September, 23, 2014 Alcohol safety band praised by Microsoft

(TDB) - A bracelet designed by students that can detect levels of alcohol in someone’s system and “check in” to ensure the wearer is conscious has been praised by Microsoft. Vive, a non-working prototype designed by students at the University of Washington, was presented at the...

September, 23, 2014 Sudden Storm Smashes Tuscan Vineyards

(Wine-Searcher) - As some of Europe's grapegrowers enjoy an Indian summer, in Italy hail has made an unwelcome return. Sudden, violent storms have ripped their way through northern Tuscany’s vineyards between Florence and Lucca, causing millions of dollars’ worth of damage and further ...

September, 23, 2014 5 Chinese wine myths debunked

(CNN) —China has no wine-making tradition but the country now uncorks more bottles of red than any other. It's home to a growing middle-class thirsty for new tastes, international vintners trying to win their share of the market and Chinese winemakers working to find their own identity. ...

September, 23, 2014 California wine leaders adapting to drought and consumer shifts, surveys find

(UCDavis) - California wine will hold its own in the global market despite shifts in consumer demographics, scarce water, and competition from imported wines, craft beers and cocktails, according to wine industry leaders surveyed by the University of California, Davis. Findings from the tandem sur...

September, 23, 2014 This Robot Tastes Better Than A Wine Critic

(TechCrunch) - Robots might be unseating the cherry job of wine critics soon. Researchers in Denmark have created an artificial tongue to find out whether expensive wine actually tastes any better than the cheap stuff. The research, first published in ACS Nano, claims that an optical nanosensor ba...

September, 23, 2014 Club W Raises $9.5 Million To Appeal To Wine Lovers, Not Snobs

(WSJ) - Club W Inc. has raised $9.5 million to grow its e-commerce wine business in the U.S. Bessemer Venture Partners led the investment. Earlier the Los Angeles startup raised $3.1 million in a seed round led by Crosscut Ventures. The deal comes after efforts to sell wine by some traditional re...

September, 19, 2014 Discover Your New Favorite Wine in Under 60 Seconds with Vinobly

(Bostinno) - Remember that time you stepped inside a real brick-and-mortar wine store and chose a bottle of vino? Chances are, it’s been a while. With a plethora of alcohol delivery startups bringing booze right to our doorsteps, there’s little reason to spend time perusing wine store a...

September, 19, 2014 LCBO ad urging pregnant women to avoid alcohol sparks complaint

(GlobalNews) - A liquor retailer’s campaign to discourage pregnant women from consuming alcohol has been described by one Toronto woman as “offensive and wrong on so many levels.” Laura Jamer saw an ad by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) that shows a naked pregnant woma...