March, 18, 2014 AUS: Organic food and wine exporters gain easier access to China

(BRW) - The $1.3 billion organic food and wine industry is set to gain a $100 million-plus lift after the umbrella body won Chinese approval to certify export produce in Australia. The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia estimates it could add up to $100 million in extra sal...

March, 17, 2014 France: Wine terrorists attack telephone exchange

(TDB) - A group of militant winemakers has appeared to claim responsibility for an arson attack on two telephone exchanges which left thousands without communications. Thousands of people in the Haute-Garonne near Toulouse were left without a telephone or internet connection following the attack o...

March, 17, 2014 The latest boozy milkshake: Wine shakes

(USAToday) - Milkshake lovers now have an excuse to toast before slurping — the wine shake is in motion. Red Robin, which claims to be the first national restaurant chain to roll out beer shakes two years ago, now is turning to wine shakes as something a bit more sophisticated, expensive and...

March, 17, 2014 How a Black Rooster Became the Logo of Chianti Classico Wine

(ItalyMagazine) - Last week, I was researching Chianti wines and delving into the finer details of the distinctions between “plain” Chianti wine and Chianti Classico for an upcoming column of Vini Vino Vinum. There are two key pieces of information that immediately pop out. Firstly, Chi...

March, 17, 2014 Hungary abolishes three and four Puttonyos Tokaji grades

(Decanter) - Hungary's Tokaji trade council has abolished the two lower grades of the country's most famous wine, leaving some merchants concerned about the effect on consumers. Hungarian winemakers confirmed that the 3 and 4 ‘Puttonyos’ categories are eliminated as of this year. The P...

March, 17, 2014 Wine investors warned of 'mugs list'

(Telegraph) - Savers in a £24million wine "investment scam" have been warned they are likely to be targeted again because their names are on a "mugs list". As many as 444 people are thought to have lost sums ranging from £20,000 to £2million after investing in Bordeaux Fine Wines...

March, 17, 2014 Can NZ avoid another wine glut?

(TDB) - As New Zealand harvests its second bumper vintage in a row, one winery owner has expressed concern that the country will repeat the oversupply pricing problems of 2008. “Sadly this year there’s a big danger that we’ll have a glut again,” Robert Wilson, co-owner of H...

March, 14, 2014 Bordeaux Gets Chinese Hangover

(Wine-Searcher) - Sales of Bordeaux wine fell 1.4 percent last year, with exports dropping by six percent as Chinese drinkers cut their purchases by nearly a fifth, the region's wine trade association has reported. While the volume of wine from Bordeaux sold edged up 0.3 percent to the equivalent ...