USA Ratings’ Post

Mystery clones spark new winemaking experiments leading to victory at Marlborough Wine Show Gewürztraminer is the relatively new kid on the block for Mount Riley Wines, but it caught the attention of judges at the 2023 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, and was awarded the champion Gewürztraminer of the show. Chief winemaker Matt Murphy says he and his team were thrilled to pick up the Wine Brokers New Zealand Champion Gewürztraminer trophy at the show, which adds to a growing list of trophies won by the company at the show in previous years. It is the sixth variety for which Mount Riley Wines has won a trophy in the Marlborough competition since it began in 2011. Below, Matt shares the story of their Gewürztraminer and how the 2023 vintage came to be a winner… Congratulations on picking up the award for Champion Gewürztraminer at the 2023 Marlborough Wine Show. Tell us about this wine and what makes it special. We purchased a vineyard up Brookby Road in the Omaka Valley 12 years ago, which had mature Gewürztraminer plantings on it. We hadn’t been making Gewürztraminer prior, but started from these vines and we were really pleased with the wines we were making. Mystery clones and rootstock add to the intrigue…. What is it about Marlborough that makes it a good region to produce quality Gewürztraminer? The reasons Marlborough is great for Gewürztraminer are the same reasons for all of the other wines we make. Long warm days, cool nights, our proximity to both the Pacific Ocean and Southern Alps moderating daytime peak temps. 2023 had that typical long, cool ripening period which enabled maximum flavour development in skins through slow sugar accumulation and ripening. You’ve previously had other successes at the Marlborough Wine Show. Why is it an important competition for Mount Riley, and how does it feel to be recognised by your peers for the wines you’re producing? Yeah, we’ve had success at the show before and have trophies across I think around six different varieties, which is pretty cool. It’s always good to benchmark our wines against other great wines from our region, and really pleasing when they go well against very strong opposition. The entire Mount Riley team is always thrilled when our wines receive accolades and it’s a great reminder to all of them how important each of their efforts are within the entire winegrowing process. Read more:⁠ ⁠ https://lnkd.in/gsHw7ir2 ⁠ #marlboroughwinenz⁠ #marlboroughwineshow⁠ #nzwine #marlboroughnz

Renowned Wine Expert Peter Marks, Master of Wine Joins USA Wine Ratings 2024 Judging Panel We are thrilled to announce that Peter Marks, Master of Wine, will be joining our esteemed panel of judges for the 2024 USA Wine Ratings. With over 39 years of experience in the wine industry, Peter is a highly respected consultant and educator, recognized as one of only 409 Masters of Wine in the world. Elevate Your Wine Brand with Expert Feedback and Recognition Participating in the USA Wine Ratings offers wineries and wine brands a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights from industry experts like Peter Marks. Receive comprehensive product feedback, professional tasting notes, and a detailed score breakdown to assess your wine's quality, value, and packaging. Leverage Beverage Trade Network's Global Reach for Market Expansion In addition to expert feedback, your winning wines will be showcased within BTN's extensive global network, providing exposure to a wide range of potential buyers and consumers. Don't Miss the Super Early Bird Deadline Act now and take advantage of our super early bird offer, ending on November 30, 2023. Enter your wines today and lock in your savings. https://lnkd.in/dZmnAPkV How to enter: https://lnkd.in/fb__Ghh #USARatings #WineRatings #IndustryExpert #PeterMarksMW #MarketExpansion #GlobalRecognition #SuperEarlyBirdOffer

Coravin Three: Elevating Wine Enjoyment to New Heights 🍷 Over the past years we have become happy users of Coravin, the wine preservation system that is loved by wine lovers and professionals all over the world. The 10-year anniversary of Coravin is a nice occasion for us to look back on this invention that changed how wine can be consumed, and write a review for those who are not yet familiar with the product. In our latest review, we provide an overview of the Coravin Three Plus, its contents, our experiences using it, and our overall impressions of this game-changing wine accessory. This particular model is the best choice out of Coravin’s Timeless range for most users and is a complete package delivered at a strong price. Coravin: Pioneering Wine Preservation 🪡 For those who may not be familiar with Coravin, the company has gained a reputation for its groundbreaking wine preservation technology. Coravin systems allow you to pour wine from a bottle without removing the cork or screw cap, ensuring that the wine remains fresh and unoxidized. It is a game-changer for wine lovers who want the flexibility to enjoy a glass without committing to finishing the entire bottle. Conclusion In summary, the Coravin Three is a remarkable wine preservation system that has lived up to its promises. It elevates the wine-drinking experience, allowing us to explore a variety of wines at our own pace. Over all wine preservation systems that are on the market Coravin delivers, without a doubt, the best performance. While it is not the cheapest option, it is a valuable addition to any wine lover's collection, ensuring that every bottle opened is a delightful experience from start to finish. Cheers to Coravin for revolutionizing how we enjoy wine! Want to read more? 🔍   We published an extensive review on the Coravin Model Three Plus on our website. To read this follow the link below or head directly over to our website. This review is written by our own Niels Aarts. We would like to thank Greg Lambrecht at Coravin for making our wine-life a bit more beautiful every day, and Sam Geerlings for providing the Coravin for this review. https://lnkd.in/eBcNjzm9 #dutchwineapprentice #wineguide #wineconsultant #wine #wine101 #wineaccounttofollow #coravin #wein #vino #wijn 

