Eve's Wine 101

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN FOR THE 2023 INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS PRESENTED BY BAR AND RESTAURANT EXPO

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LAS VEGAS – Nominations are now open for the second annual Industry Excellence Awards, presented by Bar & Restaurant Expo, which celebrate and support the individuals who make the independent bar and restaurant industry great. These awards honor leaders and teams for their talent, integrity and commitment to equality, sustainability, community, and culture across the industry.

Nominations will be open through Jan. 27, 2023, and winners will be announced at the 2023 Bar & Restaurant Expo on March 29, 2023. Nominations can be made at breawards.awardsplatform.com. 

2023 Nomination Categories Include:

Individual Award Nominations:

Bartender of the Year: This award is given to a bartender of exemplary performance, skill and dedication—both behind the bar and beyond it. This person has worked tirelessly to improve their bar program, bar culture, guest experience and the industry at large, serving as a positive example for other beverage professionals.

Chef of the Year: This individual sets high personal and professional standards for chefs across the industry. Chef of the Year will be awarded to someone who has dedicated themselves to culinary excellence, as well as sustainable, ethical practices and inclusive culture.

Community Leadership Award: This award is open to anyone in F&B who has demonstrated outstanding contributions and dedication to bettering their local community.

Venue Award Nominations:

Bar of the Year: Bar of the Year, awarded to a venue whose primary offering is beverage, has a unique identity and has established itself as a leader within the category. This award is given to an establishment that consistently demonstrates exceptional hospitality, creativity, training, culture and service.

Restaurant of the Year: The Restaurant of the Year has established itself as a leader in the community and has made a significant impact within the industry. This venue boasts a unique atmosphere, thoughtful F&B offerings, and a training program.

LGBTQIA+ Venue of The Year: This bar, whose primary offering is beverage, consistently delivers exceptional hospitality, creativity, and service, while championing the LGBTQIA+ community. The LGBTQIA+ Bar of the Year has a demonstrated history of supporting the queer community.

Best Hospitality Training Program: This award is given to a restaurant or bar that has prioritized hospitality and guest experience by investing in a robust onboarding and continuing education program that yields results and consistently demonstrates exceptional hospitality, creativity, culture, and service.

Bar & Restaurant has compiled separate judging panels of experts for each category, who will evaluate each submission based on several criteria to determine finalists, and ultimately the winner in each award category.

Each finalist will be awarded two Expo + Party Passes to the 2023 Bar & Restaurant Expo, as well as recognition on the Bar & Restaurant website, social media, and newsletter before and during the expo. In addition, the winners in each category will receive a beautiful custom award, one VIP ticket to the 2024 Bar & Restaurant Expo and additional media recognition on the website, social media, newsletters and more.

For more information on the 2023 Bar & Restaurant Expo, visit barandrestaurantexpo.com.

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About Bar & Restaurant Expo

Bar & Restaurant Expo, formerly known as Nightclub & Bar Show, has continued to evolve to mirror the fast-paced, trend-setting nature of the hospitality industry. The event has been providing the specific tools that bar and restaurant owners, operators, and managers need to grow their businesses, compete, and succeed in this hyper-competitive and dynamic industry. The Bar & Restaurant Group is a division of the Questex Hospitality Group which also produces Vibe Conference, World Tea Conference & Expo, and daily content on barandrestaurant.com.

About Questex
Questex helps people live better and longer. Questex brings people together in the markets that help people live better: travel, hospitality and wellness; the industries that help people live longer: life science and healthcare; and the technologies that enable and fuel these new experiences. We live in the experience economy – connecting our ecosystem through live events, surrounded by data insights and digital communities. We deliver experience and real results. It happens here.

Let’s Talk Wine Communication: wine2wine Business Forum 2022

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – A large and often over-looked field, the world of wine communication encompasses many different mediums and audiences. It is easy to see that communication impacts the entire industry, from wine producers, importers, buyers and numerous other wine-related professions. Wine communication comes in many forms, such as books, courses, labels, websites, podcasts, social media accounts, and more.

Rather than seeing wine communication simply as words, images and paragraphs, wine2wine Business chooses to examine wine communication through the lens of its people. The Forum does this by bringing together the voices of different protagonists in the realm of wine communication and providing them with opportunities for networking and face-to-face dialogue.

In the right hands, and handled in the correct way, wine communication is the element that allows wine professionals to successfully see products travel all the way from the vineyards to the glass of the final consumers. Communicating wine in the most appropriate and effective way requires a solid
understanding what medium to use, when, and with whom.

To do this successfully, it becomes necessary to integrate many different communication types, while also adapting the communication style to a company’s personality and values. With this goal in mind, wine2wine 2022 chooses to include in its program sessions that cover different types of communication, calling on the stage some of the most influential personalities in the sector. On one side we have traditional communication, with a series of sessions that will focus on conventional communication tools such as PRs, books, wine blogs and wine journalism. In this context, the goal is to understand how these traditional tools have evolved over time, which practices stopped working and what needs changing to adapt to an increasingly modern and global context.

