NAPLES WINE AUCTION LOT DONATED BY VILAFONTE

Enjoy a priceless, once-in-a-lifetime experience in South Africa, courtesy of long-time NWWF supporters and Past Honored Vintners, Shari & Garen Staglin, along with American winemaking legend Zelma Long and South African vintner Mike Ratcliffe.

Ten (10) days, nine (9) nights for two (2) couples for a dream South African wine safari

Round-trip, business class airfare for two (2) couples to Cape Town, South Africa and return from Johannesburg, South Africa

3 – 5 Liter bottles, presented in a specially designed wooden box with etched glass, the NWWF logo and other images signifying your South African adventure, including:

1 – 5 Liter 2007 Staglin Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

1 – 5 Liter 2007 Vilafonté Series C Proprietary Red Wine

1 – 5 Liter 2006 Warwick Estate Trilogy Proprietary Red Wine

DAY ONE—Cape Town

After your overnight flight from New York, check into your one-bedroom suites at the newest and most luxurious hotel in South Africa, the One&Only. Situated in the heart of the Cape Town waterfront, it is surrounded by all the energy and activity that has made Cape Town a true must-see destination. After you relax from your flight or take a quick stroll, get ready for a fabulous dinner at Chef Gordon Ramsay’s chic new restaurant, Maze...his first in Africa.

DAYS TWO; THREE—Cape Town; Cape Point

Each morning, you will be greeted by your own personal tour guide and driver who will take you on a full day of touring. Over the next few days you will experience Cape Town at its most exciting. First stop? The top of famous Table Mountain; where you can see the city, the harbor and the entire peninsula down to Cape Point. Your guide will also take you to all the top tourist destinations including, the National Gallery, the South African Museum, the Houses of Parliament, the penguin colony in Simonstown and a glass bottom boat to the seal colony. You’ll even take a drive down the coast to the fishing hamlet of Kalk Bay and its many antique shops, continuing down to the Cape of Good Hope. As you stand on the most south westerly point of Southern Africa, you will see some of the most dramatic landscapes on the planet.

DAY FOUR—Cape Town; Hermanus

Today, your guide will take you through the Elgin wine and fruit growing region on your way to Hermanus; a charming coastal town set between mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Nature lovers from all over the world come here to watch the Southern Right Whale from these cliffs. Several of the country’s top wine estates are also nearby and at South Africa’s premier Pinot Noir producer Hamilton Russel Vineyards, you’ll be hosted by proprietor Anthony Hamilton Russel for an in-depth tour and barrel tasting. Upon your return to One&Only, dinner will be waiting at Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s African version of his acclaimed eponymous restaurant, Nobu.

DAY FIVE—The Winelands; the Grande Provence Owners Cottage

Once you have been bewitched by the majesty of Cape Town, you will be whisked the short distance to the South African wine lands where you will reside in luxury and be personally escorted through this spectacular wine region. Your home these next two nights - the Owner’s Cottage at Grande Provence, named by Harper’s Bazaar as one of the “10 Most Fabulous Villas in the World.” The property is a 300-year old wine and fruit estate nestled in the magnificent Franschhoek Valley. Dine at the Grand Provence Restaurant and visit the cellar where years of great winemaking heritage comes to life.

DAY SIX—Vilafonté Vineyard; Stellenbosch

That morning, your driver will take you to the Vilafonté Vineyard in Stellenbosch where you’ll meet South African Mike Ratcliffe and Californian Zelma Long, partners in the world’s only South African–American luxury winemaking joint venture. Vilafonté is the only South African winery to have been nominated by The Wine Enthusiast for ‘New World Winery of the Year.’ You’ll experience a vertical tasting of the Vilafonté Series M and Series C wines and learn about the most cutting-edge developments in South African winemaking. Lunch with the Vilafonté team at the winery’s Italian bistro, Pane e Vino and after a rest in their guest house, Mike and his wife Pip will host a traditional South African braai (barbecue) at Warwick Wine Estate, their family-owned winery. Significant milestone wines from the past 40 years will be opened to celebrate the evening. Return to Grande Provence for one last night.

