World Wine Tour 2010……..
News (21 Aug 2010)
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World Wine Tour 2010 GPS:
Now visiting: Ontario and New York Wineries! |
From World Wine Tour 2010
We would like to announce an important and exciting change that has occurred in the World Wine Tour 2010 planning which we have come to decide with our auction committee: The auction of the collected wines will be held in Hong Kong in May 2011. This decision has occurred after 6 months now of attempting to import our rare and unique bottles into the US, without success. This change though presents a unique opportunity for wines involved to now be introduced to the Hong Kong market, arguably a location which has recently proven itself as a powerhouse of wine connoisseurs and enthusiasts, reflected in the astounding successes of wine auctions there. This is something which we believe will also very positively benefit the fundraising effort for the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc.
The World Wine Tour 2010’s defining elements will still remain and will even be exceptional fulfilled: showcasing the best wines of the world and raising funds for charity!
We would also like to share our recent press coverage which we have been receiving:
Here is our story in the Napa Valley Register, the local paper in the Napa Valley: http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles…
And also a paper on our project while we have been here in Canada: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Artic…, while touring wineries with our Media partners Brix Magazine http://brixmag.com/), who have been essential and exceptional in planning our winery visits here. So far the wines are looking fantastic from this region, with Ice Wines sure to quench many an appetite!
We also have just aired on a local morning television show (more details coming soon!), and if you wanted a small recap of our project up to now and what’s beyond, take a look at an article on us from Wine Business Monthly: http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=get…
Thank you again to Brix Magazine and Uncork New York for our current beautiful collections of bottles, and we are looking forward to providing an amazing auction in Hong Kong, along with great stories on the way!
And so, we would like to invite you to dive into our final installment of our Aussie journey, this time on the Jarra Valley in Victoria: www.worldwinetour2010.com
Cheers,
Anja and Georges
Shipping Logistics: JF Hillebrand, Diamond Sponsor: Seguin Moreau, Gold Sponsors: Saury, Lafitte Cork & Capsule,Silver Sponsors: Canton, Wente, South American Wine Tourism, Le Grand, International Media Partners: Mutineer Magazine, Jancis Robinson, Brix Magazine, About Harvest, Ambrosia Magazine, Terre de Vins, Why Why Wine Service Sponsors: Robert Mondavi Winery, Portfolio, Wine Travel Guides, Wines From Brazil, Uncork New York, Benson Marketing,Riedel, Viader, Spindreamer Music, Wine & Co, Global Wine & Spirits, Amy Gallaher Design, Hinman & Carmichael.–
~ Australia: 15 May - 27 May 2010 ~
Adelaide’s Barossa (Posted 7 Aug 2010)
Headline in the Adelaide Sunday Mail Newspaper, from our visit to Penfolds and more!
The Englishman and geologist Johannes Menge from the South Australian Company received the assignment to explore a promising new region just outside of Adelaide, the Barossa Valley. And there it was: Johanne exclaimed ‘The Cream, the Whole Cream and nothing but the Cream!’ It was the beautiful Barossa. After this an entire European community were about to make a piece of ‘Old World’ wine in the ‘New World’.
We had the great opportunity to visit several well established and renowned wineries of the Barossa: Henschke, Penfolds, Jacob’s Creek and Rockford. All offered us a unique insight into what goes on in the Barossa valley.
The identity of each winery is rooted in their history and land, and we saw both pride and an open mind towards improvement characterize our discussions and visits. And as you’ll see by the end of our story, only great things followed from this!
Penfolds was started by the Penfolds family in 1844 and is one of the oldest wineries. Together with his wife Mary, Christopher Penfolds, a doctor from England, brought some vine cuttings from France to Australia as he believed in its medicinal benefits. Although the winery was established in the eastern part of Adelaide, it later expanded to the Barossa valley. Recognized for its great soils and climate, Barossa is the place where Penfolds has its largest part vineyards and where for most grapes are sourced for the icon wine of Penfolds: Grange.
The insight: We finally learned what the ‘Bin’ numbers refer to: the ‘Bin’s refer to the underground storage rooms where the wines were kept for maturation, and so came the wines with bin numbers.
Penfolds Winery, with Jamie Sach who guided us through a great tour and tasting.
Brix Magazine : Download our story in the latest issue of Brix Magazine (pdf)!
~ Australia: 15 May - 27 May 2010 ~
Adelaide Greater Regions (Posted 22 July 2010)
A Long Drive…
We heard that crossing the Nullarbor plains from the Margaret River to the Adelaide wine region could be done in as few as two days, averaging 16 hours of driving in preferably a commuter car. With our camper van putting along on its wine destined endeavor though, it took us six days. Open stretches of road, sporadic rains, and random roadside distractions (see end below) kept us company, along with the occasional kangaroo making last minute reevaluations of its life.
We were soon to arrive to Adelaide, perhaps the most famous area to encompass viticulture in Australia, and spent over a week focusing on four particular wine regions: the Adelaide Hills, the McLaren Vale (where a Vale is the same as a Valley), the Clare Valley, and the Barossa. The Barossa perhaps being the most famous of these, we will save for the subsequent few blogs, and here we will share with you our time in those first three wine regions, with the great wines we discovered:
~The McLaren Vale Wineries~
Hardys Winery: (above) One of the most famous family names in the Australian wine business is undoubtedly that of ‘Hardy’s’. With its origin starting with Thomas Hardy’s arrival to Australia in 1850, the first vintage of Hardy’s started in 1857. Since them, the portfolio has grown and grown, and today Hardy’s has a large range of Australian wines, and with its merger with Constellation in 2003, has combined to contribute to the largest wine portfolio in the world. An impressive growth since its humble immigrant origins, and still making great wines!
We were able to meet with Bill Hardy, direct descendent in the Hardy family, and had a great time learning about their history at the Hardy office in the McLaren Vale. To our great surprise, Bill went to the Hardy cellar and brought back a 1997 Magnum of Eileen Hardy Wine! It is a Shiraz made from Hardy’s most premium vineyards in the McLaren Vale, and was first released in 1973 to commemorate Eileen in the Hardy family’s 80th birthday. And what’s more, this 97 vintage also happens to be one of the best!
Bill didn’t stop there though and brought out two more incredible wines, two bottles of ‘Reynella-Hardy’s Black Pepper’ Shiraz of the 1998 vintage, an amazing wine from the Barossa region of the wine group. And what’s more, renowned Australian sparkling wine maker Ed Carr happened to be with Bill at the time, and offered to us two bottles of another incredible wine, his ‘Arras Grand Vintage’ 2005 Sparkling wine from Tasmania. This current release ages for five years and has the finest bubbles we have ever seen! It also happens to be one of the most awarded Australian sparkling wines, and will be another highlight of our auction!
As you can probably tell, we were quite ecstatic upon meeting with Bill and Ed, and are very grateful to their magnificent contributions to our cause!
