August, 14, 2013 The Perpetual Blend: Champagne’s Solera System

(Terroirist) - For millennia, winemakers have been utilizing a unique system of maturation for Sherry, the famous fortified wine of the Jerez region of Spain. Called the solera system, the process involves removing wine for release from the last of a series of barrels that contains a blend of every...

August, 13, 2013 California: Ceja Brothers Open Sonoma Brewery

(Wines&Vines) - The Carneros Brewing Co. is the culmination of three years of work by the Ceja brothers, but it was the life-long goal of one brother in particular. In 1987, Jesus Ceja graduated from the brewing program at the University of California, Davis, while his two older brother...

August, 13, 2013 Study tracks racial differences in alcohol consumption

(TheDrinksBusiness) - A new study in the US has tracked the differences between black and white adolescent girls with regard to the types of alcohol consumed. The research, undertaken by professors at several universities, claimed to show that black and white girls showed significantly differe...

August, 13, 2013 Invest in wine without drinking the profits

(MarketWatch) - Nearly everyone who’s enjoyed a good glass of Chardonnay (or better yet, visited the vineyard that produced it) has fantasized about going into the wine business. After all, not only is wine one of life’s great pleasures, it’s also an increasingly marketable commod...

August, 13, 2013 VineSleuth metrics validate expert tasters

(Examiner) - In the course of developing software for predicting consumer wine preferences, Houston, Texas-based start up VineSleuth is shedding new light on the abilities of expert wine tasters and the validity of blind tasting assessments. Contrary to popular belief, the company’s Vine...

August, 13, 2013 Wine: Russian River Valley AVA turns 30

(MercuryNews) - A few decades ago, when Joseph Swan Vineyards owner and winemaker Rod Berglund used to travel the country promoting Russian River Valley pinot noir, his sales meetings sounded more like geography lessons. "No one cared or knew where we were," recalls Berglund, a founding member o...

August, 12, 2013 The popcorn that will get you tipsy: Gin & Tonic, whisky - even WINE flavour: The humble popped movie snack is all grown up

(DailyMail) - There's no need to stump up for both pre-dinner snack and an aperitif when there's a product that will do both jobs for you. Joe & Seph's Gin & Tonic popcorn is a genius snack that combines the best of the current trend for gourmet popcorn with one of Britain's favourite li...

August, 12, 2013 Canada: Beer Store profits $700M yearly from near monopoly, study finds

(CBC) - The Beer Store is reaping $700 million annually in "incremental profits" when compared to Quebec stores because of higher prices and the near-monopoly the foreign-owned retailer has in Ontario, a new economic study has concluded. University of Waterloo economics professor Anindya Sen fou...