October, 15, 2012 AUS: Wine tax wowsers ruin life's pleasures for us all

(TheAustralian) - A government report says Australians drink too much and the solution is higher taxes on wine - in effect, prohibition by stealth. WHEN there is no more room in hell, wowsers will walk the earth. You see, I doubt that hell is the fabled stygian abyss with lakes of fire and endle...

October, 15, 2012 US: Wine Sales Strong; Syrah's Struggle Continues

(Wines&Vines) - September wine sales posted strong gains over 2011 in both the retail and direct-to-consumer sales channels. Sales for domestic table wines at food and drug stores grew 7% to $377 million in September, and the value of DtC shipments reached $133 million, according to WinesVinesDATA. ...

October, 15, 2012 France: Winemakers must pay dues to CIVB, court rules

(Decanter) - Bordeaux vignerons have lost their fight with the Bordeaux Wine Bureau (CIVB) over fees, which they claimed were being wasted. The Comité d’Action des Vignerons de Bordeaux (CAVB) will not have its fees to the CIVB reimbursed, a court has ruled. The group of ten winemakers had sue...

October, 15, 2012 US; Truffle pioneers hope the fungi business someday rivals that of Oregon wine

When winemakers from northern California first set their sights on Oregon and tried to grow wine grapes here in the 1960s, many people thought they were crazy. The same could be said of the latest crop of Oregon agricultural dreamers, including Simon and Linnet Cartwright of Cottage Grove. For...

October, 15, 2012 US: Aaron Pott Named a 2012 Food & Wine "Winemaker of the Year"

/PRNewswire/ - World renowned Napa winemaker Aaron Pott has been named a 2012 "Winemaker of the Year" by Food & Wine magazine in its November issue hitting newsstands now. Pott is the winemaker for the complete line of Joseph Carr wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, $19.99). "This is gr...

October, 15, 2012 Italy: Can Sicily’s new toy deliver?

(TheDrinksBusiness) - Sicilian wine producers are hoping to improve awareness of their unique island with the new DOC Sicilia which can be used from this year’s harvest. As the grapes hit the presses last month, Diego Planeta, former president of the island’s largest cooperative, Cantine Sett...

October, 15, 2012 UK politician pushing for a ban on liquid nitrogen cocktails

(TheDrinksBusiness) - A Conservative MP is stepping up demands for a ban on the use of liquid nitrogen in cocktail making. Gaby ScanlonThe call comes after a teenager from Lancaster needed a life-saving operation to remove her stomach. David Morris MP said: “I am very angry that one of my co...

October, 15, 2012 Christie's to auction DWWA wines for WaterAid

(Decanter) - Cases of wine from this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards are to be sold this week as part of a fine wine auction at Christie’s to raise money for WaterAid. The international charity, which is dedicated to the provision of domestic water, sanitation and hygiene education across Afri...