Entries in Spirits (3)
Hillary Scores Free Bourbon for Obama and McCain
DIAGEO CAPITALIZES ON HILLARY’S PUBLICITY STUNT
An article in Ad Age calls Diageo “as shameless as politicians,” claiming the company“pounced” on the free publicity after Hillary Clinton’s shot-and-a-beer act earlier this week. As you’ll recall, Hillary took a shot of Crown Royal and drank a beer in front of TV cameras in an Indiana bar, and Diageo is apparently using the incident as a marketing opportunity (do you blame them?).
“It used to be that whenever the cameras came around, you’d see the politicians hiding their drinks behind their back,” said a Diageo spokesman to reporter Jeremy Mullman. “But she was using it … as a way of touching the people.”
While Diageo isn’t planning to use Clinton’s image in any Crown Royal ads, the company reportedly plans to send bottles of its obscure Jeremiah Weed Bourbon Liqueur to all three remaining presidential campaigns. Diageo hopes to boost the brand through sampling, word-of-mouth, and a brand website launched yesterday.
When asked why the company wasn’t using the “watershed” moment to promote Crown Royal, the spokesman pointed out: “Well, you all are doing that for us.” (from WineBusiness.com)
“It used to be that whenever the cameras came around, you’d see the politicians hiding their drinks behind their back,” said a Diageo spokesman to reporter Jeremy Mullman. “But she was using it … as a way of touching the people.”
While Diageo isn’t planning to use Clinton’s image in any Crown Royal ads, the company reportedly plans to send bottles of its obscure Jeremiah Weed Bourbon Liqueur to all three remaining presidential campaigns. Diageo hopes to boost the brand through sampling, word-of-mouth, and a brand website launched yesterday.
When asked why the company wasn’t using the “watershed” moment to promote Crown Royal, the spokesman pointed out: “Well, you all are doing that for us.” (from WineBusiness.com)
Wine Notes
Posted on Thursday, February 21, 2008 at 10:08PM
by
Craig Camp
in Wine Notes, Spirits, Germany, Riesling, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Piemonte, Nebbiolo, Cognac, Spain, Rioja, California, Franken, Pinot blanc
|
5 Comments
Craig Camp
in Wine Notes, Spirits, Germany, Riesling, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Piemonte, Nebbiolo, Cognac, Spain, Rioja, California, Franken, Pinot blanc
|
5 Comments
Recent wines I’ve enjoyed:
- Weiβburgunder, pur mineral, Trocken Franken, Fürst, 2006 - Pur mineral indeed. This is a razor blade of wine with electric acidity and flavors that slap your taste buds awake. Served with fresh Dungeness crab it was an amazing match. It took me three days to finish this bottle and it never changed a bit.
- Riesling, Winninger Uhlen Kabinett, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Freiherr von Heddesdorff, 2005 - Bright and refreshing and a wonderful aperitif. Clean apricot with just a hint of petrol, I enjoyed the first two glasses as an aperitif on two days after work and finished the bottle with some Thai carryout. I think it is better to drink this younger rather than cellaring it as it seems all about the fruit.
- Pinot Noir, Littorai, Sonoma Coast, 2005 - One of the best California pinot noir wines I’ve tasted. Great balance, weight and structure. One of those pinots that deftly blends both bright fruit and funk into a wine of unending interest. The finish lasts longer than you can wait to take another sip.
- Pinot Noir, Walter Hansel, Hansel Family Vineyards, Cahill Lane Vineyard, Russian River Valley, 2005 - An excellent pinot noir that had the unfortunate luck of being served next to the Littorai. However, this is an very good pinot noir that exhibits what could be called the best characteristics of a balanced California style. Rich without being jammy with an lush balance and a lingering finish.
- Syrah, Dry Creek Valley, Michel-Schlumberger, 2005 - Appropriately big, but not over the top. You won’t confuse this syrah with grape concentrate. Meaty and oaky with a firm structure and more than enough fruit to carry the alcohol. I liked this wine quite a bit as it’s so hard to find a California wine that knows how to be big with dignity.
- Nebbiolo Langhe, Serralunga d’Alba, Germano Ettore, 2005 - A real classic angular nebbiolo with tannin to spare. So many nebbiolo wines these days seem to try do disguise themselves as zinfandels these days, it’s wonderful to taste a wine like this that lets the true character of its variety sing its own song. This wine will be much, much better in two or three years, but I drank my three bottles anyway. Note to self: buy more ASAP.
- Rioja Riserva, Muga, 2003 - What’s the deal with Rioja? The overt oaky character that I would hate in most wines just seem to work in Rioja. Muga is one of the premier estates in Rioja and this wine does not disappoint. Fragrant and elegant with a sweet oaky character that slides silkily across the palate with an underlying acidity that lifts and brightens the rich oaky fruit.
- Brandy, Germain Robin, Anno Domini 2000 - I’m a long time fan of the California brandies produced by Germain Robin, but I had not heard of their 2000 Anno Domini when a bartender friend recommended I give it a try. I was stunned at the quality of this brandy, which literally blows all the big commercial Cognac houses out of the water when it comes to quality. The depth and complexity displayed by this spirit cannot be overstated. Except for a few producers, buying Cognac is a waste of money these days when there are spirits like this outstanding brandy.
Pure Distilled Perfection
Distilleria Pilzer is in a strange position. They win award after award for their fine spirits and are respected throughout Europe as one of the finest grappa and acquavite producers in Italy. So why are they so hard to find in the USA? The only reason can be the lack of understanding of what really fine grappa is all about. The spirits shelves of American retail shops are full of grappa that is decidedly inferior to the exotic, perfumed spirits produced by the Pilzer family because the American market continues to pay more attention to the bottle containing the grappa than to the grappa itself.
The Pilzer family makes grappa in one of the most beautiful places in Italy, the Valle di Cembra in the mountains of Trentino. The grapes on these high slopes mature slowly, but fully in steep mountain vineyards and are exceptionally aromatic. In other words, they are perfect for grappa. The Pilzers don't let any of these essences escape and their spirits are some of the most refined and aromatic that you can find. These spirits rank with the finest Italy has to offer and they not only compete with famous names like Nonino and Poli, but often exceed them in complexity and pure varietal intensity. The Pilzer family produces the following Grappe:
White varietals: chardonnay, nosiola, muller thurgau, moscato giallo, traminer and a rare, truly elegant grappa from the moscato rosa grape.
Red varietals: schiava, pinot nero, teroldego and a blended grappa.
Acquavite: Williams Pear, Apple, Cotogne Apple, Apricot.
