News Briefs for May 10, 2012
May 10, 2012•Palm Bay International has been named exclusive U.S. importer and marketer for South America’s Terra Andina wines. Terra Andina’s Chilean wines include a Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère. The label also has a Malbec from Argentina and a sparkling Moscato from Brazil. Each will be available in a 750-ml. format, at a suggested retail price of $11.99. Terra Andina is owned by the Chilean-based Claro Group, which also owns Chilean brand Santa Rita, imported by Palm Bay since 2006.
•Sazerac Co. is set to launch Colonel E. H. Taylor Jr. Barrel Proof Bourbon, an uncut, unfiltered rye-recipe Bourbon that’s at 134.5-proof and is aged seven years. Rolling out in June, it’s the fourth product in the E. H. Taylor Jr. Bourbon Collection, joining Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon and Warehouse C. Tornado Surviving Bourbon. Like the previous three releases, Barrel Proof Bourbon will have limited availability and will be packaged in a vintage label and canister. Suggested retail price is $69.99 a 750-ml.
•A federal grand jury in New York has indicted accused wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan on four counts. He was formally accused by the jury on counts of mail and wire fraud to sell counterfeit wine, of defrauding a finance company, of double pledging collateral and of scheming to defraud a California wine collector and a New York auction house. Kurniawan has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in L.A. since his arrest by the FBI at his home on March 8. According to a source in the U.S. Department of Justice, Kurniawan will be extradited to New York, possibly as early as today. If Kurniawan were to be convicted on all charges, he could face up to 100 years in jail. More likely, according to sentencing guidelines, he would face 87 to 108 months.
•Napa Valley’s Raymond Vineyards has unveiled a new wine brand, Frenchie. Named after the French bulldog owned by Raymond proprietor Jean-Charles Boisset, the wine range currently features a 2009 Frenchie Napoleon Red Blend and 2009 Frenchie Louis XIV Cabernet Sauvignon. Both are available at the winery or online, priced at $30 a bottle. Additional wines are planned for future rollout, including a white wine blend, Frenchie Marie Antoinette.
•Location-based social media company Foursquare has announced plans to begin offering coupons through a redesigned version of its mobile app, aiming to compete with daily deal companies like Groupon and LivingSocial. Smartphone users who check in at participating restaurants, bars and shops through the new app will be able to redeem special coupon offers selected by merchants in agreement with Foursquare. The company is releasing the redesigned app in July.
•Chef and restaurateur Brad Farmerie is teaming up with AvroKo Hospitality Group, the firm behind his New York City restaurants Public and Saxon + Parole, to open a new restaurant in Napa, California. The yet-to-named eatery will mark Farmerie’s first venture outside New York and will have a menu of exotic cuisine similar to those of his other restaurants. An exact opening date hasn’t been announced, but Farmerie will be in Napa over the coming months to oversee the project.
•Beam Inc. has appointed Nicholas Fink as senior vice president, chief strategy officer. In this role, Fink will lead all strategic planning and corporate development initiatives for the Chicago-based company. He has held a number of strategic business and commercial positions at Beam since joining the company in 2006, including his most recent position as vice president, strategy & corporate development, in which he led the company’s recent $605 million acquisition of Pinnacle Vodka and Calico Jack rum from White Rock Distilleries. Prior to joining Beam, Fink was a partner in the corporate department of the law firm of Bell, Boyd & Lloyd.
•California’s Mendocino Wine Company (MWC) has appointed Gary Glass president, effective May 28. He replaces Paul Dolan. In his new role, Glass—who will report to MWC CEO Thomas Thornhill—will be charged with rebranding and growing the company’s Parducci Small Lot Blend wines, as well as other brands. Prior to joining MWC, Glass served as vice president of Brand Development and Strategic Initiatives at Francis Ford Coppola Presents, and was also president and co-founder of White Rocket Wine Company. He has also served in senior marketing and product management roles at Constellation, Trinchero Family Estates and Joseph E. Seagram and Sons.
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Tagged : Beam Inc, Palm Bay, restaurants, Sazerac, wine
