February, 25, 2010 WINE....

As if French winemakers didn't have enough problems. An economic slump is slashing sales and they're facing ever-tougher competition from New World winemakers, who have greater freedom to design their wines to suit a fickle public. Now they have to grapple with climate change, which threatens to re...

February, 25, 2010 Traps set statewide for destructive grapevine moth

Trap by trap, agricultural inspectors are casting a statewide net in an urgent hunt for a tiny bug with a voracious appetite that is threatening California's multibillion-dollar grape industry. Their prey: the European grapevine moth, an insect that has destroyed some vineyards in Europe, the Mi...

February, 25, 2010 First wines demonstrate effects of PRELUDE®, Chr. Hansen’s new yeast product

Promising results are starting to kick in after Chr. Hansen’s launch of the innovative wine yeast PRELUDE® in August. The launch now continues in the Southern hemisphere. Rounder mouth-feel, distinct aromas, and increased overall complexity. This is what a number of winemakers in the Northern...

February, 24, 2010 INNOYEAST -New Native Microencapsulated Wine Yeast

The European project known as INNOYEAST (Innovation and improvement of European wine industry competitiveness by the research and development of native microencapsulated wine yeasts to produce quality wines) has been officially initiated. Led by Bodegas Baigorri, the wine producer from Rioja Alavesa...

February, 24, 2010 South African Wine Industry Cuts Grape Harvest Forecast

(Bloomberg) -- South African Wine Industry Information and Systems cut its forecast for the country’s wine grape crop by 62,000 metric tons from last month’s estimate because of weather-related damage to vineyards. South Africa will probably harvest 1.24 million tons of wine grapes this year,...

February, 23, 2010 Oregon Expects Wine Surplus

Oregon - As if the lingering recession weren't enough to trouble Oregon's grape growers and winemakers, they got a preliminary confirmation yesterday at the Oregon Wine Industry Symposium that their 2009 crop was a big one -- up 23% from 2008. Combined with the unsold inventory from 2008, the state...

February, 23, 2010 New EU organic logo may cause confusion

A new EU logo for organic products could confuse consumers, says a leading agricultural group. The European Commission has mandated the use of the new logo for organic products made within the EU – regardless of whether they already meet higher standards from other certifying bodies. As of ...

February, 22, 2010 Shedding Light on Wine Flavor

Recent research contends that lighting can influence both how wine tastes and how much consumers are willing to pay for it. “Ambient Lighting Modifies the Flavor of Wine,” details conclusions from three German experiments in which more than 500 people tasted Riesling wines under different lighti...