DAYS SEVEN TO TEN—On Safari at Singita Sweni

After a fond farewell to the luxurious Grande Provence, you will be off to your next adventure! Fly to Singita Sweni; the most intimate of the renowned Singita lodges. Set amidst the foliage of the Sweni River in the Kruger National Park game reserve, there are just six riverside suites, with floor-to-ceiling windows, luxurious bathrooms and an expansive living area. A private deck over the water’s edge is an idyllic spot for drinks or to curl up with a book. A typical day at Singita starts as guests congregate with the rangers at the main lodge for tea, coffee and light snacks in anticipation of the early morning game drive. Who knows what to expect? Maybe a leopard in the branches of a tree with a kill, a herd of elephants, or an impala may dart right in front of your Land Rover. A spectacular breakfast will follow your return. Spend the morning indulging in a massage or beauty treatment at the spa, shopping or simply relaxing on your sundeck.

After lunch, take a walking safari, followed by afternoon refreshments in the main lodge. The exciting evening drive is the apex of your African adventure. Imagine watching the sun set over the horizon while you witness a pride of lions stalking their prey or buffalo strolling to a water hole…each an unforgettable wildlife experience. Upon your return, the fires are lit and the night's entertainment begins. Have dinner around the fire in the Boma under the stars or a gourmet meal by candlelight in the dining room. Then…retire to your suite for a restful night’s sleep in preparation for the next exciting day!

Upon your return home and into reality, the crème de la crème of wines from Staglin Family Vineyard, Vilafonté and Warwick Estate, presented in a keepsake box, will be a wonderful reminder of this dream of a trip.

Yes…dream of Africa...but with one magnanimous bid…live your dream.

Insider's Info: Trip to be taken on mutually agreeable dates March 1–December 1, 2010, excluding June 1-30, 2010 during the FIFA World Cup. All airfare and ground transportation within South Africa are included. Flights within South Africa will be a combination of commercial and charter. All breakfasts at all accommodations are included. At One&Only, dinner at Nobu and dinner at Maze are included. At Grande Provence, dinner is included, as well as the lunch and dinner with Mike Ratcliffe. At Singita, all meals, two daily game drives, walking safaris and premium wines & spirits are included. Additional meals and activities outside of those listed are not included.

Donor: Garen and Shari Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard

Additional Donors: Zelma Long and Mike Ratcliffe of Vilafonté, Neil Ratcliffe of Southern Destinations, The One&Only Hotels, The Huka Retreats and Singita Private Game Reserve

To live & die in Copenhagen - the damage - good night!

Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South Africa

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe

a picture of me disembarking from airplane in a raging blizzard in Copenhagen

Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South Africa

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe

20cm of snow in Stockholm today - the things we do for wine marketing!

Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South Africa

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe

Vilafonte 2004 vs Mouton 2004

The Wine World in 2010: What to Expect

High unemployment, pared-down expense accounts and a glut of wine mean that in 2010 consumers will find lower prices and better selection

Not since the millennium folly in 1999 have I seen so much frenzy in the wine market. Back then, with stock markets booming, auction houses setting records for wines and Champagne producers warning there wouldn't be enough fizz for the celebration, producers were enthusiastic and bottles were getting pricier by the month.
What a difference a decade makes. With high unemployment, pared-down expense accounts and a glut of wine, it's the consumer's turn to make merry, with lower prices, more choice and less pretension. Those 99-point ratings don't seem quite so requisite any more to buying good wine.
So what do I see happening in 2010?

1. Prices will continue to drop across the board, from the priciest of Bordeaux and Burgundy to cult California wines that were once available only by subscription. This goes, too, for those Italian, Spanish and Chilean producers who thought that they could easily get the same kind of money those age-old French estates used to command.

