May, 11, 2015 Heresy? WSU scientists prefer screw tops over corks for fine wine

(Komonews) - They don't stand on snobbishness when it comes to making wine at Washington State University. For the past six years, every wine made by a WSU enology student or researcher has come with a screw cap. "It's the best technology for closing wine in a glass bottle," said Thomas Henick-Kl...

May, 11, 2015 French biodynamic winemaker facing court for refusing to spray vines

(Decanter) - French officials have targeted a second biodynamic winemaker for refusing to spray vines against flavescence doree disease, this time in the Beaujolais Cru area of Moulin a Vent. Thibault Liger-Belair, a proponent of biodynamic viticulture, is due to appear before a court in Villefran...

May, 11, 2015 English wine hails bumper year

(TDB) - Figures for the 2014 harvest released today have revealed a record-breaking 47,433 hectolitres, or 6.3 million bottles, of English wine have been produced – up 42% on 2013. Although there is as yet no breakdown in terms of varieties and styles produced, English Wine Producers (EWP) a...

May, 11, 2015 Water conservation becoming big business

(PD) - When groundskeepers for the Petaluma City Schools District suspect they have a water line break, they no longer need to keep the sprinklers running while they walk between the control box and the play field in order to test the irrigation system. With a tap on a smartphone, the sprinklers w...

May, 11, 2015 Can the Nevada Wine Industry Grow?

(Wines&Vines) - It’s a hard-drinking state with one of the tiniest wine industries in the nation, but Nevada may open window for growth if a bill that recently passed the Assembly meets the same favor in the state Senate. Assembly Bill 4 would alter 1993 regulations that currently forb...

May, 11, 2015 Americans Are Drinking Less But Spending More on Fancy Booze

(Bloomberg) - The cost of going out is going up. The culprit this time isn’t bars and restaurants that hike up drink prices. It’s the growing number of Americans who intentionally choose more expensive beers, wine, and cocktails. As drinkers get pickier, their bar tabs get more bloat...

May, 11, 2015 Napa Wine Auction Goes for the Bling Factor

(Wine-Searcher) - The wines have taken a back seat to the add-ons at Auction Napa Valley. You can go to the Emmys or the Kentucky Derby. You can play golf in Montana or fish in Alaska. You can win a speedboat, a Morgan Roadster or a Mini Cooper convertible. Or you can have a single bottle ...

May, 11, 2015 5 weird tastes that can sneak into your wine

(NS) - Whiff of leathery barnyard? What: Cat urine Taste it in: Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is famous for its signature "cat pee on a gooseberry bush" flavour – a mixture of cat urine, tropical fruit and green aromas. It is believed to de...