January, 08, 2015 Australian wildfires threaten to produce ashtray wine vintage

(Reuters) - Wildfires sweeping through southeast  Australia  are carrying with them the specter of a silent killer for grapes growing in the nearby Adelaide Hills wine region.   The vineyards have so far escaped the direct ravages of the worst bushfires for 30 years but ...

January, 08, 2015 Russell Bevan Purchases Saunders Vineyard in Napa Valley

(WineSpectator) - Winemaker Russell Bevan just made two big moves in Napa Valley. He purchased a 41-acre vineyard in Oakville and filed for a permit to build a winery nearby. “I’m poorer than I’ve ever been, but I’ve never been so excited,” Bevan told Wine Spectator...

January, 08, 2015 Breaking: Foie Gras Is Legal in California Right Now; Anti-Foie Ban Invalidated

(SFEater) - Hold on to your hats, everybody: as of right now, foie gras is once again legal in California. According to La Toque's Ken Frank, one of the chefs who led the fight to have foie gras relegalized, a court invalidated the ban on importing foie from out-of-state into California this mornin...

January, 07, 2015 Why Australians are using sunblock to protect grape crops

(BBC) - Slip, slop, slap. It was a cartoon seagull wearing shorts, t-shirt and a hat that famously urged sun-loving Australians in the 1980s to protect themselves from damaging ultraviolet rays. While sunblock has shielded generations from harm, it is also being used to safeguard the health and vi...

January, 07, 2015 Is winemaking an art or science?

(CosmosMagazine) - In vino veritas – in wine there is truth – says the Latin proverb, but the truth behind how grapes ferment into a unique vintage is a mystery long cloaked by the term terroir. Andrew Masterson finds that science is finally peeling back the curtain. Coldstream in mid-...

January, 06, 2015 TOP 10 LOW-CALORIE WINES

(TDB) - Counting the calories after an indulgent festive period? This selection of low-cal wines could help maintain your virtue. A trend for lighter, lower calorie wines has quickly gathered pace in the US and UK, with the category gradually overcoming its poor image which has in the ...

January, 06, 2015 Why the Euro at nine-year low won’t hit wine shelves soon

(DrVino) - The euro hit 1.18 against the US dollar overnight, a level last seen in 2006. One might think that suddenly Barolos, Burgundies and Champagnes will suddenly become cheaper here in the US. Well, a European wine lover can dream…Here are six reasons why we won’t see discounts o...

January, 06, 2015 The Heat is on in Australia as Fire Engulfs Vineyard

(Wine-Searcher) - A changing climate could mean a change of plan for Australian grapegrowers as bush fire season begins. As bush fires threaten vineyards near Adelaide, and Hunter Valley wineries spray their grapes with sunscreen, the Australian wine industry is getting used to life at the sharp...