You know you're having a good morning of wine reading if you are both laughing and crying....
Wiping the cobwebs from my eyes yesterday morning, I found myself clicking on the link to a Decanter article about Italy's new "Drink-Driving" campaign. I read the brief article three times. It just didn't make good common sense! Allegrini is reportedly giving away a bottle of Palazzo della Torre to anyone who manages to drive sober after a night out. (How they are enforcing this, who knows, but....) Decanter stated this "Drink-Driving" campaign was not only to increase awareness about alcohol-related driving deaths but also to revitalize the slackening restaurant business. Great idea. Except isn't "Drink Driving" a bit of an oxymoron? Is the idea you are driving home with your free, uncorked bottle? No, that can't be it....
I had the great pleasure of meeting Marilisa Allegrini over lunch about a year and a half ago. She came to Boston to show her family's Veneto wares. They are lovely. She is lovely. It turns out she didn't initially commit to the family wine business, pursuing her own path first. I found her incredibly dynamic and market savvy. So I'm not surprised that Allegrini is collaborating on such a campaign. It just doesn't seem like Marilisa to get behind an idea called "Drink Driving". And then it hit me. A translation error must be at play! It isn't a "drink driving" campaign; it's a "drUnk driving" campaign. Yes, I'm laughing at myself too - but apparently I'm not the only one who didn't apply their own rational mind to the equation. If you read the comments below the article, you can see what I mean for yourself. I blame a busy week and a general lack of sleep... Too funny, too interesting not to share.
In other wine news, I was sad to see Duval-Leroy is giving aluminum Champagne stoppers a go. Champagne is sacred. I believe in cork when it comes to that one. Read for yourself, here.
Finally, if you're in California, Michigan or Atlanta, perhaps you've had the chance to taste wine out of a tap. If you're in New York City, perhaps you've heard it might be coming. The rest of us, well, we'll see when it all might come to fruition. Cool idea though. Check it out!
How do you feel about the alumunium stopper? What about wine on tap?