Sold–out wine tasting occupies the Meridian roof

The night before the wine and food festival, Sunday night, there’s a sold–out event, the First Growth Bordeaux Horizontal. The Sunday night function is on the rooftop of the Meridian Building, home of the Nelson Mullins law firm. The Central Carolina Community Foundation is again in charge.

First Growths are the five chateaux identified as the best Bordeaux. Four of the wines were named First Growth by the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

In 1973, Chateau Mouton–Rothschild was added as the fifth First Growth. The first four wines named in 1855 were Chateau Lafite–Rothschild, Chateau Latour, Chateaux Margaux, and Chateau Haut–Brion.

As explained in Answers.com: “For the 1855 Exposition de Paris, Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France’s best Bordeaux wines which were to be on display for visitors from around the world. Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a chateau’s reputation and trading price, which at that time was directly related to quality.”

The Gourmet Shop carries all five First Growths, typically, but only four are available, all at $195 a bottle: Margaux (2001 vintage), Lafite–Rothschild (2001), Mouton–Rothschild (1998), Haut–Brion (1998).

The 2001 and 1998 vintages are OK, but 2000 is called spectacular, the best since 1961. The Gourmet Shop’s last 2000 Lafite, for example, sold recently for $425 a bottle. A 1961 Lafite is not for sale in Columbia, but expect to pay several thousand dollars a bottle should you find it.

The Sunday night First Growths are 1996 vintage, recognized in wine expert Robert Parker’s “Wine Advocate” as excellent. Out of a rating scale which tops at 100, the 1996 Lafite is rated 100, and the other four First Growths are a few points less.

Also on the rooftop agenda Sunday night is a live auction, to include a 1906 Margaux. By the way, Margot Hemingway’s parents admitted she was named Margaux because she was conceived with the help of a bottle of Chateau Margaux. Margaux took umbrage and took a different spelling, Margot.

Call the Central Carolina Community Foundation early for next year’s offering.

Fortunately this year, for Monday night, April 25, you can still get tickets to the wine and food festival at the Marriott.

Business Briefs By John Temple Ligon

Trade conference

The 32nd annual SC International Trade Conference is scheduled for Monday, May 23, through Wednesday evening, May 25, at the Charleston Place Hotel. Single registration is $425. A registration form can be downloaded from www.scitc.org. For further information contact Elizabeth Colbert–Busch at (877) 971.2768 or elizabeth.colbert–busch@oocl.com. Also, Clarke Thompson, this year’s general chairman, can be reached directly at (803) 737.0438 or cthompson@sccommerce.com.

Do it for the children

According to The Economist, in a survey among 26 of the world’s richest countries, less than 5% of the Nordic children live below the national poverty line. In the US more than 20% live in poverty. Only Mexico is worse, where 27% live below the national poverty line.

Future work force fears

from high places

Bill Gates, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, attended a national governors’ conference on American high school education on February 26. Gates shared his fears with the 45 governors present: “When I compare our high schools to what I see when I am traveling abroad, I am terrified for our work force of tomorrow. In math and science, our fourth graders are among the top students in the world. By eighth grade, they’re in the middle of the pack. By 12th grade, US students are scoring near the bottom of all industrialized nations. ... The percentage of a population with a college degree is important, but so are sheer numbers. In 2001, India graduated almost a million more students from college than the US did. China graduates twice as many students with bachelor’s degrees than the US, and it has six times as many graduates majoring in engineering. In the international competition to have the biggest and best supply of knowledge workers, America is falling behind.”

Falling further behind

According to the National Science Board, Finland, France, Taiwan, and South Korea had more than 10 engineering and natural science undergraduate degrees per 100 24–year–olds in 2001. The US had five.

Graham gets grants

US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R–SC) announced this week more than $12 million in grants to SC airports. Columbia Metropolitan will receive $4,407,908 to increase and rehabilitate apron areas.

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld reduces reductions

Secretary Rumsfeld announced this week a reduction of only 20% in US military bases. Formerly 25% was the target reduction. According to SC Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, “This positive news from the Pentagon could effectively mean that 7,100 South Carolinians have now been spared the risk of losing their jobs due to base closings.” SC’s military bases contribute $7.3 billion to the state’s annual economy and employ 142,000 workers.

Clothing from China might be

restricted, again

The Bush administration said Monday quotas could be reimposed against China. An investigation into the idea has begun with three clothing categories, all made with cotton: knit shirts and blouses, underwear, and trousers. After more than 30 years of import restrictions, a worldwide quota system on clothing shipments from China was lifted in January. Since then, shipments of knit shirts from China to the US had increased by more than 1,200% in the first three months compared with last year. For the same period, cotton trousers from China came into the US at a rate more than 1,500% over last year’s.

China’s trading partner

If Wal–Mart were a country, it would be China’s eighth largest trading partner.

China’s eighth wonder

Wal–Mart Stores kept top position in Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded companies in the US. Fortune’s current issue said Wal–Mart’s 2004 sales were just under $290 billion. Second was Exxon Mobil with sales of a little over $270 billion. SCANA, $3.9 billion in sales, was ranked number 478.

Michigan and Alaska are the worst

Michigan’s unemployment rate for February was 7.5%, and Alaska’s was 7.2%. So SC’s February unemployment rate of 7.1% has two states in worse shape. The Columbia area of Richland, Lexington, Saluda, Kershaw, Fairfield, and Calhoun counties matches the state rate of unemployment, 7.1%. To count another statistic, Charleston’s job growth of 2.8% from 1996 to 2004 led the state, even though its February unemployment was 6.4%, well above Greenville’s 5.6%. The February unemployment rate for the US was 5.4%.

Michigan sees some light as vehicle sales pick up

US car and truck sales in March grew 4.6% from a year earlier. At an estimated annualized rate, 2005 should score just under 17 million in car and truck sales.

Jobs growth

The bad news nationally was the jobs growth in March, 110,000 new jobs. US employers added 243,000 jobs in February, while March’s 110,000 jobs gain was the fewest since July.

Women’s average incomes

compared

According to the Census Bureau, Asian and black women with bachelor’s degrees earn $43,700 and $41,100, respectively. A white woman with a bachelor’s degree typically earns $37,800. Hispanic women take home $37,600. A white male with a bachelor’s degree earns more than $66,000.