News Briefs for September 8, 2014

•Diageo’s Cîroc vodka has extended its flavored range with the launch of Cîroc Pineapple. Rolling out this month, Cîroc Pineapple will be available in 50-ml., 200-ml., 375-ml., 750-ml., 1-liter and 1.75-liter formats, priced at $34.99 a 750-ml. Additionally, the 35%-abv offering will  be supported by a nationwide “Tropical Luxury” campaign, featuring print, digital and experiential activities. Cîroc Pineapple is the fifth addition to Cîroc’s flavored lineup, joining the brand’s existing Amaretto, Peach, Red Berry and Coconut expressions. Cîroc was up 8.5% to 1.9 million cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank.

•Crimson Wine Group has introduced a new upscale red blend, Luminary, priced at $45 a bottle. Available at select retailers nationwide, Luminary showcases fruit from Crimson’s estate holdings in California and Washington. The blend includes Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Pine Ridge Vineyards in Napa Valley, Syrah from Double Canyon in Horse Heaven Hills, Washington, Syrah from Chamisal Vineyards in Edna Valley, and Zinfandel from Seghesio Family Vineyards in Alexander Valley. For the inaugural 2012 vintage, 2,300 cases of Luminary were produced.

•Diageo has launched a new global initiative, Diageo Technology Ventures, a program that will see it partner with tech companies worldwide to find innovative solutions to business challenges. The first brief in the program will seek technologies and platforms that will take on irresponsible drinking. Applicants will use existing platforms and analyze digital behavior of young LDA adults to find a solution. The second brief is focused on solutions for retailers and distributors against retail theft. Diageo will issue more briefs throughout the first year and will fund a number of pilots for each brief, with senior executives such as chief marketing officer Syl Saller making all funding decisions. Diageo has committed a $100,000 fund to support each pilot project.

•Sazerac Co.’s Buffalo Trace Distillery will release the 2014 edition of its Antique Collection limited release whiskeys later this month featuring five varieties. George T. Stagg is a 138.1-proof unfiltered Bourbon distilled in 1998; William Larue Weller, distilled in 2002, is the strongest Weller release at 140.2 proof; Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye is an unfiltered straight rye whiskey distilled in 2008 at 129.2 proof; Eagle Rare 17 Year Old is a Bourbon featuring oak, leather, cinnamon and tobacco flavors and Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old has flavors of all-spice, molasses and mint, the company says. The Antique Collection was first introduced in 2000 and is available in limited quantities for a suggested retail price of $80 each.

•Jacques Boissenot, one of the most important winemaking consultants of the past 50 years, passed away September 3 in Bordeaux. He was 76. A student of Émile Peynaud, Boissenot worked with more than 200 châteaus, mostly in Bordeaux’s Médoc region, including first-growths Latour, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild and Margaux. Even in the past decade, as he handed off most of his work to his son Eric, he continued to help their first-growth clients blend their wines for every vintage. Wine Spectator has the full story.

Tagged : Buffalo Trace Distillery, Cîroc, Crimson Wine Group, Diageo, Sazerac, Sazerac Co., Wine Spectator

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