Cliff Ledes Vineyards partner with Fashion Designer Derek Lam for "Capsule Collection" Series

Napa Valley producer Cliff Lede Vineyards announced its partnership with fashion designer Derek Lam to create the limited-edition 2010 ‘Poetry by Derek Lam’ Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine will be the first to be released from Cliff Lede’s new “capsule collection” series. Blended by Lam himself with fruit from Cliff Lede’s flagship Poetry Vineyard, “Poetry by Derek Lam” contains 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. With only 47 cases produced, the wine will be sold for $210 per bottle and will be available October 2013 exclusively through Cliff Lede’s and Derek Lam’s top client lists, as well as through Neiman Marcus.

Pop star Nicki Minaj is the latest celebrity entering the beverage industry, as she is now part-owner of a venture called Myx Fusions. The Myx brand is a series of Moscato-based cocktails available in original Moscato, Coconut & Moscato and Peach & Moscato. Minaj will be the face of the brand as it’s launched across the U.S., with a marketing campaign that includes print, radio, television and social media.

Rogue Ales has launched a new offering, Rogue Farms Honey Kolsch. Honey Kolsch is brewed using real honey produced at Rogue Farms in Independence, Oregon. The farm began keeping bees last March and has since expanded their operations to produce more than 5,000 pounds of honey for use in each batch of Honey Kolsch.

Mike Beatty, proprietor of Howell Mountain Vineyards, appointed Bryan Kane as his new winemaker. Recently recognized as one of the "Next Generation Cult Winemakers" by Sommelier Journal, Kane follows a non-interventionist winemaking philosophy. The current release includes Howell Mountain Vineyards 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon and the Howell Mountain Vineyards 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel.

A new film portraying the events of the historic 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting is set to begin filming in September. Written by Hollywood screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen, The Judgment of Paris is the second film to focus on the blind tasting in which a California Chardonnay trounced France. Unlike that first film, 2008’s Bottle Shock, Kamen’s screenplay will focus more heavily on Steven Spurrier, the wine merchant who organized the blind tasting, and Stag’s Leap winemaker Warren Winiarski, whose red wine took top honors during the event. The film is based on the accounts of George Taber, the only journalist invited to attend the Judgment. Kamen himself is no stranger to winemaking: he owns Kamen Estate Wines in Sonoma.

Jean-Guillame Prats, the new head of Moët Hennessy’s Estates & Wines division, unveiled the company’s timeline for its Indian and Chinese wine projects. Domaine Chandon in India is set to launch its inaugural 2012 vintage in Mumbai in October, while construction is underway near Nashik, Maharashtra on Moët Hennessy’s first Indian winery. The label’s Chinese operation is set to open a new winery in the Ningxia Province, close to the Mongolian border, while 2013 marks the first harvest for Domaine Chandon’s red wine. Domaine Chandon also produced a 2012 sparkling wine as part of its Chinese plans, though it won’t appear on the market until 2014.
 

The article is from http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Enthusiast-Magazine/June-2013/Cliff-Ledes-Vineyards-partner-with-Fashion-Designer-Derek-Lam-for-Capsule-Collection-Series/