The Smiling Grape Company

Dear Friends, 

I would like to thank you all for the support and concern that you have shown in these past few days. It has been essential during this initial stage of recovery, as we work hard to reestablish order and normality as quickly as possible.

While the Chilean wine industry has certainly been affected, the real tragedy is the loss of lives, the injuries, and the conditions of the many Chileans who have lost everything, especially in the Maule and Bio-Bio Regions.

We are a strong people and used to adversities. They have shaped our character and have forced us, time and time again, to move forward. We will do so again now — of this I am certain.

The entire Viu Manent team and our respective families are fine, and as of last week end,  have been working hard and are fully committed to bringing everything back into functioning order as soon as possible.

Our vineyards — the very foundation of our production and the source of our great love for the work we do — are very much intact and in the caring hands of our very committed agricultural team.

The cellar itself resisted very well and has only minor damage, which we are repairing now.

The winemaking equipment is intact and ready to receive our 2010 harvest.

Our bottling and labeling lines are also intact and will be back to work as soon as we solve some problems with the electrical lines, which we expect to have in order this week.

With respect to the wine, an initial but detailed quantification shows that losses do not exceed 15% and mostly resulted from the collapse of some of our largest tanks, some barrels, and some bottled wine.

In terms of infrastructure, our tourism area suffered the greatest damage, with the collapse of a portion of the Llavería, an old adobe building. As a result we will be unable to receive visitors for a few months during the low season.

Morale and enthusiasm are high, both on my own part and that of all those who work most closely with us. The commitment of the entire Viu Manent team is intact, and above and beyond any adversity that we may be forced to face, we are ready to continue our ongoing mission to produce ever-better wines…and this is something that I want to convey with the optimism, drive, and spirit that we are known for.

With the support and confidence of our importers, suppliers, the trade, media, and consumers, the Chilean wine industry will recover very quickly, and the 2010 vintage will be remembered as a very special one, because the united front that characterizes our industry, its dynamism, and its participation in the market will strengthen it, based on what is truly essential — our exceptional natural conditions and the extraordinary drive of a country with an undeniable vitivinicultural vocation that no hardship can diminish.

We at Viu Manent have no time to feel sorry for ourselves; all of our efforts are focused on picking ourselves up as quickly as possible and getting back to doing what we do best: delivering the great wines that our family has been making for 75 years and now exports to more than 40 countries around the world.

Finally, I sincerely hope that the media in general, and especially that of the wine trade, which has always been essential in communicating the successes of our industry, will continue in its vital mission of delivering objective and truthful information by turning to official sources in order to avoid distortions and unconfirmed versions of what is happening here.

Cheers!

José Miguel Viu

Check out our popular Viu Manent wines by clicking here

In the 1955 edition of Guninness World Records, Dionsio Sanchez of Spain is cited for consuming 24 pints of beer in 52 minutes and 40 pints of wine in 59 minutes.

“We’re not going to encourage that sort of thing today,” Guinness editor in chief Craig Glenday said recently. “That’s how people get hurt.”

But can the Smiling Grape Company beat Scott Murphy’s record for smashing more than 10 one litre wine bottles in under 30 seconds with using just our bare hands?  Now that’s going to hurt…

Scientists at Gothenberg University in Sweden have discovered that the chemical resveratrol in red wine can help you stay young by slowing the ageing process. 

Unfortunately, you’ll need to drink 100 bottles a day for it to have an effect…

Recent news highlighted the fact that the average adult Scot drinks the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka per year which is a quarter more than the consumption in England.  The Strathclyde Police also released statistics about the famous Scottish “Buckfast Tonic Wine” which has been mentioned in 5,000 crime reports over the past three years. 

Buckfast only accounts for just 0.5 per cent of Scottish alcohol consumption so is crime also related to the abuse of Scottish beer or whisky?  “Erm, we don’t know,” was the response.  “We haven’t collected statistics for any other drink.”

Try our delicious Alba Scots Pine Beer from Lanarkshire but don’t blame us if you get into a fight.

This tongue and cheek advertisement from Cockatoo Ridge Wines in Australia ruffled a few feathers including Erin McNaught who appears in the advert.  The former Miss Universe called the billboards “a bit rude” when they appeared across Australia without her knowledge.  Cockatoo Ridge Wines went into receivership yesterday - the directors called it a ”complete cockatoo-up”.

According to a highly reliable top UK news source (!) pop star Pink is to make her very own Champagne as well as studying to become a Master of Wine.

So we could see this fizz coming soon to the liquor stores of downtown Los Angeles with pink packaging and a free brown paper bag for extra sophistication…

The Smiling Grape Company has always had a unique direction with retail merchandising ideas.  In our wonderful wine shop you can match wines with movies, music or even people (!)

People?  Shirley schum mishtake?  Well, our last experimental merchandising idea has worked wonders - yup, we matched up wines with the X-Factor judges and the wines flew off the shelves much to our amazement.  The results are in:

Louis Walsh matched with Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne 2008 Domaine de Sainte-Lannes (Fun, not overly complex and enjoyable) - Bottles sold: 143

Cheryl Cole matched with Bergerie de la Bastide Rosé  2008 (Fruit forward, well balanced and leaves you wanting more…but we recommend that you take out the earplugs when drinking) - Bottles sold: 89

Dannii Minogue matched with The Wrong Un Shiraz Cabernet 2008 One Chain Vineyards (Smooth, elegant and long on the legs) - Bottles sold: 73

Simon Cowell matched with Zuccardi Series A Malbec 2008 (Rich, powerful, suave with titanic self-belief) - Bottles sold: 3

Ladies and Gentlemen…the public have spoken.

