October, 03, 2011 US: Rain by the Yard in Eastern Vineyards

(Wines&Vines) - Early crush continues despite wet grapes; flavors thin but balanced. In less than two weeks of late August and early September, East Coast states from North Carolina to New England were drenched with yards of rain. How did this affect the region’s ripening vineyards and wineries th...

October, 03, 2011 The boomerang effects of wine-making standardization: the case of defoliation

(Teatronaturale) - Mechanization reduces expenses but doesn’t normally provide the operational flexibility which is required by climate changes for the safeguard of quantity and quality. Never like this year has the vine defoliation been so important. Defoliation is a very delicate practice since...

October, 03, 2011 US: Wineries Innovate to Re-use Wastewater

(EnvironmentalLeader) - The Parducci, Caymus, Conundrum, Alpha Omega and Rombauer wineries are applying innovative methods to treat their wastewater, according to a San Francisco Chronicle article. According to Sheldon Sapoznik, Napa County’s land use development supervisor, wastewater in the w...

October, 03, 2011 The use of dregs in winemaking and some possible alternatives

(Teatronaturale) - The employment of dregs has always been very discussed in enology, mainly for the intrinsic difficulties of the process. But today there are alternatives.Most probably some wine enthusiasts are turning their nose up at discussing about the use of dregs; but they are becoming more ...

October, 03, 2011 Fortune Brands aims to divide, conquer

(ChicagoTribune) - Fortune Brands is coming into sharper focus by dividing its interests. At midnight, the Deerfield-based conglomerate will split its remaining businesses into two publicly traded companies, one focusing on liquor and the other on home and security products. For each share of For...

October, 03, 2011 Jim Beam Maker Chases Women With Skinnygirl Cocktails: Retail

(Bloomberg) -- Beam Inc., the newly constituted maker of Jim Beam bourbon, has decided to chase women. Having spent 216 years catering to guy’s guys -- tattooed singer Kid Rock is a pitchman -- Beam is touting Courvoisier cognac infused with red wine, tart Pucker vodka and low-calorie Skinnygir...

October, 03, 2011 Sotheby's wine auction tests China's luxury demand

(Reuters) - Sotheby's has failed to sell out its wines at an auction in Hong Kong for the first time since it launched wine sales in the city in 2009 to tap apparently insatiable demand for luxury products from Asia, particularly China. The auction house sold all 504 lots on Saturday, but finishe...

October, 02, 2011 US: Winery wastewater becomes fruit of their labor

(SFGate) - "Conserve water, drink wine," quips a common bumper sticker. If only that were true. Making a gallon of California wine, by various estimates, requires anywhere from a few dozen gallons of water to a few hundred. Most of that water goes toward irrigation. But some goes to the winery...