August, 24, 2013 Gallo christens new wine ship

(FB) - Ofelia Gallo smashed a bottle Friday to christen a cargo ship that will carry her family's wine around the globe. Hamburg Süd, the Germany-based owner of the ship, gave her the honor because E&J Gallo Winery of Modesto will be a prominent user. Gallo is the wife of Joseph G...

August, 24, 2013 Wine Has Sommeliers. Now, Beer Has Cicerones

(NPR) - If you've been to a fancy restaurant, you've probably seen a sommelier — those wine experts who make sure you get the best possible match for your meal. But what if you don't want a chardonnay or pinot? What if you want a nice cold beer? A new program is working to bring this s...

August, 24, 2013 Celebrating California's wine diversity

(SFGate) - California wine is booming as never before. You can see it clearly in the numbers. As we'll relate in the following pages, the state's wine industry remains on a nearly two-decade surge of popularity, accounting for more than $34 billion in sales last year. Add to that a ...

August, 24, 2013 CHINA’S SUPER RICH REVEAL THEIR FAVOURITE DRINKS

(TheDrinksBusiness) - An annual survey of consumption habits among China’s millionaires has revealed the country’s preferred drinks brands for collecting and gifting. According to the  Hurun Report 2013 Wealth Report , which was released in London this week, China’s s...

August, 24, 2013 Northwest Wine Harvest Begins

(Wines&Vines) -  Northwest growers have started to pick grapes, beginning with a most unlikely variety—Marquette. Harvesters entered the vineyard of veteran grower Paul Champoux near Alderdale on Aug. 19, pulling off a half-acre of grapes that checked in at nearly 30º Brix...

August, 24, 2013 Are the French starting to realize that the US makes great wine?

(FoxNews) - Araujo Estate Wines, in Calistoga, Calif., is a fabulous cult winery that produces about 2,000 cases of cabernet sauvignon annually.  In July it was announced that it had been sold to the family of French businessman Francois Pinault through their Artemis Group holding company. ...

August, 23, 2013 US: Boisset selling wine via home parties

(NVR) - Following the pattern made famous by Tupperware and Mary Kay cosmetics, Boisset Wine Estates is using home parties to sell wine. The parent for Jean-Charles Boisset’s California wine companies has already grown from eight to a few hundred “Ambassadors” arranging parti...

August, 23, 2013 Why China’s wine exchange is crashing: 110-proof grain alcohol all tastes much the same

(QZ) -  Imagine a stock that jumps 25.5% on its first day of trading, coming to rest at $159 a share. Three months later, though, shares tank, plummeting to $54. Now, 17 months after going public, it’s worth $58.70.   Nope, it’s not Groupon. It’s “Crystal S...