An interesting article today from Jonathan Ray, The Daily Telegraph’s wine critic about the guidelines on drinking.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/6202259/Should-wine-lovers-follow-government-guidelines-on-drinking.html

Should there really be warnings on the back of bottles of wine?  What should the correct wording be?

• Consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe people are laughing with you
• Consumption of alcohol may cause you to thay shings like thish
• Consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe ex-lovers are really dying for you to phone them at four o’clock in the morning
• Consumption of alcohol may cause you to believe that every woman you see has an exact twin
• Consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what happened to your trousers

Cheers! 

Matt

Randall Grahm, the man once described affectionately as “crazy as a cup of waltzing mice”, has shocked the world wine community by releasing a Chardonnay in a bottle with a conventional label. “It’s a pastiche not a parody”, he explained helpfully.

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A Californian micro-winery claims that it has created the perfect wine “in the image of God”. Robert Parker was unavailable for comment.

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A computer bug called Phylloxera has attacked all wine web sites across the world resulting in the dramatic loss of no sales whatsoever.

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Industrial caterers and cleaning agencies have been complaining about the quality of grande marque champagnes. “They’re definitely not what they are cracked up to be. They’re just not getting those stubborn stains out.” A spokesman for one of the major champagne houses replied: “We’re very happy with the current product. Any less bottle age and the contents would be too toxic to use in a closed environment”.

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On the subject of sparkling wine Cloudy Bay have released the new deluxe brand “Thesaurus”, as they have run out of superlatives to promote their own products.

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After pioneering the Stelvin closure Australian winemakers will be abandoning the conventional glass bottle for a plastic tube with ring-pull facility. “This will be an ergonomic advance of unprecedented proportions. Imagine how many tubes you could stack behind the bar next to the cans of Red Bull.” Reaction amongst the British press was predictably enthusiastic. “Another nail in the coffin for the French wine industry”, chortled one journalist.

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An Argentinian wine maker was found guilty of flavouring his Chardonnay with new oak staves. “It wasn’t the oak planks that the authorities didn’t like”, he confessed, “It was the fact that I forgot to remove the two-toed sloths that were still clinging to them for dear life”.

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Three fine wine businesses specialising exclusively in en primeur offers were today sold before they set officially themselves up as companies.

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The manager of the restaurant in central London who sold six legendary vintages of Chateau Cheval Blanc to five wealthy businessmen admitted that it was a nerve-wracking but thrilling experience. “At one point I couldn’t glue the labels onto the bottles quickly enough,” he said, adding, “It was better than sex but then I don’t get out much”.

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The Institute of The Crooked Corkscrews have released information on how to apply for their examination. They invite applicants to send their details on the back of a sizeable cheque.

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A freak occurrence at one of the major international trade fairs has led to the inception of a major new brand. As a result of the combination of an overly efficient newly installed isothermic ventilation system and rapidly condensing alcoholic vapours, a wine said to be the aggregate of every open bottle in the exhibition centre was created in a slop bucket. “I like it.  I think we could sell this!” enthused the famous supermarket wine buyer, Dr Frankenwine MW.

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The new regulatory quango “Offwine” has been described as a “corking good idea” by the Prime Minister’s official press secretary.

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The Canadian-backed transoceanic wine super-tube (wine piped straight to your local supermarket) has once more proved intrinsically flawed when Edna the inebriated humpback whale infiltrated the system and drank Canada dry (again). A Captain Queequeg, veteran of such incidents, growled: “Give me the Horn any day”.

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Alfred Schniedel has pioneered a glass so sensitive that it can tell when you are pouring the wrong type of wine into it.  Schniedel claims that the glass has a symbiotic resonance with the individual molecules of aromas produced by different wines. He elaborates: “My glasses are now so finely attuned they can tell from the sound the cork makes when it is being pulled what grape variety is in the bottle and will automatically shatter if you try to pour the wine into the wrong type of the glass.”

It was another chance to experience the joys of wine buying by visiting one of the world’s biggest wine exhibitions: Vinexpo in Bordeaux. 

Our first stop was a tasting at Moulin Pey-Labrie in Fronsac which featured some of our wonderful winemakers. 

Catherine & Pierre Breton from Bourgueil presented a wonderful Vouvray: Vouvray La Dilettante Sec 2008 which made me smile from ear to ear!  Simply divine applely fruit mixed with dolops of honeydew melon.

 Jean Foillard’s Morgon Classique 2007 is a true “classic”!  Unfiltered, unsulphured and unfined, it’s a bit different from what you expect a Morgon to be like but the wine has the most stunning flavours: spice, chocolate and black cherry.  Each sip is different!

Elian da Ras poured a delicious glass of his Chante Coucou Rouge 2006 which was powerful mixture of different grapes from the Mid-Garonne region of France.  Full bodied, ripe with explosive fruit on the palate - this definately calls for a hearty beef steak!

Allessandra Bera from Vittorio Bera et Figli in Piedmonte was aslo present showing her stunning Moscato D’Asti 2008.  Simply irrestible with melon, oranges and a touch of sweet apple.  It’s been so popular at The Smiling Grape Company that we’ve sold out.  You’ll have to wait until November for the 2009 vintage.