March, 27, 2011 US: Asparagus wine? Why not, Michigan producers say

Michigan grows asparagus. Michigan makes wine. Now comes a twist in agritourism ingenuity -- asparagus wine. "It has a mild asparagus aroma and flavor with a little hint of sweetness," says Kellie Fox of the Fox Barn Market & Winery in Shelby, near Pentwater. "And it is really clear." Admit...

March, 26, 2011 Why Blending in Winemaking Matters

“Blending is the winemakers’ equivalent to chefs cooking up a signature dish,” says Brian Bicknell, owner of the New Zealand winery Mahi. While some wines — such as Burgundies — are made from a single kind of grape grown in a single year, most wines are blends of grapes grown in various ye...

March, 26, 2011 Canada: Weather crucial to making great ice wine

This week’s unwelcome return of winter got me thinking about ice wine. Now, the Niagara ice wine harvest has been finished for several months — it began in December — but had we not had proper conditions yet by late March, the industry would be facing a disaster. It’s been a very long tim...

March, 25, 2011 Uncorked: Deconstructing Napa

The valley's wines vary, region by region. Learn the flavor profiles to guide your choice.All that Napa Valley is — its glitz and glamour, come-hither grip on wine country trippers, its stratospheric prices — it owes to its dirt. Vineyard farmers have identified more than 30 soil types in Nap...

March, 25, 2011 California: State urges stricter rules for frost protection diversions

State water regulators continue to push for the creation of a watchdog body with the power to halt vineyard water diversions to protect endangered fish in the Russian River.The regulators, who this week released their latest proposal, also want the public to have access to reports on how much water ...

March, 25, 2011 UK: Veteran singer Chris De Burgh makes a fortune with wine auction

Veteran singer Chris De Burgh made a massive £345,000 when he sold his precious wine collection at auction on Thursday. The collection, which De Burgh has spent 30 years amassing, was made up of 320 bottles and 84 magnums of mainly red wines which went under the hammer at Christie's in London. ...

March, 25, 2011 US: Finger Lakes Vineyards warned about threat of stink bugs

The stink from stink bugs is just the start -- not only do the pests feast on local fruit, they could imperil the state's wine industry, grape growers have been warned. At the 60th annual Finger Lakes Grape Growers' Conference held in Waterloo, about 300 grape growers, winemakers and extension ed...

March, 25, 2011 UK: Constellation Europe, E&J Gallo Winery snub LIWF again

Constellation Wines Australia & Europe and E&J Gallo Winery will again stay away from the London International Wine Fair (LIWF) this year, although organisers have highlighted several new arrivals. Constellation and Gallo, which account for several of the UK's leading wine brands, including Hardy...