On the other hand, it’s impossible to center a forum on wine communication without addressing the ways new digital media have heavily affected the industry and its actors. From ever-changing social media platforms and digital marketing tools to cutting-edge innovations that have paved the way for digital growth in the last few years, including podcasts and nfts, navigating the challenges and opportunities of these tools is not easy. This is even more true for a industry which is often considered traditional, elitist and unapproachable by the very same younger generation that is taking the lead when it comes to digital innovation. Following this line of reasoning, speakers such as Adam Teeter or Guillaume Jourdan will specifically center their discussion around “disruptors” in the wine industry.

In this context, it is crucial to recognize and capitalize on the marketing power of web platforms and social media apps like Instagram or TikTok, strategies that will be presented by speakers such as Amanda McCrossin and Robert Joseph. At the same time, it is essential to understand the way these news ways of communicating are opening a new way to educate and demystify wine for everyone interested in the sector, especially to those taking their first steps in the wine business. A large part of the Forum will be focused on how storytelling can and should empower diverse audiences to engage and ask more questions in a non-intimidating way, authentic way.

The topic of wine communication is intrinsically connected to the one of education, a topic dear to wine2wine Business Forum, and often addressed during the event. Wine education has been subject to an important shift after the global pandemic, which drastically changed the tools through which wine courses and certifications are delivered to students all over the world. On this topic, wine educators will share their knowledge during the event. One of the main aims of the Forum will also be instructing winery employees and wine professionals about new forms of communication and the importance of developing skills and creating roles within their organization that will leverage digital talent and improve their overall communication package.

Regarding the future of wine business, it seems that wine communication will gain increasing importance. Wine producers especially are moving away from concentrating exclusively on the production process within the winery and in the vineyards, and beginning to focus on the large audience out there waiting to engage with wineries and wine brands that are willing to ramp up their marketing and start selling themselves in a more personal and direct manner.

The next evolution in the wine industry will be driven by how well businesses and professionals in the sector can use these new models and strategies to acquire more customers, connect with them and keep them. While the preliminary program will be presented in July, the speakers and topics that will be presented during the two day event will be revealed gradually over the next few weeks, both on the website and on the social media pages of wine2wine Business Forum 2022. https://wine2wine.net/?lang=en
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About: wine2wine Business Forum is a dynamic international wine industry forum organized by Veronafiere and held annually in Verona, Italy, since 2014. wine2wine Business Forum 2022 will take place on November 7th and 8th at the Palaexpo in Veronafiere, Verona. The event is a key reference point for wine producers and wine professionals eager to develop and grow their wine business worldwide. wine2wine Business Forum provides unique opportunities to share ideas on the most important issues facing the rapidly evolving wine industry and to connect with wine professionals and experts. The forum takes place over two days and features keynote sessions, seminars, and interactive workshops which aim to equip participants with practical tools to improve their business. Speakers are renowned experts in their field and among the brightest minds in the wine world from Italy and abroad. Additional information is available at http://www.wine2wine.net or by emailing wine2wine@justdothework.it.

5StarWines – the Book, helping Italian producers reach a global audience

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – The sixth edition of 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls took place from April 1st to 3rd, in the days preceding Vinitaly 2022, the prominent wine trade fair in Verona, Italy. The wine selection event consists of three days of blind tasting, where an international jury of wine experts evaluates the participating wines, assigning a score to each wine, using a 100-point scale.

The wines that obtain a score of 90 or higher are published every year in the official guide 5StarWines – the Book. The guidebook is an important marketing tool that can be consulted online in digital format and is distributed in paper format at the main industry trade fairs, B2B meetings, tastings and masterclasses. The goal of 5StarWines is to provide constant promotional opportunities to the selected wineries, projecting them on the international wine stage. The Digital Catalog provides an opportunity to be introduced to 10,000+ top buyers of the Vinitaly Community, 200+ selected journalists, 290 Wine Ambassadors of the Vinitaly International Academy, 100+ international judges, and wine experts, as well as key influencers from all over the world.

The guidebook aims to put the selected companies directly in contact with professionals across the wine industry, an important opportunity for smaller wineries that struggle to approach international markets. A paperback copy of the guidebook is sent to all the selected producers, along with a set of stickers displaying their official score and a personalized diploma, providing producers with all the resources they need to self-promote at the main trade events.

The 2023 edition of 5StarWines – the Book is currently being finalised and will be published shortly. In the meantime, the list of selected wines is available on the event’s official website (https://www.5starwines.it/?lang=en). The list is divided into two sections, 5StarWines and Wine Without Walls (dedicated to certified organic, biodynamic wine or produced by companies adhering to sustainability protocols/certifications).

This year more than 2,300 wines took part in the selection, of which 960 will be published in the book (651 for the 5StarWines category and 309 for Wine Without Walls). As Bernard Burtschy (one of the six General Chairs) explained: “By the number of wines presented and their variety, the 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls selection is a first-class observatory of mostly Italian wines providing an in-depth check-up on the Italian wine industry. There are very few places to indulge in a real psychoanalysis of Italian wine as intensive as 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls”.

The inclusion of wines in the book is only one of several promotional activities reserved for the selected wineries and their products. In fact, while awaiting official publication, the wines are promoted on various social media channels (@5StarWines is present on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn). Two social media posts are dedicated to every single wine selected. In the first, the photo of the bottle is presented with additional information about the producer (including region of production, email or social media address and score obtained). In the second post, the tasting note composed by the international jury is shown. These posts are designed to be easily shared, not least on the company’s own channels.

