February, 10, 2016 World of Wine: Oak barrels for wine has long history, important purpose

(InForum) - One of my students inquired about how wine came about being made in oak barrels. My immediate answer was, what else could be used, if you were in the Iron Age (800 to 900 B.C.)? By the first century B.C., fully closed barrels were used for holding wine, beer, milk, olive oil and wate...

February, 09, 2016 New strategy could turn less water into better wine

(Tri-CityHerald) - Many of the delicious flavors in red wine are created by limiting how much water the grapes get. It turns out that for white wine grapes, severe water restriction can do more harm than good. That’s why Washington State University scientists are excited about new res...

February, 09, 2016 Rapper E-40 Launches Eponymous Beer: 'Forget Everything You Think You Know About Malt Liquor'

(Forbes) - E-40 is a Bay Area rap legend and the undisputed godfather of the hyphy movement. But he’s also currently at the helm of an intriguing alcohol and spirits empire, one that just added the eponymous “E-40 Malt Liquor” to its portfolio. Available in both the tradit...

February, 09, 2016 China can halt Aussie wine export slump

(AAP) - Australian winemakers can expect to sell greater volumes of red wine into China but not so many whites because "white is the colour of death in China", a leading wine industry exhibitor says. Vinexpo CEO Guillaume Deglise said a growing demand for wine from the Chinese should help revers...

February, 09, 2016 Sonoma County approves new food-safety rating system for restaurants

(PD) - Sonoma County’s 3,500 restaurants and retail food outlets will soon participate in a new public rating system that could be more important to everyday business than winning a Michelin star or Zagat survey mention. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a color-coded placard sy...

February, 09, 2016 Rioja sales hit new record in 2015 – figures

(Decanter) - Sales of Rioja hit record levels in 2015, driven by stronger demand for the Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva red categories, as well as white wines.  According to the  Rioja  Control Board, demand for barrel aged Rioja meant that total Rioja sales in 2015 rose...

February, 09, 2016 Global spirits and wine predicted to rise

(Drinksint) - Research commissioned by the trade show organiser, Vinexpo, predicts a +1.4% volume increase in world wine consumption and a spirits increase of +2.8% to 2019. The research by IWSR, was commissioned by Vinexpo by way of promoting its forthcoming exhibitions in Hong Kong (May 24-26 ...

February, 09, 2016 How Much Has the Strong Dollar Affected U.S. Wine Exports?

(WineEconomist) - Last week I was wrong about the strong U.S. dollar and its impact on U.S. wine imports. My conclusion was that there was an exchange rate effect, but it was less than you might otherwise expect because of specific factors that are at work in the sparkling, bulk, and bottle wine...