Just back from VinEXPO in Bordeaux with an evolution of trends in the wine & spirits industry. This year, producers of wine and spirits are capitalizing on charitable causes, stylish packaging, and mother earth. Take a look at what we found…

With the huge success of X-Rated Fusion Liqueur and X-Rated Vodka we hunted down Jean-Marc Daucourt, whom has rocked the rich and famous with his beautiful concoction, to see what he was up to. We were in awe when we tasted his new high-end vodka, Jean-Marc XO, the smoothest wheat grain vodka I have ever tasted which left me feeling beyond sexy. After seven years of research and many trials his goal was achieved, and thus unearthed the perfect vodka, with no burn in the throat and without that rubbing alcohol smell. A true reflection of French craftsmanship, the Jean-Marc XO has been distilled nine times in small batches using traditional French copper Alambic, it is made from pure Gensac spring water (filtered naturally over centuries through Grande Champagne limestone, four special French wheat grains (Y sengrain, Orvantis, Azteque and Chargeur), Micro-Oxygenated after distillation (like its distant cousin Bordeaux wine), charcoal filtered through French Limousin oak to finish and to be ultra-exclusive the bottles are individually numbered. Now this is what vodka should be like. Retails for about $50, available now.

The vodka’s are getting sweeter and the packaging is becoming more stylish as companies target a younger generation of girl drinkers. Girl by Necker is a yummy designer drink with only 25% alcohol, a blend of Frambois, Litchi, Vodka & Cognac make up this tasty treat. Trendy and chic, created to target the female consumer between 25 and 40. As if we couldn’t tell.

The boxed wine is officially, HOT. It is all about the environment, or so they say. We certainly saw a lot of wines promoting reusable, recyclable and eco-friendly. The very popular French Rabbit, which was introduced only to the United States in the beginning, has proven they had something unique. A combination of palatable wine and attractive state-of-the-art packaging make this a great choice for picnic-ing, BBQ’s, and just about anything else you can think of.

Is it a ploy to get us to buy the wine or are they really in it for the good? Lot’s of companies are donating $$ to causes, but it seems like they are splash advertising, which seems a bit tacky. No House Wine, is a new wine label where proceeds of your purchase support HomePlan, a project to build homes for homeless children who have lost parents to aids. No House Wine is produced under WIETA certification. WIETA is a not for profit, voluntary association of many different stakeholders in the South African wine industry, who are committed to the promotion of ethical trade in this sector. We wish them all the luck.

Of course, all the grand dames were present, but I will leave the tasting notes of the Moutons and Chevel Blanc’s to the more experienced palettes. I will say, if you are privy to the world of wine, the Bordeaux region is scared silly about the 2006’s. With the US dollar not as strong, prices are just as high as the steller vintage 2005 and with competition on the rise around the world, Bordeaux may get stuck with a few bottles on hand.