January, 16, 2011 NZ: Bumper harvest gives wine industry hangover

A bumper year for the country's grape growers could be great news for wine buyers, but not vineyards.Good growing conditions mean that this year's harvest might exceed 300,000 tonnes, raising the possibility of another wine glut and a tough year for wineries.Oversupply has threatened to damage the v...

January, 15, 2011 German vintner discovers World War Two wine cache

(Reuters) - A German vintner acting on a hunch uncovered a hidden trove of wine untouched since 1945.Andreas Neymeyer discovered 500 bottles under a cellar staircase while clearing out a burned-out building on his 38 hectare (94 acre) vineyard in southern Germany shortly before Christmas."It was my ...

January, 15, 2011 The Case for More Sweet Wine

Davis, Calif.—Consumption and sales of sweet and dessert wines in the United States are at a historical low point as a percentage of overall wine sales, but some industry experts believe there is potential for expanding market share in this category by re-educating and re-introducing consumers to ...

January, 15, 2011 Will Bugs Warn of Vineyard Mildew?

Napa, Calif.—Every farmer knows of the importance of honeybees in fertilizing plants. Now researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Los Alamos National Laboratories find they also may help provide an early warning of powdery mildew. They’re hoping this research will help them event...

January, 14, 2011 AUS: Victorian wine grapes washed out

Heavy rain and flooding has destroyed about 20 percent of the Victorian wine grape crop. Falls of up to 200 millimetres have been recorded in Victoria's north west in recent days. Chair of the Murray Valley Wine Grape Growers Dennis Mills, says growers are now hoping they can sell damaged fruit....

January, 13, 2011 Foster's US wine sales in freefall

FOSTER'S US wine sales continued to slide in December as it reduced promotional discounts to concentrate on more profitable market segments.Supermarket sales figures collected by market research firm ACNeilsen showed Foster's US wine sales declined by 9.4 per cent in revenue terms during December co...

January, 13, 2011 China wine drinkers increase, UK biggest importer: new figures

According to the latest figures from International Wine and Spirit Research (IWSR), commissioned by Vinexpo, consumption of wine by China and Hong Kong increased by over 100% between 2005 and 2009, from 46.9m to 95.9m cases. The organisation predicts that this figure will increase a further 20% by ...

January, 13, 2011 Burgundy 2009: great, but not 2005

Winemakers throughout the region are delighted by 2009’s high levels of ripeness, the health of the grapes, and the promising acidity and balance. The grapes have lower acid levels than in 2005, but high sugar and intense flavours. It will be a ‘perfumed, exotic vintage,’ one winemaker said....