Wine: Urban vineyards to shipwreck treasures

It's official, brain freeze is real. Especially when you live in Christchurch and your heat pump is on the fritz and power surges have fried your fridge, iPod dock, printer and all manner of electric whatsits and you have a deadline and you can't feel your face because the snow is still on the ground eight days after it fell. So, when it came to choosing a topic for this week's column, my creative skills were about as agile as a one-armed trapeze artist with an itchy bum, hence why I've decided to construct an instalment of "The Wine Week That Was ..." and here goes ...

C'MON GET APPY!

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Wine Game iPhone app, which launched on May 22 and tests players by placing wines in their respective countries, has passed the 3000 download mark. Launched at the London International Wine Fair last month, Harpers Wine & Spirit Monthly reported the game has received an average rating of four out of five stars by users and reviewers on numerous websites, including the iTunes store.

Players have to work through six different levels of difficulty and they're given 10 wines which they need to place in the correct country, region or sub-region within a specific time frame. Apparently it's extremely hard to put down and has wine boffins and beginners battling it out to beat their scores.

Ian Harris, chief executive of WSET, says: "The WSET Wine Game is extremely addictive as points are accumulated as you play each level - but at the same time it increases your knowledge of wine regions around the world.

"It is suitable for everyone, from people with no prior wine knowledge to those who are ... studying or require a refresher. It's fun and informative and that was always our aim."

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust is the organisation responsible for training those wishing to become a Master of Wine, the world's most prestigious wine qualification.

Download the free app here: http://itunes.apple.com/app/wset-wine-game/id524998189?mt=8

SHIPWRECK WINE NETS $202,000

If you've ever experienced the thrill of finding that long-lost bottle that you hid behind the "pens and junk" box in the laundry cupboard back in 2005 because you wanted to save it for a time of need and then promptly forgot where you put it - spare a thought for the diver who found a cache of Champagne at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that divers exploring the shipwreck of a schooner which sank 170 years ago found 162 bottles of bubbly that'd been stored perfectly: horizontally in cold, dark waters between Finland and Sweden. This find whipped wine collectors into a frenzy and consequently a selection of the bottles, which included four bottles of Veuve Clicquot, sold for just over $202,000 with one bottle fetching more than $24,000 at auction.

IRISH VINES ARE SMILING

Odd as it may seem, a vineyard is expected to be planted in the middle of Meeting House Square in Dublin's urban centre.

It's a promotional concept known as the "City Vineyard" by McGuigan Wines, which is the number one selling Australian wine brand in Ireland.

Sadly, Dublin's financial district isn't going to be a new wine region permanently, but this creative installation - a living, breathing "real life" vineyard - will feature over 80 60-year-old Semillon vines, a cellar door, wine barrels, tractors and chief winemaker Neil McGuigan.

It'll be open from September 4-9 and will coincide with the 20th anniversary of the McGuigan Black Label range.

Visitors to the urban vineyard will be encouraged to walk among the vines and be among the first to taste the new release Semillon Blanc and Black Label Rose. Nice.