The selection also includes the awarding of special Trophies to wines and companies that achieved a particularly distinguished score in their category. 5StarWines – the Book, in collaboration with the Italian Wine Podcast, has carried out interviews dedicated to the Trophy winners. During the interviews, producers have a further opportunity to talk about their products and current and future projects. The Italian Wine Podcast, launched in 2017 and is now rapidly approaching 3 million listens, and is a well-known resource among wine professionals and wine lovers all over the world.

A series of interviews with Trophy winners, published every Tuesday on the Italian Wine Podcast, is available online on major podcast platforms (Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcast, …) and are collated in the series “Wine, Food and Travel with Marc Millon” (available at: https://soundcloud.com/italianwinepodcast/sets/food-wine-travel-with-marc).

The interviews released so far include:

  • Ep. 917 Luigi Gagliardini of Moncaro | Wine, Food & Travel With Marc Millon;
  • Ep. 926 Giovanni Brumat of Cantina Toblino | Wine, Food & Travel With Marc Millon;
  • Ep. 935 Alberto Pezzuoli of Azienda Agricola Pezzuoli| Wine, Food & Travel With Marc Millon;
  • Ep. 950 Elisa Centanni of Vini Centanni | Wine Food & Travel With Marc Millon;
  • Ep. 962 Andrea Milese of Ferrowine | Wine, Food & Travel With Marc Millon.

To explore the full benefits of the event, and find additional information regarding the promotion of the selected wines, consult the 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls website: https://www.5starwines.it/strumento-di-marketing/?lang=en.
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About: 5StarWines – the Book is the annual wine selection organized by Veronafiere, held in the lead-up to the biggest Italian wine fair in the world. The event is now in its sixth edition. 5StarWines – the Book is a blind tasting aimed at shedding light on wineries investing in the improvement of their products. During the event, a highly qualified panel of wine professionals will taste and score — using a 100-point scale — participating wines. In the 2022 edition, over 2,300 bottles took part in the competition and 960 were selected for inclusion in 5StarWines – the Book. The Guide is a useful tool both on the promotional and commercial side. It introduces international buyers and wine lovers to new wine products of great value. It guarantees wine quality and it maintains and certifies their value at an international level.

Was Eve In Lake Garda Studying Wine?

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Did you miss me? My blogs over the past two weeks were “Vintage Eve” articles as I was in Northern Italy, namely Lake Garda where I was immersed in Garda DOC wine and education for four days. (Eddie and I chose to stay another week to explore Lake Garda.) Today, not-so-fresh from jet lag, I’m sharing with you the invitation and the schedule just to get your mouth-watering for the full story – which will be in an upcoming issue of SCV Elite Magazine. If you can’t stand the wait tune into my Instagram or Facebook for some of the story in photos. And if the teaser below is still driving you nuts, and you must know who I killed off to get this all-inclusive invitation, my email is eve@evewine101.com 

Dear Eve,

I’m reaching out on behalf of Garda Wines to invite you on an exclusive press trip to Northern Italy to discover the fresh, fun and stylish sparkling wines of DOC Garda from June 8-11, 2022.

The immersive four-day trip will take you to the hilly vineyards that cover 10 historic appellations around the southern curve of Lake Garda, the largest body of water in Italy, home to one of the world’s most famous winemaking regions boasting over 10,000 growers and 400 wineries. Through this unique experience, you will get the opportunity to deep-dive into the Garda DOC universe, with educative master class sessions, field trips to the vineyard, and mouth-watering tastings with both new and established winemakers. You will get the opportunity to discover for yourself why Garda DOC embodies the values of Lake Garda: fun, conviviality, and the uniqueness of the Italian spirit.

Please see below the itinerary for consideration. Let me know if you be interested and available. We would be thrilled to have you join the adventure!

Looking forward to hearing from you. 

2022 GARDA WINES PRESS TRIP 

An informative, industry-focused trip consisting of: 

  • A captivating deep dive into Garda’s spectacular wines and terroirs through a technical masterclass, seminar and walk around tasting.
  • Intimate visits to wineries and vineyards to meet with new and established winemakers and experience the conviviality and the uniqueness of the Italian spirit.
  • Mouth-watering tasting sessions that illustrate the uniqueness of Garda wines. 

Itinerary:

  • Tuesday, June 7, 2022: Departure from the US in the late afternoon.
  • Wednesday, June 8, 2022:
    • Arrival at Milano airport. Transfer to Bardolino, a charming village on the shore of Lake Garda in the province of Verona, where art and tradition blend with modernity.
    • Check in at Hotel Caesius Thermae&Spa resort on the lake front. Time off to relax around Lake Garda and enjoy the hot springs of hotel spa.  Welcome cocktail at night.
  • Thursday, June 9, 2022:
    • Event day at Dogana Veneta in Lazise, a famous 14th-century building in a typical Italian village directly overlooking the shores of Lago di Garda.
    • In-depth look at Garda Wines through seminar and guided masterclass focusing on Garda DOC terroirs and varietals and led by Italian Sommelier Costantino Gabardi. Walk around tasting and meeting with local producers and personalities.
    • Exclusive tour around Lake Garda on a sailing ship to get the heart of the “Garda Experience”.
  • Friday, June 10, 2022:
    • Trip to the vineyard surrounding lake Garda. Visit of typical Gardac DOC wineries. Meeting with local winemakers and tasting sessions to experience the conviviality and the uniqueness of the Italian spirit.
    • Visit and institutional Gala Dinner at Rocca Sveva, an ancient medieval borgo famous for its picturesque wine cellar and its experimental vineyard.
  • Saturday, June 11, 2022: Closing day with time to explore further the area and travel back to the US.