2. More people will buy online. Consumers can go to sites like wine-searcher.com or vinfolio.com and compare prices for the same wine not just around the U.S., where many states now allow cross-state shipping, but in the U.K., Germany, and other countries. The spread can be amazing: a wine costing $40 in one store may be $75 in another. Wine stores will stock more inexpensive wines, which account for most of their profits.

3. Wine blogging will increase, mostly among those contending they've found spectacular bottles that will "blow your doors off" for under $15 a bottle. As with all blogging, readers should be wary of the source of such claims.

4. California, alas, will fail to back away from big, high alcohol, oaky reds and whites, because the producers believe that is the style most Americans prefer over subtlety and complexity. The problem is that cheaper wines of this style are so often dreadful, out of balance and undrinkable after one glass. California wineries talk a good game about finesse, but then they overripen their grapes and stick them in new oak for too long.

5. The tsunami of new wines from South America and Eastern Europe will ebb as the market overflows. Greek, Portuguese, and Brazilian wines have had good press in recent years, but unless they keep prices down, they won't make much headway.

6. New Zealand wineries will be in trouble. The country's recent prodigious harvests have glutted the market for their overly fruity punch-like style, and many fans want to move up in quality.

7. Champagne will be in serious trouble. It's not just that prices have gotten way out of whack, with too many selling above $100 a bottle, but other sparkling-wine producers have been canny about getting their bubblies well-positioned, well-priced and well-reviewed. Champagne is reducing output and holding back product already bottled to get some balance, but it's going to be a struggle to win revelers back from Italian prosecco, Californian sparklers and Spanish cavas. There are just too many Champagne labels out there.

8. Fine-dining restaurants will buy nominal numbers of expensive wines after trimmed expense accounts caused them to sit on their previous big capital purchases. They'll wait until guests are telling sommeliers, "Money is no object." Good luck with that. Fewer top-end restaurants will even open, and more modest new eateries will build wine lists with interesting, small labels from around the world and sell them at reasonable mark-ups.

9. More producers will switch to screwtops from cork stoppers in an effort to stem damage to the wines in the bottle from corkiness and oxidation as well as to make wine more accessible to the average consumer. The dirty secret is that most winemakers I talk to say they'd love to switch to screwcaps but fear buyers will think them cheap! Very dumb.

10. Americans will buy more wine at the $10-and-under level. The best bet for an expanding market is China, which is thirsty for good, inexpensive wine. And, like everything else, they'll soon be producing that themselves.

Review by John Mariani (Bloomberg)


Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South Africa

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe

VIRTUAL TOUR OF CAPE TOWN GREEN POINT STADIUM – 2010 WORLD CUP SOCCER

2010 Stadium from the top in South Africa

Vilafonte wines about to hit Google Wave... watch this video below.

Vintners Hall of Fame 2010 class announced today by CIA in Napa - Zelma is a rock star!

The Culinary Institute of America (the other CIA) based in St. Helena, California today announced the Vintners Hall of Fame 2010 class. The five new members to be inducted are Randall Grahm, Andy Beckstoffer, Al Brounstein, Zelma Long and Leon Adams. When we toured the hall earlier this year (see below for video tour) Loni wondered, “where are all the women?” The long, dimly lit, barrel room on the second floor of the CIA is indeed a mostly male place with famous names and faces such as Robert Mondavi, Ernest and Julio Gallo, and Charles Krug. But there are a few woman who also adorn the hall and have left their mark on the industry. Carole Meredith pioneered the use of DNA to analyze relationships among grape varieties. Jamie Davies (along with husband Jack) forged a path of producing high quality sparkling wines. And now the hall will have its third woman, Zelma Long, who became one of the first woman to run both a the winemaking and business sides of a winery.

Wine Tube TV: The Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley from StarkSilverCreek.com on Vimeo.
 

The ceremony will take place March 2010.

