Oeno-File

Italian Winery Markets a Ladies’ Wine Like Perfume; Robert Parker Thinks Bordeaux’s Gotten Greedy

“A little splash of Semillon under the arms usually does me right.”

• A new Italian wine targeting female buyers in Italy and Germany is packaged in what looks like a giant perfume bottle, and comes in three varieties based on scent: rose, violet, and jasmine. [Beverage Daily]

• The long, cool, rainy spring in Northern California could make for a great vintage this year, as long as things warm up. But the growing season is now about three weeks behind, and that could be problematic. [San Jose Mercury News]

• Even though his reviews are one of the chief factors driving Bordeaux prices sky-high, Robert Parker is now admonishing wineries in Bordeaux to stop being greedy for Chinese buyers and bring the prices of the 2010 vintage down from 2009. “If they come higher than 2009, we’re going to have a big, big crisis.” [AFP/Yahoo News]

• American winemakers have for years been trying to blame rising alcohol levels in their wines on climate change, but a new study says that’s a crock. [Decanter]

• This week, Eric Asimov shines his light on Roussillon, a region in France not well known to American consumers. He finds very “few wines with complexity.” [NYT]

• Last weekend’s Auction Napa Valley, held at the resort that’s home to Michelin three-star Meadowood restaurant, netted $7.3 million for local charities. [JustLuxe]

• A new retailer called Bottlerocket is trying to make people feel less dumb about choosing wines, with recommendations for pairing with different kinds of take-out, and such. [Creative Realities]

Raymond Vineyards in the Napa Valley, which recently came under the ownership of a French conglomerate, now features a “Crystal Cellar” where wine descriptors are written on Baccarat crystal decanters in lipstick. [Grub Street SF]

Italian Winery Markets a Ladies’ Wine Like Perfume; Robert Parker Thinks