More Links

https://www.instagram.com/gardadocvino/

https://www.instagram.com/costantinogabardi/

https://5e10b0d72c.nxcli.net/category/eves-wine-101/

https://www.facebook.com/eve.bushman

https://www.instagram.com/evebushmaneveswine101/

eve@evewine101.com

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Discovering the White Wine Winery Acquiesce, a Lodi Treasure

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In planning a recent Napa trip one of my friends suggested we spend a day in Lodi. The last time I visited Lodi was virtually, when several winemakers came to LA to present a seminar and tasting. It was so long ago, possibly ten years, that all I recall was tasting old vine Zinfandels, a wine the area was known for.

We visited four wineries that day. All had at least one or more wines that I enjoyed from whites to old vine Zinfandels. One winery stood out. First because they only make white Rhone varietals (some which were new to me) and one rose, but as I tasted through their lineup, and made my notations, it turned out that every single wine I tried I wanted to buy.

Fast forward to planning this trip. I went to the LA Wine Writers group on Facebook and asked my associates who I should visit. Then I reached out to Lodi.com to help me plan the trip. As I only had one day I wanted to focus on the wines alone, there would be no time for winery or vineyard tours. We also invited Steve and Vashti Roebuck (wine bloggers, collectors and admins of the popular Wine in the Glass Facebook group) to join us.

Acquiesce Winery

This is an excerpt from my upcoming article in SCV Elite Magazine, “The first on my list to try was a winery recommended to me by more than one wine loving pal: Acquiesce Winery. We were awestruck by all of the gorgeous white wines, and one Rose, during our “Elevated Tasting Experience” there. Many are award winners from respected competitions: 2020 Ingenue, 2021 Grenache Rose, 2020 Bourboulenc, 2020 Clairette Blanche, 2021 Picpoul Blanc, 2021 Viognier, 2020 and 2021 Grenache Blanc. Don’t miss these Chateauneuf du Pape inspired Rhônes by winemaker Susan Tipton.” Here is the link to the social media post that also includes notes and photos from Acquiesce and other Lodi wineries we visited that day.

To expand, the Elevated Tasting Experience, seen here in the photo by Steve Roebuck, was a great pairing! (Not every food and wine pairing is spot on but theirs was.) And for Steve Roebuck and me, as it’s our practice to sample wines without food, it was difficult not to sample those small bites. But the wine…oh how I wish I could have lingered there all day. Also of note: most of these wines were less than $30 each.

The Pairing

We began with the 2021 Picpoul Blanc paired with Italian salsa, Spenker Goat Ricotta Tartine. Next was their 2021 Grenache Rose alongside Radish Tartine with Butter (butter is always a good choice!) and Cracked Pepper. Our third was the 2020 Grenache Blanc with Asparagus (a hard vegetable to pair), Ricotta, Preserved Lemons on Pumpernickel and then our final pairing with the 2020 Clairette Blanche with a Dijon Tarragon Tuna, Tomato, Tartine on Rye. All pretty simple and simply delish. (Note: this was their April Pairing Menu, titled “We Love Tartines” and their May pairing was geared toward the recent Cinco de Mayo holiday. So know that you will most likely have a different menu when you visit – don’t forget to make reservations – but I would make a bet that it would be just as yum-worthy. And when I last checked their website for the price it was only $20!)

Tasting Notes Courtesy Steve Roebuck:

2021 Picpoul Blanc

Score: 92 Points

Location: Lodi, California

Blend: 100% Picpoul Blanc

Wafting from my glass was an elegant bouquet of fresh cut apples, pears, lemon curd, crushed seashells, wet river rocks and a touch of lemon grass. The wine had nice acidity with a crisp palate giving way to hints of green apple, pears, melon, citrus oil, lemon grass, crushed minerals, and a soft note of dill on the finish with a splash of lemon. The wine is beautifully balanced with fresh orchard fruits and crisp minerals that seamlessly intertwine together. 

2021 Grenache Rose

Score: 92 Points

Location: Lodi, California

Blend: 100% Grenache Noir

This light salmon colored wine had a lovely bouquet of strawberries, melon, raspberries, Jolly Roger candy and dried hay bale. The wine had a nice level of acidity that brought balance to a palate painted with strawberries, watermelon, cherry, lemon zest and crushed gravel. The wine was refreshingly crisp with a beautiful layering of fruits and bright terroir notes. This wine is reminiscent of a French Provence rose wine; thus, an elegant and sophisticated style. 

2020 Grenache Blanc

Score:  93 Points

Location: Lodi, California

Blend:  100% Grenache Blanc

The wine had an expressive bouquet of cut apples, white peach, cut almonds, wet river rocks, chalky minerals and a note of marzipan. The wine is full bodied with a nice level of acidity, giving way to hints of green apple, white peach, wet slate, chalky minerals and a finish with softly brined apricots. This vivacious wine had lovely layers of fruit that harmoniously blended with the wonderful terroir notes. 