A wonderfully engaging adventure into the fabulous world of vineyards, grapes, wine making and wine tasting! "Hugely informative and great fun. Highly recommended even if you have had little experience of wine. My knowledge and appreciation improved immensely." World of Wine Course Feb March 2022 Welcome to our flagship wine-tasting experience - a fun and relaxed tasting tour through the beautiful world of wine for anyone who wants to learn more or expand their horizons. We cover all the essential details in just six weekly sessions! You will discover new wines and learn about the grapes grown in each place. This is a relaxed, social course (no exam, no homework). We focus on learning by tasting and having fun. It's one evening per week (with a gap for Easter) and if you need to skip an evening just give us notice and you'll be able to attend that session on the next World of Wine course. The first 3 weeks explore the Old World and the second 3 weeks tour through the New World. You can book them separately if you wish and the two parts can be taken separately in any order - just let us know when you book. What will I get from this experience? 🍷 Taste around 40 wines from 10 countries 🍷 Become familiar with different grapes and regions 🍷 Learn to sniff, swirl and sip like a professional and develop your wine vocabulary 🍷 Understand how to read wine labels 🍷 Discover the best way to store wine and the ideal serving temperature 🍷 Understand how wine is made and the importance of soil and climate 🍷 Learn principles of food and wine pairing 🍷 Feel more comfortable choosing wine and recognise good value 🍷 Understand how to spot wine faults

Let's take a closer look at the basics of Rosé, sparkling and fortified wines. Nicolas Quillé, MW shares the insights here on Rosé wines and Sparkling wines.

Quality within context is top of mind for me when assessing any wine: who is the wine made for, what is the price category, and how does its taste profile and quality level fit within that context? It's encouraging to me that USA Ratings organizes its assessments with an approach that asks judges to consider value and quality holistically. Check it out in the interview linked below! Cheers!🍷

Botrytised Riesling takes Champion Sweet Wine trophy A wine made only once every few years was this year crowned the Barrel Finance & Logistics Champion Sweet Wine at the Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect. Wairau River Reserve Botrytised Riesling 2022 picked up the trophy, after a warm, humid growing season resulted in optimal fruit to make the wine. Winemaker Mary Schneier says to win the trophy with a wine they only have limited opportunities to produce was exciting for the team. She shared a little about the wine, including what you might like to pair it with this summer… I understand this wine is only made when the conditions are just right. Tell us about what those conditions need to be and what it was about 2022 that meant the wine was a success? Botrytis thrives in warm, humid conditions, which there was no shortage of in 2022. The Riesling skins were thick and healthy, and the long, sunny afternoons later in the season allowed us to leave the grapes on the vine for an extended period. It was this combination of factors that allowed the ideal noble rot to develop and concentrate the sugars and flavours. What do you love about this wine and how did it feel to pick up the Barrel Finance & Logistics Champion Sweet Wine Trophy at the show? I love how concentrated and powerful this wine is. One small sip and you’re met with generous sweetness, acidity, and delicious honeyed and nutty flavours. Plus, it’ll only get better with further ageing. As we only get one shot at making this wine every few years, it was super exciting to pick up the trophy and see all the hard work in the vineyard and winery pay off. Are sweet wines something you put particular focus on at Wairau River Estate? What makes Marlborough a good place to experiment with and produce these wines? Not necessarily, but they’ve been an important part of our line-up since the beginning. We have a wine library with our Botrytis wines dating back to the early nineties. This being one of the longer-lived styles that we make, we have the chance to look back and reflect on what’s worked and how we can improve. What makes Marlborough a great place to produce these wines is the foresight of the early pioneers who planted the key varieties capable of producing such delicious wines – many of whom we heard from at the Marlborough Wine Show Awards dinner this year. They’re the ones who created the atmosphere of innovation and collaboration and had the determination to give these styles a chance. Any must-try food pairings to go with the Wairau River Reserve Botrytised Riesling 2022? Crème brûlée is always my go-to with our 2022 Botrytised Riesling. If you’re not in the dessert mood, it’s also great with fig, blue cheese, and prosciutto pizza. Top it with some walnuts – you won’t be disappointed. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gTeHpqU9 ⁠ #marlboroughwinenz⁠ #marlboroughwineshow⁠ #nzwine #marlboroughnz

