Helen Settles
The Roy Estate has settled its lawsuit with Helen Turley. Of course the terms of the settlement were kept confidential, leaving us wondering who got what. I will say, this press release is one of the strangest I’ve read. The information provided by the PR firms is not particularly relevent, and the prose style is not your standard PR prose. You might get a chuckle for reading about how great the Roy’s are. (Wine Business)

Radioactive Champagne
Greenpeace is claiming that radioactive waste is seeping into the ground a few meters from France’s Champagne region. They claim that the nuclearactive waste is finding its way into the water table, where it will eventually taint the vineyards. French authorities claim there is nothing to worry about, and they are working to fix the crack in a nuclear tank that is the source of the leak. (Decanter)

Distillation Debate
France and Italy approached the EU with a request to send large amounts of surplus wine to distillation. The EU seems set to rebuff the large request, instead approving a smaller request as part of a comprehensive restructuring of wine regulations. I have a feeling those “militant” French winemakers who need subsidies might have a new target for their anger. (Financial Times)

NY Wines Ready for Prime Time
The state of New York is backing financial grants for New York-based wineries. The grants of up to $2,500 in matching funds will help the wineries further develop marketing - particularly on their website. Now that wineries can sell and ship outside the state, New York wants to help these wines reach new markets. (New York Business Journal)

Happy Monday everyone. Here is today’s wine update:

Millions and Counting
Last year, 300 million cases of wine were consumed in the US, amounting to $25 billion in sales. We are still behind the big European countries (France, Italy, and Germany) in terms of real consumption. But our growth in headed North while they face the opposite trends. Keep buying! (Bloomberg.com)

On the Block
The Napa Valley Wine Auction, a prestigious charity event, drew a spectacular crowd once again this year. The event raised over $8.4 million for local charities. One prize topped the $1 million mark - a tour of French wine country led by the Staglin family. Other highlights included Geena Davis touting a role on the ABC made-for-tv movied based on her cancelled show, which was purchased for $300,000, and MK Hoo of Hong Kong purchasing a Screaming Eagle for $460,000 (he declined to raise his bid when Davis offered to have him at a Hollywood dinner party at her house). And then there was the host - Ryan Seacrest. His American Idol backstage passes seeemed cheap at $35,000. The host spent more than a few lines defending his love of ‘wine and women.’ Ha - no comment. (Napa Valley Register)

Oregon Gets The Bug
Planners approved the initial plans for a hill-top boutique resort in Oregon wine country. It will be the first of its kind in the state. I am a bit surprised it took so long, but the state isn’t in the clear yet. There remain some outstanding appeals that could continue to postpone the plans. (Oregon Live)

Bordeaux Battles Rage On
More bad news for the worlds most famous wine region - the head of the the Bordeaux trade association, CIVB, resigned to protest the lack of progress in Bordeaux. The government has yet to address the problems facing Bordeaux. Christian Delpeuch had enough! Hopefully his dramatic decision will draw attention to the continued plight. (Decanter)

Oregon Buy
Chateau Ste. Michelle acquired Erath Winery of Dundee, Oregon. Erath is one of Oregon’s top producers of pinot noir. The acquisition will expand Chateau Ste. Michelle’s holdings in the Pacific Northwest from Washington into Oregon. The big boys earned Erath’s respect by pledging to be good corporate citizens - which sealed the deal. (Seattle PI)

Decanter.com published its updated vintage guide today. It is a great brief view at the when to drink what from the last few years. Check it out!

Own Your Own?
The famed French champagne, Tattinger, is up for sale. It looks like Starwoods Capital will sell the Champagne house back to the founding family, backed by Credit Agricole du Nord Est. For under $1 Billion, you too could buy a Champagne empire! (NDTV)

Legal Battle Ahead
Wine-maker diva, Helen Turley, will be back in the courtroom. He is being sued by Roy Estates for breach of contract. They say Helen was going to impart her Midas Touch on their vineyard, Helen says they didn’t get the winery build in time. Of course, while they were working to build the vineyard and winery, they did pay Helen $800,000. This is the second recent suit involving the winemaker. She won a lawsuit against Bryant Family Vineyards after they failed to pay her according to contract terms. We always enjoy when rich people sue each other. (Wine Business.com)

Welcome back from the long weekend. I hope you enjoyed some great wine!