Chapel Hill Winery:
Chapel Hill Winery is located on the top of a hill in the McLaren Vale. A drive up to its front gate brings you by winding vineyards that reminisce of rice paddies in their contours of the steep hillsides. The winery is built on the grounds of an actual chapel built in the 1800s, which was restored by a professor local to the area. The views are magnificent, and what is more majestic than a wine tasting in a stain-glassed window-lit chapel?
The winery offers culinary courses and we had our tasting on the deck of the school, with a view of the Southern Ocean. Winemaker Michael Fragos shared his expertise on the region, as did CEO Marc Allgrove, and we were very happy to receive a donation of ‘The Vicar’ 2007, Chapel Hill’s premium Shiraz. Also added to our auction are vintages of 2005 and 2007 of the winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon, which will offer a glimpse into vintages of this area, and which will undoubtedly leave the lucky bidder thirsting for more.
~The Adelaide Hills Wineries~
Chain of Ponds Winery: (above) This winery was named after, not coincidentally, a series of ponds that went through the region in the Adelaide Hills. A romantic name and very wide repertoire of wines to taste greeted us at the cellar door, and we were very pleased to receive two bottles for our auction of its finest wine; a Corkscrew 2006 Chardonnay, and an ‘Amadeus’ (lover of gods) 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. Interestingly, also during our tasting we were side by side with a mother and daughter team, lucky winners enjoying a tasting and several bottles, from having Joined the Chain of Ponds Facebook page at just the right time!
Nepenthe Winery: (above) :
A recent winery in the Adelaide Hills, ‘Nepenthe’ is a drink from Homer’s Odyssey which banishes all sorrows. Sounds like a good name for a wine. Our auction will feature a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2008 ‘The Good Doctor’ Pinot Noir, which will be sure to fulfill its promise.
The Lane Winery: (above) With the motto of ‘Grown in our backyard, every berry,’ this new-coming family winery has become a hotspot for wine and luncheons in the Adelaide Hills. We had a great tour and talk with winery family member Ben Tolstoshev, who shared with us his passion of natural acidity in his white wines. Building a reputation for crisp Chardonnays, we are very pleased to offer a bottle of ‘Beginning’ 2008 Chardonnay for our auction!
~The Clare Vale Wineries~
Taylors Winery:
(above) This winery, also known as Wakefield in the US, holds its values where the vines hold their ground: the Terroir. With lots of premium wine-land in the Clare Vale, this winery has been able to make consistent award winners and for good reason. Our auction will feature two of these multi-award-winning wines, the flagship ultra-permium ‘St. Andrews’ 2004 Shiraz, and 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. The St. Andrews wines are made from hand selected parcels on the family’s private estate, and we must admit are quite an impressive wine, but we will let you be the judge of that!
Pikes Winery:
(above) Pikes Winery has a history dating back to Australian Beer Brewing from the late 1800s, and the Fish Logo has been carried along all the way to the wines! Definitely a premium producer, the owners never compromise on quality, and you can enjoy a very friendly tasting if you drop by (where you can also buy their locally-famous beer on-sight). We highly recommend the Riesling, and lucky enough, we have one for auction! ‘The Merle’ 2009 Riesling along with a bottle of ‘East Side’ 2007 Shiraz will be in our auction, and it’ll be very lucky bidders drinking them.
~ Australia: 6 May - 14 May 2010 ~
The Margaret River (2 of 2) (Posted 17 July 2010)
From the Vasse Felix art gallery
An impressive characteristic of the Margaret River is its unity among the fellow neighborly producers of the region. An interesting story we heard several times during our stay there was the pressure the Margaret River faced from the impeding New Zealand wines. Renowned for their Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs, New Zealand wine regions had managed to gain much market share on the east coast of Australia. For Sydney, ‘Sauv Blanc’ was synonymous to New Zealand. Margaret River producers felt the pressure coming fast, and campaigned in their own Western Australia state to promote the local grown wines and push back the seemingly never-ending advance of the New Zealand (’Marlborough’) style. And, it seemed to work. For Western Australians it was Margaret River Pinot Noirs and Sauvignon Blancs which stayed as the preference. A great example of how the whole can weight more than the sum of its parts, and as Margaret River is now an almost household term, a testament to the vintners!
Vasse Felix Winery (above) was the very first vineyard established in the Margaret River Wine Region, planted in 1967. We had a great tasting with Marco, head of sales, who took much time and consideration to give us a private tour and tasting. The winery has surrounding it many modern art sculptures on a beautiful estate, which continuously brings tourists from far and wide. The Vasse Felix logo we found out is a Peregrine Falcon, which after much training to hunt birds preying on the young berries in the early years of the winery, flew away into the horizon on its first free flight. Nonetheless the falcon remains the logo, and the wines remain amazing. Vasse Felix has participated in our auction with a bottle of its 2007 Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon, and a 2007 Heytesbury Chardonnay!
Stella Bella Winery (above) is a relative newcomer to the Margaret River, with its first wines having been released in 2001. It has eccentric labels which draw the eye, and Rhoald-Dahl-esc names like ‘Skuttlebutt’ and ‘Suckfizzle’ for its wines. Stella Bella will participate in the auction with a 2007 vintages of its Chardonnay and Shiraz!
Arlewood Winery (above) is a small producer in the region, with most of its different labels only amounting to around four or five hundred cases each. We had a nice sit-down chat with Terry Chellappah on the wines and winery, which he explained was different from most wineries in the area, focusing on old world styles in the winemaking. He has graciously participated in our auction with two bottles, a Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc 2008 and a Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.
Leeuwin Estate (above) gave us a pleasant surprise when we found out Robert Mondavi had spent much time here as a consultant and mentor. After extensive searching, the winery location was chosen by Mr. Mondavi in the early 70s, and since then it has been making a large range of fantastic wines. Its link to the Mondavi legacy is prominent, as seen above from the directional arrow to Napa, and as we saw with the winery’s dedication to combining art with wine, as did Mondavi Winery. A gallery onsight displays works of important Australian artists, and the labels of its premium, ‘Art Series’ wines are designed each year by a different prominent artist. Our auction will feature a 2007 Chardonnay and 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, both in the ‘Art Series.’
Edwards Winery (above) had a fun history tied to it as might be assumed upon seeing the photo above. In 1990 Brian Edwards took a solo flight in his 1942 open cockpit Tiger Moth biplane, ‘Matilda,’ from England to Australia. That’s quite a flight! In 1991 the winery was established, and now the sons of the late Dr. Brian Edwards run the show. We met with Mike Edwards who oversees winemaking, and who told us about the epic story his father lived, all with a tasting of great white wines. Our auction will feature the legacy of Brian Edwards, who performed his world-spanning trip to raise money for children of war veterans, with a Chardonnay 2008 and Cabernet Sauvignon 2007!
