April, 26, 2011 The Jess Jackson formula: Premium wines without a premium address

Here's a sneak peek at what's coming in this week's Food section: An appreciation of Jess Jackson, who founded Kendall-Jackson Winery in 1982 and died last week at the age of 81, leaving an almost incalculable legacy on the California wine industry. Wine and spirits writer Patrick Comiskey says J...

April, 26, 2011 France: First vines planted at Pomerol racecourse

The former Libourne race-course, located within the Pomerol appellation of Bordeaux, has begun its conversion to vineyard land, eighteen months after its closure was first mooted. The land, which had held three to four races per year for over a century, has now been sold off, and 13 hectares of vine...

April, 26, 2011 US: Parker’s Successor May Kill ‘Golden Goose’ for Some California Winemakers

Influential wine critic Robert Parker surprised Napa Valley vintners in February when he handed over his California reviews to Antonio Galloni, who plans to shake things up. “I’m convinced there are a lot of young producers who are under the radar, and I’m looking to discover them,” Gallo...

April, 26, 2011 Canada: In the vineyard, fermenting dissent

A growing fight in Ontario’s wine industry is reigniting calls to overhaul the province’s alcohol system. The government is close to unveiling a plan to invest millions in the region’s wine industry, in an effort to produce a higher-quality grape harvest. The program will match up to $12-mi...

April, 26, 2011 UK: Whittalls Wine Merchants acquires 37 Oddbins stores

Whittalls Wine Merchants, a subsidiary of EFB Retail, claims it has agreed to buy 37 Oddbins stores from its administrators.The move, according to the company, which is a subsidiary of EFB Retail, will safeguard 200 jobs across the Oddbins chain. In a statement it said: "Whittalls Wine Merchants, th...

April, 25, 2011 Moment of truth for Germany's lush wine country

Axel Pauly's family has been making wine in Germany's stunning Mosel Valley for 13 generations but he warns his livelihood is riding on decisions likely to be taken in the coming weeks. Pauly and many producers of the region's famed Rieslings have joined forces to battle a massive motorway and br...

April, 25, 2011 Alcohol in China: Beer before wine?

There's been plenty of web chatter lately about a very serious topic of global economics: beer drinking. Both the Economix blog on the New York Times, and economics blogger Felix Salmon of Reuters have poured over beer consumption data from around the world. In particular the focus has been on Ch...

April, 25, 2011 As wines gain weight, Chronicle to print alcohol levels

Time for a small industry secret: Most of the nation's top winemakers spend their days making dessert wine. In the eyes of the federal government, that is. As far as the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Trade and Tax Bureau is concerned, any wine with more than 14 percent alcohol must be classified ty...