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Show r i Wednesd a y, Au g ust Sun Advocate, Price, 10, 1983 Utah 5B Tequila industry wants to improve image Were not in that era of the macho Mexican anymore, said Roberto Rosales, production chief at the Cuervo distillery in this central Mexican town of 25,000. Were almost on a level with a brandy. BySOLLSUSSMAN Associated Press Writer TEQUILA, Mexico (AP) The folks who produce a potent drink from the succulent juice of a desert cactus are trying to do something about their - image. Mexico consumes 6.3 million gallons annually, the United States 5 million gallons and the rest of the world 1.3 million gallons, Yanez Mutio said. He said growth that took off in the 1960s with the expansion of the U.S. export market is continuing, but only a little. Tequila is suffering from an identity crisis. We have only ourselves to blame, said J. Ramon Yanez Mutio, director of the Tequila Industry Regional Chamber of Commerce. Were almost ready to start an institutional campaign to dignify tequila. Tequila producers say their mighty mash has been maligned by tales of lost souls who quaff the stuff straight with lemon and salt on the side and wake up the next morning wishing they Tequila distillers already have started individual campaigns to sell their product to a more sophisticated market. An advertisement for Sauzas Conmemorativo tequila shows a man in coat and tie savoring his drink in front of an ornately carved wooden bar well stocked with competitive imported whiskeys and liqueurs. hadnt. That image is too macho, they say, because tequila is a sophisticated beverage. chili-base- salt and lime. 35 miles west of 360 miles northwest of and Guadalajara Mexico City, has the largest concentration of tequila distilleries anywhere. There are at least 13. But no one is certain if the town gave the name to the drink or if it was the other way Tequila, located around. Tequila is, after all, the stuff of which legends are made. One legend has it that centuries ago Indians saw a lightning bolt strike a blue agave cactus, split it open and cook it to form a sugary liquid. They sampled the liquid and found it to be a tasty liquor. Modem distilling methods were not learned until after the arrival of the Spanish colonizers in the 16th century. Marketbasket survey Grocery bills go up in July By LOUISE COOK Associated Press Writer Grocery bills sizzled with the heat during July, but the increase was not enough to offset declines earlier in the year, an Associated Press marketbasket survey shows. The AP found that the price of a randomly d selected list of 14 food and items went up of 1 perlast month by an average of cent. The price at the start of August, however, of 1 percent less was an average of seven-tenth- s than it was at the start of the year. The AP survey covers 13 cities. The items on the marketbasket list were priced in one supermarket in each city on March 1, 1973 and have been rechecked on or about the start of each succeeding month. Among the latest findings: The marketbasket total went up during July at the checklist store in eight cities, rising an average of 2.3 percent. The bill went down in five cities, dropping an average of 2.1 percent. The July increase contrasted with a June decrease. During June, the marketbasket bill dropped at the checklist store in seven cities and rose in six, for an overall average decline of 1.2 percent. The June decline was the biggest monthly decrease in just over two years. Thanks to the June decrease, plus smaller drops in January, March and May, marketbasket non-foo- six-tent- hs prices declined during the first seven months of 1983. The bill decreased at the checklist store in eight cities, down an average of 3.4 percent, and increased in five cities, up an average of 3.7 percent. Consumers planning to barbecue some hot frankdogs are out of luck. The price of furters increased during July at the checklist store in nine cities. Chopped chuck, however, decreased at the checklist store in seven cities. The biggest bargains last month were at the dairy counter. The price of eggs went down at the checklist store in eight cities and the price of milk dropped in five cities. No attempt was made to weight the survey results according to what percentage of a familys actual food budget each item represents. Nor were figures adjusted for seasonal variatie, paper medium white eggs, towels, butter, Grade-creamy peanut butter, laundry detergent, fabric softener, tomato sauce, milk, frankfurters and granulated sugar. A 15th item, chocolate chip cookies, was dropped from the list because the manufacturer discontinued the package size used in the survey. The cities checked were: Albuquerque, N.M., Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Providence, R.I., Salt Lake City and Seattle. all-be- ef e, OVERWEIGHT and Out of Shape? DIET CENTER and BODY