~ Australia: 6 May - 14 May 2010 ~
The Margaret River (1 of 2) (Posted 5 July 2010)
Arriving in Margaret River we could immediately see why the charming ‘world’s most isolated wine region’ had become such an icon to the world. The gravely loam and clay soil aggregate made it that most wineries where placed fairly close together, compact and easily lending themselves to a flourishing tourism. The South-West corner of Australia which the region is in juts out into a merging Indian and Southern Oceans, creating a three-sided surfer’s paradise and a Mediterranean climate winemaker’s paradise. And then there is the actual River of Margaret River, as seen above, which serves as glimpse to the pristine and wild fascination that Australia imparts on its visitors.
Producing only three percent of Australia’s grape production, the Margaret River has become known as a consistent producer of quality, which has earned it over twenty percent of Australia’s premium wine market, and that’s not an easy feat to achieve! Most wineries calling the River home are relatively small producers when compared to siblings of other Australian states, and we were able to spend quality time with many in the area, which we hope to introduce in this and our next blog. The Margaret River Wine region refreshingly seemed more like a large family rather than competitors in the same industry, something which no doubt has been a contributing factor to its overall success, and we hope to share below a about our experiences with the vintners there whom have graciously participated in our cause!
~ Australia: 4 May - 1 June 2010 ~
An Overview-Interview (Posted 28 June 2010)
Driving over 3000 kilometers (1800 miles) along the southern coast of Australia, from Perth to Melbourne, we were brought through most all of the internationally renowned wine regions in these parts. From the Margaret River in West Australia, to Adelaide in South Australia, and to the Yarra Valley in Victoria, we traveled one month to visit the most interesting wineries and collect the best wines out there. See below for a video interview with our media partner About Harvest which will give a great introduction to what we have encountered, from planting trees in Jacob’s Creek to learning about Kangaroo drinking habits! And next blogs will share more in-depth insights we have seen in each corner of this far corner of the world!
World Wine Tour 2010:Australia! from Nancy O’Mallon.
~ South Africa: 11 April - 3 May 2010 ~
Chapter 5: Community (Posted 19 June 2010)
In a culturally diverse country like South Africa, we found many people in the wine world who recognized the inequality in their society. One in three people being unemployed has created a large discrepancy in the living standard of the South African people, leaving many (40% ) to struggle with less than $2 a day as income. From up close we were able to experience how some wineries are involved in helping their fellow citizens by creating jobs or by donating to various charity projects. For example, we have been in contact with the Cape Winemaker’s Guild who unites the best winemakers of the country to make exceptional wines. These wines are held for auction each year and proceeds go to a development trust to help schools in the ‘winelands’ areas and provides chances for disadvantaged students to become winemakers.
Another project that we were able to see from up close showed us the strength of individuals, those who were touched by what they saw and decided to help. In this particular case we are talking about Nicky Wilton, specialist at VinLab, who showed us how the world of woman living in a township also became her world, and how the interest of the woman in helping themselves became her interest too.
An appliance and parts vendor in the Mfuleni township
During our time in South Africa Nicky took us to the township in Mfuleni (Cape Town), to meet with a few extraordinary woman who together with other 29 brave woman started their own empowerment project “Nothemba Mbabani” (’Respect the Universe’) in 2008.
Anne Dyasi and Ivy Sikade welcomed us and explained their goals. In their will to become less dependent from men, Anne, Ivy and other unemployed woman started to think how they could combine their strength to help themselves, their children and their community as a whole.
With this, their philosophy that they should all acquire a skill (i.e. sewing, food gardening and beading) has given them motivation to start a small community that sustains itself. Each woman pays SAR50 to belong to the group, which goes to buying materials needed to complete each job.
Some woman are receiving work from companies to sew work uniforms, Ivy is responsible for the childcare of the communities women who have found work, and looks after 21 children daily.
Anne is responsible for the food garden that with the help of Nicky (and the team that Nicky brought together) is going to provide at least 60 people with food year round. And this number will grow! Slowly the woman are seeing improvement, in their housing and their living condition, but Anne and Ivy acknowledge the most important thing that will help them in sustaining themselves: more job creation, by being recognized for their skills and offered work where they can show their capacities.
~ South Africa: 11 April - 3 May 2010 ~
Chapter 4: Many Faces (Posted 17 June 2010)
Something to wonder about in any major wine producing region is the diversity of wineries and philosophies which may emerge and establish themselves. Though all make claims to quality, there can be the massive corporation or the small garagist, the single vineyard passionate producers or the winemakers expressing themselves with blends, and in fact, most aspects of human nature can arguably be said to show themselves in the various approaches taken towards wine growing around the world.
At Glen Carlou Winery in Paarl we were shown the philosophy of art in winemaking much more visually at the winery’s museum of contemporary art. The winery and museum were founded by Donald Hess and so reflect the man’s passion for art combined with wine. At the Rupert and Rothschild winery, also in Paarl, we were shown how beauty of architecture could seamlessly accompany beauty of landscape. A partnership between two important families, the banking branch of the Rothschild family and the already viticulturaly established South African Rupert family, the winery is an oenological approach to five-star hotellery, as best seen onsite and in the cellar (See photo below).
Rupert and Rothschild: The cellar room we were shown may very well match the manicured vineyards set upon a perfect backdrop of staggering mountains. A bottle of ‘Baron Edmond’ 2007, named after the late Rothschild’s founder of the Rupert and Rothschild joint venture, has been donated to the auction.
In Stellenbosch we found the boutique approach to quality winemaking at the Vilafonte winery. The winery was the first American- South African joint venture and with highly acclaimed and notable partners of Zelma Long (from the U.S. and to whom we owe many thanks to for advising us in South Africa), Mike Ratcliffe (South African of Warwick Winery), and Phillip Freese (world famous viticulturist), the winery lends itself entirely to focusing on high vineyard and wine quality in its small production. Vilafonte makes two wines, a merlot based ‘Series M,’ and a cabernet based ‘Series C,’ which definitely live up to the names and standards of their parents.
~ South Africa: 11 April - 3 May 2010 ~
Oceans and sands away from India, the place we had come to call home for nearly three weeks, laid South Africa which welcomed us with a vibrant energy of culture and life, right off the plane. It was clear that preparations were under way for the World Cup 2010, but it felt like just a small added commotion to a spirited nation. In the upcoming South Africa blogs, or ‘chapters,’ as we will call them, we will strive to capture for you the encounters we had, and to share these through wine and more.
Unbeknownst to us, upon our arrival to Cape Town, South Africa had already been celebrating 350 years of wine production history. The culture of wine was as normal as the thought of baboons, penguins, and zebras. In fact, our first winery visit was to the famous Remhoogte farm (where in South Africa, a winery is called a farm), which had within its premises an actual game reserve with bison and zebras, right by the vines. Walking into the tasting room we were seduced by delicious wines and impressed by the sight of African game animals mounted throughout. This was wine, we thought, and this was Africa.
South Africa South Africa
~ India: 3 - 7 April 2010 ~
The Nashik Wineries (Posted 18 May 2010)
[video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbK0VtqoW... nolink]
Watch the video showing Mumbai and the Nashik Wineries, then read below!
