September, 09, 2011 Romania seeks a drink of the U.S. wine market

This year, the United States became the largest wine market in the world, and every country that makes wine wants to get its share of it. One of the latest is Romania. Six of the country’s many wineries have banded together to secure its share of the U.S. market, and they’ve secured $3.5 mill...

September, 09, 2011 Leaded, Unleaded or Merlot? The Wine-Powered Vehicle Has Arrived

Cars that run on only one type of fuel? That's so pre-millennium. How about a car that runs on wine? Or cheese? Or both? Showcased at the 5th annual Bridgestone sponsored Eco-Rally that goes from Oxford, England to London, the wine and cheese powered vehicle was just one of many automobiles featu...

September, 09, 2011 English wine: Heard it through the grapevine

The sparkling—and surprising—success of England’s wine industry. IT WAS an English cuvée for a very English day. “Nervy”, with “an austere, honeyed character”, was how one winemaker described the bubbly on offer on a wet afternoon at Denbies, a vineyard in Surrey that is also Britain�...

September, 08, 2011 Italy: Montalcino throws out Rosso changes

Montalcino's producers yesterday overwhelmingly rejected proposals to change Rosso di Montalcino's production code. The proposals put forward by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino were to allow other grapes in Rosso di Montalcino, permit irrigation and chang current vineyard regulations. ...

September, 08, 2011 Wine: Rethinking the hybrid grape

I spent part of this summer checking up on the burgeoning Canadian wine scene. I was in Prince Edward County and Niagara over the summer, and at the end of September, I will be a panel member at an Okanagan wine festival in B.C. Most recently, I was a judge at the annual Canadian Wine Awards, run by...

September, 08, 2011 Crackdown on Bulgaria Booze-Fests

The party’s over. Well, at least for Europeans who want to go on organized drinking tours in Bulgaria. Seems “alcohol tourism” has gotten a little out of control in the country due to British, German and Scandinavian tour companies promoting heavy drinking vacation packages. Cheap alcoho...

September, 08, 2011 SABMiller hoping to out-wait Foster's shareholders at the bar

WE have reached one of those awkward times in a pub when everybody knows whose shout it is but that person is not moving any closer to the bar. In the case of the takeover of Foster's, it is the bidder SABMiller that is nursing that almost empty pot, hoping that it can out-wait thirsty shareholde...

September, 08, 2011 US: Vintners committed to leading reduction of greenhouse gases

Among one of the most important topics of the moment is that of greenhouse gas or carbon emissions, and what we can do as an agricultural community to mitigate our impact on the environment. In keeping with Assembly Bill 32 and the Napa County General Plan, the county has recently drafted a Climate ...