World Cup Champagne
Lanson is making a special edition champagne for the upcoming 2006 World Cup. The goal is to expand the champagne markets, challenging traditional beer strongholds. At around $44 per bottle, Lanson hopes to appeal to the affluent followers of the worlds most popular sport. And, he isn’t alone. Paul Smith is also launching a special edition line of clothes for the football championship. If soccer is truly about Paul Smith and Champagne, I have been missing out on one of the best sports. (Decanter)

Australian Glut
The French are not the only ones suffering from winemakers remorse. A major wine glut is wreaking havoc on Australian producers this year. At the same time, Australian wine groups are calling for more funding for export promotion. These two factors helped push the French winemakers into the so-called ‘militant winemakers’. (The Age, ABC News)

King Tut
Archeologists have unearthed white wine in King Tutankhamen tomb. Ancient historians have long known that wine was part of the royal Egyptian class, but until now the wine was solely red. The same information is kept on the jar - vineyard, vintage, name of wine, and vinter. But, it was not easy to pinpoint color in many cases - after all, King Tut’s tomb was sealed in 1322 BC. Scientists subjected recently located jars of wine to chemical analysis, only to find the first evidence of white wine in the royal tomb. These are the ancient history lessons that I wish I had learned in college! (USA Today)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I am sure you will be enjoying a grill or pool or beach!

Memorial Day Treats
A common question for you drinkers this weekend - what to drink for the weekend events? Many wine writers today will publish suggestions for the BBQ weekend. (SF Chronical, East Valley Tribune)

Back in the Saddle
Moldova and Russia have negotiated a resumption of Moldova’s wines to the Russian consumer. Moldova will submit to quality controls and checks from Russian authorities. It could be a win-win. Moldova needs the Russian market, and hopefully quality will improve to levels of appropriate safety (if that was not already the case.) (ITAR-TASS)

French Fusion
Everyone knows about Frech-Asian fusion food. These restaurant concepts are popping up across the country. Now, the wine industry is catching up. French agriculture officials, along with French trade ministers, are visiting China following Vinexpo Hong Kong. Their goal is to further establish the French wine industry as partners for China’s market. The French want to both aid China in domestic production as well as lead in Chinese imports of wine. The huge potential market could be a tremendous boon to the worried French growers. (Decanter)

We Win…Again
As you know, yesterday was the anniversary of the great Tasting of Paris. It seems that, despite expectations, California’s great wines of 30 years ago have withstood the test of time. Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson, Matthew Jukes, Michel Bettane, Michael Broadbent, Spurrier and other eminent critics, pitted Leoville Las Cases 71, Mouton 70, Haut Brion and Montrose 70 against the Californian’s Ridge Monte Bello 1971, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973, Mayacamas 1971, Heitz 1970 and Clos du Val 1972. Who knew? 30 years later, America is still on top - Congratulations. (Decanter)

Militant Winemaker Crossing
There is talk of building a highway across parts of Bordeaux - through some of the more historic terroir. As if the winemakers of Bordeaux need any other battles to fight - this will be one more challenge facing the region. (Decanter)

Unbreakable Fun
Drinkers are excited at the new ‘unbreakable’ crystal wine glasses, which premiered at Hong Kong’s Vinexpo this week. The glasses resisted shattering when the room of journalists banged them on the table. Such an invention would have been useful at any number of banquets I attended in college. I may have to call the restaurants where I might have witnessed significant wine glass breakage. (Decanter)

Holy Winemakers
Not every Bordeaux winemaker is ‘militant’ (as Decanter tends to call them). This week, the Archbishop of Bordeaux is calling on winemakers in his congregation to show restraint in the face of market adversity. He is advocating for winemakers to work together to solve the problems facing the wine industry rather than exhibiting violence towards negociants. Good thing Decanter never called them infadels. (Decanter)

Happy Anniversary
Today, May 24th, is the official Anniversary of the Tasting that put American wine onto the map. The Tasting of Paris has gone down in history, or infamy, depending on which side of the Atlantic you are. For the Anniversary, they are tasting the same wines and same vintages, however the judges and other former participants aren’t so excited to participate. Will the American wines stand up over time? The structure of the tasting has already changed, so the judging won’t be consistent. And, the judges are not back at table tasting. In any case, Happy Anniversary. This date forever defined the American wine industry as an international star! (Forbes)

Wine Racket
Scams have always been around. This one is nothing new. Over $1.5 million in wine was stolen from a Sausalito wine storage facility and resold. The owner is pleading not guilty. (San Francisco Business Times)

Monkey Business
It seems that zookeepers in Budapest are giving the apes red wine. The animals are drinking 55 liters of red wine each year. There is another market for the French who have been whining about lack of export support. (CNN.com)

Liquidity in Wine Fund
An Australian wine investment fund must have bought low and sold high. They have recently announced an unexpected cash dividend back to investors. The fund has returned over 42% this year. That sure beats the Dow this week. (The Advertiser)

The Next Asian Tiger
This week is the Asian Vinexpo, with winemakers and marketers from around the world discussing the next great market boom - China. Aspiring business-people take note: China could be the land of vinopportunity. (Houston Chronical)

Italian Loafers and Wine
Mario Moretti Polegato grew up cultivating grapes and making wine, but he made his fortune in the shoe business. He is the founder and CEO of Geox. If you haven’t seen these shoes yet, the US is their primary expansion market. Now, the billionaire can afford to collect and consume any wine he wants. He could even buy a few wineries, if he wanted too. Tough life! (NY Sun)