September, 05, 2013 Amazon China to sell Californian wine

(TheDrinksBusiness) - Amazon China has announced this week that their first-ever batch of directly imported Californian wines will be available for sale on the Amazon China website . The direct imports feature seven wineries from California, including Andretti Winery, founded by the legendary F...

September, 05, 2013 Champagne: 2013 vintage could be a ‘96

(TheDrinksBusiness) - The initial analysis of the 2013 crop in Champagne is almost exactly the same as that of the legendary 1996 according to Henriot’s cellar master, Laurent Fresnet. Speaking at a masterclass on blanc de blancs, Fresnet said that the initial laboratory results from the ...

September, 05, 2013 Yao Ming’s Napa Winery Stoops to Conquer China’s Middle Class

(WSJ) - Yao Ming’s career as a top-end California winery owner is entering a new phase: He’s stepping downmarket. Slightly. The Chinese former NBA all-star has added a new, cheaper wine to Yao Family Wines, his two-year-old winery in the Napa Valley, to appeal to China&rs...

September, 05, 2013 France: Chateau Carmes Haut-Brion buys Haut Nouchet vines

(Decanter) -  Pichet Group has continued to expand its Pessac Léognan holdings by acquiring 17 hectares of Chateau Haut Nouchet for EUR11m. Pichet Group completed the deal in August, giving it 28 hectares of vines in Bordeaux’s Pessac Léognan, following its purchase of ...

September, 05, 2013 US: Grape Prices Drop Slightly in Finger Lakes

(Wines&Vines) - After recording higher prices in 2012 for the first time in several years, grape prices in the Finger Lakes region of New York are flat to slightly lower for the 2013 vintage. The list of prices in the accompanying table was furnished to Wines & Vines by Hans Walter-Peterson...

September, 05, 2013 Cal Poly's wine program is now officially a department

(SLO) - The Wine and Viticulture Program at Cal Poly is now an official department within the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. It is one of 10 programs in the college. The program currently has 250 students and plans to add an additional 90 students this year. Colleg...

September, 04, 2013 Will Napa ag land stay in ‘fashion’?

(NVR) - In an article about the recent wine economic forum (“Wine industry leaders urge more teamwork and innovation,” Sept. 1) Bill Harlan wonders whether those buying vineyards now will have the long-term dedication required to keep ag land ag land. Will they understand and respect...

September, 04, 2013 NZ wine industry deeply divided over GM use

(Stuff) -Genetic modification was a hotly debated topic at the wine industry's national conference in Blenheim last week. The issue was raised at the start of the Romeo Bragato conference by KPMG audit partner Ian Proudfoot, who said the wine industry needed to discuss the use of genetically m...