Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/74662
WineEast its own vodka ice wine. It was the type of cocktail that would appeal to a new de- mographic of consumers who would prefer drinking ice wine in a martini setting to a dessert wine setting. In October 2008, Schmidt met with the winery's ownership, Jim DeGasperis and other board members to discuss the concept of vodka ice wine. Schmidt said he could make it, and DeGasperis was sure he could market it. The new product was to be a vodka ice wine martini that was a blend of approximately half Vidal ice wine and half Canadian vodka. It would taste like ice wine but avoid its heavy sweetness. No mention of ice wine Naming the new product was a challenge. Winery executives wanted to differentiate it from ice wine, so they decided to put it in 500ml and 750ml bottles with no mention of Vidal or ice wine on the label. Then the search started for a catchy trade name. The winery's marketing company came up with the word Vice: "V" for vodka and "ice" for ice wine. The play on words with "vice" was of squads" connote drugs and organized crime. However, when winery staffers Googled "vice," the first search result was a list of the seven deadly sins such as gluttony, greed and sloth, all of which had nothing to do with modern vices. Gluttony and greed, in fact, seemed to have a perfect association with the prod- uct and gave everyone a lot of confidence in the name. It took one month to come up with the appropriate blend for Vice and nine months to get legal approval in Canada. The product category, a vodka-ice wine martini, was a new one for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, and the concept of putting ice wine and vodka together confused every regulatory de- partment at the LCBO and the Ontario and Canadian governments. Trouble with TTB GreenHoe_NewAd_1/4_9/22.qxp 9/28/09 9:30 AM Page 1 some concern because "vice" and "vice When Vineland Estates went to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in the United States to get label approval for its vodka ice wine martini, the name was turned down on the grounds that anything Marketing Vineland Estates president Allan Schmidt hatched the idea for a vodka-ice wine blend. LakewoodCork_WE_Oct08.qxp 9/8/08 2:20 PM Page 1 called martini had to have vermouth in it. The attorneys for the winery did some research and discovered that 17 products made by some of the largest wineries in the United States were being marketed with brand names that included the word martini without having any vermouth in them. GÜLTIG® GREEN GRAPE HOE Specialized Tools For Vineyards Weed Control and In-Row cultivation Basic Hoe comes with a Hillup and a Takeaway Blade. Additional attach- ments include .3 Tooth Cultivator, Undercutter Blade, CORKS The benchmark of quality for over 40 years 1953 – Gültig revolutionizes bottling with "Sterile Corks", PE bags injected with SO2 now an industry standard. 1986 – Gültig introduces the Hydrogen Peroxide cork with no residual H2 O2 1995– ISO NORM 9002 Certification monitored Quality Assurance. Green Hoe with Rotary Head Attachment Rotary head, "NEW" Rolling Cultivator and "New" Brush Rake for removing trimmings out from under the trellis. 6645 West Main Road Portland, NY 14769 PHONE (716) 792-9433 FAX (716) 792-9434 WWW.GREENHOECOMPANY.COM 110 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2011 2001– VISION® synthetic stoppers introduced. 2002– Quality control assuredwith GC/MS testing for TCA on every batch. 2004– Introduction of the HACCP system in the cork production. Always– Fast, knowledgeable service. East Coast Gültig® Sales Representatives: Chris & Liz Stamp • Lakewood Cork 4024 State Route 14, Watkins Glen, NY 14891 607-535-9252 or 607-426-4551 • Fax: (607) 535-6656 Oenoman@onlineimage.com QSEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #E1g –