Everyone is talking about Twitter, but what exactly is it? Twitter is a social networking website that allows users to read "tweets." These tweets are text like updates, if you’re an avid Facebook user it would be like your status update. Tweets are sent to everyone who has signed up to receive your tweets, or to a specific circle of friends.

Twitter was founded back in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams but has been gaining popularity quickly over the last 2 months. With news pieces done on shows like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, NBC Nightly News, and even showing up in comic strip Doonesbury it is no wonder why this site is rapidly gaining new members.

Twitter isn’t just used to know what your friends are up to, businesses have started using Twitter to help with marketing research. "In the past, companies would hire a market research firm to understand their audience," says Mike Hudack, CEO of Blip.tv, a New York-based video website.

"Now we use Twitter to get the fastest, most honest research any company ever heard — the good, bad and ugly — and it doesn't cost a cent," he says.

Want to become a twitterer? Sign up today at www.twitter.com

Red Truck Wines Launches Exciting New Category with Mini-Barrel

Sam’s Club First to Carry Groundbreaking New 3L Package Starting in March

SONOMA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Consumers searching for high quality wine in a creative, striking large format need look no further than Red Truck Wines’ new Mini-Barrel, set to launch early March, 2009 in Sam’s Club stores nationwide. With an ingenious trademark- and patent-pending barrel design featuring the iconic wine barrel shape complete with rings, staves, a wood-grain look and burned-in imagery and typography, the Mini-Barrel has a fresh-from-the-winery feel – a driving feature of this inspired new package. The groundbreaking 3L Mini-Barrel, which holds Red Truck’s award winning Red Wine, is equivalent to four 750ml bottles.

“It’s time consumers had the option of a premium quality wine in a format larger than 750ml,” said Carol Reber, Vice President of Marketing at 585 Wine Partners which owns Red Truck Wines. “For anyone who’s ever visited a winery or wished they could, the Mini-Barrel by Red Truck makes the experience come alive in their own home.”

“The Mini-Barrel by Red Truck represents a real breakthrough in both concept and execution,” said Dex McCreary, Senior Merchandise Director, Wine and Spirits, Sam’s Club. “It is just the kind of quality and value proposition we like to offer our members and it brings an innovative and authentic new design to wine enthusiasts.”

Mini-Barrel by Red Truck is being introduced at a time when the consumer is looking to make smart, value-oriented wine purchases. The 3L category, which has been growing significantly in recent months according to data from The Nielsen Company, is appealing not only because the format provides tremendous value but because wines packaged in this way, unlike their 750ml counterparts, stay fresh for up to 40 days. Furthermore, large format packages are widely considered to be more environmentally friendly than glass bottles due to their comparative lighter weight and lower carbon footprint.

“The carbon footprint reduction when you go from glass to this type of packaging is staggering, but until now, consumers have had very few choices in the 3L format,” said Dave Mollison, Director of Production for 585 Wine Partners. “Now they can make a ‘green,’ value-oriented wine purchase without giving up the quality they’ve become accustomed to in the bottle. Plus, the Mini-Barrel is so appealing – it’s a wine they’ll be proud to display on their counter, at parties, barbecues and picnics.”

The Mini-Barrel by Red Truck features an easy pour spout with tamper-proof protection that requires no tearing or “fishing” to get to it. A patent-pending Opti-Flow incline built into the barrel ensures that all wine gets to the spout, so there’s no tipping to get the last glass. The Mini-Barrel will be available nationally later in 2009.

The 2007 Red Truck Red Wine is a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Made by Winemaker Charlie Tsegeletos, Red Truck Red Wine is consistently a critically-acclaimed, awarding winning wine. In 2008, Food & Wine magazine named the wine’s 2005 vintage one of the “Best American Wines $15 and Under.”

Sam’s Club is a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., (NYSE:WMT). The first Sam’s Club opened its doors in Midwest City, Okla., in 1983. Today, Sam’s Club serves more than 47 million U.S. Members with locations nationwide and in Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Sam’s Club offers exceptional values on merchandise and services for business owners and consumers. Online merchandise and Club information is available at samsclub.com.

Sonoma-based Red Truck Wines are made by winemaker Charlie Tsegeletos, using fine wine grapes from some of California’s most outstanding coastal growing regions for its portfolio of blended and single-varietal wines. The brand is owned and produced by 585 Wine Partners, which was founded by wine industry veterans Dan and Katy Leese and Doug and Becky Walker in 2005. Relying on key partnerships to form and sustain its brands, 585 Wine Partners also produces Picket Fence Russian River Valley Wines, Bivio Italia Wines and Steelhead Wines from Dry Creek Valley. Online information is available at redtruckwine.com.

