The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux announces 10 cities to host “en primeur” tastings [April 26-29]

The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux has announced that this year’s en primeur tastings will be held in 10 cities worldwide (which includes Bordeaux) from April 26-29.

The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux has said that Bordeaux, New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels, Zurich, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Hong Kong will be the host cities for this year’s campaign.

As noted on their website, tastings will be held from 26-29 April in Bordeaux, with further tastings held around the world on the following timetable:

26 April: Zurich and Shanghai
26-27 April: Brussels
27 April: Frankfurt and Hong Kong
27-28 April: Paris, London, San Francisco and New York

Dedicated venues in each city will be chosen where professionals will be able to taste the 2020 wines from the UGCB’s 131-member estates, in accordance with local health regulations.

The UGCB’s president, Ronan Laborde, said: “We are incredibly committed to maintaining ties with our clients and ambassadors. Despite the restrictions in place, we will do everything in our power to ensure they can enjoy the Bordeaux 2020 vintage.”

The new dates for this year’s campaign were confirmed earlier in the year but the UGCB at the time remained unsure if it would be able to hold the annual tasting solely in Bordeaux. It mentioned that its fall-back option would be to hold the tasting in cities around the world, building and improving upon the system of sending out samples that it rushed into place last spring.

#bordeaux #redwine #winetasting #enprimeur #bordeauxwine #instawine #frenchwine #vin #sommelier #finewine #vinsdebordeaux

Judging for Women in Business 2020 – The Stevie® Awards

I’m delighted to be Judge, and on the “Media Awards Committee” in this year’s for Women in Business 2020 – The Stevie® Awards, which are the world’s premier business awards. Stevie Award judges include the world’s most respected executives, entrepreneurs, innovators, and business educators.

Judging of the 2020 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business will be conducted by more than 200 members of seven judging committees through September. Jurors’ average scores will determine Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements.

I’m in the process of judging, and I’m quite impressed by the level of applicants and their accomplishments!

 

2020 Stevie Awards: https://stevieawards.com/women/media-awards-judging-committee

THE CHAMPAGNE 2020 HARVEST REPORT “SPLENDIDE!”

2020 completes an exceptional trilogy for the harvest: as in 2018 and 2019, the weather conditions have offered a very high-quality harvest, which is one of the requirements to make a great wine. The beginning of the year was particularly wet with the dampest February on record. Heat and drought set in mid-March and the vines were 16 days ahead on a 10-year average; it will not lose this edge, even registering an exceptionally fast maturation process the week before the harvesting.

While last year’s temperature record was broken (42.9°C), this year it was the driest July in history. Due to the drought, the grapes are of a lighter weight than average but in excellent sanitary condition. The musts are well balanced, fruity, with a beautiful freshness and a great aromatic expression; the alcoholic degree lies between 10 and 10.5% vol.

The year 2020 is, of course, characterized by the health safety measures linked to the Covid-19 epidemic, which had to be put in place for the 120.000 seasonal workers recruited in vineyards or pressing centres.

Given the maximum yield limited to 8,000 kg/ha, the harvest was carried out, individually, a little faster than usual but spread over a normal period of about three weeks, given the heterogeneity of maturation between vintages and grape varieties. The tasting of berries and seeds and the analysis of the sugar content present in the grapes allow each winemaker to adapt the beginning of his harvest and optimize his grape picking circuit, plot by plot, at optimum maturity.

With the superb trilogy 2018, 2019, 2020, Champagne should have in a few years blends and, probably, exceptional vintages, all living up to the celebrations of the event that the whole world is waiting for: the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

French Version

′′2020 complète en effet une trilogie exceptionnelle : comme en 2018 et en 2019, les conditions météorologiques ont offert une récolte de très grande qualité, première des conditions pour élaborer un grand vin. Le début de l’année a été particulièrement arrosé avec le mois de février le plus humide jamais enregistré. Chaleur et sécheresse s’installent dès la mi-mars et la vigne débourre avec 16 jours d’avance sur la moyenne décennale ; elle ne perdra plus cette avance, enregistrant même une dynamique de maturation exceptionnellement rapide la semaine précédant le ban des vendanges.

Alors que l’an passé, le record de température avait été battu (42,9°C), cette année, c’est le mois de juillet le plus sec de l’histoire qui a été enregistré. En raison de la sécheresse, les grappes sont d’un poids inférieur à la moyenne mais dans un excellent état sanitaire. Les moûts sont équilibrés, fruités, présentent une belle fraîcheur et une grande expression aromatique ; le degré alcoolique se situe entre 10 et 10,5% vol.

L’année 2020 se singularise bien sûr par les mesures de sécurité sanitaires liées à l’épidémie de Covid-19 qui ont dû être mises en place pour les quelque 120 000 saisonniers recrutés dans les vignes ou les centres de pressurage.

Compte tenu du rendement maximum limité à 8 000 kg/ha, la récolte a été effectuée, à titre individuel, un peu plus rapidement que d’habitude mais s’est étalée sur une durée normale d’environ trois semaines, compte tenu de l’hétérogénéité de maturation entre crus et entre cépages. La dégustation de baies et de pépins et l’analyse du taux de sucre présent dans les raisins permettent à chaque vigneron d’adapter le début de sa vendange et d’optimiser son circuit de cueillette du raisin, parcelle par parcelle, à maturité optimale.