Vintners Hall of Fame, Class of 2010

Randall Grahm

Randall Grahm was educated at UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis, while earning a reputation as an “enfant terrible” for telling everyone he planned to make the first great American Pinot Noir. Instead, he found himself entranced by “ugly duckling grape varietals” thereby introducing American consumers to vinifera far beyond Cabernet and Chardonnay. His vintage 1984 wine “Le Cigare Volant” proved that it was possible to craft and sell great Rhône wine blends from California. His amusing marketing still defies and at times defines the pretentious approach, such as when he held a funeral for the Cork (aka Thierry Bouchon) in 2002. Grahm, a longtime proponent of biodynamic viticulture, downsized his production in 2006 to focus on small estate wines. His first book, Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology, was published by U.C. Press in 2009.

Andy Beckstoffer

Andy Beckstoffer came to Napa as a corporate executive in 1969, after earning an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Recognizing the potential for growth in premium wines, he started a farming company which he eventually purchased in 1973. Beckstoffer Vineyards has grown to be the largest vineyard owner, farming group, and winegrape seller in the Napa Valley and the North Coast, delivering grapes to more than 100 of the state’s most famous wineries. Andy Beckstoffer developed a formula for paying growers based on the finished wine value, thus reducing the incentive for excessive yield and focusing growers on quality. He has played a major role in preserving agriculture in the Napa Valley and has contributed to efforts to restore the Napa River.

Al Brounstein

Established in 1968, Al Brounstein’s Diamond Creek Vineyards was the first wine estate in California to be planted solely with Cabernet Sauvignon. Noticing three distinct soil types on his property, Brounstein became one of the first California wineries to produce different Cabernet Sauvignons from single vineyards (Red Rock Terrace, Gravelly Meadow, and Volcanic Hill) on the same estate, setting the stage for what was to become known as super-premium Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa Valley. His 1978 Lake Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – a wine produced only in exceptional years – was the first California wine with a suggested retail price of $100 a bottle—an important milestone in the production of premium wine from California. The graceful aging of Brounstein’s wines continues to be one of his main legacies to the fervent fans of Diamond Creek wines.

Zelma Long

After studying enology and viticulture at UC Davis in the late 1960s (where she was the only woman in her class), Zelma Long became the chief enologist at Robert Mondavi Winery, while also helping to establish Long Vineyards. She spent the 1980s and 1990s breaking the glass ceiling at Simi Winery as winemaker and CEO, becoming one of the first women to run both the winemaking and business sides of a California winery. Regarded as one of the early technical leaders in winemaking, Zelma has received national and international awards, including induction into the James Beard Hall of Fame in 1996 and receiving The James Beard Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year in 1997. Today she and her husband, Phillip Freese, are producing wine in South Africa under the Vilafonte  label.

Leon Adams

Considered a seminal historian of wine in the United States, Leon Adams is best known for his 1973 book The Wines of America, a comprehensive and ground-breaking history and survey of wine and wineries throughout the country, which celebrated American regional wines and their styles. Mr. Adams was a tireless advocate of the farm winery bills passed by many states in the 1970s and 1980s which eased the way for grape growers to open wineries and sell their wines retail and wholesale. Leon Adams was also a founder of the Wine Institute, a public policy and advocacy group for California wineries.

MARKETING REFLECTS CHANGING DEMAND OF NAPA VALLEY WINE

More than a year into the economic downturn, Napa Valley vintners are looking toward the future. “I think that we’re already starting to see a little bit of a turnaround as far as wine sales go,” St. Helena winery owner Kent Rasmussen said. Wine drinkers are buying more readily than they did a few months ago, he said, and retailers and restaurateurs are finally stocking up again. During the second quarter of 2009 — the last quarter for which information on sales tax revenue is available — winery sales in Napa County actually rose 3.9 percent over the second quarter of 2008. Spring 2008 was about the time that wine sales in Napa County first started to slip. Now, vintners are waiting on the holidays, when the bulk of their wine is sold, to see if there’s reason to be optimistic. “The fourth quarter is when the thing really crashed last year, so you better see a darn good increase this year, because a good portion of our production is sold during the holidays,” said Jack Cakebread, owner of Cakebread Cellars in Rutherford. “This is sort of the crunch time,” Napa Valley Vintners spokesman Terry Hall said, “because the fourth quarter really is the most active sales period for wine.”

