January, 25, 2017 Corralling stink bugs could lead to better wine

(PHYS) - To wine makers, stink bugs are more than a nuisance. These tiny pests can hitch rides on grapes going through the wine making process, releasing stress compounds that can foul the smell and taste of the finished product. Now, in a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Foo...

January, 25, 2017 Marijuana and Labor Shortages Are Giving the Wine Industry a Headache

(Fortune) - The U.S. wine industry is poised for another banner year in 2017. Sales are projected to rise by as much as 6% and the total harvest in California—by far the largest wine-producing state—should climb 7% to nearly 4 million tons crushed. The coveted millennial generation is i...

January, 25, 2017 Chile fires: 100-year-old vines lost in ‘national catastrophe’

(Decanter) - The viticultural fallout of the forest fires still raging in Chile has begun to emerge, with century-old vineyards burnt to cinders and small producers worst affected. So far, more than 100 vineyards in Maule have been reportedly damaged by fires and approximately five hectares...

January, 25, 2017 Grapes of wrath: French wine industry angry at plans for bigger pregnancy health warnings on bottles

(Telegraph) - The creators of some of France’s finest wines are up in arms over a government plan to double the size of a warning on bottle labels  advising pregnant women to avoid alcohol . A quarter of French mothers-to-be continue to drink alcohol, according to the National Institu...

January, 25, 2017 President Trump signs order to withdraw from Trans-Pacific Partnership

(WP) - President Trump began recasting America’s role in the global economy Monday, canceling an agreement for a sweeping trade deal with Asia that he once called a “potential disaster.” Trump signed the executive order formally ending the United States’ participation in ...

January, 23, 2017 Vineyard Water Comes in Waves

(Wines&Vines) - After a brief respite, welcome rains continue in Northern California. Several waves of precipitation arrived on schedule, bringing sinkholes, flooding and power outages to Bay Area cities. During the weekend of Jan. 21-22, mudslides closed heavily trafficked Highway 17 b...

January, 23, 2017 Santa Rosa’s Vintage Wine Estates acquires Cameron Hughes Wines

(NBBJ0 - Vintage Wine Estates of Santa Rosa has purchased Cameron Hughes Wine Inc. for $15.5 million as part of a court settlement, bringing one of the most innovative wine labels in recent years into its portfolio. A San Francisco Superior Court judge has signed off on the settlement to allow U...

January, 23, 2017 New research on wine fermentation could lead to better bouquet

(Phys) - The taste of wine arises from a symphony of compounds that are assembled as yeast ferment the must from grapes. But much of what happens in this process remains obscure. Now a team of researchers from France, a country that is synonymous with good wine, has begun to unveil the outlines of ...