Exclusive news and research on the wine, spirits and beer business

May 25, 2012

?German producer Schmitt S?hne has added three new wines to its portfolio?Relax Pinot Grigio, Relax Pink and F?nf Sangria. Relax Pinot Grigio and Pink (both $9.99 a 750-ml. bottle) join Cool Red and Riesling in the Relax brand lineup. F?nf Sangria ($7.99 a 750-ml.) is the fourth addition to the F?nf range?which also includes Sassy White, Sweet Red and Moscato?and comes in the same white-painted bottle with the brand?s trademark silver ?5? on the front label (f?nf means ?five? in German). Relax, an Impact ?Hot Brand,? depleted 398,000 nine-liter cases in the U.S. in 2011 on a 10.6% volume increase, while F?nf was up 22.5% to approximately 134,000 cases, according to Impact Databank.

?MillerCoors is planning several upcoming new product offerings for the summer and fall. Its fast-growing Blue Moon brand will be extended with a Caramel Apple Spiced Ale in time for the next blue moon on August 31. Meanwhile, the brewer?s Leinenkugel brand will introduce Lemon Berry Shandy and Snowdrift Vanilla Porter versions this year. Both Leinenkugel and Blue Moon are marketed under MillerCoors? craft and import unit Tenth and Blake. MillerCoors is also playing up its recent introduction of aluminum bottles on its Coors Light, Coors Banquet, Miller Genuine Draft and Molson Canadian brands as suited to outdoor summer drinking occasions.

?Morgan?s Pier?a destination beer garden concept?has opened in Philadelphia?s Delaware River waterfront district. The seasonal venue is part of the city?s waterfront rejuvenation project. In addition to wine, spirits and cocktails, Morgan?s Pier will feature a rotating selection of domestic craft beers, including drafts from regional brewers like Dogfish Head and Troegs Brewing Company, and more than 20 canned beer offerings. A menu by chef David Katz will be offered until 11 p.m. each night, and a series of guest chefs will make single-day appearances throughout the summer.

?Wirtz Beverage Illinois has debuted a 4,000-square-foot test bar and kitchen called the Alchemy Room within its new $80 million, 605,000-square-foot offices and headquarters in Cicero, Illinois. The Alchemy Room boasts a professional-grade kitchen with a multi-bottle wine fridge, a 38-foot, 18-seat granite bar, tables and seating for lectures and events, an iPad-controlled multimedia system and an extensive inventory of spirits distributed by Wirtz. The space can accommodate 110 people and is designed to be a laboratory and training center for Wirtz employees and customers. Wirtz beverage development manager Eric Hay will offer bartending classes and consulting. Wirtz Beverage Illinois is the flagship unit of Wirtz Beverage Group, with more than $1.5 billion in annual sales.

Tagged : beer, craft beer, MillerCoors, wine

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Publicist: Actress Keira Knightley engaged

LONDON (AP) ? The publicist for "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Keira Knightley says the actress is engaged to be married.

Publicist Sara Keene Friday confirmed the engagement. She says she does not have further details about the wedding plans.

The Oscar-nominated 27-year-old actress who first won acclaim for her role in "Bend It Like Beckham" is to marry musician James Righton.

He is a keyboardist with the Klaxons band.

The couple started dating early last year.

Associated Press

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Israeli archaeologists find rare ancient jewelry

In this photo taken Wednesday, May 23, 2012 an ancient jewel discovered by Israeli archaeologists is displayed at the Tel Aviv University, Israel. Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a stash of rare ancient jewelry near the site of the biblical Armageddon in the north of the country. Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, who co-directed the dig, said this week that the find offers a rare glimpse into ancient Canaanite high society. The 3,000-year-old jewelry was found inside a ceramic vessel, suggesting the owner hid them before fleeing, he said. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

In this photo taken Wednesday, May 23, 2012 an ancient jewel discovered by Israeli archaeologists is displayed at the Tel Aviv University, Israel. Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a stash of rare ancient jewelry near the site of the biblical Armageddon in the north of the country. Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, who co-directed the dig, said this week that the find offers a rare glimpse into ancient Canaanite high society. The 3,000-year-old jewelry was found inside a ceramic vessel, suggesting the owner hid them before fleeing, he said. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

In this photo taken Wednesday, May 23, 2012, ancient jewelry discovered by Israeli archaeologists is displayed at the Tel Aviv University, Israel. Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a stash of rare ancient jewelry near the site of the biblical Armageddon in the north of the country. Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, who co-directed the dig, said this week that the find offers a rare glimpse into ancient Canaanite high society. The 3,000-year-old jewelry was found inside a ceramic vessel, suggesting the owner hid them before fleeing, he said. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