2020 Clairette Blanche

Score:  93 Points

Location:  Lodi, California

Blend: 100% Clairette Blanche

This rare beauty had an eloquent bouquet of poached pears, apricots, white tea, ginger cookie, marzipan, dried herbs, grapefruit and soft hints of yellow beeswax.  The wine is full-bodied with bright acidity that gives way to a palate painted with mixed orchard fruits, crisp minerals, light spice, fresh herbs and a touch of white fig on the finish. There is beauty here with a tapestry of fruit, exotic spice, and lovely terroir notes. 

2020 Ingenue

Score: 94 Points

Location: Lodi, California

Blend: 100% Ingenue

The wine had a floral bouquet of white flowers, poached pears, apple pie crust, kiwi, orange blossoms, cut almonds, dried herbs, lemon and crushed minerals. The wine was medium-bodied with lovely acidity that brightened the palate with hints of fresh apple, honeydew melon, vanilla, soft citrus oil, crushed gravel and a drop of honey on the finish. The wine is complex with beautiful layers of fruit and earth that harmonize wonderfully together. 

2020 Bourboulenc

Score: 91 Points

Location: Lodi, California

Blend: 100% Bourboulenc

This wine had a lovely bouquet of green apples, pears, white peach, lemon grass, chamomile tea and a splash of brine. The wine had nice acidity that gave way to hints of white peach, sliced apple, lime, beeswax, and white pepper. The wine is refreshing and crisp on the palate with soft notes of spice and orchard fruits. 

2021 Viognier

Score: 95 Points

Location: Lodi, California

Blend: 100% Viognier

The wine had an alluring bouquet of white flowers, lavender, jasmine, pears, peaches, honeysuckle, white pepper, crushed stone and a touch of pineapple. The wine is medium ++ in body with a beautiful level of acidity that gives way to hints of tropical and orchard fruits, honeysuckle, exotic spice, soft brine, river rocks, and a kiss of citrus. The wine is complex with harmonizing layers of fruit and earth that play beautifully together. The wine is reminiscent of a French Rhone, as it is showing in an old-world style. 

More

The winemaker and owner, Susan Tipton, led our tasting. She told us that they started ten years ago, after she fell in love with white Chateauneuf du Pape wines. Her vineyards are all estate-owned and are dedicated to white wine grapes alone. None are oaked. The area has a Mediterranean climate, warm days, cool nights and a Delta breeze.

We purchased a case of wine each, the Roebucks and us, and I’ve since been looking over the club membership: six bottles delivered twice a year, in April and October, 20% off any purchases, complimentary tastings at the winery and invitations to release parties and pick up events.

Read this to see how well their wines did at the recent San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. (Short answer: They won four Best of Class Awards – and over 5,800 wines were judged.)

From the Winery

Do you love white wines? Located in the Lodi Appellation we offer estate grown, award-winning premium white and rosé wines lovingly created in small batches. We carefully craft these unique wines: Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette Blanche, Bourboulenc, Belle Blanc and Ingénue (white blends) and a Grenache Rosé. Join us by appointment, Thursday – Sunday 11-5 for our Elevated Tasting Experience

Elevated Tasting Experience reservations à https://www.exploretock.com/acquiescewinery

Homepage
https://www.facebook.com/AcquiesceWinery
https://www.instagram.com/acquiescewinery/

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Geloso Beverage Group LLC Released Their Newest Brand, BUZZ TEA

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Rochester, NY- Geloso Beverage Company LLC, a four-time winner of the industry’s Impact Hot Brand Award and Top 100 Beverage Company, released their latest brand of malt beverages, Buzz Tea on March 1, 2022, just in time for Spring. Buzz Tea released three delicious flavors that include Original, Half & Half, and Peach.

Buzz Tea is a canned hard iced tea that goes harder, smoother, and louder than your typical backyard cooler drink. Buzz Tea will launch three favorite flavors: Original, Half & Half, and Peach, containing 6.5% alcohol available in 12 oz variety packs and 24 oz singles. Geloso Beverage Group’s goal with Buzz Tea is to create a brand of ready-to-drink beverages that reflect current flavor trends consumers will surely enjoy. “The hard tea market has a lot of opportunity right now and we jumped on it. We knew we could produce delicious and easy-to- drink flavors with a higher percentage alcohol than our competition” says Mary Chapman, Marketing Director at Geloso Beverage Group.

The primary alcoholic ingredient in Buzz Tea is a triple filtered malt and all-natural blends of Argentinian black
tea. When developing Buzz Tea, Geloso Beverage Group strived to create a drink with reduced carbonation to give it a clean experience and refreshing taste–and that’s what they did.

Buzz Tea Original 6.5%: The classic Buzz Tea is brewed from real black tea and natural flavors.

Buzz Tea Half & Half 6.5%: Buzz Tea Half & Half—made from real black tea and fresh lemonade. The classic tea meets summertime lemonade that you can buzz on year-round.

Buzz Tea Peach 6.5%: Be a peach and sweeten up your next boat day, house party, or your living room couch. Made from natural Peach tea extracts, keep it light and peachy.