See below for the stories of the five wineries shown in the video, and about the wine region of Nashik itself. Join us in the next blog for the wineries which have participated in the project and auction but which we were unable to visit.
Located in the beautiful region of Nashik, within the state of Maharashtra (Same as Mumbai) Sula winery welcomed us to stay with them to partake in their great hospitality and wines. With this, the beautiful hills overlooking a small lake in Nashik were great company to our Sula wine and super sunset. Talking with winemaker Ajoy Shaw we unraveled how this winery had become the most popular winery in India. Ajoy described his wines as a new world style suitable for the Indian palate. They are made without too many tannins, slightly sweet and quite fruity, enjoyable on their own (as most Indians don’t drink with a meal, despite the spice, which makes most of us run for a refreshment!). The winery also offers a wide range of wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a great variety of sparklings as well!
Sula has taken the lead in India as becoming the educator of all affairs ‘wine,’ and holds up to 300 tastings per year for the public around the country. With a 90% domestic market, Sula also makes sure everyone sees the fun in wine and organizes festivals to introduce wine to the people. Just one try at the tasting room and you will be greeted with enthusiasm and a knowledgeable staff ready to share with you their passion for wine, and help you find your own tastes too!
Wine donation: Dindori Reserves of Shiraz and Viognier.
NASHIK -600m above sea level, clay and gravel soils, gentle-slope hills, cool nights!
Over 40 of the 65 wineries of India are located here. A wine park was created by the regional government on a small site within Nashik to help fledgling wineries, offering them rented winery equipment, and most importantly, clean water and 24 hour electricity! You may be surprised to hear that wineries outside of this special area receive only 3 days a week of electricity, for only 8 hours a day. which isn’t much! Most wineries we visited were outside of the wine park, with only patience to cope with the electricity shortage! Within the city of Nashik itself runs a holy city, where mass pilgramge (from the entire country) occurs every 8 years. Regular clensing of local residents, however, is a daily occurrence (along with everything else that needs to be done, all in the river.).
~ India: 1 April 2010 ~
The Ambrosia- World Wine Tour 2010 Event! (Posted 7 May 2010)
The Ambrosia Night!
Bhavya Desai, Group Head at SAP Media (producing Ambrosia Magazine) introducing us for our presentation.
We had arrived on a warm day, not very aware of what we could expect from Mumbai, and still with Bangkok heavy in our minds. A four hour plane ride though brought us to the economic capital of India and welcomed us with its heat, rickshaws, and people on seemingly every open space on the roads. We were completely absorbed by it, unable to talk to one another. We were mesmerized by vibrant colors pitched against deep red earth, by the construction, by the houses, and especially by the smells, which oscillated without warning around the many sides of the city’s life. We had arrived in Mumbai, eager to continue our collection of stories and wine bottles for charity, and India proved itself plentiful for each.
The Ambrosia Night!
Bharat Deshmukh of UB Wines giving us a wine tasting of their ‘Four Seasons’ Wines.
Rojita Padhy, chief editor of Ambrosia Magazine was awaiting us to discuss the special wine event held at the JW Marriott Hotel for our very own World Wine Tour 2010. The event was organized to introduce our project to the wine professionals of India; journalists, importers, and of course, wineries. Of India’s now 60+ wineries, the top 9 stars were participating in the event. After our introduction highlighting the project’s goal, the charity, the auction, and the sponsors making the project possible, we were able to thoroughly taste the wineries’ portfolios, which were diverse and well representing of a land searching for its specialty. We could easily see that Indian wine was looking to make a name for itself, and these wineries were at the forefront of the movement.
What were our impressions of the Indian wine industry at the moment? It’s booming. It seems that as the economy grows wine flows with it. Entrepreneurs had flooded to the opportunity and the result has been many, many wineries, with most (over 40) concentrated in Nashik, Maharashtra. The wine market had little competitors, and as most companies set out with this in mind, it will be the coming few years which distinguishes those bent on economics from those harboring a true passion for wine. And this too will dictate the trend in taste. At the moment, we saw that sweet wines seem to be the preference, and especially those of red. Maloo Natarajan from the Indian Wine Academy however gave her insight. She believes this preference to exist simply because it is what is supplied. The preference may just be a myth, and a turning point in winemaking may soon follow, and may very well be necessary. We hope this coincides too with a change in the connotation of ‘wine,’ for many wine shops we found only sold hard liquors and beers. In any case, the pioneers for this vino-revolution were sure to be present at the Ambrosia organized event, and we were able to taste the products that proved it, and organize visits to those wineries in Nashik.
The Ambrosia Night! The Ambrosia Night!
A poster at the entrance of the Hyatt Hotel Mumbai for our World Wine Tour 2010 presentation wine night!
Present at the ‘Ambrosia -World Wine Tour 2010′ night were wineries at the forefront of the Indian wine revolution, and as Ambrosia brought them together for our event, they also were proud to show to journalists, exporters, and distributors their hard-labored results. Present there was Sula Winery, perhaps the most famous name in Wine for India. Indus Winery was there showing off its gravity flow designed winery and Zampa Winery was there sharing about its new South African resident winemaker. There was also Vinsura, founded by one of the forfathers of Indian oenology. Reveilo winery was there showing its ‘La Familia’ boutique approach to winemaking, and in the booth next door was Grover Winery, founded in 1988! There was also UB Wines, entering the wine scene from an established alco-bev perspective, and Globus Wines, a winery with major exports to the UK. Opposite of them was Bio-Wines, a winery producing Aloe-vera wines good for the health.
Join us for the next blog as we describe in greater detail our time with these wineries! All in all, the Ambrosia Wine event had big names and faces show up from the Industry, and had glasses clinging to a forward-moving industry!
The Ambrosia Night!
World Wine Tour 2010 on the Cover of Ambrosia Magazine!
~ Thailand: 20 March 2010 ~
Siam and the Floating Vineyards (Posted 2 May 2010)
Siam Winery and the Floating Vineyards Video!
More….
~ Thailand: 16 March 2010 ~
PB Valley Winery (Posted 17 April 2010)
The Words of French consulting viticulturists entering the Khao Yai valley ‘This isn’t like France, wine can’t possible grow here,’ had little impact on the Singher Beer Family from starting PB Valley Winery almost 20 years ago as one of the first wineries in Thailand. After many pioneering years experimenting with root stocks, grape varietals, and viticulture, 1995 marked the construction of the winery and soon thereafter Prayut Piangbunta, having studied winemaking in Germany, became employed as the first Thai winemaker. Still there now Prayut continues his dream of furthering the Thai wine revolution.
PB Valley Winery also offers great accomodation for its visitors. Here seen is the TeePee lodge, which will be replaced in the coming years with a full-on little lodge community for guests of all ranges to come and visit. While there, bike around the vineyards and enjoy the surroundings, we did!
