Top 10 Australian fine wines 27th December, 2012 by Rupert Millar Australia is rapidly gaining ground in the trade and the public’s estimation as a fine-wine producing country of note. As we said in the drinks business September issue: “The Australian wine investment market has evolved significantly over the past few years. Grange, once Australia’s only serious investment wine, now leads an ever-growing list of wines regularly traded for both profit and pleasure, with new players entering the fold.” As the piece also made clear, in the 1990s Robert Parker’s high scores for certain wines (such as Torbreck RunRig and others which are not listed here) show that Australia has been rising for a long time and not been entirely unnoticed. What makes Australia increasingly compelling is the mix of growing reputation and renown, the emergence of clearer regional narratives coupled with greater evidence of all-important geographical characteristics in the wine, relatively low prices and the realisation that many of the best wines have the potential to age for a considerable amount of time.

Several Australian companies are investing heavily in Asia too, and there is increasing interest for that doyenne of Australian wines, Penfolds Grange – though little is exported directly for now. The list here is based on Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine Index (LCAWI), which follows what are considered to be the 28 leading Australian wines, based on Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine. The wines are tracked by their performance at auction and then ranked as “exceptional”, “outstanding”, “excellent” or “distinguished”. The index utilises Langton’s considerable database, which allows it to track wines back to the 1980s.It just won’t stop when it comes to trademark disputes involving the alcohol industry. Such disputes between wine, beer, and liquor companies are legion. In such a crowded industry, it needs to be hammered home that the purpose of trademark law is not so that big companies can bully smaller companies, but rather so that customers are protected from imitation products and from being confused as to who they are buying from.

The latest such dispute is between Butterball, the turkey-selling king based out of North Carolina, and a small wine company in Australia. At issue is one of McWilliam’s Wines Group’s chardonnays, which the company has branded as its Butterball Chardonnay.best red wine italian According to a complaint filed Dec. 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Butterball states that McWilliam’s Wines Group Ltd. “produces, sells, distributes, and imports into the United States a variety of Evans & Tate branded wines, including a type of chardonnay named ‘BUTTERBALL.’”best wine shops east london Butterball states that its trademarked goods and services range from turkeys and marinades to fat fryers and mobile device software. best london wine shops

The complaint goes on to say, “The consumer goodwill associated with the BUTTERBALL Marks is one of Butterball’s most valuable assets. Accordingly, the integrity of the BUTTERBALL Marks is extremely important to Butterball and crucial to the continued vitality and growth of Butterball’s business.”wine sale online nz Notably absent from Butterball’s list of goods and services using the Butterball trademark is anything having to do with wine in particular, or even beverages in general. best sweet wine in ukAnd there is good reason for this: Butterball doesn’t make wine. best wine of turkeyA brief look at its products page confirms what everyone already knows: Butterball makes meat products, along with a few ancillary items. best red wines 2011

In other words, when you think of Butterball, you think of turkey. It seems unlikely that the company can argue it is in a competitive marketplace with a wine seller at all, never mind that there might be any kind of customer confusion that could occur due to the name.book of wine pdf And the branding of both companies doesn’t make confusion any more likely. 50 best red wines for winterHere are both brands side by side. Yeah, the branding of the wine label looks nothing like Butterball’s branding, and it has the name of the wine company clearly depicted on it. Now, I’m sure that Butterball will at some point trot out the trademark bully’s favorite excuse and claim it had to file this lawsuit or risk losing its trademark, but that isn’t actually true. It would only be true if there were actual potential confusion or a real demonstrable infringement within Butterball’s marketplace.

Neither are the case. This lawsuit is a real turkey, in other words. I’m so, so sorry… Butterball Sues Australian Wine Company Over Its ‘Butterball’ Chardonnay More Law-Related Stories From Techdirt: Court Won’t Grant Immunity To Officer Who Issued A ‘Be On The Lookout’ Order On Whistleblowing Cop Top US Surveillance Lawyer Argues That New Technology Makes The 4th Amendment Outdated Publishing Lobbyists Suck Up To Trump With Lies About Copyright, Ask Him To Kill DMCA Safe Harbors You don't have anything in your order. Perhaps you'd like to browse through our online shop? A magical day of Yalumba hospitality offering something special for all. Held on the lawns surrounding the majestic Clocktower, visit the Festival Garden for a relaxing day of regional feasting, fine wines and family fun. “Wine is a unique expression of the land. When you think about it, great wine is grown rather than made.” Yalumba is one of only four wineries around the world to have its own cooperage, highlighting our family’s dedication to the craft of winemaking: from nursery, to oak, to bottle, to glass.