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DEBORAH PARKER WONG VINEXPO SCRAPS BEIJING PLANS Unable to obtain an official license from the Chinese government, Vinexpo was forced to scrap plans for a two-day exhibition that was scheduled for June in Beijing. Although timing was not cited as a factor, there has been speculation that the May dates for Vinexpo AsiaPacific, a biannual fair that the organization first staged in 1998, were too close to the Beijing event. Vinexpo Asia-Pacific will be conducted in Hong Kong May 27-29; in November, Vinexpo Nippon in Tokyo will debut. "Far from being a conflict, the Beijing show was an opportunity for exhibitors to extend their stay in Asia in two different regions, and thus optimize their trip by reaching buyers in northern China who would not systematically travel to Hong Kong," said newly appointed Vinexpo CEO Guillaume Deglise. According to Deglise, producers exhibiting at Vinexpo Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong will reach a large number of Chinese visitors – more than 5,700 came from mainland China in 2012 – and meet buyers from Singapore, Japan and Malaysia. The company is taking a wait-and-see approach to future plans for remounting a Beijing fair and redirecting its efforts to attract more attendees from northern China to the Hong Kong fair, which will see a 50% increase in floor space over 2012. However, based on the amount of business that Cali- NEWS FLASH Amazon Expands Wine Shipping Amazon.com customers can now place orders on Amazon Wine (www.amazonwine.com) for delivery in New York, Michigan, Arizona and Louisiana. Amazon Wine offers wine delivery to 20 states and the District of Columbia, adding eight states since its launch last year. With the addition of the four new states, customers can purchase directly from more than 700 wine sellers offering over 5,000 labels. N.Y. Vintners Launch European Joint Venture Three vintners from New York's Finger Lakes – Scott Osborn of Fox Run Vineyards, John Martini of Anthony Road Wine Company and Chris Missick of Villa Bellangelo – have joined with European partner Christian Claessens to create the first Finger Lakes European importing company. Based in Luxembourg, the company will import and distribute wines from the respective cool-climate wineries into European markets. Trinchero Launches Duck Commander Wines Wine Institute has doubled its presence at Vinexpo Asia-Pacific, to be held in May in Hong Kong. Linsey Gallagher, vice president of international marketing at the Wine Institute (WI), said that WI has doubled its presence at Vinexpo Asia-Pacific, but received a lackluster response from vintners when it announced plans to participate in the Beijing fair. Gallagher attributed this to several factors, including timing. "We already had a trade mission scheduled that travels to mainland China to conduct consumer and trade events prior to Vinexpo Asia-Pacific," she explained. She also cited some uncertainty on the part of vintner members as to whether trade shows are going to be an effective path to market in a country that relies so much on relationships. w w w. v w m m e d i a.com Trinchero Family Estates of St. Helena, Calif., has collaborated with the Robertson family of Duck Commander and "Duck Dynasty" fame, to produce Duck Commander Wines. The first vintage will include Triple Threat 2011 Red Blend, Wood Duck 2012 Chardonnay and Miss Priss 2012 Pink Moscato. "Duck Dynasty" is A&E's No. 1 unscripted cable show. Charles Bacigalupi Dies at 89 Longtime Russian River Valley winegrower Charles Bacigalupi died after a brief fight with cancer. He was 89. A dentist and self-taught winegrower, Bacigalupi sold grapes from his 121-acre Westside Road vineyard property to countless wineries over the years. His family is most noted to have sourced chardonnay grapes to the 1973 Chateau Montelena that won the Paris Tasting in 1976. For more industry news briefs, visit the News Flash page on V&WM's website: http://www.vwmmedia.com/magazine/web-exclusive1.asp. J a n - Feb 2014 | V INE YA RD & W INE RY M A N A G EM EN T 13