Avec la superbe trilogie 2018, 2019, 2020, la Champagne devrait disposer dans quelques années d’assemblages et, probablement, de millésimes exceptionnels, à la hauteur des célébrations de l’événement que le monde entier attend : la fin de la pandémie Covid-19 ′′.

Source : Comité Champagne

Glenfiddich Announces Canadian Artists in Residence Program for 2020

Glenfiddich celebrates 15 years of supporting Canadian art with the launch of its annual “Glenfiddich Artist in Residence Program” This program awards one artist a three-month residency in Dufftown, Scotland.

The award includes three-months income, travel costs, all-inclusive accommodations, materials and the opportunity to collaborate with globally celebrated artists.

“The Glenfiddich Artist in Residency program is dedicated to supporting and showcasing the extraordinary talent of Canadian artists on a global scale,” comments Rupy Singh, Senior National Brand Manager for Glenfiddich in Canada. “We are delighted to continue our support of the Canadian art community for the fifteenth year.”

Taking place for a consecutive three-months between May 1 and October 2020, the award provides the selected artist a monthly income of approximately $2,400 CAD per month, travel costs (with a set maximum), a materials allowance of approximately $9,850 CAD and a small, Scottish farmhouse and studio space on the Glenfiddich Distillery grounds in Scotland.

The selected artist is encouraged to use their time to create work that is directly influenced by the distillery and its surrounding environment, whether that be through the family history of Glenfiddich, the people and processes at the distillery, or some of the materials involved in the whisky distilling process, including copper, steam, water, malt, or barrels. The prize is valued at $20,000 CAD.

“The Glenfiddich Artist in Residence program encourages Canadian artists of all mediums to apply, and has historically hosted painters, sculptors, filmmakers, illustrators, animators, photographers, and performance artists,” comments Beth Havers, National Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich in Canada.

Open to artists who live and work in Canada, the five-part application process requires artists to outline how they would like to use their residency, what kind of work they envision creating, and how they will draw inspiration from the distillery environment.

Applicants are to outline the exploratory prospects of their work, whether that includes the accumulation of family heritage, the community of craftsmen who have been employed at the distillery for decades, the materials employed by craftsmen, or the artist’s wider personal development that will come over the inspiring three-month residency.

Criteria for submission includes a short project proposal, a current CV, a short artist statement, 5 to 15 images (or a three-minute video highlighting their artistic practice), a required questionnaire supplied by Glenfiddich, and applicants must be of legal drinking age in their province of residence.

Completed applications must be received by midnight eastern standard time on January 31, 2020.

Candidates will be selected by a jury of eight prominent artists in the Canadian art community and the winner will be notified on February 28, 2020.

For more information about the program, please visit:

https://www.glenfiddich.com/ca/explore/artists-in-residence-canada/

2020 Calendar Dates for Wine and Spirits Days

To help you plan for 2020, I created a list that you can bookmark. The list, which isn’t exhaustive, is comprised of important national or global wine and spirit days (dates may be subject to change). In any event, this is a great starting point to assist you in planning fun and engaging posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social platforms. Let me know if I missed any.

January

January 17, 2020  – National Hot Buttered Rum Day (USA)

February

February 18, 2020 – Global Drink Wine Day

February 22, 2020 – National Margarita Day(USA)

February 29, 2020 – Open That Bottle Night

March

March 3, 2020 – Mulled Wine Day

March 3, 2020 – Irish Whiskey Day

March 3, 2020 – National Moscow Mule Day (USA)

March 5, 2020 – Absinthe Day

April

April 17, 2020 – Malbec World Day

May

May 1 – 31, 2020  – Oregon Wine Month

May 1, 2020 – International Sauvignon Blanc Day

May 9, 2020 – World Moscato Day

May 16, 2020  – World Whisky Day

May 21, 2020 – International Chardonnay Day

May 25, 2020 – National Wine Day (USA)

May 30, 2020 – National Mint Julep Day (USA)

June

June 2020  – Negroni Week (UK TBD)

June 4, 2020  – Cognac Day

June 13, 2020 – World Gin Day

June 19, 2020  – National Martini Day

June 21, 2020 – Lambrusco Day

June 26, 2020 – International Rosé Day

June 2020  – National Prosecco Week (USA TBD)

July

July 2, 2020  – National Anisette Day (USA)

July 10, 2020 – National Piña Colada Day (USA)

July 11, 2020 – National Mojito Day (USA)

July 19, 2020 – National Daiquiri Day (USA)

July 24, 2020 – National Tequila Day (USA)

July 27, 2020 – National Scotch Day (USA)

August

August 1-5, 2020 – International Albariño Days

August 4, 2020 – National White Wine Day (USA)

August 13, 2020  – National Prosecco Day 9USA)

August 18, 2020 – International Pinot Noir Day

August 28, 2020  – National Red Wine Day (USA)

September

September 3, 2020 – International Cabernet Sauvignon Day

September 18, 2020 – International Grenache Day

October

October 4, 2020  – National Vodka Day (USA)

October 10, 2020 – International Pinotage Day

October 16, 2020 – Global Champagne Day

November

November 1, 2020 – International Xinomavro Day

November 7, 2020 – International Merlot Day

November 9, 2020 – International Tempranillo Day

November 18, 2020 – National Zinfandel Day

November 19, 2020 – Beaujolais Nouveau Day

November 24, 2020 – Carménère Day

December

December 4, 2020 – Cabernet Franc Day

December 20, 2020 – Sangria Day

Liz Palmer