BUSINESS are teaming up for International Days! Body Fat Test ( Skin fold Friday and Saturday test to determine percent of body fat) Weight Consultation Saturday Get your questions answered about Dietand Exercise Adjacent Booths at PRICE CITY PARK 12 noon to 6 p.m. A seeks to make competitive wines A mural at the Sauza distillery, which leaves that jut up in the shape of a along with Cuervo is a founder and a crown. Fields of it flank the roads giant of the industry, shows the history leading to Tequila. of tequila starting with the lightning Rosales said the blue agave takes bolt. It ends with a scene of outdoor nine to 12 years to reach maturity. The cactus changes its character if grown revelry that comes close to an orgy. Diana Kennedy in her encyclopedic elsewhere and cannot be used to make The Cuisines of Mexico writes that it tequila, Rosales said. generally is believed that tequila was The leaves are stripped from the not distilled until the middle of the 18th cactus, leaving only its pineapple-lik- e century. heart to start the distilling process. Most regions of Mexico have their They are tossed into ovens and at distinctive liquors. The best known Cuervo are cooked for 66 hours. other than tequila is mezcal from the A sweet but slightly acrid smell from southern state of Oaxaca, which comes the fermentation process pervades the with a worm at the bottom of the bottle. Sauza Tradition has it that by the time you distilleries. Both Cuervo and and to date back 1800, despite exfinish the bottle you dont care if you eat their retained have pansions they the worm. colonial-stylwhite adobe walls in an By government regulation, tequila can be distilled only in the Jalisco effort to keep their historical flavor. The softened cactus hearts are taken region surrounding Tequila, from the to mills and cut into pieces to make it blue agave cactus grown there. easier for the juices to be extracted. The cactus has distinctive, spear-lik- e Competitor Jose Cuervo promotes a mixed drink called the Vampire with d tequila, the popular "sangrita" accompaniment, orange juice, Body Business will be on sale. See You There! I 0 saKfrnm? (Mta Diana Root ClDnFSITffll (J0Q5B Brazil By BRYN A BRENNAN Associated Press Writer BENTO GONCALVES, Brazil Italians who settled (AP) around the rolling hills of this southern town more than a century ago planted the seeds for a thriving wine industry, but researchers are still trying to make a competitive product. When the Italians arrived they decided to plant. But there was no study as to whether this was the right area to plant. They planted, said Joao Giugliani Filho, head of the governments wine research center. The centers goal, he explained, is to make Brazilian wine a successful and profitable industry for this huge South American country. The Italians began arriving in 1875 and set up their homes mostly in the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul. Except for an occasional palm tree, the landscape with its low hills and lush valleys is reminiscent of part of New England. Bento Goncalves and nearby Caxias do Sul are the center of Brazils wine industry, an area enjoys a temperate climate, 3,100 miles from the steamy Amazon Jungle. that About 105.6 million gallons of grape juice was produced in the area in 1982, according to Giugliani. He said the wine is getting better each year, but there still are some problems. The basic inconvenience is that there is too much rain, he Our job is to come up with better technology to improve the quality and adaptation of the grape and the methods of processing it. researchers work Twenty-tw- o with 20 different types of grapes at the center, which was set up in 1975. said. Giugliani said Brazils financial crisis meant the Picture a New Car with a Simple Interest Loan from First Interstate Bank. researchers lacked the money for better technology.But he does not discount Brazils potential to produce fine wines. About 25 percent of what we have is high quality and competitive with foreign wines, mainly Chilean and Argentine, Giugliani said; Brazil exports a small percentage of its wine to the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Switzerland and Sweden, Giugliani said. gnnnniiiwiiinMmummMBUHHMMMMiimminnBifflMiimimumimiUMiiMunmnnuniiiiniiffliiiitHiiiiiii; HUMPTY DUIY1PTY PRE-SCHOO- L Starting I Sept. 1st Ages 3, 4 & 5 Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 9 5 ' I - WU or van; or that new family pick-ucar youve always wanted. Let First Interstate Bank help turn those dreams into reality with a simple interest loan at competitive bank rates and new, longer terms. Our professionals can tailor a loan to fit any of your specific needs. Stop by any office of First Interstate Bank and see how one of our simple interest car loans can help you add a picture to your album. 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