March, 31, 2010 Washington Wine Industry Tops 650 Wineries

With Wash. wine industry at 650 and growing, winemakers seek new ways to set themselves apart. Hugh and Kathy Shiels wanted to stand out when they started Cote Bonneville winery in 2001, and at $100 a bottle for their initial vintage, they certainly did.Some criticized the eastern Washington winery ...

March, 30, 2010 Billionaire's RICO Suit Against Christie's Alleges Wine Counterfeiting

Billionaire Bill Koch isn't letting up in his campaign against counterfeiting in the high-priced wine world. The energy tycoon and avid oenophile has just filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York accusing auction house Christie's of being "among the leaders of counterfeit wine sales." The compla...

March, 30, 2010 For buyers and cellars: wine's robust returns

Fine wine in an investment portfolio increases returns in good times, reduces risk in bad, study concludes.In the stock market crash of 2008-09, devastated boomers were no doubt tempted to drown their sorrows by imbibing the expensive wines stored in their cellars during happier days. That would ...

March, 30, 2010 California Wineries Try Acacia Barrels

California - Though oak is almost synonymous with wine barrels, a small number of California wineries are now experimenting with aging their wines using another wood. The barrels are made from what’s popularly called acacia wood, actually the Robinia pseudoacacia or black locust tree, a native ...

March, 30, 2010 Initiative would raise tax on wine, alcohol

CA - A measure that would raise the excise tax on a 750 ml bottle of wine from 4 cents to $5.11 has been cleared for circulation by the Secretary of State. Proponents can begin collecting the 433,971 signatures needed to put the initiative on the November ballot. The measure would push the tax on...

March, 30, 2010 Italian Wine Sector Boosts Quality to Seize Exports

The Italian wine industry hit rock bottom a generation ago, when thousands of bottles of Italian wine were found to have been laced with deadly levels of methanol, a key ingredient in antifreeze that had been used to raise the alcohol content of the wine. The 1986 scandal left nine Italians dead and...

March, 29, 2010 American buyers: keep prices down

The message from American buyers at the beginning of en primeur week is clear: this might be a great vintage, but keep prices competitive. Buyers for California-based importer JJ Buckley were enthusiastic about the wines but were focusing on the lower price-brackets. 'The action is going to be at ...

March, 29, 2010 Which Winegrapes to Grow in Missouri?

Columbia, Mo. -- What winegrapes should growers plant in Missouri? What grapes would winemakers like to make wine from? Dr. Keith Striegler, director of the University of Missouri’s Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture and Enology (ICCVE) in Columbia, Mo., and Dr. Marco Li Calzi, enology ...