & Wine Festival events require ticket fees in addition to admission to Epcot. Availability is limited for some events. Events may be rescheduled or cancelled at any time.

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Epcot’s 15th annual International Food and Wine Festival kicks off Today

Walt Disney World guests can sip great wines, savor new tastes and enjoy live entertainment all day long as the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival celebrates 15 years of Delicious Discoveries begins on Oct. 1, continuing daily through Nov. 14, 2010.

The six-week outdoor festival at Disney’s Epcot theme park serves up authentic cuisine; wine, beer and spirits; entertainment; and cultural exhibits of more than 25 international regions. Exotic marketplaces from South Korea to Belgium offer exciting taste treats. The festival is the largest food and wine event of its kind in the world, beginning at the Festival Welcome Center in Future World and fanning around the promenade encircling World Showcase Lagoon.But if you can’t wait until tomorrow to sample food and wine from around the world, an unannounced festival “soft opening” takes place today from 1 -- 8pm around the World Showcase. It’s a great way to try out the dishes without waiting in the long lines that opening weekend brings annually.

Here are some facts about the 15th annual event:

· More than 300 national and international wines

· 45 fabulous days long

· More than 75 kinds of international foods, each appetizer-sized portion priced $3-$8

· More than 270 chefs including America’s most celebrated culinarians and Walt Disney World chefs

· 405 wine and beer seminars

· More than 1,200 fireworks rockets exploding each night over World Showcase Lagoon in“IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” grand finale to the festival

· 135 Eat to the Beat! concerts performed

· 33,000 bottles of wine and champagne

· 690,000 sumptuous samplings

· 338,000 wine glasses

· 100,000 desserts including freshly baked waffles with berry compote and whipped cream (Belgium marketplace), pear streusel pudding cake (Desserts & Champagne marketplace) and chocolate cannoli (Italy marketplace)

· 3,000 gallons of soup, including best-selling cheddar cheese soup (Canada marketplace), chicken soup with rice (Puerto Rico marketplace) and bison chili with wild mushrooms (United States marketplace)

Browsing the International Food and Wine Festival is included with Epcot admission, but each small plate of food costs roughly $2 -- $6. Each booth accepts cash and credit cards for easy feasting.

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