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BUZZ - Trends, News and Views
By Editors: May 2008
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Our quick (and unscientific) look at some of the trends and news we find interesting and relevant
The Revival of Cognac - Continued...
We have recently posted a couple of different articles highlighting how Cognac is staging a comeback, and now a new in depth article on the topic from Slate.com.
This recent article is titled "Cognac Attack! - The King of Brandies is Back. Which ones are Worth Drinking?" by Mike Steinberger. This article offers this top line theory on the revival of Cognac, "Credit its revival to an unlikely union of American rap stars, Chinese and Russian fat cats, and hipster bartenders." For the full Slate article on this famous and "trendy" brandy please visit Slate.com
For another look at Cognac try our article on pairing Cognac and Chocolate
"Kosher Wines Don't Suck Anymore"
"In case you haven't heard the news, kosher wines don't suck anymore." How can you not want to read an article that starts out with that heading?
Also from Mike Steinberger at Slate.com comes this review of Kosher Wine and the growing wine industry in Israel. Haven't heard about the Israeli wine industry? According to Steinberger "The results have been encouraging, a point that was reinforced recently when Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded 14 Israeli wines scores of 90 or above." For more on the Israeli wine industry visit the full article on Slate.com >
The Incredible Shrinking Restaurant Portion
Just don't mess with my 5.99 Grand Slam breakfast...
"Many restaurants are putting the great American portion — a monstrosity by the standards of international cuisine — on a diet, as surreptitiously as possible" according to David Segal in this article from the Seattle Times. Skewering shrimp before boiling them to make them look bigger is just one of the eye opening examples of the restaurant industry looking to trim costs.
"Pinched by soaring food costs on the one hand and a recession-fearing public on the other, the restaurant industry is getting crafty. Chefs are tinkering with recipes, swapping out expensive ingredients for cheaper ones." Read this interesting article from the Seattle Times>
Sourz Design School Challenge
Sourz, the zingy liquor brand known for its playful personality and versatility, recently named the winners of its first-ever Sourz Design School Challenge, an all-out creative ideas competition that saw the brand partner with students in the fashion, advertising and design programs at George Brown and Humber Colleges in Toronto.
In January 2008, legal drinking aged teams at each school were tasked to create all-new brand platforms for Sourz that included everything from point-of-sale and collateral materials to marketing strategies and ideas, as well as new drink recipes and designs for branded bar-staff clothing.
“The Sourz Design School Challenge was a way for us to reach out to an extremely creative group of people,” says Franco Timpano, Brand Manager at Maxxium Canada, which markets and distributes the liquor brand. “And they did not disappoint. We were blown away by the sheer creativity and thoughtfulness we saw in the final presentations.”
Watch for the winning promotional, marketing and design ideas which will be incorporated into the new Sourz brand platform, which will roll out over the course of 2008 and beyond. ..
