Bears and birds weren’t the only predators of Northwest grapes and wine this year

January 03, 2011

While most vintners—even ice wine producers—were able to get grapes in and wines down for the winter prior to the holiday season, some grapes went astray as creatures whom many growers undoubtedly deemed “cuddly as a cactus” (to steal a line from the description of Dr. Seuss’ notorious Christmas-time villain, the Grinch) invaded vineyards and wineries from Oregon to the Okanagan. Bears scarfed down Gewürztraminer at 3,000-case Weisinger’s of Ashland in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, while growers elsewhere kept their eyes on starlings, robins and even Canada Geese, but the furred and feathered felons took a backseat to the skill of thieves at Grand Rêve Estate Vineyard on Red Mountain in Eastern Washington.
With the year coming to a close, one of the enduring mysteries is the identity of the thieves who stole 2,500 pounds of grapes from a half-acre plot of bush-vine Mourvèdre in September. The grapes were 10 days away from picking when vines were stripped clean of the clusters, robbing grower Paul McBride and winemaker James Mantone ofSyncline Cellars in Lyle, Wash., the satisfaction of seeing what kind of winegrapes from local head-trained vines would produce. Remaining fruit was harvested later in the season and fermented with some grapes from nearby Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, but Mantone told Wines & Vines it was done “just to do it.”
The theft was unique in McBride’s 18 years of growing. Harvested sometime between Sept. 15 and Sept. 20, McBride said it would have taken two to three people a few hours to strip the vines. The thieves obviously knew what they were doing. The cuts were clean; only tire tracks were left behind.“It seemed like it was done by someone who was pretty knowledgeable,” he said.While depredations by animals are one thing, McBride said grape theft is unacceptable in a young industry where collaboration helps everyone. A reward of $5,000 was offered for information regarding the culprits, but McBride said greater awareness of the crime—and its consequences—ensures that the grapes are difficult to sell to knowledgeable buyers.“This just can’t go on in the industry. It’s just not palatable,” he said.While propane cannons help scare off birds, fences are key against mammals—including humans. McBride has been mulling the prospect of video surveillance. But a gate or fence would be cheaper at just $10,000 to $15,000. The deterrent must be cost effective relative to the value of the crop. But even surveillance equipment was no use at 10,000-case Church & State Wines in Oliver, B.C., where thieves bypassed the winery’s security system at the end of November and absconded with 100 cases of red wine valued at $40,000. The winery sits in a low-lying area it calls Coyote Bowl, and thieves used a side vent in the building to extract the wines.While offering a new spin on the term “wine thief,” the incidents highlight the greater need for security at some wineries, as the Northwest becomes a more competitive place to do business. Regardless of what the economy holds, no winery wants literally to be giving its best product away, either by choice or circumstance.

Source:http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=82280&htitle=Stopping%20Vineyard%20Grinches

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices. Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world. As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years. Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.