August, 17, 2012 Are Hornets the Secret of Good Wine?

(WineSpectator) - When Duccio Cavalieri’s grandfather went to work in the fields of Tuscany, caring for Sangiovese vines, the hornets buzzing about the vineyard were a regular presence. These days, Cavalieri works in the same fields, collecting scientific data. And his findings suggest those horne...

August, 17, 2012 Champagne growing season 'worst in decades'

(Decanter) - Champagne has had the worst growing season for several decades and the prospects for the 2012 harvest look increasingly bleak. Even with improved weather in the run-up to harvest, expected to start around 20 September, yields will be significantly down on recent years with frost, hail, ...

August, 17, 2012 More Americans Drink Beer Than Wine: Report

(HuffingtonPost) - Which alcoholic beverage is preferred more: Beer, or wine? According to a new Gallup report, Americans on a whole are more likely to opt for a cold one. However, it might be a generational -- and gender-based -- preference. People ages 55 and older are more likely to choose ...

August, 17, 2012 Crop Forcing Improves Winegrape Quality

(Wines&Vines) - Information gleaned from a “crop forcing” vineyard trial in Fresno shows good promise for improving winegrape quality from the San Joaquin Valley and other warm climates by managing vines to shift the grape-ripening period from hot summer months to cooler months later in the grow...

August, 17, 2012 The Unique Charms of 'Miscellaneous Wines'

(WSJ) - MOST WINE LISTS are organized according to popular regions or grapes, although an additional category is often tacked on at the end. This is where wines that won't easily fit in one place or another are assigned—a category that's invariably and, some might say, ignominiously entitled "Mis...

August, 17, 2012 Harvest 2012: Field Notes from Napa Valley Winemakers

(Patch) - The Napa Valley Vintners, a nonprofit trade group representing more than 430 Napa Valley wineries, asked some of its winemaker members to tell us how things are looking in the vineyards as harvest 2012 gets underway. This is the 150th anniversary at Schramsberg. We look forward to writi...

August, 17, 2012 Treasury Wine's profit jumps, but challenges ahead

(MarketWatch) - One of the world's largest listed wine producers Treasury Wine Estates Ltd. said Friday annual net profit jumped 40% as it withdraws from the heavy discounting segment of the U.K. market and cuts costs. Treasury's portfolio includes brands such as Beringer, Wolf Blass, Rosemount, ...

August, 17, 2012 Naked Wines invests in new team of wine professionals to oversee 25million pounds Sterling worth of winemaker investments

/PRNewswire/ - Online wine retailer Naked Wines has recruited a dedicated team of wine professionals to oversee its global winemaker investments, which have reached £25million a year through Angel funding. It has appointed: - Dominic Hentall, formerly of HwCg Ltd, as Worldwide Technical Director ...