July, 31, 2014 Online Wine Auctioneer Arrested on Embezzlement Charges

(WineSpectator) - Why go to the trouble of making and selling fake fine wine when you can convince other people to let you sell their real fine wine and pocket the cash? The founder and former president of an online auction house stands accused of just that. California prosecutors have indicted Win...

July, 31, 2014 Diageo net sales drop by £1.1 billion

(TDB) - Diageo saw its net sales tumble by £1.1 billion in 2014 with weak sales in emerging markets and a continued slowdown in China blamed, as the company posted its end of year results today. Overall the company reported a net profit of £2.25 billion, a drop of 8% on 2013, with&n...

July, 31, 2014 Kick Off for the California Wine Harvest

(Wine-Searcher) - Despite drought, right now it looks like another good year in prospect for California wine. California's string of good vintages is on course to continue. Harvest kicked off in Napa Valley today (Wednesday) and all signs appear good again. As usual, Mumm Napa Valley was the firs...

July, 30, 2014 Early 2014 Grape Harvest Begins

(Wines&Vines) - An early vintage is getting started in the North Coast, where a few vintners are picking grapes this week for their sparkling and rosé wine programs. While the 2013 vintage arrived earlier than normal, some growers see signs that 2014 will be even earlier. They’r...

July, 30, 2014 TOP 10 CHAMPAGNE BRANDS

(TDB) - The market for Champagne remains a place of ups and downs. Shipments to the UK slipped 5.1% in volume and 3.8% in value last year. This was called “unsurprising” by the Champagne Bureau who also pointed out that the UK still remains the biggest export market for Champagn...

July, 30, 2014 MAN’S BEER BELLY STARS IN MATERNITY SHOOT

(TDB) - A man’s beer belly was the star of a recent maternity photo shoot after his pregnant wife refused to take part, raising many a smile across the web. Cleverly dubbed “manternity” pictures, the snaps appeared on online sharing site  imgur  yesterday showi...

July, 29, 2014 Where the biggest beer, wine, and liquor drinkers live in the U.S.

(WP) - America's thirst for alcohol might know no boundaries, but certain parts of the country do seem especially parched. No state handles its alcohol quite like New Hampshire, according to per capita consumption data shared by the Beer Institute. The libertarian New England state guzzles down mo...

July, 29, 2014 LVMH profits hit by China slump

(TDB) - Destocking in China continued to impact Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) in the second half of 2014, which has posted a 15% drop in profits in its wine and spirits portfolio. Overall, the company reported an increase of 3% to its revenue in the first half of 2014, recording revenu...