September, 25, 2014 Early California Grape Harvest Continues

(Wines&Vines) - Like migrant workers following the crops, we continue our reports of the 2014 winegrape harvest in major California regions. As in Southern and Central California, grapes started coming in earlier than normal near San Francisco Bay and in points east and north. As in earlier r...

September, 25, 2014 Virginia wine sales for fiscal 2014 set record

(Vegazette) - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced Wednesday that sales of Virginia wine continued solid growth in fiscal 2014 and reached another record level, increasing by almost 2 percent from fiscal 2013. Virginia wineries sold more than 521,000 cases of wine, or approximately 6.25 million bot...

September, 25, 2014 French police investigate harvest worker 'abuse' near Champagne vineyards

(Decanter) - French police have launched a criminal investigation after finding 248 Polish immigrants being kept in 'exploitative' conditions in one house and thought to be destined to work the Champagne harvest. The workers were found in a house in Fleury-la-Riviere, in the Marne area of France...

September, 25, 2014 UC Davis Winery A Posterchild For How To Save Water During California Drought

(CBS13) — With California in the midst of a severe drought, winemakers in need of water are turning to UC Davis for answers. “It’s used for cleaning equipment,” said UC Davis Dr. Davis Block. “After you use a tank, or use a barrel or you use a crusher/destemer, you&rs...

September, 25, 2014 Survey: California wine industry adapting to aging baby boomers, foreign competition, drought

(SacBee) -  In wine parlance, it’s called “passing the glass.” As aging baby boomers taper off their wine consumption, the millennial generation is poised to pick up the slack, according to a new UC Davis survey of California wine executives. And despite water shortages and i...

September, 25, 2014 Pabst sold for $700m to Russian company

(TDB) - A Russian beverage company has bought a controlling stake in America’s Pabst Brewing Company for a reported US$700 million. Oasis Beverages, a Russian brewer and beverage distributor, confirmed the deal on Thursday backed by TSG Consumer Partners – an American private equity fi...

September, 25, 2014 Burgundy Breathes a Sigh of Relief

(Wine-Searcher) - A turnaround in the weather means producers in Burgundy have quantity as well as quality in this year's harvest. Many Burgundy vintners finished picking earlier this week and Claude Chevalier, president of the BIVB said that yields are "almost back to normal" following a string o...

September, 25, 2014 St Emilion estate to ‘equal’ Haut Brion

(TDB) - Prince Robert of Luxembourg has predicted that his group’s recent purchase in St Emilion is poised to become “an equal” of its other estates, first growth Haut Brion and the adjacent La Mission Haut Brion. 2011 saw Domaine Clarence Dillon make its first move into Bordeaux...