U.S. Distribution Halted
Effective Sept. 1, the Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines Co. has ceased to distribute the wines of Castello d'Albola for the United States. The company launched the brand of Tuscan wines in 1988. Over the past 10 years, sales grew to more than sixty thousand cases per year.
Mondavi Sells Vichon Label
OAKVILLE, Calif. -- The Robert Mondavi company here announced the sale of its Vichon Mediterranean label, a line of premium varietal wines imported from the Languedoc region of the south of France. Sieur d'Arques, a cooperative wine producer based in Limoux, France, made the acquisition. Sieur d'Arques has been the primary wine supplier for the brand.
Vichon Mediterranean wines -- including varietally labeled Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah -- were first introduced in 1997 and have grown to become one of the most successful labels from the Languedoc region. Last year, Vichon Mediterranean was the fifth largest French wine brand in dollar volume in the U.S. market with sales of more than 200,000 cases.
New Packaging for Canandaigua Wine
CONCORD, Calif. -- Canandaigua Wine has unveiled a new look for its popular Inglenook brand, part of a broad effort to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of value-conscious wine drinkers. The label has been updated with a sense of color now used in the home decor and fashion industries. The new packaging also includes a new, proprietary 1.5-liter bottle with a flattened front and back.
With improved grape sourcing and new blending practices, Inglenook's winemaking team is creating approachable, fruit-forwarding wines. Inglenook also introduced two, new varietal blends: Cabernet-Merlot and Chardonnay-Pinot Grigio.
