Wine Notes

Beringer Vineyards and the PGA Tour have entered into an official marketing partnership that designates Beringer as the “Official Wine of the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour” beginning in 2010.

The renowned Napa Valley vineyard becomes the first wine brand to enter a marketing partnership with the Tour. As part of the partnership, Beringer will be offering unique tasting experiences at PGA Tour tournaments during the 2010 season. There will also be in-store promotions throughout the country tied to Beringer wines, offering golf fans another way to enjoy a taste of Napa Valley. 

The 5th Annual Florida International Wine Challenge, Florida’s leading professional wine competition, hosted its 2009 edition at the prestigious Smith & Wollensky Restaurant in South Beach April 25-26. The FIWC brings together Florida’s most respected and influential wine industry professionals to taste hundreds of wines from around the world.

Following the professional evaluation session, the general public was invited to attend and test their wine acumen while enjoying a relaxed evening of wine discovery at one of South Florida’s most famous waterfront epicurean landmarks. Wine lovers tasted hundreds of wines, kept track of their favorites and won exciting prizes if their selection matched the judges' picks.  

Ticket sales benefited Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, an affiliate agency of America’s oldest, largest and most effective youth mentoring organization.

And the winners are:

1. 2006 Seduction,O'Brien Estate, Napa Valley, USA, 93 Points
2. 2004 Roc de Cambes, Francois Mitjavile, Cotes De Bourg, France, 93 Points
3. 2006 Vidal Icewine VQA, Vineland Estates, Niagara Peninsula, Canada, 93 Points
4. 2006 O'Brien Estate Merlot, O'Brien Estate, Napa Valley, USA, 93 Points
5. 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Mettler Family Vineyards, Lodi, USA, 92 Points
6. 2004 Tossals, Bodegas Grifoll Declara, Montsant, Spain, 92 Points
7. 2007 Rosa Regale, Vigne Regali, Tuscany, Italy, 91 Points
8. 2007 Mas de la Rouviere Bandol, Laurent Bunan, Provence, France, 91 Points
9. 2004 Santa Faustina D'Autor, Weinert & Reta S.A, Mendoza, Argentina, 91 Points
10. 2006 Ingle Vineyard, Heron Hill, Finger Lakes, USA, 91 Points
11. NV Gruet Blanc de Noirs, Gruet Winery, New Mexico, USA, 91 Points
    

 
For more information on the Florida International Wine Challenge www.fiwc.net

AOC:    
Margaux

Classification:
Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel

Grape varieties:  
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

Blending: 
Blending of Château d'Angludet  begins in the February after the harvest. The wines from the best plots are then selected by Benjamin Sichel for their complementary qualities. Thus, only 70% of the volume of the harvest is selected for Château d'Angludet.

Annual production:   
120 000 bottles

Retails for about $16.00 a bottle

Banfi Chianti Classico embodies all the characteristics that have made this wine an enduring classic: an alluring bouquet of black fruit and violets; rich flavors of cherry and leather; supple tannins and good acidity for dining. Fermentation takes place with a traditional skin contact of 8 to 10 days. Aging in French oak barriques for 7 months follows. Bottling is carried out in the summer following the harvest.