I hope this Saturday has been good so far.  I found  a few interesting links and other news to pass along…

The wine market in Asia presents opportunity for growth, especially in China.  Here’s an interesting article about Moet-Hennessy’s latest business venture there.  The French Champagne producer has invested in vineyards  in southwestern China, and the wines produced there will be sold in the Chinese domestic market.  This has been a bit of a trend in recent years, as major wine brands have seen the booming Chinese economy as an excellent investment opportunity.  I would have to agree, since China is a huge market, and getting your foot in the door there could potentially equal a nice lucrative return.  

Here is a great article written by Graham Howe of the South African Wine Journal, about his recent trip to Argentina.  This is a country I plan on getting to someday soon…

And here is a nice article about pruning and other maintenance in an organic vineyard, with some good pictures to go along with it.

And now on to my latest round of wine reviews…   

 If you are in the mood for syrah, but don’t feel like spending a whole lot of cash, there are some Washington State producers that make a pretty decent wine for a decent price.  The other day I decided to try out a 2007 Syrah made by Snoqualmie.  I have tried several of there wines, but never the syrah.  I was impressed for what I got for $7.  This wine had a nice tannic structure to it, with a pleasant nose of cherry with a hint of black licorice.  It had a finish of spicy black cherry and a hint of blackberry with just the right amount of oak. The wine also had a bit of an earthiness to it that I liked.  Another good syrah is the Columbia Crest 2 Vines Shiraz.  For $6 this 2005 had a nice ruby red color to it with ripe blackberry and plum on the nose, and had a very jammy, fruity finish, almost reminiscent of an Australian Shiraz.  Also, Covey Run puts out a Syrah that is a good value.  This was also a 2005, and had hints of dark fruits and spice on the nose, with mild tannins & acids, and a decent fruity finish.  Out of the three I think I liked the Covey Run the least, this bottle tasted like it may have been past its prime, but overall not a bad buy at $6.

Enjoy the weekend!

Cheers,

Seth