Worldbeat

Wines & Vines, Sept, 2003 by Larry Walker

The wine wars are spreading. First, we had outrage from U.S. consumers who are swearing off French wine because of France's lack of enthusiasm for the war on Iraq. (For a report on that, see Page 18.) Now, the Germans are in a snit because of an alleged Italian insult to German tourists.

The Germans have struck back by banning all foreign wines from restaurants in the Reichstag in Berlin, the home of Germany's parliament. The move may not have the full support of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who is known to be a fan of Bordeaux wines and Italy's Brunello di Montalcino.

"German wine for German politicians," declared the newspaper Die Welt in a front page story. Government and opposition parties have supported the creation of a national German wine forum, which has removed all non-German wines from government wine lists. In addition, the forum is insisting that only German wine be served at state banquets.

The article in Die Welt concluded: "One can only hope the chancellor has a good supply of Brunello in his cellar ... because there won't be any more coming this year."

Meanwhile, in Italy ...

It seems reports of a severe drought threatening Italian vines has been overstated, according to reports by decanter.com. The drought has caused an estimated 5 billion euros in damage to Italian agriculture (1 euro = US$1.13), but winegrapes are not in immediate danger, according to Ezio Rivella, president of Unione Italiana Vini. "'It all depends on how long the drought will last. For the time being we don't need to worry," he said.

Many of the historic DOC regions of Italy, such as Barolo, Montalcino and Chianti Classico, do not allow any form of irrigation. Drip irrigation is allowed in many other areas, especially in the south, and even in some DOC areas.

"Irrigation should only be used as a safety measure, especially with young vines," said Emilio Pedron, managing director of GIV (Gruppo Italiano Vini), which has 13 estates spread over seven regions.

According to Pedron, the hilly areas in the Veneto region of northeast Italy are at the most risk. In Soave Classico, for example, the terrain is a mixture of sand and gravel with a high drainage level. But he is not unduly worried.

"So far the vines are fine and there's nothing to worry about, especially if it rains as predicted within the next two or three weeks," he said. "I'm optimistic that it will rain and we'll have an excellent harvest," he told decanter.com. Tuscan consultant Carlo Ferrini said, "This is just a lot of noise about nothing--we have had this problem many times. The vines are in no danger."

A Double Low-Fat Latte And A Glass Of House Red

In an effort to put the sizzle back in the profits, shareholders of Starbucks Coffee Japan have approved a change in the company charter that would permit the sale of alcohol at any outlet. The move comes, according to just-drinks.com, as a slowdown in sales share led to a slump in profits.

The Starbucks chain arrived in Japan in 1996 and expanded rapidly, but that sales downturn has led corporate leaders to search for new profit centers. Recently, the Starbucks outlet in Kobe added beer and wine to the menu.

Other new menu items include the DoubleShot, a cold creamy coffee drink mixed in a cocktail shaker, and Jelly Frappuccino, a drink with floating cubes of coffee-flavored jelly. Starbucks also plans to start serving hot foods such as pizza and pork-pastrami sandwiches by October.

In an analysis by just-drinks.com, it was pointed out that Japan was an ideal test market. "Japanese consumers eagerly embrace new ideas, making it quicker to develop and test concepts than in the U.S. or Europe. Products that take off can then be exported to the U.S."