Industry News
BASF and AgraQuest Announce Agreement for the Biofungicide Serenade®
Chemical company BASF and AgraQuest, Inc., a biological and low-chemical pest management solutions provider, have entered into a license, supply and distribution agreement for Serenade®, a bio-fungicide product with disease control. The deal will allow BASF to distribute existing Serenade® products. The parties have agreed not to disclose financial terms.
The agreement gives BASF rights to Serenade® for foliar and drench applications in agricultural crops in many countries throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. These rights include exclusive distribution in countries not covered by existing AgraQuest partnerships.
The company said that growers will see many benefits from the partnership: Serenade® provides growers with a solution for unmet needs in the food production value chain as a fungicide and bactericide which can also be sprayed shortly before harvest. Additionally, the company said Serenade® provides growers with a fungicide resistance management tool: the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) recently added Serenade® to its list of approved products. Growers also gain access to markets with strict pesticide residue restrictions due to Serenade's exemption from residue tolerances.
"Serenade® is an innovative bio-fungicide that offers a novel solution to farmers battling crop diseases," said Markus Heldt, head of BASF's global crop protection division. "Serenade® is an ideal fit with our existing line of fungicide products and will play an important role in BASF's spray programs."
BASF will distribute two ready formulations, the liquid Serenade® ASO and the wettable powder Serenade® MAX.
The patented active ingredient in Serenade®, Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713, is registered as a fungicide in 25 countries and has obtained Annex 1 listing in the EU. Serenade® has proven its broad spectrum disease control on over 50 crops through 6,000 field trials worldwide, according to the company.
For more information, visit www.basf.com or www.agraquest.com.
New Products
Cork Supply Releases MicroAgglo Corks
Cork Supply is now offering micro-agglomerated corks--an economical alternative closure made from natural corkwood that the company said delivers technologically advanced quality, performance and consistency with virtually zero TCA.
Each micro-agglo cork from Cork Supply consists of a single body formed from fine, uniform granules of clean natural cork. According to the company, the smooth, consistently uniform diameter and shape of each closure ensures superior performance on the bottling line and off the shelf. In addition, Cork Supply said that the dense elastic body of natural cork granules provides an efficient seal against oxidation, and that each micro-agglo cork can be depended on for low and consistent oxygen transmission rates, optimum fruit character preservation, easy extraction and customer satisfaction.
Each micro-agglo cork has Vapex™, an extraction procedure that uses pressurized steam to effectively volatilize potential TCA and other off-aroma molecules from the cell structure of natural cork granules before they are formed into cork closures.
For more information, visit www.corksupply.com.
Beltappo and Novelty Group Release New Closure
Beltappo, Inc. and Novelty Group, LLC have teamed up to create the new Novelty Closure. The patented synthetic bar top closure features a hollowed interior that can hold a charm or promotional item inside the capped chamber.
The Novelty Closure was designed by Brad Joubert, president of Novelty Group, and is produced and distributed by Beltappo, Inc., a
synthetic wine closure
manufacturer.
"The idea is all about providing something unexpected and fun," said Joubert, who often refers to the inside of the closure as the "final frontier" of beverage marketing. While most of the creative interests, investments and developments of the past were reserved for the label or bottle design, the newest design, the Novelty Closure, is focused on the closure itself.
"The promotional possibilities are only limited by the imagination of the marketers; anything from a charm, token, game piece or a piece of the Berlin wall could be included," said closure producer and Beltappo president John Belforte. "Bottles with the Novelty Closure will attract attention and create exciting branding opportunities for wineries, distilleries and olive oil producers."
The Novelty Closure will be available for retail buyers as well as beverage manufacturers in customized bulk packs. Pricing and additional product information are available upon request to Beltappo, Inc.
LAFFORT Releases New Products: Biolees® Instant, Quertanin® Sweet and Intense for Aging
A few years after having developed Biolees®, LAFFORT Oenologie is now offering a new formula of this peptide, Biolees® Instant. According to the company, Biolees® Instant is 100 percent soluble, giving pure sweetness and roundness to the wine, and can be used just before bottling to adjust the balance of the wine.
