We’ve had a steady stream of vine-related news on the radar of late. Despite economic downturn, the state of global financial uncertainty isn’t vastly affecting wine-drinkers’ habits, other than to seemingly increase consumption. Decanter.com is reporting decade-long sustained double-digit growth in the market for both natural cork and synthetic alternatives. They’ve also got a story here, where Dmitry Medvedev is quoted as having claimed that drinking more wine will help prevent his country’s growing problem with alcoholism.
Scientists recently reported finding that the use of Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) may be beneficial to wine grapes while still on the tree, boosting the natural defense of the fruit against bacteria and fungi. Sulfur, and particularly Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), have been used as a preservatives in wine-making for ages. Since being first legalized for use in bottles during transport in Prussia in 1487, SO2 has been widely utilized (typically indicated on the label by the phrase “contains sulfites”) to prevent excess bacterial and yeast activity and is known to nullify unpleasant aromatics resulting from oxidation. However since the 1990s, the World Health Organization and the FDA have banned the use of So2 in fresh produce due to known ill-health effects. Grapes have long been the standing exception, based on wine and table grapes high degree of susceptibility to disease (particularly post-harvest) and the industry reportedly has struggled to find responsible and effective alternatives. However, the use of SO2 pre-harvest may revolutionize the way our wines are preserved and consumed.
This good news couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, as wine harvest season is underway, and growers in the Pacific Northwest are increasingly concerned about the climate and their ability to fully ripen some varietals of red wine grape this year.
In the coffee world this week, famed warm and glazed doughnut proprietor Krispy Kreme announced the release of three new coffee ‘flavors’ recently, alongside the slogan “Worthy of our doughnuts.” While their fresh-off-the-line appeal made them famous in the past, it’s their bid to become a major national rival of Dunkin’ Donuts that has led them to attempt to increase their coffee sales, which lag at 4% in a 12% annual beverage revenue for the company. By comparison, Dunkin’ Donuts coffee sales revenue per annum hover around 60%.
While many regard mega-chain Starbucks as ‘Specialty Coffee,’ the industry giant stepped a little further out of the so-called ‘quality model’ this week with the announcement that it will begin packaging and selling K-Cup packets for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ popular Keurig brewing system. The pre-packaged, pre-ground, single-serving billion-dollar-a-year industry sector has dominated mid-range consumers markets in recent years, but the machines still won’t pour free-hand micro-foamed latte art. At least, not yet.
Elsewhere, Health Canal is reporting a new study confirming that drinking moderate amounts of coffee is associated with an average of 38% lower likelihood of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
The bottles or cans debate may have just gotten a little more complicated. While aluminum may have a smaller environmental impact, it seems like it usually loses the argument to bottles in terms of aesthetics and flavor, if not functionality as well. While Coors (and subsequently Mountain Dew) paved the way for the near-ubiquitous popularization of the wide-mouth can in the mid-nineties, this time it’s AmBev (a Brazilian subsidiary of Belgian Annheuser-Busch InBev) who just changed the game with the release of a new can design that, while still easy to open, becomes a drinking cup when its top is popped. Here’s a brief history of the evolution of the aluminum beer can.