“Here at Geloso Beverage Group we are building on the success of our other brands. With Buzz Tea, we are investing in paid social across all channels, as it is a major part of this brand’s personality. Having conversations with our consumers is more important to us than ever.” says Paul Rene, Vice President of North American Sales at Geloso Beverage Group.

Unlike any other brand, Buzz Tea will be interactive, tapping into social media and offering texting lines to get to know its consumers. Buzz Tea will have a series of hashtags to use on social media that consumers can use to update them on the latest BUZZ. The interactive line will allow consumers to text to learn more about the brand and prevent them from sending those awkward “You Up?” text messages.

About Geloso Beverage Group LLC

Geloso Beverage Group LLC, launched in 2002, exclusively serves the U.S. market and is based in Rochester, NY. It sells and distributes multiple flavored malt beverages, including; Clubtails – Cocktail in a Can, Johny Bootlegger, and Pepito.

Young Italian Winemakers Champion Sustainability and Innovation

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NEW YORK (PRWEB) – Five days before the ministers of agriculture representing the world’s largest economies met in Florence, Italy, for a G20 summit, a group of young Italian wine professionals held a symposium of their own. AGIVI, the Association of Young Italian Wine Entrepreneurs, hosted the convention on Sept. 12, 2021, at the same city’s Palazzo Vecchio, to discuss some of the most pressing questions about the future of Italian wine. How would wine fit into the global drive toward sustainability, also a G20 focus? And, more broadly, how could the up-and-coming generation in the industry reach young wine lovers in an increasingly competitive global marketplace?

“Young people think, plan and work in a green mindset”, said Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini, president of AGIVI, which is a branch of the national UIV (Unione Italiana Vini) and export sales manager of Casato Prime Donne winery in Montalcino. “From the vineyard to the cellar, ranging from the choice of packaging to that of transport to the services offered in the company, the initiatives of the new generations are increasingly developed from a sustainable perspective, with specific actions aimed at achieving objectives that are as respectful of the environment as possible.”

According to a survey made on the AGIVI members, 94% believe sustainability provides a decisive competitive edge, with nearly 70% choosing suppliers based in part on the sustainability of their proposals. Another survey presented at the convention found that 70% of millennial wine tourists would be more likely to visit wineries with ethical labor practices, and 70% favored companies that helped disadvantaged communities. Canned wines, carbon emissions and pesticide alternatives have also been hot topics in AGIVI’s ongoing dialogue about sustainability.

While AGIVI has been exploring environmental and social initiatives, its members have also been navigating new technologies in viticulture and sales, along with new platforms, customers and tastes—while preserving the heritage that has long made Italian wine unique. In 2021, AGIVI members gathered to exchange knowledge in regions like Umbria and Trentino; they contributed to social media webinars, and panels and tastings at Vinitaly and in New York. Along the way, they discussed creative enotourism, labeling and transparency tools like QR codes, and distribution platforms like e-commerce.

“Our job is very challenging, we never stop learning and the wine industry is in continuous development,” explained Emanuele Rocca, export sales manager of Rocca Vini, which includes estates in Piedmont and Puglia. Rocca cited the cultivation of new and “forgotten” varieties, waste reduction in production and packaging, the embrace of e-commerce and social media, an enhanced cellar door experience, and expansion into lesser-known regions like Salento (the “heel” of Italy’s boot) as new ways the company is carrying on the family tradition of innovation. “Our grandpa didn’t teach us to ride a bike but taught us interesting wine secrets,” said Rocca. Among younger drinkers, Rocca notices a movement toward lower-alcohol wines and, most encouraging, an increased interest in wine education.

“I’m optimistic,” said Rocca, “because I see the young generations focus on the quality of the product.”
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The program: European quality wines: taste the difference is a project financed by the European Union and managed by Unione Italiana Vini and PRODECA for the promotion of PDO and PGI European wines abroad in China and US. In order to achieve this objective, the TTD.EU program will organize wine seminars, workshops and b2b meetings both in these countries and in Spain and Italy, inviting wine professionals to join study trips to Europe. The program, realized in the span of three years (2021-2023) aims at creating awareness about European quality wines, in particular Italian and Spanish, which share a long tradition and a high standard of quality.

The beneficiaries: Unione Italiana Vini is the oldest and most commissioned Association of the Italian wine market. It represents cooperative, private and agricultural wine-companies, bottlers, consortia, associations and wine-making machines or wine cellars / laboratory manufacturers, located throughout the Italian territory. Promotora de Exportaciones Catalanas (PRODECA) is a public company established in 1986 and part of the “Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Government of Catalonia”. It supports the agri-food sector and its companies with the knowledge, tools and experience to increase their products in Catalunya and worldwide.

Ten Year Challenge…With Wine and Spirits

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My husband Eddie has painstakingly categorized our photos by year on our cell phones, so I recently looked at photos from ten years ago to see if any were worth posting alongside a photo taken recently, for the latest #10YearChallenge on social media. As you can guess, most of my photos back then were of wine, so I thought I would take a look back at what I was drinking then.

(I also searched my name, 2011 and photos on Facebook to add to my wine blast from the past.) This is what I wanted to share:

Contributing Editor Michael Perlis, Eve and then contributor Rusty Sly at All Corked Up in 2011.

