Wine milkshakes go on sale in US

In a move that may turn many a stomach, LA burger chain The Counter has added wine milkshakes to its menu. As reported on db.com, the milkshakes, inspired by classic desserts, are being blended at select Counter restaurants across Los Angeles. According to their creator, the wine helps to cut through the sweetness of the shake, with the flavour more milkshake-like to start, but with a wine finish.

The burger chain is offering three flavors: Pinot Noir, featuring cherries, chocolate and vanilla ice cream, Sweet Peach, made using sweet wine, peach nectar and vanilla ice cream, and Mimosa, featuring sparkling white, orange juice and vanilla ice cream.

Perhaps due to the ongoing success of the Santa Barbara-based film Sideways, in which the protagonist Miles extols the virtues of the difficult but rewarding Pinot Noir grape, the Pinot Noir shake is proving the most popular of the trio. The shakes can be found on pour at The Counter restaurants in Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Century City, Toluca Lake, El Segundo, Torrance and Hermosa Beach.

Rex Pickett pushing for Sideways sequel

Rex Pickett, author of the popular wine-themed novel Sideways, is pushing the Oscar-winning director of the Sideways film, Alexander Payne, for a sequel based on his second novel, Vertical. “Tens of millions are on the table and no sequel. Why? The book’s been written, the screenplay’s been written,” Pickett told the drinks business. “No one in Hollywood understands why Payne is not in pre-production on Vertical. I’m sick of answering that question,” he added.

“Fox Searchlight Pictures owns the film rights to Miles and Jack. If Payne woke up tomorrow and said he wanted to do a sequel then it would be made. Payne has the power to make whatever movie he wants, within reason, for the rest of his life. I like to feel I played a small part in that,” Pickett said. Sideways: the Play is running to sell-out audiences in Santa Barbara through the Ruskin Theatre Group. The play is due to run in LA until mid-August, after which, Pickett is keen to take it outside America, with a London run on the cards.

He also isn’t ruling out a third book: “People are clamouring for part three. I’m circumspect, as whatever decision I make will govern the next two years of my life,” he said. Originally rejected by 15 publishers, Sideways has sold over 150,000 copies in the English-language, and has been translated into 12 different languages. The film, released the same year as the book in 2004, has won over 350 awards including two Golden Globes for best comedy picture and best screenplay.

Pickett admits he regrets “letting (himself) go to a few years of celebratory hedonism” after the success of Sideways. “I should have had my business hat on and been wary of people making millions while I cavorted around in a state of ostensible bliss,” he said. Pickett’s sequel to Sideways, Vertical, was published in October 2010. Set in Oregon seven years later, protagonist Miles has found success with a novel that has been turned into a film and is invited to be master of ceremonies at the International Pinot Noir Celebration in McMinnville. The 26^th annual event takes place on 27-29 July 2012.

Pickett is due to release his own wine onto the market soon. Unsurprisingly, he has opted for a Pinot in the form of Ne Plus Ultra, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Alexander Payne recently directed The Descendants, starring George Clooney, based on a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. It won an Oscar this year for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Brad Pitt to star in The Billionaire’s Vinegar

Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt is to star in a film adaptation of The Billionaire’s Vinegar, a book by Benjamin Wallace on the fake Thomas Jefferson bottles affair.  As reported on db.com, the film, slated to hit cinemas this year, has been co-produced by actor Will Smith, who bought the rights to the book as part of a Hollywood consortium.

Produced by Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Sony Pictures, The Billionaire’s Vinegar is directed by David Keopp, who has worked on blockbusters such as Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, Spider-Man and War of the Worlds. He also wrote the script for Men In Black III, starring Will Smith in the lead role. David Bloomfield, who produced The Fighter, Seven Pounds and Thank You For Smoking, is the executive producer.

The court case surrounding the counterfeit Jefferson bottles continues. Last week, Wine and the City reported that billionaire William Koch has asked a US appeals court to revive the lawsuit against auction house Christie’s for assisting the sale of fake bottles of 1787 Lafite belonging to American President Thomas Jefferson. In 1987, Koch bought four bottles of 1787 Château Lafite engraved “Th.J” that were sold to him by wine dealer Hardy Rodenstock for US$500,000.

The court has yet to issue a ruling, but will give a written opinion at a later date. This is not the first time wine has appeared on the silver screen – Pinot Noir was eulogised and Merlot derided in the 2004 cult comedy Sideways, starring Paul Giamatti, adapted from Rex Pickett’s novel of the same name.

In 2006, Gladiator director Ridley Scott swapped swords for pruning sheers in his Provence-based romantic comedy A Good Year, starring Russell Crowe. The same year saw the release of Bottle Shock, a comedy-drama based on the iconic 1976 Judgment of Paris blind tasting, starring Alan Rickman in the role of wine writer and former merchant Steven Spurrier.

Pétrus

During my whistle-stop tour of Bordeaux for en primeur 2011 earlier this month, I was lucky enough to taste Château Pétrus 2011 with wine writer Margaret Rand in front of the iconic statue of Saint Peter at the famed Pomerol estate. Click on the video to find out our impressions of the wine, and the Bordeaux 2011 vintage in general.

Hip-hop help sees Moscato sales soar in US

Sales of Moscato are soaring in the US as hip-hop artists continue to name-check the low alcohol sweet wine in their songs. As reported on thedrinksbusiness.com, US Moscato sales grew more than 80% for the 52 weeks ending November 12, according to Nielsen, helping the wine to break out of its after-dinner niche. "The last thing I can remember that shot out of the cork like that was Pinot Noir after the film Sideways," said Danny Brager, vice president of Nielsen's beverage and alcohol division. “But the pop-culture inspired growth in Pinot Noir has been eclipsed by the rise of Moscato,” Brager added.

A year-on-year comparison shows sales of Moscato in America topping $300 million for 2011, more than triple what they were for 2009. With an average price of less than $10 per bottle, the varietal now accounts for 3% of total table wine sales in the US, up from 1% in 2009.

Moscato’s recent sales success among urban drinkers has been boosted by plugs in R&B and hip-hop songs by the likes of Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Lil’ Kim and Ab-Soul. West was one of the first to elevate Moscato's profile, serving Saracco Moscato d'Asti at a party in 2005 and mentioning the wine in a remix of the song Make Her Feel Good.

"Moscato is coming on strong, especially in the urban market," said New York-based wine consultant Lisa Carley. "The rise of Moscato and sweet red wines seems to indicate that Americans are getting more comfortable with wine in general. Because of that, they are drinking what they like as opposed to what they ‘should’ drink," Carley added.

The rising popularity of Moscato from entry-level brands like Sutter Home, Gallo and Yellowtail is leading to increased plantings of Muscat in California, Chile, Argentina, France and Spain. "Moscato is a good gateway wine for people that don't typically drink wine. It's sweet and it's not intimidating," said Megan Metcalf, editor of US trade publication Wine & Spirits Daily, adding, “People who would have drunk White Zinfandel are now drinking Moscato.”