October, 12, 2015 US COMPANY INVENTS THE ‘CHAMPAGNE BONG’

(TDB) - A company in the US has invented the ‘Champagne bong’ – a sparkling wine receptacle that enables drinkers ‘neck’ their fizz. Imaginatively named the Chambong, the glass combines a conventional wine flute with a traditional ‘frat par...

October, 12, 2015 Bordeaux winemakers plant hedges to cut pesticide risk

(Decanter) - Winemakers in the Bourg appellation are to plant hedgerows around 'sensitive' vineyards to better control pesticide drift, which has come under the spotlight in some parts of Bordeaux over a possible link to child illnesses. Bourg producers north of Bordeaux are to plant 1,200m of h...

October, 12, 2015 Sonoma County supervisors to hear Dry Creek Valley winery dispute Tuesday

(PD) - Sonoma County supervisors on Tuesday are expected to decide the fate of a contested Dry Creek Valley winery proposal from vintners Ken and Diane Wilson during a high-profile appeal hearing — the first in a slate of winery disputes headed to the Board of Supervisors this year. &ldquo...

October, 09, 2015 How Big Is China's Counterfeit-Wine Problem? French Report Calls It An Industry

(WineSpectator) - French trade advisors release findings, against the wishes of politicians, detailing how fake wines are hurting sales. China's thriving counterfeit wine sales have pushed advisors at the French Foreign Trade Advisory Board to quietly leak a controversial report on fake win...

October, 09, 2015 Growers Suffer Low Yields in Paso Robles

With nearly all of the region’s grapes off the vine, growers in the Paso Robles AVA are asking each other: “What the hell happened?” Some vineyards were a total loss, and most yields in the region were off by 50% or more. Growers who suffered a 30% loss are considering themselv...

October, 09, 2015 Revived wine grapes may resist climate change – Torres

(Decanter) - Spain's Torres said it has brought two red wine grape varieties back from the brink of extinction and believes they could help the group manage the effects of climate change.  Torres said that two revived wine grapes named Moneu and Gonfaus have ‘great promise’...

October, 09, 2015 What Really Goes Down in a Wine Tasting Room

(WSJ) - Yes, the free wine tastings are a big draw. But there’s more to winery tours than meets the tongue. Lettie Teague goes behind the scenes at Chateau Ste. Michelle, one of the best-known wineries in the U.S., to find out what really makes a tour tick MORE THAN  a quarter m...

October, 09, 2015 Why Some Mexican Wine Smells Like Raw Meat

(Munchies.vice) - I grew up in San Diego but Mexican wine was never really impressive then, at least in the world market when compared to other wines. I remember going to the Valle de Guadalupe around seven years ago and it was kind of depressing, actually. But a lot has happened in the last f...