May, 08, 2015 The backstory of the Sonoma County Barrel Auction

(PD) - Every major event has a backstory, a puzzle of infighting, negotiations and concessions before unity can be pieced together. The Sonoma County Barrel Auction is no exception. By all accounts the inaugural event was a success logistically and financially. The auction raised $461,700, roughly...

May, 08, 2015 Portugal: Quinta do Noval declares 'small quantity' of Port 2013 vintage

(Decanter) - Famed Douro Valley property Quinta do Noval has released a ‘very small quantity’ of 2013 vintage Port, bucking the general trend of non-declaration by major Port houses. Describing the wine’s style as ‘elegant, pure, aromatic, perfectly harmonious and typical...

May, 08, 2015 California’s Winemakers Figured Out How To Beat Epic Droughts Over 100 Years Ago

(VinePair) - California’s current drought is in its 4th year, and as NASA and other governing bodies declare a State of Emergency and decry the lack of water in the Golden State in the style of Chicken Little, the sky is not falling–at least not for many of the state’s grape gro...

May, 07, 2015 California farms turn to using Chevron's wastewater — and no one is quite sure if that is safe

(BI) - To cope with super dry conditions, a lot of California farms over the last two decades have turned to using recycled water... from oil companies. The  Los Angeles Times reports  that "Chevron recycles 21 million gallons of that water each day and sells it to farmers who use it o...

May, 07, 2015 Will Shangri-La produce China's first world-class red wine?

(SCMP) - The 2013 vintage from Moët Hennessy winery in Adong, a remote village 2,500 metres up in the Himalayan foothills, could be the start of something big. When Jean-Guillaume Prats joined Moët Hennessy Estates & Wines in 2012, his role as president was to head up strategy and ...

May, 07, 2015 Drink This Now: Hard Cider That Is as Sophisticated as Wine

(Bloomberg) - On a recent trip to Portland, Ore., I found myself standing around a crowded bar called  Bushwacker , shoulder-to-shoulder with some burly, bearded beer guys intently sipping and dissecting small pours of straw-colored liquid. I was in town for the annual Craft Brewers Conference...

May, 07, 2015 Calif. Assembly Approves Beer And Wine At Hair Salons

(AP)  — The California Assembly has approved legislation that would make it legal for hair salons and barbershops to offer customers free beer and wine. Assemblyman Tom Daly, a Democrat from Anaheim, says many salons already offer drinks while customers are having their hair styled, ...

May, 07, 2015 This is Your Brain on Expensive Wine

(Time) - Here's one reason why you might get more pleasure from wines with extravagant price tags. A new study  in the Journal of Marketing Research confirms what prior research (and, in some cases, gut feeling) has told us for years: Most people can’t really taste the difference bet...