July, 22, 2015 US BILL COULD LIFT DRINKS POST BAN

(TDB) - A century-old ban on sending alcohol through the US Postal Service could be lifted if a new bill makes its way through Congress. The USPS Shipping Equity Act has been introduced to the House of Representatives by Californian Democrat Jackie Speier. The proposal seeks ...

July, 22, 2015 The World's Three Greatest Underrated Wines, 2015 Edition

(WineSpectator) - You would think that in our we're-all-connected-now world that no wine of any real quality could go unnoticed or unappreciated. Yet it's not so. A variety of reasons contribute to a lack of recognition. This is worth exploring briefly, if only to underscore that althou...

July, 22, 2015 Napa Valley Sets New Record for Earliest Harvest

(Wine-Searcher) - California's harvest season seems to be getting earlier as Mumm starts picking for sparkling wines. Mumm Napa is scheduled to kick off Napa Valley's harvest season today in what will be its earliest start on record. Winemaker Ludovic Dervin said the sparkling wine specialist...

July, 22, 2015 Penfolds owner sells California winery

(Decanter) - Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has sold several California assets to rival Gallo, including the Asti winery, the Souverain brand and stocks, and vineyards in Sonoma County. The deal also sees TWE entering into a long-term leaseback agreement on part of the vineyard, which has trad...

July, 22, 2015 FRANCE: DIAM GEARED FOR GROWTH WITH NEW FACILITY

(TDB) - Closure manufacturer Diam Bouchage has opened a new €30 million factory in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region. The 2,000m² Diamant III cork purification unit is located on the 5-hectare site in Vallespir that houses the company’s head office. The new plant wi...

July, 22, 2015 Lodi Wine Harvest a Bit Early and Light

(Wines&Vines) - The coming wine grape harvest in California’s Lodi AVA looks to be slightly early and about average in quantity, according to growers there. Some vineyard yields will be far lower than normal, however, because of an April hailstorm that caused severe damage to vine...

July, 22, 2015 How Greece's Debt Crisis Is Impacting Its Wine Industry

Greece contains some of the oldest wine-producing areas on the planet, with vineyards having been in some parts of the country for more than 4,000 years. As the European Union engages in protracted negotiations over the fate of Greek debt refinance and  the status of Greece in the common curre...

July, 21, 2015 The chemistry that makes your wine taste good (or bad)

(WP) -  When it comes to wine, the devil is in the details. No matter how fancy, every bottle of wine is mostly water and alcohol -- only 2 percent of the chemical composition allows for any variety. But oh, how that 2 percent can vary. The latest video from the  American Chemical Soc...