Snapple is getting its most significiant redesign in over 37 years. With a new taste that has reduced calories and a brand new redesign, Snapple is sure to grab your attention. Snapple is promoting their usage of green and black tea leaves in their new formula, which is said to intensify flavors. This new formula uses sugar as the sweetener and reduces calories up to 20 percent in some cases. The new label graphics add for a sleeker appeal for the Snapple bottle and highlight the usage of the tea leaves. "We want to ensure Snapple continues to be the Best Stuff on Earth," said Bryan Mazur, vice president of marketing for Snapple. "These changes to the formula and packaging come with one goal in mind: deliver the same great product, just make it even better." Along with the redesign Snapple is introducing 256 new facts!

Starting late March/early April you’ll start seeing a couple new Pepsi products hitting shelves nationally. As part of their "Refresh Everything" campaign these new products will be sweetened with natural sugars. These products will be Pepsi Natural, Pepsi Throwback, and Mountain Dew Throwback.

Pepsi Natural is a cola made from all natural ingredients such as sparkling water, natural sugars, and natural apple extract. The new taste is sure to offer you a brand new Pepsi experience. You won’t find this item in the soda aisle though; Pepsi Natural will be showcased in the natural food aisles of grocery stores. Pepsi Natural will be packaged in glass bottles and comes in a pack of 4.

The Throwback series will be available for a limited time starting April 20^th in which you can try the old variations of Mountain Dew and Pepsi. With its new retro packaging and old school taste I’m sure it is bound to be a success for Pepsi.

"We’re complementing and reinforcing our core soft drink offerings with a hat trick of innovative products,"

Recently Frito Lay has entered the nut category with the addition of True North, a snack free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Snackers looking for a natural healthy treat have found what they have been searching for. With whole nuts, nut clusters, and nut crisps True North certainly isn’t lacking variety. True North snacks are kosher, vegan friendly, and gluten-free (except the nut crisps). You can find these nutty creations on shelves nationwide.

"While consumer demand for the nut category continues to be positive, the options have been limited and uninspiring,"

My family makes their own wine every autumn. We go out and buy cases upon cases of grapes and put them in this wooden contraption that squeeze the grapes until juice drains out into a barrel. There are no ladies hiking up their skirts to dance to music to mash the grapes with their feet, although just once I would like to try it. I think I would enjoy it. My family takes the grape juice and puts it in barrels for aging. A couple months later, the wine is ready for the holiday season! My uncles and my grandfather all rave about the wine and compare this year's varietal to last year's.

Today I came across Killibinbin Wines, based in Australia. These "killer" wines remind me of my uncles and my grandfather telling any guest that comes into our house at Christmas time just "how good" their wine is. Killibinbin wines were tired of having to tell everyone just how "killer" their wines were and decided to put it right on the label! Each varietal features its own illustration taken from horror flicks and their gruesome killing scenes. These labels are printed on thick, uncoated stock to give the feeling of an old horror movie flyer. These picture wines received the 2007 Graphis International Award (New York). Killibinbin Wines was started in 1997 by Wayne Anderson and Liz Banks. The winery now produces over 5,000 cases and is served in some of finest establishments around the world. For more information, visit Killibinbin Wines.

Have you been looking for a healthier alternative to soda? Flavrz is a concentrated drink designed to be mixed with water that features less then half the sugar and calorie intake of soda or juice. Flavrz is an organic product free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and chemicals. Not only is Flavrz good for you but it is also good for the environment. "Flavrz is eco-friendly. Every bottle of Flavrz drink mix makes between 16 and 96 8oz servings of mixed beverage. This avoids purchasing between 4 and 16 large plastic or glass bottles and saves the materials to make the bottles and energy to transport and recycle them. 5% of profits go to charities that support our planet," as stated on their website.

These concentrated drinks come in three delicious flavors, lemon lime, cherry berry, and tropical. All flavors are made from real fruit juices, organic fruit extracts, and flavorings from real fruits. Sweetened with agave nectar the drinks can range from an intense flavored water to a very lightly flavor depending on your preference. Agave nectar is a Mexican produced sweetener that is high in fructose and sweeter then refined sugars. Agave contains fructans which is speculated to help reduce cholesterol and alter the fat absorption in the intestines. Inulin, another ingredient in agave is believed to help lose weight! So learn more about Flavrz and its ingredients check them out here.