In this photo taken Wednesday, May 23, 2012 ancient jewelry discovered by Israeli archaeologists is displayed at the Tel Aviv University, Israel. Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a stash of rare ancient jewelry near the site of the biblical Armageddon in the north of the country. Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, who co-directed the dig, said this week that the find offers a rare glimpse into ancient Canaanite high society. The 3,000-year-old jewelry was found inside a ceramic vessel, suggesting the owner hid them before fleeing, he said. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

In this photo taken Wednesday, May 23, 2012 ancient jewelry discovered by Israeli archaeologists is displayed at the Tel Aviv University, Israel. Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a stash of rare ancient jewelry near the site of the biblical Armageddon in the north of the country. Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, who co-directed the dig, said this week that the find offers a rare glimpse into ancient Canaanite high society. The 3,000-year-old jewelry was found inside a ceramic vessel, suggesting the owner hid them before fleeing, he said. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

In this photo taken Wednesday, May 23, 2012 professor Israel Finkelstein sits in his desk at the Tel Aviv University, Israel. Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a stash of rare ancient jewelry near the site of the biblical Armageddon in the north of the country. Finkelstein, who co-directed the dig, said this week that the find offers a rare glimpse into ancient Canaanite high society. The 3,000-year-old jewelry was found inside a ceramic vessel, suggesting the owner hid them before fleeing, he said. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) ? Israeli archaeologists have discovered a rare trove of 3,000-year-old jewelry, including a ring and earrings, hidden in a ceramic jug near the ancient city of Megiddo, where the New Testament predicts the final battle of Armageddon.

Archaeologists who unearthed the jug during excavations at the site in 2010 left it in a laboratory while they waited for a molecular analysis of what was inside. When they were finally able to clean it, pieces of gold jewelry ? a ring, earrings, and beads ? dating to around 1100 B.C. poured out.

Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University, who co-directed the dig, said that the find offers a rare glimpse into ancient Canaanite high society. He said the fact that the jewelry was found inside the jug suggested that the owner hid them there.

Finkelstein said the jewelry likely belonged to a Canaanite family.

"We can guess that it was a rich family, probably belonging to the ruling elite," he said.

Tel Aviv University called the trove "among the most valuable ever found from the Biblical period," adding that one piece in particular, a gold earring decorated with molded ibexes, or wild goats, is "without parallel."

It said in a statement this week that the objects were either owned by Egyptians living in the area or inspired by the Egyptian style of the period.

Aren Maeir, an archaeologist at Bar Ilan University, said that because the raw materials used come are not from the area, the find "tells us about international relations ... and about technical traditions used at the time."

Megiddo was an important trade center in ancient times. According to the New Testament, Megiddo will be the site of the final apocalyptic battle between good and evil.

Associated Press

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FCC to Public: Is Your Cellphone Carrier ... - mobile apps news

May 25, 2012 by Ina Fried

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday asked the public for comment on whether cellphone carriers need to do a better job of protecting the kinds of information being gathered on modern smartphones.

Shutterstock/P?ter Gudella

One of the agency?s mandates is to make sure that the carriers are securely protecting the information they collect from their customers. For example, phone companies have to protect the databases that store the information on call records and other data.

The question on what steps they must take when it comes to information on devices is a tricker one. The FCC looked into this question back in 2007. At the time, the carriers contended that information stored on phones wasn?t information they were collecting, but rather data being voluntarily entered by consumers.

However, the FCC thinks it might be time to revisit this given revelations last year that there is software, such as that from Carrier IQ, that is preinstalled and collecting information that users are largely unaware of and unable to control.

?Since the Commission last solicited public input on this question five years ago, technologies and business practices have evolved dramatically,? the FCC said in the document seeking comments. ?The devices consumers use to access mobile wireless networks have become more sophisticated and powerful, and their expanded capabilities have at times been used by wireless providers to collect information about particular customers? use of the network ? sometimes, it appears, without informing the customer.?

The FCC isn?t taking issue with the collection of such information, but rather is examining what duties the carriers might have to encrypt or protect such information. Carrier IQ doesn?t encrypt the data it collects, but does store it in a binary format not generally accessible to other applications, the company said.

?We haven?t gone to that extent because we haven?t needed to,? Carrier IQ Vice President Andrew Coward told AllThingsD on Friday. ?If the industry decided we needed to, then we would take that step.?

Carrier IQ is also taking steps to allow customers to see the information that is being collected about them by their software.

