February, 27, 2012 French Expatriates Flocking to Hong Kong

(NYTimes) - Gregory Joinau-Baronnet arrived in Hong Kong about a year ago with little more than a couple of suitcases and a desire to make a living in the wine business. In France, Mr. Joinau-Baronnet had been a real estate agent specialized in selling wine-related property like vineyards. But busin...

February, 27, 2012 Producers must pay appellation fees, France rules

(Decanter) - Appellations can force wine producers to pay membership fees, a French court has ruled. In an important test case that will have an impact across France, the Constitutional Council in Paris has ruled that it is legal for syndicates, or growers' organisations, to make membership payments...

February, 27, 2012 Asian buyers branch out

(Decanter) - Interest in Burgundy and beyond continues to rise in the fine wine auction market. The latest sale at Sotheby's London (22 February) suggests Asian collectors' appetite for Domaine de la Romanee Conti and top Burgundies is insatiable. A single bottle of DRC's Romanée Conti 1962 sold fo...

February, 27, 2012 EU Agriculture: Commission asks France to comply with European rules on marketing wine spirits and wine distillates

(Europa) - The European Commission has officially requested France to amend its rules on the production and marketing of certain products obtained by distilling lees and marcs. The case concerns the authorisation given by the French authorities to approved distillers to produce, on an experimental b...

February, 27, 2012 FRANCE: Burgundy wine exports jump in value in 2011

(Just-drinks) - Global exports of Burgundy wines rose 16.5% in value thansk to strong gains in the US, according to trade body Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Bourgogne (BIVB). Value sales totalled EUR666.5m (US$882m) for the 12 months to the end of Decemebr. However, export volumes fell by...

February, 27, 2012 Is UK set for Moscato explosion?

(Harpers) - As many as 3 million UK consumers aren’t happy with the white wine on offer in stores – paving the way for a Moscato explosion. That’s according to Bill Roberts, EMEA vice-president of Californian giant E&J Gallo. Sales of the variety have rocketed in the US, up 73% in 2011, a...

February, 27, 2012 Georgian wine is in need of advertising

(Vestnikkavkaza) - Representatives of the Georgian wine companies are complaining about the low popularity of Georgian wines at international markets, Business Georgia reports. The representative of the "Georgian wine" Association, George Abkhazava, that the law popularity of Georgian wine at int...

February, 26, 2012 AUS: As grapes ripen faster, wine regions could lose their distinctive character

(Theconversation) - Wine grapes in Australia’s south are ripening on average 20 days earlier than they did in 1985, according to a study that attributes the trend to climate change, smaller harvests and improved technology at vineyards. CSIRO and University of Melbourne scientists who studied v...