January, 21, 2014 Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association to Address CA Drought

(WineMag) -  The Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association is organizing an interactive discussion on January 28 to address the drought affecting the state. Governor Jerry Brown officially declared the drought on January 17, with state water agencies restricting water usage. The conference will be ...

January, 21, 2014 Frigid Winter Tough on Grapes

(Wines&Vines) - Grapegrowers east of the Rockies often face cold winters. January 2014 has reinforced that understanding, as temperatures earlier this month dropped to lows not experienced for two decades across the Midwest and into the East. Those low temperatures, accompanied by strong winds,...

January, 21, 2014 Veuve Clicquot to sue winery over labels

(TDB) - Champagne giant Veuve Clicquot is suing an Italian sparkling wine producer in a dispute over the colour of its labels, according to reports in the Italian media. According to a report on winenews.it, Veuve Clicquot has launched legal proceedings against winery Ciro Picariello over claims t...

January, 20, 2014 NZ: Actor Sam Neill has acquired a fourth vineyard in Central Otago

(TDB) - Actor Sam Neill has acquired a fourth vineyard in Central Otago expanding his Two Paddocks estate. The newly attained six-hectare Desert Heart Vineyard in Bannockburn will be entirely devoted to growing Pinot Noir. Sam Neill said: “We’ve been quietly looking around for somethi...

January, 20, 2014 Feds apprehend Chris Edwards in Mexico on fraud charges

(NapaRegister) - The former Napa wine executive accused of stealing $900,000 from an online wine fulfillment company has been apprehended in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he allegedly fled after his indictment in May for fraud and money laundering, federal officials said Friday. Martin “Chr...

January, 20, 2014 Governor declares drought emergency in California

(CP) - Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a statewide emergency because of drought, directing state officials to help farmers and giving them more flexibility in managing water supply. As part of the declaration issued Jan. 17, the governor ordered agencies to use less water, hire more firefighters and...

January, 20, 2014 US fine wine forecast masks domestic crisis

(TDB) - The US market can expect to see fine wine sales increase by 6-10% in 2014, according to a new industry report, although many domestic producers will continue to face profitability challenges. Despite this uplift after three consecutive years of growth rate decline in fine wine sales, over...

January, 20, 2014 Can America Save the Wine World?

(PalatePress) - Picture a public tasting, an important one, held in Montpellier, France. People are tasting American wines. And grimacing. The wines are too sweet. Too primitive. And too funky. People want to like them, really they do, but these American wines just don’t seem good enough to...