Tasting Frameworks by The Grape Grind. Wine, with its intricate flavors, aromas and rich history, has captivated enthusiasts for centuries. One intriguing aspect of wine appreciation is blind tasting, a practice that allows individuals to assess and enjoy wines without the influence of labels or preconceived notions. To navigate this enigmatic world, The Grape Grind – by Kendeigh Worden offers blind tasting frameworks that are suitable to both beginners and moderate-to-advanced tasters, providing a structured path to accurately describe your tasting notes. About the Tasting Guides The Grape Grind offers guides for both Beginner + Moderate to Advanced Levels and both packs include 21 Grape Varieties (white and red). Each variety has either two (Beginner Guides) or four (Moderate- Advanced Guides) full pages of benchmark information. Conclusion These frameworks provide not only an enjoyable and educational experience but also a pathway to a deeper appreciation and understanding of this ancient and captivating elixir. Whether you are just starting or seeking to refine your skills, blind tasting frameworks are your gateway to the diverse and enchanting world of wine. Want to read more? 🔎  
We published an extensive review of the Tasting Frameworks on our website. To read this follow the link below, or head directly over to our website. This review is written by our own Nadine Massen . The Tasting Frameworks are available in English and can be bought online through the website of The Grape Grind. Editorial note: This review and endorsement reflect our professional opinion as an educational wine platform. We have known Kendeigh for quite a while, and are impressed by her skills as a wine educator. Especially her knowledge on (blind) tasting, and her talent to simplify a skill that can be very daunting, are admirable. She offers a wide array of educational assets on her website, of which a decent part can be enjoyed for free. #dutchwineapprentice #wineguide #wineconsultant #wine #wine101 #wineaccounttofollow #wein #vino #wijn #blindtasting #wineeducation #winetasting https://lnkd.in/eJHt4mqC

Tasmania has long been somewhat of a promised land for Australian wine, a place of immense potential. With accolades coming from traditional international markets for Champagne, there is little doubt that Tasmanian sparkling has well and truly arrived. And that means a Deep Dive is called for. We gathered every Tasmanian traditional method sparkling that we could find and set our expert panel the task of finding the wines that compelled the most. All wines tasted blind. 🥂🙈 Follow the link below 👉 to discover Tasmania’s Best Sparkling Wines. #sparkling #wine #tasmanianwine #deepdive

What are the advantages of a Wine club vs buying wine at your local wine store? Best Online Wine Club, firstly; Quality: Wine clubs are either producing their own wine at their own winery, or contracting with a private winery and put their own labels on them. With wine clubs you have access to exclusive wines first, or sometimes wines that are not made available to the general public. You get to be part of a private group who shares exclusive wines. second; Price: QPR stands for quality price ratio- you want to make sure you are getting the best bank for your buck, right? Because Wine Clubs have a subscription, they can offer a better price for the value wine you are getting. thirdly; Volume: Wine clubs produce the amount of wine they need to satisfy their membership and little more to accommodate extra orders for the wines you love. As appose to having to try to choose from an endless supply of different kinds of wines, not knowing what is really quality. You get only top quality wines chosen for you. And the ability to reorder what you love at great membership pricing. fourth; convenience – You get to sit back on your couch and have wines delivered right to you at your door. These are hand picked boutique wines that you can trust and know you will enjoy. Here are some more advantages: in addition; Health: I’m sure you have heard that a glass of wine a day is good for your health. But what’s important to understand is the wine its referring to is not the cheap wines at your grocery store that are not much of a wine, more like a punch. You want the health benefit, you want quality fine wine. And this is something you can get at the best QPR at a wine club. lastly; Wine Discovery: You get to learn so much about wine from a wine club. The very best place to learn about wine will probably be a winery, but the very next best would be a wine club. Offering tons of education. And they are looking to keep there customers happy. If you are not happy with the wine, they will promptly send you a new one, or send out more with your next shipment. Learn more about Best online Wine club and why join here https://lnkd.in/gjFFcX3u #wine #winetasting #wineclub #winelovers #wineindustry #winetime