July, 21, 2014 FOLEY STEPS UP NZ AMBITIONS

(TDB) - US billionaire Bill Foley has raised NZ$10 million (£5.1m) to expand his existing wine business in New Zealand with a particular focus on Martinborough. Of the total raised at the end of June by Foley Family Wines (FFW) from a group of institutional investors, $5m will be used...

July, 21, 2014 Kurniawan Lawyers Dispute Victims' Claims

(Wine-Searcher) - Rudy Kurniawan's lawyers have described the claims of some of his victims as improper and unreliable. Convicted wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan is disputing some of the monetary claims his victims have filed – including one for more than $15 million. While Kurniawan, a 3...

July, 21, 2014 Could wine-making get big in Northern Nevada?

(RGJ) - Six words in a little-known Nevada law is stopping Washoe County and Clark County from establishing a potentially huge industry in Nevada — wine making and wine selling, said a president of a political action committee trying to change the law. Nevada's largest two counties are not...

July, 21, 2014 CA Industry praise for farmers market wine tasting bill

(PE) - New rules that allow small wineries to set up shop at certified farmers markets and offer tastings was praised this week by local wineries and the operators of farmers markets, who said it will give a tremendous boost to boutique wineries. “There’s not enough room on the shelv...

July, 21, 2014 20% OF ITALY’S VINEYARDS DECLARED OBSOLETE

(TDB) - As much as one fifth of Italy’s vineyards are “obsolete” according to Marchese Piero Antinori, president of one of the country’s biggest and best-known wine producers, Marchesi Antinori. During a talk at May’s   IMW symposium in Florence , Piero ...

July, 21, 2014 UK Government sells off top Bordeaux

(Decanter) - The UK government has sold off more mature Bordeaux, including several bottles of Chateau Latour's acclaimed 1961 vintage, to balance the books in its wine cellar. Austerity politics continued to seep into in the UK government's wine cellar in the last financial year. Ministers s...

July, 21, 2014 FORMER AUSSIE MP IN WINE TOUR EXPENSES TRIAL

(TDB) - A dishonesty case brought against a former Australian parliamentary speaker is heating up after he admitted paying for trips to wineries with taxpayer-funded taxi vouchers. Former Australian MP Peter Slipper is accused of misusing about $900 worth of ‘cabcharge’ vou...

July, 18, 2014 Napa Valley: Milats close winery, keep property

(NVR) - One of the last vestiges of the old Napa Valley is about to disappear. Milat Vineyards and Winery, the modest family-owned reminder of how the valley was before big money took over, is closing at the end of the month. The Milat brothers and their wives are leasing the winery to Delectus ...