News Briefs for July 22, 2022
July 22, 2022•Port wine house Kopke is declaring a 2020 vintage Port after deciding that Quinta São Luiz, the original vineyard comprising two plots of old vines, achieved the necessary levels of color and fruit extraction for vintage declaration. Located in the upper Douro DOC, Kopke’s 300-acre estate has 220 acres planted to traditional Portuguese varieties such as Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Cão. There are also small plots of Tinta Barroca and Souzão. Kopke is also opening a small inn, The Vine House, at Quinta São Luiz this month.
•Casa Lumbre has launched Contraluz Cristalino mezcal in the U.S. The 40% abv spirit is distilled from Espadín agave and matured in charred American oak for roughly six months before undergoing filtration to become a Cristalino mezcal. Contraluz carries a suggested price of $60 and is now available in California, Texas, Florida, New York, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Illinois, with further U.S. and global expansion coming in 2023.
•Juliet is a new boxed wine brand from California’s Central Coast. The company was founded with a focus on sustainability and is launching with a 2021 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2021 Grenache Rosé. The wine comes from a certified California Sustainable Winery in the Happy Canyon of the Santa Barbara AVA. Juliet’s two initial releases are available for purchase online and at select retailers in New York, California, and Florida for $46 a 1.5L.
•Stewart’s Enterprise Holdings, maker of the Stewart’s line of soda’s, has entered the spiked soda market with a new line of FMBs based on classic soda flavors. The line is launching with four flavors—Root Beer, Orange Cream, Black Cherry, and Key Lime—available in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans for $11. The root beer and key lime flavored drinks are at 4.5% abv and orange cream and black cherryare at 5.5%. Stewart’s Spiked Sodas are now available in Texas, Florida, and Colorado. In addition to the new hard sodas, Stewart’s also produces a line of hard seltzer inspired by soda flavors.
•Tenjuku Whiskey USA has launched its namesake gin in 40 states throughout the U.S. The 37.5% abv gin is made with a blend of ten Japanese botanicals, including yuzu, green tea, and Japanese pepper, as well as water from the Mt. Fuji basin. Tenjuku’s spirits are imported to the U.S. by New York’s MHW, Ltd. In addition to launching their gin in the U.S., Tenjuku has also named Nozomi Cruz as vice president, sales for the U.S. Cruz comes to the role with over 16 years experience at Sapporo and will work to develop and grow Tenjuku’s brands in the U.S.
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