 

The new ‘normal’

Regardless of how things go this winter, some say the Napa Valley wine industry may have changed forever. “I don’t think it can go back to normal,” Calistoga winery owner Laura Zahtila said. “I think we’ll have a new normal.” New Jersey wine merchant Gary Fisch agrees. “It will never be like it was,” he said, “and boy, did I like what it was.” Deborah Steinthal, founder of Napa-based Scion Advisors, predicts that $75 wines will move down permanently to $50, and Napa Valley wineries will be forced to reconsider their luxury-only portfolios. “I think we’ve got about three to five years to redefine our position in the world of wine,” she said, “and that means not just in terms of proving we can sell as much wine in the categories we’ve been selling in the past.” Ultra-premium wine producers could have an especially hard time if wine buyers permanently tighten their belts. “I think there’s going to be a lot less cult cab out there,” Zahtila said. “I think that wineries need to get realistic about what people should be and are willing to pay for their wine.” Bill Harlan, whose Harlan Estates wines go for up to $500 a bottle online, said he expects a shakeout in the next three to five years among cult wine producers, but he adds that those who survive will come out even stronger.

“I feel that if we stay the course and continue to work on producing better and better wines and build relationships one-by-one, then things will come back,” he said. Relationships may be the key to success, according to industry officials. As people change the way they buy wine, and as distributors change the way they sell it, wineries are beginning to focus more on selling directly to consumers than relying on other retail channels. “National distribution makes sense for some wineries, but direct is more critical to survival and growth,” Steinthal said. This may mean a new approach to marketing, one that emphasizes personal relationships with consumers. “If we just keep doing things as we have done in the past and hope things will eventually come around to the way they were 10 or 20 years ago, I think many businesses will be sadly surprised at the outcome,” said Ed Matovcik, vice president of Foster’s Wine Estates, and one of a group of wine industry representatives lobbying for fewer restrictions on local winery marketing events. Winemaker Mike Grgich said he believes that Napa Valley is entering “a new chapter of the wine industry.” “We can learn from this,” he said, “(but) we have to work hard and smart and learn new ways of marketing.” Some vintners say this means more than just changing their marketing techniques, it means changing to whom they market.

The younger generation.

Especially as Baby Boomers retire and cut back on their wine purchases, some wineries are starting to focus marketing efforts on the younger generation of wine buyers, including those born approximately from 1980 to 2000, known as the “millennials.” “The millennial category is really stepping up,” Steinthal said, “and wineries are learning how to market to millennials. Folks are really thinking through how to leverage the next generation of their family with a new category of customers, a new generation of customers.” Ceja Vineyards, for example, is one of the few wineries in Napa County that is actually expanding right now, and winery president Amelia Ceja attributes its success in large part to her children. “I have three children in their early 20s and they’re big on all the new technology and on the Internet,” Ceja said, “so that has been extremely helpful. We don’t do a lot of advertising, but our presence on online social sites has helped. We do a lot of videos and marketing on Facebook and Twitter.” Ceja said she and her children spend about an hour a day using Web 2.0 tools and social networking sites to market their wines. “It’s knowing what the customer wants and how to capture that customer’s attention,” she said, “and people are attracted to the millennials.” Ultimately, those who are quick to adapt may actually come out stronger than they were before the economic downturn. “In any kind of downtime, the industry gets stronger,” Steinthal said. “The innovators really show up, and so unfortunately, it means some folks drop out, but for the long-term health of the industry, the strong get stronger. Fisch agrees. “We’re entering a new economic age, and the people that can change and adjust will thrive,” he said. “The people that stick their head in the sand and say, ‘This is the way we’ve always done it and this is the way it will continue,’ I think will have challenges.”