Following the comment period, the FCC could decide to, among other things, take no action, clarify its existing rules or propose new rules.

[Image via / ]

Category Carrier IQ, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, Location, Mobile, News, privacy, security, smartphones | Tags: , General

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Kidman "oversexed Barbie Doll" in gritty Cannes film

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5 ways to master the art of business networking | Africa Report

The key to successful networking is being able to interact with people. Here?s how to walk the walk and talk to the people that matter.

By Craig Falck for Africa Report

1. The number one rule of networking is to be seen.
It doesn?t matter what the event is, make sure that your name is on the invite list and attend. This is the only way to meet people and make contacts within the industry.

2. Mingle as if you?re single.
If you?re going to sit at the bar in the corner, you might as well not be there. You need to talk to other people at events and tell them your name, your business and what it is that you do. First impressions last, so make sure that you give them something they won?t soon forget.

3. Know what you?re talking about.
When it comes to any particular industry, there are a lot of specialists who know a lot about the products and services on offer. Have your facts on hand about your business and goods and give them something to talk about when you explain what sets you apart from the rest.

4. Listen and you will be listened to.
When you?re mingling, listen to what people have to say. This will give you insight into who they are, what they like and where their interests lie. Then, use this to your advantage and bring up a topic that gives you common ground. This will break any ice and help make friends in the biz.

5. Always have business cards on hand.
Not only could you win cool prizes when you enter at the door (most events have lucky draws), but you?ll also be able to hand them out while you?re busy networking. The people you meet now have a way of contacting you, as well as a reminder ? they?ll remember you when they empty their pockets at the office the next morning.

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Black workers file charges over noose in locker room

By Martha C. White

Three African-American workers at a Siemens Energy facility in New Jersey have filed charges of discrimination with the?Equal Employment Opportunity Commission?and the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights after they said years of racial harassment recently culminated in their finding a noose hanging in front of their lockers.?

"The complainants ... are pursuing these charges and will be filing a federal lawsuit in the hopes of bringing to light and changing the current climate of open racial discrimination at this facility," Brian K. Wiley, the lawyer representing the employees, said via email.?

In January, four-year Siemens employee David Solomon said he entered the workers' changing area and found a noose hanging "right next to my locker." He photographed the noose and alerted his co-workers, Eddie Clarke and Barry Murphy. In an April 4 affidavit, all three testified that they had seen the noose and detailed numerous other instances of racial discrimination.

"I felt (as)?though a clear?message was being sent to the black employees at Siemens to shut up, do what your [sic] told and stop complaining about being treated unfairly or we would be lynched," Solomon wrote. "Every person in power at my job is white. There are no black supervisors, and no African?-Americans to report this too [sic]."?

Clarke wrote in his statement that he had been physically threatened by his supervisor after voicing complaints about a discriminatory work environment in which African-Americans were denied the opportunity for advancement. "My supervisor had previously?warned me a few years back that if I complained of racial bias in the workplace any further I would get caught in 'friendly fire,' " he wrote. "The?supervisor approached me shortly after and expressed surprise that I was 'still alive.?"

Siemens responded with a statement calling hanging a noose in the workplace a "deplorable, aggressive act" and said the company "promptly notified law enforcement." Company spokeswoman Camille Johnston said via email, "We have been in contact with federal, state and local authorities," without providing details of which agencies.?

In its statement, Siemens said it initiated an internal investigation, which it concluded after?the company's "corporate security team that included members with 30+ years of experience with the Federal Bureau of Investigation ...?could not find any evidence of how the noose got there."

Wiley countered the assertion that Siemens proactively contacted police.

"To be clear, it was the complainants who contacted law enforcement to report what has happened to them," he said. "While we do not have the ability to know whether Siemens contacted law enforcement as they claim, we can say with certainty that none of the three victims was contacted by any law enforcement agency."?

Between 2006 and 2010, the EEOC ordered eight companies to pay a total of nearly $5.2 million stemming from cases of racial discrimination or harassment that involved nooses. The agency's site says it is illegal for race or skin color to impact "hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment."?It also says the display "racially offensive symbols" constitutes illegal racial harrassment.?

"The company is responding to the EEOC charges as appropriate," Johnston said.?An EEOC spokesman declined to comment.

Wiley said no specific amount of damages had been determined for the federal lawsuit he plans to file on behalf of the three men. "There's no real way to quantify" the impact that years ? decades in the case of Murphy, a Siemens employee since 1966 ? worth of denied advancement opportunities and hostile working conditions had on his clients. "[Siemens] conceivably could be responsible for a large amount," he said.

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