This specific peptide (1,5kDa) had been identified through a whole research work on lees aging. This molecule released by the yeast during its autolysis has been identified as the one responsible for the sweetened perception in the wine after lees aging.
The regular formulation Biolees® is still available, with its yeast hull component providing a fining of polyphenols responsible for bitterness or astringency in the wine.
LAFFORT has also launched a new range of stave wood quality ellagic tannins, coming from oak heartwood, using LAFFORT's instant dissolving form (IDP). Depending on the level of extraction, the company said that the Quertanin® products enhance the wine mouthfeel and palate length, protect wine with regards to oxidation and emphasize the aromatic profile by developing the overall complexity of the wine.
For more information, visit www.laffort.com or contact Charlotte Gourraud: 415-613-0609, charlotte.gourraud@laffort.com.
Hats Off
Share Our Strength Launches Collaboration Wine to Help Support the Fight Against Childhood Hunger
Share Our Strength®, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry, announced the launch of Collaboration Wine, a private label joint venture with Clos LaChance Winery and WineStyles. Ten percent of the retail price of each bottle of Collaboration sold in WineStyles will benefit Share Our Strength's work to end childhood hunger.
Bottled by the Clos LaChance Winery on California's Central Coast, Collaboration is available in both a red and white meritage blend and is sold exclusively at WineStyles locations across the country. The wine retails for approximately $18.99 to $19.99.
In addition to Collaboration, WineStyles and Share Our Strength have developed an extensive "cause marketing partnership" that includes a Chef Wine Tasting Series, gift basket program, Taste of the Nation support and a national Share Our Strength Wine Club.
For more information: Share Our Strength, www.strength.org; WineStyles, www.winestyles.net; Clos LaChance Winery, www.clos.com.
Forever Young Benefit Raises $100,000
The Young School's Tenth Annual Forever Young fundraiser took place in March at Castello di Amorosa winery in Calistoga and attracted a lively crowd who bid not only on rare and unusual wines but also on small-scale, community-oriented lots. The event raised $100,000.
Auctioneer David Reynolds presided over the live lots while the guests enjoyed a Tuscan feast prepared in the Castello's wood-fired oven by Knickerbockers' owner/chef Shannon Kelly.
The lots included a hoe-down at a Calistoga barn, an elaborate afternoon tea, a "Kearny Street Krawl" progressive dinner stopping by four homes of Young School parents, a "spiritual summit" lunch with four of St. Helena's ministers, an abalone dinner prepared by one of the Young School teachers, a "burgers and bubbles" dinner put on by a group of parents, a "doggie play date," a tour of a local horse rescue operation by a Young School student, a domino tournament at Rianda House, a pancakes-at-your-house breakfast by a Young School student, a paella dinner by several Young School dads, the PUC Observatory-all-to-yourself for a night and more.
For more information, visit www.foreveryoungbenefit.org or www.the-youngschool.org.
Bookshelf
New Reference Book on the Wine Business Available
Greenwood Press has just released The Business of Wine: An Encyclopedia, an A-to-Z reference book that examines wine topics from a business perspective. Written by more than 60 experts from across the wine industry and related fields--including Wine Business Monthly contributors Liza Zimmerman and Mary-Colleen Tinney--this book is geared toward wine managers and executives in import and distribution companies, retailers and wineries, as well as journalists and business students with an interest in wine.
In keeping with its focus on the wine trade, the aim of The Business of Wine is to provide a comprehensive resource where professionals can delve into business aspects of wine subjects beyond the usual descriptions of vineyards and flavors that are more commonly found in wine books.
The Business of Wine: An Encyclopedia retails for $65 and is available directly through the Greenwood Press website (http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/GR5400.aspx or through Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0313354006) and other online book sellers. wbm
