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?

With Rioja still the most well known region in Spain, it’s nice to see the magazines and reviewers turning back north. After spending much of the past years focused on the fantastic wines and regions exploding onto the US market from other areas of Spain, it’s comforting that they are once again focusing on the region that put Spanish wine on the map. A few months ago the dynamic duo from Catavino.net put up an impressive amount of wine reviews on their blog about Rioja, especially when you think that two people powered through all those wines. Dedication. Along with Catavino’s review recently, the International Wine Review just released their review on Rioja and also has an amazing list of wines from all over Rioja, from the classic styles to the more modern Rioja wines. Both will be great information sources for the novice to the aficionado, and highly recommend reading and searching each different review. Wines of note in both reviews, Bodegas Ondalan, Bodegas Medrano Irazu, Bodegas Miguel Angel Muro, Bodegas Ruiz de Vinaspre and Bodegas Santiago Ijalba.