May, 26, 2015 California: Scientists Now Predicting Near 100% Chance Of Strong El Nino, But Rainfall Isn’t Always Guaranteed

(CBSSF) — Climate experts say El Nino is growing stronger and could bring drought-busting wet weather to California this year. While the ocean condition is nearly guaranteed, rainfall doesn’t always follow the sea temperature increase. On Thursday, scientists at the International Resea...

May, 26, 2015 Mexico: Drought darkens Baja's wine region

(UTSanDiego) - The past five years have left Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe high and dry. High, in that it’s become one of the hottest wine regions in the world, with jet-setting tourists and food and travel writers fueling an explosive growth in upscale wineries, trendy restaurants and bou...

May, 26, 2015 Good Wine Tastes More Like Koala Urine Than You'd Think

(IO9) - Have you ever described a wine you were drinking as fruity, sweet, or having a hint of coconut? Well, congratulations, because you were totally drinking a component of koala urine. In 1996 scientists were pleased to isolate a component of wine. They described it as “intense sweet a...

May, 25, 2015 Happy National Wine Day! 7 Reasons Why Wine Is The Answer To All Of Life's Problems

(Bustle) - Wine is the key to happiness. It’s a fabulous friend to end your day with, and especially on National Wine Day  (which is on May 25th), you would be wise to kick back with a glass in your hand. This is a drink that encourages the act of savoring. Savoring is something we all n...

May, 25, 2015 Those wine-snob behaviors? There’s a good reason for all of them.

(WP) - Wine lovers develop certain habits that in polite company might seem strange. Those customs and rituals are part of wine appreciation. They are also easy to ridicule, and to the uninitiated they become the basis of wine snobbery. Yet they (almost always) serve a role in enhancing our enjoyme...

May, 24, 2015 7 Things in Wine You Didn’t Know Were There (And How They Affect Your Health)

(Health) - Sulfites, tannins, resveratrol—if you’ve read anything about  wine , you’ve probably come across at least one of these terms. But what does all the fancy verbiage mean for your health? We asked Jim Harbertson, PhD, associate professor of enology (that is, the sc...

May, 24, 2015 California farm economy surprisingly resilient amid drought

(SacBee) - The land is bare, except for a few weeds, and the ground is cracked. For the second year in a row, Dan Errotabere is fallowing one third of his ranch: 1,700 acres of California farmland that might have grown tomatoes, garlic, onions and garbanzo beans. “I can’t do this ...

May, 24, 2015 AUS: Heavy Tax Under Fire in Wine War

(AFR) - In response to the article " Wine war afoot as tax reforms loom " ( AFR, May 18). The Wine Industry is united in its approach to freeze the amount of tax we pay (currently 29 per cent Wine Equalisation Tax plus 10 per cent GST on wholesale value) as we are currently...