October, 01, 2013 France: State-of-the art wine – with satellites and drones!

(EuroNews) - It was in the Chateau Fortia estate, at the foot of Chateauneuf-du-pape in southern France, that the concept of “Registered Designation of Origin” first appeared. It is a weighty legacy for the descendants of Baron Le Roy, who must now maintain a certain quality, year...

October, 01, 2013 APPROPRIATIONS LAPSE NOTICE CESSATION OF TTB OPERATIONS WITH LIMITED ACCESS TO WWW.TTB.GOV

(TTB) - Due to the lapse in government funding, only web sites supporting excepted functions will be updated unless otherwise funded.  Our TTB web site, www.ttb.gov, will be available during this shutdown period and you will continue to be able to file electronic payments and returns for feder...

October, 01, 2013 Australian wine mogul set to challenge for America’s Cup

(TimesofMalta) - An Australian winemaker and his son, who own an island off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, have officially challenged software mogul Larry Ellison’s Oracle Team USA for the next America’s Cup, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters. Bob Oatl...

September, 30, 2013 Berger: So-called ‘toxic wine’

(PD) - Winemakers around the world generally agree that it would be a bad idea to require disclosure of precisely what is in a bottle of wine. In theory an ingredient label might be nice, but such a label would be outrageously expensive to wineries and ultimately the consumer, would totally conf...

September, 30, 2013 French wine tax plans will ‘cork the industry’

(France24) - A pro-wine pressure group has mounted a vociferous campaign against plans to raise taxes and tighten advertising laws for winemaking professionals, claiming such moves will hurt one of France’s most successful export industries. When one thinks of France, one thinks of wi...

September, 30, 2013 Cognac Thirst Lifting Vineyard Cost in France’s Charente Region

(Bloomberg) - Foreign demand for French cognac is pushing distillers to buy vineyards in a bid to secure grape supplies, raising prices for wine real estate in the Poitou-Charentes region, the Agriculture Ministry said. Vineyard prices in Charente’s Grande Champagne area, one of ...

September, 30, 2013 Champagne vineyard owners turn surplus grapes into surgical spirits used in medicines and printing inks to keep sparkling sales

(DailyMail) - Vineyards will go to great lengths to stop the bubbles going out of the champagne market. Perfect weather conditions mean the French are expecting a bumper grape harvest. But this could see companies engaging in a grubby price war, which would damage the premium image the ind...

September, 30, 2013 US: Cuomo signs law allowing farm stands to sell NY wine

(NewsDay) - A chardonnay with your Swiss chard? Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo Monday signed a law that allows local farm stands to sell New York-made wines. Under the measure, the State Liquor Authority will issue new roadside farm market licenses to sell wine produced by up to two state-licensed farm...