In 2008 we recommend our readers try a wine its likely they have either never had, think is too girly to have, or have not had in a really long time.

That wine is Rose, yes guys you too.

Rose wine does have a pink-ish color and will be low in tannins. They will drink more like a white.

Many connoisseurs don't have Rose high up on their list. But, it is summertime and Rose tastes awesome cold. It's about as refreshing as a margarita only two glasses won't get you as tipsy.

So...go to your trusted local shop, pick up a bottle of Rose. Chill it, pop it open and enjoy.

Want a personalized recommendation? Shoot us an email at: sb@worldwinegroups.com , or drop us a line on Twitter or Facebook.

Cheers to a very happy 4th!

The World Wine Groups has posted its June winning wine from the Sonoma Regional, Zinfandel.  Click Here to see the Results.

If you haven't signed up for Twitter, we recommend that you do so. It's a ton of fun and it answers the question (very concisely), "What Am I Doing?"

@samirbh

@Jensandiegoca

Cheers,

Samir and Jen.

John Stuart, the owner of a wine shop in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon has lost a dispute with the liquor commission. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) has disallowed Mr. Stuart from letting his customers use a one ounce self dispensing machine. He spent $125,000 after the OLCC told him it was OK to do so about a year and a half ago.

Full article can be found by clicking here.

In a state where wine sales do occur in big retailers, such as Vons in California, consumers do benefit with more competitive pricing. However, in general those big box stores tend to carry more of the mass produced and mass marketed brands such as Yellowtail instead of some of the smaller batch boutique wines that you can find from your local wine shop.

http://www.beverageworld.com/content/view/34883/

TRENTON, N.J.: New Jersey lawmakers are again considering plans to allow beer and wine sales in grocery stores. While 45 states allow such sales, New Jersey limits supermarket chains to two total liquor licenses. It also mandates that the liquor be sold separately from groceries, usually in an adjoining store.

Major supermarket chains are working to change that, but smaller liquor store owners fear the change would drive them out of business.

"The big guys are going to wipe out the little guys," Jeffrey Warsh, executive director of the New Jersey Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association, told lawmakers in a December hearing.

Legislators took no action during last year's hearing, but Sen. Raymond Lesniak, the bill's sponsor, expects a vote Monday by the Senate Economic Growth committee. He predicted the bill will pass.

The measure is backed by a coalition that includes QuickChek, Stop & Shop, SuperValu, Wegmans, Pathmark, Whole Foods Market and Albertsons, which owns Acme.

Otto Leuschel, chairman of the Retailers for Responsible Liquor Licensing coalition, said consumers would be assured more convenience and choice with one-stop shopping.

"With the many burdens that New Jersey residents currently face, such as the economic downturn and the rise in gas prices, consumers are looking for ways to improve their hectic days," he said.

The New Jersey law was adopted in 1962 to prevent price fixing and monopolization and to address organized crime.

Fred Leighton, owner of Bayway World of Liquor in Elizabeth, has doubted a need for the bill.

"Do we really need or want more convenience in the sale of alcohol in this state?" Leighton asked. "Do we need it? I mean, we're not in Texas where you have to drive a hundred miles. New Jersey is a dense state -- if you need alcohol, there's plenty of opportunity to find it." 

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. 

The World Wine Groups, LLC has standardized on a 100 point system for reviewing and scoring wines.  Click Here to Read our Ratings System.

Public Scoring

We listened to you and the World Wine Groups, LLC has now launched a beta 100 point public scoring system.  This easy to use new scoring system allows anonymous scoring entry via our entry page.  This scoring is for the public who doesn't want to "log-in" or keep track of their own scores and reviews but they do want to contribute to the overall scoring and ratings of the community.   

Top Rated Wines

In addition, we are now keeping a list of the top rated wines from our users in the Winning Wines Section of the website.  This list will contain the top scored wines, dynamically updated minute by minute.  This is just the first in a long que of updates we will have for our users to help them select and review wines scored by the community.

Now Accepting Applications for User Scoring

In addition to public scoring, we are now accepting applications to use our beta user scoring application.  This application will allow you to score and review wines and keep a close watch on what you've tasted, your favorite countries and varietals.  In addition, this application has special features for wine groups who want to score while they are tasting. Click Here to Submit an Application.

An Indianapolis Winery, Chateau Thomas Winery, is set to release a no-calorie, no-carb wine today at an Indiana Wine Festival.  World Wine Groups looks forward to getting a hold of one of these bottles and tasting it!  We will keep you posted.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/LIVING07/806060445/1272/LIVING07

You know it is a great week when you turn on the Today Show and watch Matt Lauer telling you to drink more wine!  A study that was released this week tells us that a compound, Resveratrol, may protect the heart and slow the effects of aging.  This is a "no brainer" for any one who has hung out with their italian family and watched their 80 year old relatives sip down jug after jug of table wine.  Usually these tests are done on mice, and we are not sure how many bottles of wine these mice had to drink, but we hope they were drinking something good. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/05/AR2008060501420.html

Apparently a few other wineries have attempted the method for still wines and Roederer is the first to try it with sparkling wine.

PARIS (Reuters) - One of France's oldest champagne producers is testing a new way of ageing its bubbly: on the seabed off northern France.

Louis Roederer wants to find out if its wine tastes better if it is kept in cold sea water and rocked by currents than in the cellars of the city of Reims, where it is normally stored.

Roederer said on Monday it had placed several dozen bottles 15 metres (50 feet) underwater in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, a rocky tidal island off the coast of Normandy, last weekend.

A cellarman came up with the idea after realising that the water temperature in the bay, a constant 10 degrees Celsius (50.00F), was ideal for ageing wine.

http://africa.reuters.com/odd/news/usnL02767619.html

The couple became wine afficionados when David was playing for Real Madrid in Spain. David purchased the California vineyard for an undisclosed sum (rumored to be seven figures) in the Napa Valley region. The wine is not scheduled to be commercially available, rather for friends and family. 

According to the grapevine, lots of pun intended, David presented Victoria with a bottle of wine, featuring her on the label while the couple was taking holiday in the Napa area.

A great interview with the Beckhams may be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P842Tmi6lrc