It seems Emilio Lustau continues to dominate the sherry market, picking up yet another award, this one arguably the highest honor a Spanish producer can receive. Here is a press release from Europvin, whom we are fortunate enough to represent in several markets.

“We are proud to announce that EMILIO LUSTAU has taken the Spanish Wine Producer of the Year Trophy in the 40^th Anniversary edition of the International Wine & Spirit Competition.  This is in addition to the eighteen medals awarded to our Sherries, of which we advised you in the summer.

The gala awards banquet was held on 26 November 2009 at the Guildhall in London, and Lustau was announced as the winner from a shortlist which included such renowned names in the Spanish wine industry as Marqués de Murrieta and González Byass, amongst others.”

In other Sherry news, check out the finalist for the 2009 Vinos de Jerez Cocktail Competition. A huge thanks to akawinegeek for passing along this info!!!

They are:

Alex Raij, Txikito, NYC – “Elkano”, Manzanilla

Reza Esmalli, CONDUIT Restaurant, SF – “Espana en Emerica”, Pedro Ximenez**

Charles Joly, Drawing Room, Chicago – “Bread and Wine”, Oloroso

Danny Valdez, Cure, NOLA – “That Night a Forest Grew…”, Pedro Ximenez

Misty Kalkofen, Drink, Boston – “The Dunaway”, Fino

Todd Thrasher, Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, VA – “Walla Walla Bing Bang (aka the Witch Doctor)”, Amontillado

Erick Castro, Rickhouse, SF – “French Toast Flip”, Oloroso Dulce

Phil Ward, Mayahuel, NYC – “The Smoked Palomino”, Amontillado

Corey Bunnewith, Coppa, Boston – “Balao Swizzle”, Dry Oloroso

Thomas Waugh, Death & Co., NYC – “Delores Park Swizzle”, Amontillado

These 10 finalists will compete in the live finals on December 15th at Clover Club in Brooklyn, NY, to determine who will be crowned the winner of the 2009 Vinos de Jerez Cocktail Competition.

If you want to try out some of these cocktails at home, visit the Secret Sherry Society for the recipes of the cocktails.

And one other thing- please drink more sherry people!!!!

Salud,

Michael

P.S. Bloggers heads up- there is a ridiculous amount of flash on most of the restaurant websites……

With so many new beverages coming out what seems like monthly, alcoholic or not, it seems like producers are willing to take some risks and PR stunts when it comes to selling their product. Scantily clad ladies-CHECK! Pop stars who can’t sing-CHECK! Washed up old actors-CHECK! You get my point, but this latest trend I have seen might actually have a benefit. It’s along the same lines as the new Coors label with it’s heat sensitive technology, but instead of letting you know when to drink a beverage, it will let you know when not to. The company making this product is based out of the US, but I’m sure producers from all over the world have heard about this and have some interest in it, merely for the “wow’ factor. To my knowledge, this has never been used for wine, so it could have some great potential, especially within the US market. However, wine has been produced and sold for thousands of years without this technology, and if I’m not mistaken, it seems to have done just fine with out it. So, is this just a gimmick or is it a legitimate way of letting consumers know when their stash has gone south? With the continued growth of wine sales and the advancement of technology, I think we can expect more and more of the ideas, for the better or worse. In the end, I guess the deciding factor will be if it these ideas are actually beneficial, or will they they just be a fad?

As if we don’t have enough reasons to drink wine, it just made the number 2 spot in a recent survey of the top 10 healthiest beverages. In a list made up entirely of fruit juices, you know wine would have to be on there!! It even ranked above good old plain Concord grape juice. However, I feel I need to mention to take this all in moderation!! I hate to break the bad news, but getting as drunk as possible WILL NOT help in your never end quest for super powers, sorry! On the other hand, enjoying a glass of red wine everyday with a great dinner and surrounded by great friends WILL bring about great conversation and memories for years to come as you reap the benefits of the antioxidant properties of wine. Oh and the deliciousness of a fine Spanish Crianza with practically any type of food! So get out there, grab a bottle of your favorite red wine, whatever it may be, and get some friends together and enjoy!!!