July, 13, 2012 Chinese film star buys St Emilion property

(Decanter) - Chinese film star Zhao Wei has bought a St Emilion chateau for an undisclosed price. Although the price Zhao paid for the 7ha Château Monlot has not been revealed, local property agents put it at between €4 and €5m. Separately, local land agency SAFER (Société d’aménagement...

July, 13, 2012 US: Boissets buy Mondavi house

(Decanter) - Gina Gallo and Jean-Charles Boisset have bought the former Mondavi house in Napa, according to reports. The couple, who married in 2009 and celebrated the birth of twins in June this year, confirmed they have bought the 55 acre (22ha) Yountville property at auction. According to Jim...

July, 13, 2012 California Home to 19 of Top 20 Luxury Brands

(Wines&Vines) - Nineteen of the top 20 luxury-priced brands sold off-premise come from California. The only one that isn’t domestic comes from Italy, and it holds the No. 1 spot. Santa Margherita is by far the biggest selling wine brand in the $20-plus category sold at major U.S. food and drug sto...

July, 11, 2012 Women: Drink up for bone and joint health

 (WLS) - Two new studies suggest that drinking alcohol can help ward off two diseases that affect millions of women: rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. But the research is among several studies that paint a confusing picture of how alcohol affects women's health. Doctors say the key, as always,...

July, 11, 2012 Rhône Valley Wine Region Celebrates Double-Digit U.S. Growth

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Rhône Valley wine region celebrated record levels of growth in the U.S. during 2011, achieving increases of 17 percent in volume and 27 percent in value. The region also saw global growth in value for Rhône Valley wines increase by 19 percent. “The continued success a...

July, 11, 2012 US: Washington launches online winery sustainability tool

(TheGrower) - The Washington wine industry has added the interactive online guide, Winerywise, to the existing online sister project, Vinewise. They are designed to help wineries and growers, respectively, develop sustainable practices, according to a news release. Winerywise acts as a learnin...

July, 11, 2012 Treasury Wine’s U.S. Business May Prove Fruitful: BofA

(WSJ) - Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts like Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates for its exposure to the U.S. wine market, one of only a handful of wine-growing regions currently recording growth. According to BofA Merrill Lynch, the U.S. wine industry continues to grow at or about 5% per ...

July, 11, 2012 US fine wine market larger than thought

(TheDrinksBusiness) - The US fine wine market is significantly bigger than many believe according to Vinfolio chairman Jean-Michel Valette MW. Speaking at the Fine and Rare Specialist course at Vienna’s Palais Coburg on 29 June, he said that annual US fine wine sales through retailers amounted to ...