New wine range with a very different look

Meet a new range of wines named after gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Bugsy Siegel.

Calabria Family Wines has launched Kings of Prohibition, featuring distinctive rum-style bottles aimed at Millennial drinkers.

Prohibition, the banning of liquor sales in the US, lasted from 1920 to 1933 and led to the rise of bootleggers like Al Capone and Luciano.

“Kings of Prohibition is a new brand and reflects our aim to be a little bit different,” said Calabria sales and marketing manager Andrew Calabria.

“Research showed us that millennials are happy to spend higher dollar value per bottle, so it is not about the cheapest wine they can find.

"We decided to take some very good wine that we are already producing and put it into a less traditional format of bottle that is not your typical Bordeaux or Burgundy bottle.”

The range includes a Barossa shiraz, Hilltops tempranillo and a Riverina chardonnay and has an RRP of $24.

West Winds gin team produces a pair of vodkas

The team behind cult favourite the West Winds Gin has introduced two vodkas to its range.

The AVOSH Vodkas are produced at the home of The West Winds Gin in Margaret River and comprise two expressions, the original premium wheat-based spirit, and the Australian Bottlebrush Honey vodka.

AVOSH vodka is distilled a total of six times, the last of which occurs slowly in a copper pot still, before being charcoal filtered for a clean taste.

The West Winds range has picked up a swag of awards since being launched in 2010.

Tahbilk finds positives in difficult times

This was supposed to be a year of celebration for Victorian icon winery Tahbilk, which is celebrating its 160th birthday in 2020.

The team behind Victoria’s oldest family-owned winery are looking on the bright side in difficult times with owner Alister Purbrick saying: "Tahbilk has seen many a struggle in its 160 year history and has lived to tell the tale. We are determined that this hiccup will be no different.

"While we have had to postpone some celebrations, we’re planning for the party to end all parties later in the year."

With the wine industry suffering the age of Covid-19, fourth-generation CEO Purbrick said: “We’ve got some different news to share. We’re nearing the end of a good vintage which has run reasonably smoothly all things considered.

"We welcomed some European backpackers to our vintage team and they will remain in Australia for the time being. They’re now part of the wider Tahbilk family and we’re delighted they’re here.

“Clearly the pandemic has affected Tahbilk from a travel and tourism perspective with our restaurant closed for meals and the cellar door, although open, can’t conduct tastings, however, online wine sales continue and our cellar door is open to locals for retail purchases – essential at this tricky time.

"Of course we are observing strict hygiene and social distancing guidelines, but we’re still here to serve.”

The Tahbilk team is confident that these unforeseeable circumstances will see Tahbilk come back stronger than ever. And from a positive point of view, the good news is:

# There are no predicted long-term effects from the Covid-19 pandemic for the winery

# No infections among the staff and broader Tahbilk community

# The wine industry is considered "essential" enabling business to continue

#Mother Nature has been kind with no smoke taint affected grapes in the vineyards

Interestingly, export sales to China are also picking up after a complete shutdown during the height of their coronavirus outbreak. For Tahbilk, February and March sales into the mainland have been strong and there has been a shift in the mix of the wines being ordered.

“China is coming back strongly and quickly for us and it’s great to see given the many years and resources we’ve spent building our brand in that market." Purbrick says.

"What we have noticed is a shift towards the purchase of our premium portfolio, with our iconic 1860 Vines Shiraz and Old Vines Cabernet Shiraz being particularly popular, showing that Chinese consumers are keen for quality drops after a lull in their quality of life. They’re back in a big way which is great for premium Australian wine."

For details see www.tahbilk.com.au

Consumers 1, US airlines 0

Consumers have scored a victory over notoriously parsimonious US airlines.

Passengers who suffered from cancelled flights because of the covid-19 virus have been offered limited-time credit vouchers by airlines rather than refunds. 

After many complaints, the US Department of Transportation has ordered the airlines to reimburse customers for cancelled flights.

The DOT hasn't set a fixed timeline and will "exercise its prosecutorial discretion" to give recalcitrant airlines time to process refunds.

