Friday, February 3, 2017

QUEEN'S NEW SPARKLING WINES MADE IN HER CASTLE

Great Windsor Park Sparking Wines from Queen Elizabeth Windsor Castle
Great Windsor Park Sparking Wines from Queen Elizabeth Windsor Castle

The British royal family has agreed to allow in 2011 one of the largest British wine retailers (Laithwaites) to plant French grape wine varietals (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and inot Meunier) on one of their property, in fact a few minutes away from Queen's Elizabeth II residence near Windsor Castle. This grape varietal set is the exact varietal set one would use to make sparkling wines.

Great Windsor Park Vineyard, Aerial View
Great Windsor Park Vineyard, Aerial View

"Tony Laithwaite grew up in Windsor. He loved Windsor Great Park as a boy and relished the opportunity to make wine here when, in 2011, Laithwaite's was permitted by The Crown Estate and the Royal Farms to revive an ancient vineyard tradition ... planting the classic Champagne grapes - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier." Laithwaites.co.uk

Well guess what? Now the British royal family has its own line of sparkling wines, from grapes grown in Windsor Great Park. The first batch of Windsor Vineyard English Quality Sparkling Wine was harvested in 2013, and let to rest to produce only 3,000 bottles of sparkling wines and sold out quickly for $44 in the UK.

The second delivery will be available in fall 2017 at British retailer Laithwaite's, and it is believed to be sold quickly.

Watch this superb video, history in the making!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgZqtjKnXKM&w=560&h=315]

The production is expected to be about 20,000 bottles in 6 years, which will make a new competitor for champagnes.

Sources: Refinery29Laithwaites

HOW MUCH IS A SPIRIT START-UP WORTH? ANSWER FROM CAMPARI BUYING BULLDOG GIN

Bulldog Gin Sold to Gruppo Campari February 2017
Bulldog Gin Sold to Gruppo Campari February 2017

It is not often that one gets to see the insider of a transaction and get to read the details.

Shanken Daily News offers this info:
"Italy’s Gruppo Campari has acquired Bulldog Gin for roughly $58 million.
Launched in the U.S. in 2007 by entrepreneur and investment banker Anshuman Vohra, Bulldog (roughly $26 a 750-ml.) is currently available in nearly 100 markets around the globe, with a strong concentration in Europe.

. Bulldog sold around 150,000 cases in total in 2016.
. The brand’s net sales were around $12 million (+22% sales previous year).

The deal values the independently-owned Bulldog at approximately 13.6 times the expected CAAP (contribution after advertising and promotion) of about €4 million ($4.3m) in 2017."

The ratios are starting to look like those App start-ups and Dot-Com Companies.
There is a spirit valley after all!