BUZZ - Trends, News and Views

By Editors: September 2009

Our quick (and unscientific) look at some of the trends and news we find interesting and relevant

"Moonshine returns!"

"The fabled liquor of outlaws and gangsters is making a comeback with craft distillers. Too bad it's still illegal."

This article by Catherine Price from salon.com does a nice job introducing the reader to the basics of moonshine as well as highlighting it's comeback.

Price writes: "...moonshine itself is not particularly sinister -- while it most often refers to whiskey, it's just a catch-all term for any spirit that's untaxed and illegally distilled. The word comes from the ideal conditions in which to make it: A moonlit night just bright enough to see what you're doing but dark enough that it's easy to hide."

Learn more about moonshine and why you don't want to try this at home at Salon.com»

20,000 avocados to be given away, and a visit from Miss Ava Cado

(Our favorite story pitch this month!)

In the Toronto area on Wednesday, Sept. 16? Miss Ava Cado, Mexico’s sultry avocado ambassador, will be traveling to Toronto in honor of Mexican Independence Day. She plans to introduce Toronto to her culture, music and her favorite creamy fruit: avocados from Mexico.

She will be giving away 20,000 avocados on Sept. 16 from 6 to 11 a.m. outside of Union Station at the corner of Front and Bay streets.

Trivia: Mexico exports over 836 million avocados a year.

"Bacon Day" was September 5

In case you missed it here is your chance to at least read up on the topic:

After all, it's not just a rumor that there are bacon flavored cocktails and beer (and even lipstick).

Don't believe us? Read Sarah Boesveld's article "Bacon: A new wave of cured-pork mania" from the Globe and Mail.

Full article at Globeandmail.com»

"Veddy Unfortunate"

How the greatest wine hoax ever has diminished a brilliant British oenophile.

Looking for an early gift for the wine lover on your list? Try the book, The Billionaire's Vinegar. Not sure what it's about? Read Mike Steinberger's story from slate.com and you'll no doubt will be hooked. Here are some highlights:

"Last month, British wine expert Michael Broadbent filed a libel suit in London against Random House over Benjamin Wallace's best-selling book, The Billionaire's Vinegar."

"Broadbent, the legendary former head of Christie's wine department, alleges that Wallace defamed him in his gripping whodunit about the so-called Thomas Jefferson bottles—a trove of wines initially said to have belonged to the oenophilic Virginian but now almost universally believed to have been fakes."

Read Mike Stenberger's article here at slate.com »

"Two Cheers for France"

"The country's vineyards are in trouble. But it still makes the world's best wines."

Also from Mike Stenberger of slate.com comes this update on the French Wine industry."These are grim days for the French wine industry." Why, you ask? apparently it is:

"hemorrhaging market share abroad";
"domestic consumption continues to plummet";
"thousands of vintners are in desperate financial straits";
"the appellation system that regulates much of French viticulture is a shambles"; and
"French politicians are exhibiting bizarrely prohibitionist tendencies"

Still not convinced? According to Steinberger, "The problems in France's cellars and vineyards add up to, probably, the biggest wine story of the decade."

Read the full article here »

A couple of Whisky notes:

"Rare whisky collection auctioned"

Here's an auction you might enjoy: A rare collection of about 3,000 bottles of whisky is to go under the hammer at auction later this year. More»

"The worlds largest bottle of whisky"

From the pages of The Scottish Sun comes a picture of the world's largest bottle of whisky. The 1-1/2 metre high bottle holds 105 litres of 14-year-old Tomintoul single malt whisky. See the picture here»

"Australian whisky steps onto world stage"

Where in Australia do you find whisky you ask? Apparently in Tasmania, "where a combination of good quality barley, pure water sources, highland peat bogs and a cold climate create a perfect location to make malt whisky. Learn more here»

"Whisk(e)y Debate hammers away"

Don't you wish your University debate team tackled this issue? From Melody Baetens of The Detroit News: "The Debate featured a conversation between representatives of Canadian whisky, American bourbon and Scotch whisky -- and of course a lot of whiskey tasting." Read the full article»