When asked what the greatest challenge was for Prayut, he gave an answer that was familiar to us across the Asian wine continent that we have seen, that he must first convince Thais that Thai wine can actually be a quality product (years of loosely using the word ‘Wine’ on many Thai beverages of poor quality has given the sounds ‘Thai Wine’ a bad connotation). What Prayut saw as the second challenge was then to convince the world. More challenges hold the Thai wine industry back, high taxes stifle most efforts of uplifting the industry, and the market is found swamped by many foreign wines illegally brought into the country, thus avoiding taxes all around (In Thailand you can easily order a bottle of ‘Penfolds’ to be delivered to your door, avoid many middle-men including the government).
A pioneer in Thai Winemaking, PB Valley is now experimenting to create a ‘Thai Rootstock’ for its vineyards.
Adding to this, the hospitality manager running the Winery’s popular restaurant found many costumers bringing these very same ‘Penfolds’ to dinner. “Do they think these vineyards are for decoration?”. A clear sign that Thai wines are still alien to the consumer, though conversion quickly happens once offered to taste the product. Thai wines have a distance still left to go, but slowely but surely as people actually take the time to taste what the wines are, and PB Valley in particular, they will soon find pleasant surprises and surely be converted.
More….
~ Thailand: 15 March 2010 ~
Chateau des Brumes (Posted 4 April 2010)
Thailand: the country which has earned a reputation abroad for its sun, service, and smiles might not immediately call to mind rolling vineyards on moonlit nights. But we can quite honestly now announce that the connoisseur of cordial tourism has turned its attention to wine, and it’s keeping to its reputation. Near the Khao Yai National park set in Tuscan rolling hills is a trio of wineries organizing amongst themselves a retreat for wine lovers. A three hour drive north of Bangkok, you can spend a Friday evening and night sipping intimately on premium Thai wine, the following morning take an hour drive south to tour the winery which founded the Thai wine association, and then spend your last evening biking (you’ll see us doing that in the next blog) around and being amazed at the majestic hills surrounding a resort winery with onsite vineyards.
Village farm, aka Chateau des Brumes, aka Wang Yai Nam Khieo Winery is the first host in this wine-lover’s-delight package, and crafts wines that pay homage to the old world style. Indeed, robust and oaky with incredible refine, a first whiff and sip reminded us of its French inspiration, created by a French winemaker who closely overlooks the boutique production. We had the privilege of testing the newly bottled 2006 Chateau des Brumes “La Fluer” with Viravadee, owner of the Winery. The wine, an exquisite reserve, was completely unexpected to us coming from the ‘new latitudes.’ In fact, we grew suspicious as Viravadee kept joking, saying it was actually just a Chateau Latour wine she had in her cellar and had just rebottled for our arrival… In any case, it was very palatable and we thought it held very true to Viravadee’s personal mission to have ‘Thai Wines’ be associated with refinement and style. It would definitely hold its ground to any French wine claiming a name, and with a 2005 ‘La Fluer’ as now being part of our auction, we invite a lucky bidder to challenge it themselves!
When tasting wine, ‘Open your nose, your mouth (very important), your eyes, and your mind, but close your ears to what others say.’ Favorite quote of owner Viravadee, taught to her by a Thai sommelier.
The winery, a renovated farm which grew a variety of fruits, now focuses on quality winemaking, producing only 40,000 bottles per year from grapes grown on its red-colored mineral-rich soil. The winery has had vines growing for the past 16 years, and had its first vintage christened in 2002. Special to this Thai winery, the vines are harvest once per year only during the night to ensure the coolest climate for the grapes, and guests staying at the resort are offered a chance to help if there during the Crush season, which has proven quite popular (which we just missed by a few weeks!). Other possibilities for guests though include a bathing experience in wine, a swim at the pool, or a body scrub derived from grape skins (We actually missed all of these too, so we’ll have to stay longer next time!)
The name Chateau des Brumes was coined by French winemaker who upon arrival, noticed the thick mist which covers the winery’s slopes in the mornings. A bottle of ‘La Fleur’ 2005 has been donated for our auction!
The winery is sustainably minded, minimizing its use of pesticides which results in a romantic symphony to accompany the winery’s delicious dinners (and it’s also because Viravadee loves the bugs!), and you can enjoy the wine with an even greater peace of mind, as much of the winery and rooms run on abundantly available solar energy.
We’d like to thank Village Farm winery for our stay and bottle of ‘La Fluer 2005′ for the auction, a great asset which will be sure to please any auction bidder wanting to challenge the ‘new latitute’ wines, and till then enjoy these clips of the farm:!
~Anja and Georges ~
~ Singapore: 8 March 2010 ~
The Singapore Wine Coin (Posted 29 March 2010)
In a way it was Singapore that allured us the most. A sophisticated and dynamic open market yet strict governmental rules, all set in the midst of a developing and progressively economically minded Southeast Asia. And where else could you find a no-gum-on-the-ground-or-you-clean-the-streets-for-several-days-policy in the world? “Singaporeans have money, and if you want to have a society that respects laws, simple fines won’t do.” How such a particular world-placement and different approach to laws imparted itself on the Singapore wine sector was what we sought to uncover, and luckily we had the insight from two industry experts: A wine consultant and an importer. With this, we were shown the two sides to the Singapore wine coin, ultimately though sold for the same price!
Singapore: An aesthetic balance between metropolis and nature, urbanism and greenery, where hardwork and business are the motto, and even trees seem to be busy on their way going somewhere!
Ching Yong Siang started his own wine consulting company Wine & Co., providing advice for foreign wineries wanting a piece of the Singapore market, educating Singaporeans on wine pairings, and occasionally providing tours to select wine regions around the world. With his calm and confident way of talking, Ching gave us an introduction to his way of wine.
Ching as seen at a wine course he runs.
How was the wine industry looking for those wanting to import wine into Singapore? What we concluded from our discussion was that ‘mid-range’ wines were losing ground. In Singapore, those able to afford mid-range wines could also afford the premiums, so that’s what was growing in the market. These premiums (and ultra-premiums) though better addressed the Wine-Banking phenomenon (investing in pricey bottles that can sell for more in the future) or the super-connoisseur, and everyday wine-lovers in the city-state were more inclined to the better-buy wines on the market, despite a hefty tax applied per bottle and not as a percentage of price (nearly rendering the normally better-buys as the new mid-range!).
It seems to us that the advantage the Singapore open market gives to wine is evident in different ways. The turnaround time to get wines into the country is very small (a matter of weeks, fast considering Singapore’s isolation), and every citizen has the right to be his own wine importer! Disadvantages though still abound: Singapore is small. There are only about 4 million inhabitants, and when considering the only about 3 million who are in the right age range to be drinking wine, minus about half more who won’t drink for religious reasons, then you are left with a much less promising market… if Singapore’s importation numbers seem high though, it’s because it exports wine too, to its neighbors around Southeast Asia, and with only Hong Kong as a competitor for this things still look quite positive for this perseverant port of the east.
If you are a winery reading this, we might take a moment to recommend for your Singapore quest Wine & Co to help you figure out the market more, and would like to thank them too for being a sponsor in our humanitarian world wine tour!