"The Department is receiving an increasing number of complaints and inquiries from ticketed passengers, including many with non-refundable tickets, who describe having been denied refunds for flights that were cancelled or significantly delayed," it said, 

International Air Transport Association estimates airlines have taken payment of about $US35 billion for flights which were later cancelled.

The Department says credit vouchers have limited validity, and the covid-19 pandemic could still rage for months, reducing options for travellers.

"As a result, passengers are left with cancelled or significantly delayed flights and vouchers and credits for future travel that are not readily usable," the DOT said.

Delta has tried to head off a flood of refund requests by extending flight credit validity to two years, Travel Mole reported.

Thailand lends a helping hand to stranded tourists

The Thai government has given stranded foreigners a reprieve by granting free automatic visa extensions.

All visas that were due to expire on or after March 26 have now been automatically extended to April 30, without the need to visit an immigration office.

Temporary border pass holders from neighbouring counties who arrived after March 23 may stay until borders re-open and then have a further seven days to leave.

A curfew is currently in effect in Thailand and travel between provinces is restricted across the Asian nation.

Thailand has recorded nearly 2,500 confirmed cases of Covid-19 visus, resulting in 32 deaths.

Foreigners with resident visas who normally reside in Thailand but are now overseas and cannot return, have also been granted an extension of their compulsory return deadline.

All shopping malls and entertainment venues in Thailand have been closed, restaurants can only do takeaway, provinces have set up border check-points and banned the sale of alcohol - especially over what would traditionally be a holiday period this week, and put curfews in place.

The national airline Thai Airways has ceased operations until May 31.

Onwards and upwards with a quality focus for the Arrogant Frog

Former motor racing driver Jean-Claude Mas, better known as the Arrogant Frog, is a man who never slows down. 

Mas is this year celebrating 20 years as a winemaker, having taken a small family firm to global brand status with clever marketing and attentive wine-making. 

While Mas is best-known for affordable, cheap and cheerful offerings like the Arrogant Frog range, he is now aiming to lift both the quality and profile of wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France. 

"My latest challenge is reinventing the wine traditions in the Languedoc and revealing the essence of the terroirs," he says.

From 17 hectares of vines in the start, Mas now controls 800 hectares of wines from 15 different estates that fall under the Domaines Paul Mas umbrella. He has the business acumen to match his dry wit and charm.

The man behind the Arrogant Frog label is helping transform the Languedoc-Roussillon - and in the process cracking several wine markets other French producers deemed too hard.

Mas, a fourth-generation vintner, has paved a new path for French winemakers, taking on the New World wines that were dominating overseas markets by adopting a fresh and fun approach to both brand and winemaking. 

That meant screw caps, fun labels and a sustainable approach in the vineyards, where yields were slashed and quality elevated. 

Winemaking knowledge in the Mas family stretches back to 1892 and covers three generations to his great-grandfather. 

The negociant-producer now makes over 22 million bottles annually, 90% exported to 65 countries but remains ambitious. 
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"The region has progressed tremendously over the past 30 years but two ingredients are missing," he said in an interview with Decanter magazine. "A concise definition of what Languedoc-Roussillon is all about and a wine or wines that identify the region, like sauvignon blanc does New Zealand or malbec in Argentina.

"As a region with a palette of grape varieties the message will be communicated by a blend or blends. Whatever, we need to find the code."

Two impressive new releases have just hit Dan Murphy's stores in Australia; the 2018 Chateau Paul Mas Close des Mures, a syrah, grenache mourvedre blend from the family estate where it all began, and an organic 2018 Chateau Martinolles Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay from Limoux, a vineyard Mas acquired in 2011. 

The red is a bold, juicy number that might well be picked as a New World wine in a blind tasting; complex and powerful but with some shy Gallic charm. The chardonnay has a lovely fresh, crispness with pineapple/tropical fruit salad notes. Oak plays a mere support role.  

The red retails for $20.99 and the chardonnay for $18.99. It is also available at BWS stores. 
Images: Winsor Dobbin