February, 25, 2015 Irish-American Billionaire Brings Kentucky to Dublin

(Wine-Searcher) - A Kentucky-based brewer and distiller is opening his first stills in his native Ireland – in an old church. A Kentucky-based brewer and distiller is expanding his empire to include a distillery in Ireland, just yards from the famous Guinness Brewery. Alltech's $6.5-million...

February, 25, 2015 How Serious Is China About Fighting Fake Wine Sales Online?

(WineSpectator) - Is the Chinese government serious about cracking down on online sales of counterfeit wines? Last month, an agency lashed out at Alibaba, the giant e-commerce site, for failing to curb the activities of unlicensed merchants and the sale of fake goods, including wine, on its sites. ...

February, 24, 2015 China wine market to return to growth

(Yahoo) - The head of the world's largest wine and spirits exhibition, Vinexpo, predicts China's wine market will return to growth in 2015 after being hit by an anti-graft clampdown. Chinese drinkers have developed a taste for wine in recent years, with consumption surging 70 per cent between 2009...

February, 24, 2015 The World's Next Big Wine Regions

(Bloomberg) - I’ve always been a wine-discovery junkie, constantly on the hunt for new grapes, new vintages, new winemakers, and especially new places where vines may never have been planted before. Thanks to ambitious vintners, rising demand from drinkers, a taste shift to lighter wine style...

February, 24, 2015 Cannabis cocktail trend predicted in US

(TDB) - Cannabis cocktails could soon be served at US bars as a growing number of states seek to legalise and decriminalise the Class C drug. Bloomberg reports that “bartenders and bud-tenders are coming together” to create cocktails featuring THC tinctures – the potent part ...

February, 24, 2015 Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance Announces Submission of Petition for AVA Status

(WB) - The Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance (PGWA) http://petalumagap.com/ has announced that a petition has been submitted to the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) asking for official recognition of the unique character and high quality of the grapes being grown in the region k...

February, 24, 2015 Are insects the next culinary frontier?

(TDB) - Ant-infused gin and cricket consommé could be the next big thing in food, according to a highly-regarded French cooking school. Le Cordon Bleu, which was founded in Paris 120 years ago, has come out on the side of bugs saying that they are good to eat and good for the environmen...

February, 24, 2015 Craft spirit industry is growing in Paso Robles

(PRDN)  - Local production of vodka, gin, whisky and bourbon growing The craft spirit industry in Paso Robles has exploded over the last few years with more wineries starting to distill. “It’s actually a really good complement to the area,” Paso Robles Wine Country Allianc...