Kevin Yeow from Wine Caviar http://www.winecaviar.com/, an importer of mainly European wines full of passion for his field, gave us a (jogging) tour of a selection of his loyal customers in Singapore in less than three hours: A wine Bar, a retail shop, and an old & rare wines collector house! Another great insight into Singapore wine-life, thanks Kevin! :
Wine bar: holding true to the same strategy for a noble 15 years: selling great wines to be enjoyed in a perfectly suited cool environment, accompanied with food and/or cigars!
Singapore
Old & Rare wines collector house: Also has wine shops in Australia and China. Created to solve the Singapore paradox: many consumers want to drink the wine they buy that evening, and not store it for years prior to enjoying it, yet also want to drink older wines and not just the new vintages which are available on the market. With a great and diverse portfolio, here you can buy wines of the year you want, without the years of storage!
~ China: 23 January 2010 ~
~ Vietnam: 3 March 2010 ~
Who could have guessed Hanoi had so much diversity to offer: more motorbikes than all of Italy, delicious food, ceaseless sounds, baguettes that test even Parisian patisseries, a history unrivalled, an adventure offered just in trying to cross a street, and… Wine! And unlike other Asian countries we have been to where French and Australian wines seem to dominate the market, here they are hard to come by when compared to the abundance of local wine. Of the three or four (so we hear after word-of-mouth research) wineries present in Vietnam, Vang Dalat Winery must be called the country’s icon as it seems to have a monopoly in every single restaurant, hotel, and market we were able to visit.
Vietnamese Wine: Vang Dalat
Holding true to our wine-writer nature we sat down as soon as possible to accompany our Vietnamese noodles and spring rolls with a bottle of Vang Dalat wine. The fruity nose though seemed to lose persistence as a rather goat-cheese-like (though it might just have been our bottle) odor took center stage (and we aren’t saying that because of what happened later…). Made from table grapes (as opposed to vitis vinifera grape varieties such as cab, merlot, etc) and mixed with other various fruit juices for fermentation, it proved not too bad, and special that’s for sure! Asking around with owners why it seems to be the only wine we could find, the main answers were: 1) Most tourists like it, and 2) Vietnamese food needs Vietnamese wine, and most tourists like it!
That Vang Dalat was doing a great job in Vietnam was for sure, but we will add too that they sure need to work on their PR skills… We had already heard from a wine enthusiast from the US who had tried to visit Vang Dalat that it was difficult. We shared the experience. Contacting Vang Dalat several times (calling six different phone numbers and emailing every @ available) proved a no-go, the few people we reached spoke no word of English. We didn’t give up though and thought we could probably explain things better with hand and body gestures, so showed up at their front door. As soon as we arrived though the gates were emmediatly shut… four guards arrived and started shaking their heads heavily… that was our last attempt at Vang Dalat, but we managed to snap a few photos while leaving. Hopefully the next charity-tour will have better luck!
~ China: 23 January 2010 ~
Dragon Seal and the Huailai Reserve
Whereas Fengshou winery may have brought us wine scaled to a Chinese level, and Grace Vineyards brought us a refinement of the craft, our third winery visit has given us the history to fill in the gaps. As the first Winery in China Dragon Seal was originally founded in 1910 and offers visitors a history of Chinese winemaking museum at its production site’s footsteps to better grasp the time frame.
Assistant President Kevin Yang gave us a personal tour through the Museum which starts with a French friar who converted his Beijing church’s graveyard into a humble winery. Acquired by the Chinese state in 1949, the winery was (re)named Shangyi Winery of Beijing, and after a few more name swaps the winery was finally ascribed its present day name in 1987, not coincidentally the year of the Dragon. This whole story and the winemaking process itself we could imagine quite clearly with the museum’s unique representation via hard working dolls.
The founding father of the original Dragon Seal winery (then named differently), and a quick view of Chinese winemaking.
Aside from this Museum, a refuge for knowledge-thirsty wine lovers, Kevin informed us that the winery is now in process of moving its head office and production site closer to the vineyards which are in the Hebei Province (about 150 km from Beijing). But why there?? (Things seemed to be going pretty smoothly with the production site located in the center of Beijing). Well, with more and more vineyards popping up in the Hebei province and in addition to its proximity to the Great Wall of China, vino-tourism in tandem with tourism in general may become the next attraction for the new region. And this is all sure to provide much promise for the future of any winery placing itself in these midst’s.
This miniature gives a nice illustration of the Great wall and Dragon Seal’s vineyards (but for the winery and the thousands of tourists you’ll have to use your imagination!).
The brains behind the bottles, two Chinese winemakers and a head winemaker from France sculpt the 10 varietals of royal grapes the winery employs to decide the tastes of each label. And of these, while crossing through the museum we encountered Dragon Seal’s pride and highest achievement, sealed in glass and cork and adorned with its exotic name: the Huailai Reserve. As we wondered about the magnitude of great taste it might offer to our pallets, our dream didn’t come true… but we were by no means disappointed as we were offered a 2003 bottle for our auction! This in addition to a Dragon Seal Chardonnay 2008 has made our collection nearly complete for representing the potential Chinese wineries offer, and for the lucky winner of this wine… can we just join you for one sip???
Top Wines for the Auction!
~Anja and Georges
~ China: 22 January 2010 ~
An ocean’s Grace
It seems as if the most simple tasks to do at home can become arduous endeavors while abroad. Finding food that agrees with you, finding internet with a reasonable speed, asking for directions, but perhaps the most so is for arranging transportation. Luckily though (as is the theme of this trip) we have been putting much faith in the tendency for strangers to help, and as we looked quite helpless in Beijing’s main train station, a kind Chinese student (who doesn’t like wine, our first question second to getting directions) came to our aid.
The train ride proved entertaining: apparently not many westerners frequent the Shanxi province, a 3 hour train ride from Beijing, for all eyes seemed to be on us. Perhaps in line with this an ‘undercover’ Chinese-American missionary posing as a businessman came to discuss Christianity with us during the ride. About two hours of country-side car ride following this and we arrived at the beautiful colonial-style winery building of Grace Vineyards
. While visiting the wine-shop we understood that Grace had quite a popularity, and it was fun to see too that our media partner Jancis Robinson had been there several years ago during the winery’s infancy, praising the wine as one of the most promising of China.
We agree and its moved up since then!
Grace Vineyards in the Shanxi Province of China
The visit began with our first encounter with buried vines for winter protection, a sight quite strange for Georges and quite new for Anja. Buried about one meter underground following techniques similar to those used in Canada, the vineyards look unplanted. Our host through this, assistant winemaker Reno (having just studied viticulture and oenology in Australia was eager to tackle the challenges of winemaking in his home country) guided us through the tour explaining that Grace was under construction; doubling its size to keep with its popularity and the potential of the market.
more…
~ China: 19 January 2010 ~
Fengshou Winery: Our First Winery Visit!