From Napa

Meeting with winemaker Gerard Zanzonico in the stunning caves at Del Dotto for maybe the first time, wine tasting at 10 am in the private room for club members at Mondavi, having a seated tasting on an expansive patio with incredible views at Joseph Phelps, an underground tour and tasting in the caves at Schramsberg, meeting with the most gracious host/owner Suzanne Phifer Pavitt at Phifer Pavitt, an evening tasting at the downtown Napa PureCru tasting bar with winemaker Mitch Consentino.

From Paso

Blending wine at TH Estate with winemaker and owner Terry Hoage, visiting Cass for the first time, a mind-blowing multi-course Earth Day dinner at Justin, visiting with the now shuttered Edward Sellers, winery tour and tasting with Lawrence Lohr of J Lohr, discovering that Whalebone really does have whale bones around the property and Calcareous has calcareous rock in their vineyards, time spent with the one and only Gary Eberle, tasting wines, spirits and having dinner at Opolo, seeing Sculpterra for the first time, the dry farming at Minassian Young, Niner when it first opened, the first concrete eggs were at Villa Creek, meeting and tasting incredible wines with Janell Dusi at J Dusi, tasting Nuggucciet Cellars made by a local newspaper man and Mystic Hills Vineyard lovingly owned by local friends.

Jamaica

Though not known for wine we were well taken care of on a trip to Jamaica ten years ago with French Champagne, Appleton rum blended drinks and icy cold Red Stripe Beer.

Events
The annual Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux tasting is always not only huge but amazing, and since I love Rhone wines the Rhone Rangers can’t be missed, local have Vine 2 Wine with lots of local support, Garagiste Festival offered drinkers events in LA as well as Paso, Pinot Days up in the Skirball Center, Paso’s Earth Day Food and Wine fest was new, and long-time favorite LA Wine Fest with Yoshi Murakami doing sake classes and Chris Uhde teaching about scotch.

Special Dining

Fontanafredda Barolo at Spago Beverly Hills with fellow wine writers, Martinis at Blue Mermaid Chowder House and Bar in San Francisco on vacation, wine and cheese at Wine 661 for locals, A Taste of Monterey Wine Tasting when I visited Eddie there for Naval Postgraduate School, Iron Horse sparkling that came complements of Bourbon Steak in San Francisco for our wedding anniversary dinner.

Places that no longer exist today

Wine bar/restaurant/wine storage facility – and even live music – at All Corked Up as loved by many, the two brothers that opened Artisan Paso Robles that was a favorite for locals and visitors alike, Chef Daniel Otto was first discovered at the Oaks Grille at TPC, Chef Jason Park at Maru Sushi when it was local on Town Center Drive and many times over drinking wine at Valencia Wine Company with owner Guy Lelarge and also attending all of the wine dinners and events he organized at local restaurants.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Eve’s Pet Peeve: How We Treat Restaurant, Bar and Winery Staff During a Pandemic

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I recently shared a photo I had found on social media, a sandwich board sign outside of a dining establishment that read:

“Small Coffee” $5

“Small Coffee, please.” $3

“Hello, one small coffee please.” $1.75

This post got mostly positive comments, about how to treat wait staff. However, my caption questioned, “Easier said than done?” No one admitted to being anything but kind to wait staff. But I’ve been guilty of it myself – not thinking, in a rush, irritated over some small infraction I perceived on their part – and more recently I had also heard from many pals in the service industry that kindness had sort of dropped off the customer’s radar even more since Covid.

Though my focus is on how we treat staff at wineries, bars and restaurants, this thoughtlessness – and downright rude behavior – has only worsened over the different mandates businesses have had to enforce. Personally I’m fine with the mask and social distancing, so it mystifies me as to why some customers take their irritation out on wait staff. The restaurant owners I have spoken to say that they have been threatened by closure if they don’t enforce the policies, putting them on the front line of disgruntled people.

My message here isn’t political. (If you know me you know that I never share my own politics.) It also isn’t structured by reviewing all of the ever-changing CDC standards. It is, however, just a reminder to people to be kind to those in the service industry that are just trying to do their jobs – and simply be able to remain open without the threat of being shut down if they don’t follow current mandates.

Now, rant over, here are some examples of what you may not be doing even if you think you are polite enough:

When staff greets you, greet them back. If they ask how you are, respond, and ask how they are. I’ve even gone as far as giving them my name, and the names of the people at the table with me, when they give me theirs. I loved the shocked, yet appreciative, looks that I get every time I do this and that just solidifies that it is the right thing to do.

If your server is in a rush or not as friendly as you like, try to understand what the cause may be. They aren’t purposely being rude to you; but just like you, they are human beings with things going on you may not be aware of. They could very well have someone ill, or recently passed away, in their own family. So slow down with your criticism, inward and outward.

Any service worker is stuck. A customer can yell at them but they can’t yell back. They are getting cursed at, eye rolls and shorted on tips. But if they ever were to treat a customer in any of these ways they would be in jeopardy of losing their job, no matter how warranted it may be.

Honestly, I always see it as a sign of weakness on the part of the customer that does this, as we are all well aware that the employee rarely feels safe in responding in kind. Don’t be that customer.

With the pandemic you should also be already aware of staff and food shortages. This is in no way the fault of the business owner or employees, so you shouldn’t let your frustrations out on them. Their own frustration is twofold, obviously, as they can’t maximize profits with less staff and product.