With a misty winter fog of car exhaust and coal, a rowdy road offering sights and sounds; namely stopped cars and non-stop honking, we patiently sat with Fengshou Winery’s driver and staff and thought: welcome to Beijing. Meanwhile, we were wondering what to expect from our first winery visit of the project.
Crowds and traffic aside, Beijing proved a quite welcoming stay. Arriving at Fengshou Winery, we were greeted by their CEO Mr. Zhang, Board Member Cindy, and many more. The winery, located just outside of Beijing, shares its grape source between its own vineyards in the Hebei province, and from imports from abroad (Generally from Australia and Chile). One of the largest wineries in China, Fengshou caters many different labels throughout its domestically diverse market, and its sheer volume production is only hinted at as we stand dwarfed by 200 ton tanks below:
At the winery’s headquarters, we were treated with the enterprise’s higher end wine, ‘Harvest,’ which though is presented vintage-less, proved a treat for curious palates, and two bottles of these have been donated towards our auction. In addition to two other bottles of ‘Harvest Cab,’ which were also donated, the foundation for a great representation of Chinese wines has been set for our auction!
‘Fengshou’ itself means ‘Harvest,’ and the label of the flagship wine is adorned with a representation of Beijing’s cultural symbol, the temple of Heaven. This monument is where one would traditionally go to pray for good crops, and the label thus seems to authentically tie viticulture with sino-culture.
The Logo on Fengshou Winery label is of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, a popular place for sports of all kinds, though originally made to pray for good harvest.
Following this philosophy, Fengshou treated us to a sight of the ancient capital with a visit to the Summer Palace. Still splendid in the winter, this amazing park opened to the public only in the 70s, and is a sight of walkways, water (well, its ice if you come when we did), and temples.
The Summer Palace… …In the Winter
Fengshou also showed us the culture of cuisine which China has spent centuries mastering, which in variety seems to surpass all others. A locally popular business hot-spot paid homage to this truth, with seasoned soybeans, fried eggplant, and a fish stew so hot Anja had to cry, adding to our already discovered pigeon meat, chicken feet, and sea cucumber.
The Temple and… The Temple!
A delicious dinner with Fengshou Winery, and Georges showing off his stylish polo, printed early December 2009 with sponsors supporting the project!
Though some may say Chinese cuisine does not offer itself readily to pairing with wine, we beg to differ from what we have seen, a view that is reinforced by China’s move towards dryer wines. We invite you to pair yourself with a taste of local production through our auction, and as 1.7 billion people begin presenting a new market for wines, you can bet this industry is just going to start booming.
Join us for our next blogs as we go to Grace Vineyards and Dragon Seal Winery!
~Anja and Georges
~ Mongolia: 15 January 2010 ~
OK! Our one day pit-stop in Mongolia’s capital Ulaan-Bataar has proven to be quite the adventure. With nomadic Yurts providing a strange backdrop for new glass towers, mixed with soviet era building blocks and hints of Chinese architecture, we could see that Ulaan-Bataar now fully independent of Russia and China was a concentrated population of nomadic entrepreneurs.
With our initial goal of meeting with wine shop ‘Xanadu Fine Wines’ as unexpectedly changing due to our persistent inability to find the correct Marco Polo Square (If it wasn’t ‘Chengis’ Khan, then just about everything else seemed to be named Marco Polo…), we happened to run into a few other wine shops on the way. On our Marco-polo-esk journey (MP traveled over 40 years throughout Asia and beyond) hoofing it to find the sought after square, we managed to run into a few other stories. Our favorite, the reply of ‘UB Wine’ shop’s attendant while we were inquiring as to her favorite wine…: “Martini.” Alright, perhaps she didn’t understand well our question, but it could also be saying something for the wine culture of Mongolia… We might add as well that the second wine shop we came across didn’t seem to trust us at all and was quite hesitant to tell us anything about the wine industry and what kind of people they sell too. Perhaps we were Russian spies?
Join us for our next blogs, as we give you three wineries of China before discussing Hong Kong, and we are soon to update you on our medical mission and visit to the Simmano School in Laos which is our current location!
WoWiTo in Mongolian Snow!
Popularity rising, we have come across what seems to be what WoWiTo fans must have left somewhere in a Mongolian National Park.
~Anja and Georges
~ Russia: 12 January 2010 ~
The Trans-Siberia/Mongolian Express: Unexpected
During the Trans Mongolian train ride we not only had the great opportunity to enjoy the amazing landscapes of deep Russia, the face of pure nature with freckles of villages scattered throughout, but we were also able to share closely with locals both the space of our coupe, and the stories of their lives.
Further on our Siberian odyssey, this time from Irkutsk going towards the capital of Mongolia, another Russian woman joined us with her child. She loved wine herself and especially Lindeman’s. Her stories couldn’t seem to stop coming. Most interesting to us was about the fraud that happens with Mongolian drinks. It’s not uncommon for drivers to be stopped at the border between Russia and Mongolia with large gas caskets of generic wine, cognac, and vodka, all to be used to refill premium bottles and sold at high prices. So visitors be warned!
Media Contact:Anja and Georges
Anja Cheriakova, +31(0) 0624641048,
anja.cheriakova@worldwinetour2010.com
WorldWineTours
Russia: 4 January 2010 ~
The Dark Legend from Krim and More!
What made our stay in Moscow so pleasant? Great wine, great people, and an inviting atmosphere! It is our second day in Moscow. Still no bears in sight, but we have found the grotto of wines, thanks to Legenda Kryma. To help us better understand the Russian wine industry and tastes, we were invited to taste a variety of Russian wines. Legenda Kryma actively tries to increase wine knowledge of those interested by offering educative tastings on the wide range of wines they offer.
Wines Tasted
We were told that of dry wines, Russians prefer sparkling whites, and for all other types the pallet leans more towards preferring semi-sweets. This seems to coincide with a general preference for sweet (non-hard) alcohols in Russia, though we were told that a progression towards preferring dryer-reds is predicted for the future, perhaps thanks to the incoming generation.
Wines Tasted
To open the tasting, we were treated with a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sparkling red wine, following two more traditional sparkling whites (one of which officially earned the title of “Champagne” after winning the ‘Grand Prix’ in 1900 at the Paris World Fair). Just as delicious were the subsequent wines, one of which was shrouded in Legend.
A small taste of our great tasting and time spent with Legenda Kryma, Music thanks to ‘Spindreamer Music.’
…The Legend of the Black Doctor, and the Black Colonel.
“A long time ago, in a village lost deep within modern day Ukraine, lived a humble and peaceful doctor. A wise and astute man, the doctor had developed a potion able to treat all ailments, and he prescribed this to all patients under his care.
One day, an injured colonel stumbled into the village seeking care for his wounds. Villagers led him to the doctor and he was prescribed the usual remedy. With a distinct, though warmly familiar taste, the colonel drank his medicine which cured him on site. Astonished by the result, the colonel inquired as to the potion’s recipe.
The doctor, wise in his ways, knew that the recipe for a powerful medicine as such should only be given into trusted hands. As years passed, the doctor and the colonel developed a strong friendship, and the time had come to divulge his secret. The medicine, grown from vines on historic and sacred land, was a wine crafted by the hands of a doctor, and endowed with the energy of a deep and ancient people.
Soon after, called to war, the colonel left the doctor’s side to fulfill his duty to his people. While scouting in the woods in the loom of a great battle, a beer surprised the colonel and injured him gravely. Mortally wounded, the colonel ordered his men to rush him to his old friend. However, as the doctor was delivering a child and unable to receive the colonel, he prescribed several liters of wine to cure the colonel.
After delivering the baby, the doctor rushed to see his old friend and to see how he was healing. The colonel, looking through swollen and drunken eyes, saw a dark and blurred figure approaching him. In his state of trauma and madness, from both his injuries and remedy, the colonel mistook the doctor for his attacker, the bear, and drew his strengths and knife to serve to his defense and revenge. Stabbed in the heart, the doctor fell cold to the ground.
The legend thus names the doctor’s potion as thus, the wine so called ‘The Black Doctor,” to reflect the dark nature of his fate. The colonel, in despair after realizing what he had done, swore never to drink again, while devoting his life to crafting the same wine the doctor had taught him to make years before. This was thus named ‘The Black Colonel.’ “
Special thanks to Legenda Kryma who has graciously donated a bottle of ‘the Black Colonel’ for our charity auction to be held in 2011.
Legenda Kryma has also donated two other legendary wines: one bottle of Novy Swet, a winery founded by Lev Golitsyn himself, earning the official name of “Champagne” for his wine. Novy Swet is the first “Champagne” wine of Russian origin. The second bottle kindly donated is a famous Pink Muscat from the winery Makarach. This is the first winery of Russian origin, founded in 1828.
Donation
Thank you very much to Legenda Kryma for its donation of legendary Russian wines!
Donated Wines:
Novy Swet (AKA the first Russian Champagne), 750ml
A pink Muscat from the famous Makarach winery (First winery of Russian origin), 750ml
The ‘Black Colonel’ from Solnichnaya Dolina Winery, 750ml
Next News: Passengers on the Trans-Siberian Express!
January 2010
Welcome again to the World Wine Tour fundraising project! As we continue on our quest, we would like to invite you to partake in our experience in Moscow, its culture, and how this has influence on wine trends there.Join us for our next blogs too, as we taste and collect wines and stories with Legenda Kryma in Moscow, and further explore the wine culture as we travel through Siberia and Mongolia on our way to China!
We also can give you a sneak peak of some of our press releases:
This time: new Brix Magazine- combining wine and travel :brixmag.com
Thanks and all best wishes,
Anja and Georges
TWO ADVENTUROUS WINE LOVERS ANNOUNCE WORLD WINE TOUR 2010
Pair collecting wine for charity auction benefiting Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc.
Beginning January 2010, 23-year-old Anja Cheriakova of the Netherlands and 24-year old Georges Janssens of the United States will embark on World Wine Tour 2010 (www.worldwinetour2010.com), a humanitarian 12-month worldwide search for wine donations on behalf of the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. The pair will attempt to visit at least 17 countries and over 300 wineries in hopes of acquiring a donation of one bottle of wine from each to include in an auction gala event scheduled at the completion of the tour in 2011. One hundred percent of all proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. (www.laofoundation.com), founded by Dr. Luc Janssens, co-founder of Portfolio Winery in Napa Valley, CA.
A devastating flood in 2008 destroyed 140 schools along the Mekong River in Laos. The Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. will use the funds raised at the 2010 World Wine Tour auction to rebuild schools in the Laos village of Simmano.
“I admire Georges’ and Anja’s endeavor to travel the world for wine which will later be auctioned benefitting the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation Inc.” said Margrit Biever Mondavi, wife of the late Robert Mondavi, a champion of such charitable endeavors. “It is such a needed benefit for children and adults requiring healthcare. I wish Georges and Anja much success and hope to be at the final auction of the prestigious wines.
The World Wine tour concept began in 2004 when a similar tour called Vignes Sans Frontières visited 12 countries resulting in a 330 bottle collection auctioned to raise money for their charity, Partage, providing aid to Vietnamese victims of the Vietnam War. Since 2004, similar annual World Wine Tour trips have resulted in thousands of winery visits and more than 2,500 bottles of wine collected on behalf of various charitable causes.
All the couples who accomplished the previous World Wine Tours have been French. This is the first time an American and Dutch couple endeavor to do so. In addition, the duo will be volunteering their time with the Foundation while in Laos and aiming to conduct surveys at the hundreds of wineries they will visit. The couple plan to document their story through a book and film, to be released following completion of the project.
Cheriakova and Janssens’ trip is being made possible through generous sponsorships and donations including those from JF Hillebrand, Seguin Moreau, Saury, Canton, Wente Vineyards, South American Wine Tourism, , Wines from Brazil, Riedel, Amy Gallaher, Global Wine & Spirit and Robert Mondavi Winery. Media partners include Jancis Robinson, Ambrosia and About Harvest .Additional sponsors and donations to make the project possible are welcome.
To follow Cheriakova and Janssens’ journey starting in January 2010 or to find out how you can help, visit http://www.worldwinetour2010.com. The website includes information, videos, photos, and blogs which will be updated throughout their journey.
About the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc.
The Lao Rehabilitation Foundation Inc. (LRF) dedicates itself to providing medical services to Laotians, with a greater emphasis on children. Duly incorporated in the State of California as a non-profit organization in 2002, it has been a charity with a ‘get-things-done’ attitude. Personally supervised by its president, each mission has proven to be extremely successful in the past, with future projects looking ever more promising.
The foundation’s scope of involvement ranges from such activities as building health care clinics in remote areas of Laos, to performing medical missions diagnosing and treating hundreds of patients, to improving sanitation conditions at centers for handicapped children. Each mission is followed up with the foundation’s local coordinator in Vientiane, ensuring the continuation of each project’s success. For a comprehensive list of the many projects the LRF involves itself with, you are welcomed to visit their website, www.laofoundation.com, and appreciate it for yourself.
The Charity Wine Tour Sponsors:
Shipping Logistics: JF Hillebrand, Diamond Sponsor: Seguin Moreau, Gold Sponsors: Saury, Lafitte Cork & Capsule, Silver Sponsors: Canton, Wente, South American Wine Tourism, International Media Partners: Mutineer Magazine, Jancis Robinson, Brix Magazine, Terre de Vins, About Harvest Magazine, Ambrosia Magazine, Service Sponsors: Robert Mondavi Winery, Portfolio, Wine Travel Guides, Wines From Brazil, Riedel, Spindreamer Music, Wine & Co, Global Wine & Spirits, Amy Gallaher Design.
Media Contact:
Anja Cheriakova, +31(0) 0624641048, anja.cheriakova@worldwinetour2010.com
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