Your tip, at what should be 20%, is not about the food, it’s about the service. If your server in a winery was outstanding, add in a cash tip even if there isn’t a little line for it on your receipt. (Anytime you can tip in cash it also helps your server.)

If a member of the staff has their nose peeking out of a mask, and this bothers you, dine and drink elsewhere. Same goes for if you feel crowded, or unsafe for any reason.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Waterford Whisky To Appear On Upcoming New Season of Amazon Prime’s Global TV Series The Three Drinkers

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NEW YORK (PRWEB) – Terroir-driven whisky producer, Waterford Whisky announced that it has partnered with Amazon Prime TV Series The Three Drinkers on their new series ‘The Three Drinkers in Ireland’, which will be airing globally on February 1, 2022. The Three Drinkers are drinks experts, writers and broadcasters Helena Nicklin and Aidy Smith, joined by a diverse revolving roster of ‘third drinker’ guests. The duo were joined by third drinker guests Beth Brickenden (episodes 1-3) and Eulanda Osagiede (episodes 4-6) on their latest adventure. This will be the second Three Drinkers TV series for Smith and Nicklin who also produce the popular ‘Bring a Bottle’ podcast, run the drink, travel and lifestyle-focused online magazine thethreedrinkers.com and have a growing social media/influencer presence.

Influenced by the world’s greatest winemakers, Waterford Whisky has sourced barley from nearly 100 individual farms, some of them organic and biodynamic. Their founder, Mark Reynier, was raised in the wine industry and ran one of premier London’s wine and spirits shops. In 2000, he resurrected the defunct Bruichladdich distillery in Islay, Scotland, and later sold it. Tapping into Mark’s background, Waterford Whisky carefully monitors each farm’s harvest and malts, mashes, ferments and distills the grains separately to bring out the character of each site.

Waterford Whisky, the largest producer of organic malt whisky in the world, has also recently released a few new exciting whiskys. First, The Cuvée, which is a Bordeaux inspired single malt that shakes up traditional whisky blending. 25 totally unique Waterford Single Farm Origin Whiskies, drawn from distinct terroirs of Southern Ireland, have been married together to create the ultimate layered, profound and compelling tasting experience. The second is Biodynamic: Luna, the world’s first whisky made from Biodynamic Irish barley. As part of its pioneering quest to unearth whisky’s most natural flavors, Waterford Distillery has introduced the radical biodynamic farming philosophy, as lauded by many of the world’s legendary winemakers, to the conservative whisky industry.

Smith said, “Being both wine and spirits experts, Helena and I were delighted to intertwine the two worlds during our visit to Waterford Distillery. To see first-hand how terroir has such an impact on the liquid inside the bottle really showcases the innovation of today’s Irish whisky industry. We can’t wait to share this discovery with our audience.”

In addition to Waterford Whisky, The Three Drinkers in Ireland will explore all sorts of drinks beyond delicious whisky, from gin and poitin to cider and Irish cream. They’ll also take a deeper dive into Ireland’s incredible food scene and will showcase some traditional activities such as bog snorkelling, cheesemaking, eel fishing and Irish dancing. The result is an escapist, gastronomic journey with a drinks hook through the picturesque island of Ireland that’s light-hearted and aspirational with plenty of take-home tips. It’s the perfect pour of armchair travel and feel-good entertainment.

Nicklin says, “We’ve loved bringing everything together here, from the food and drink, to the people, places, culture and tourism of the whole of the island of Ireland. We’ve been blown away by the sheer quality of Irish produce too. It’s world class! Ireland is also the perfect country to visit as the world opens up again, thanks to its wide open spaces and easy accessibility – and it’s a great location for lovers of fantastic food and drink to boot.”

About Waterford Whisky:
Waterford Whisky is on a quest to unearth whisky’s most natural flavors. Unashamedly influenced by the world’s greatest winemakers, Waterford brings the same intellectual drive, methodology and rigor to unearth the nuances that make Waterford Whisky the most profound single malt ever created. Across southern Ireland, warmed by the Gulf Stream, temperate, moist air crosses fertile soils to produce a verdant landscape and the world’s finest barley. Since barley is the source of malt whisky’s complex flavors, it makes abundant sense to focus on where and how the barley is cultivated. Those flavors are shaped by place, by the soils that nourish its roots, by the microclimate in which it ripens. By terroir. Waterford is a whisky of the world, born of Irish barley. For more information, please visit https://waterfordwhisky.com/

About The Three Drinkers in Ireland:
The Three Drinkers in Ireland is a feel good, infotainment-style travelogue with a drinks hook that showcases the beauty of Irish gastro-tourism in all its glory. Road trip in style with just the right amount of knowledge thrown in, this armchair travel series follows Aidy, Helena (renowned drinks and lifestyle communicators) and their ‘third drinker’ guests on the ultimate, lifestyle journey through the unique and diverse landscapes of the Emerald Isle.

Along the way, they’ll scope out famous local landmarks and characterful locals before heading off to key stops on their tour of distilleries, orchards, country pubs and more via numerous points of interest, delicious food and unmissable scenery. Packed full of personality and flavor and using a blend of epic drone videography, natural, amusing in-car conversation and sweeping landscape shots, this is Ireland for a new, global audience.