August, 12, 2013 California: Donum Estate Replants and Expands

(Wines&Vines) - More than a decade ago, when Anne Moller-Racke set about turning what had been part of the old Buena Vista ranch into an estate dedicated to Pinot Noir, she used a variety of clones to build the wine in the vineyard. She planted clones for aromatics, certain flavors and struc...

August, 12, 2013 AUS: Tourism lobby slams new mining laws that will 'rip Hunter wine country apart'

(ABC) - The Hunter Valley's Wine Tourist Association says proposed mining laws put an emphasis on ripping the region apart. The draft amended State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) is being considered by the New South Wales planning department and closed for public comment yesterday. ...

August, 12, 2013 A bubbly champagne harvest is great news for France and for wine lovers worldwide

(QZ) - What was supposed to be a good year for champagne is turning out to be a great year. France’s agriculture ministry revealed Thursday (Aug. 8) that champagne production, which was supposed to increase by 11% this year, is actually slated to jump by a whopping 56% compared to 2012. ...

August, 12, 2013 Cleavage Creek sold for China exports

(NBBJ) - A Hong Kong-based group has purchased the Cleavage Creek wine brand as well as its shuttered 6,700-case-a-year winery and vines in Pope Valley east of Napa with plans to export that brand and other forthcoming California labels to China. FCC North American Investment, LLC, purchased ...

August, 12, 2013 How the French and American Wine Industries are Joined at the Clone and Root

(WB) - In a quiet courtyard at the Montpellier SupAgro University in France there is a haunting statue of an ailing older woman being held and nurtured by a younger woman. While teaching there for a week several years ago, I asked several students and faculty to explain the meaning of the stat...

August, 12, 2013 Wine Spectator: Forecasting Wine’s Future

(ShankenNewsDaily) - America is now wine’s biggest market, and younger drinkers are starting to shape it, Wine Spectator reports. After passing the French and Italians for largest total wine consumption in 2011, according to Impact Databank, Americans consumed 324 million cases of wine i...

August, 12, 2013 U.S. Postal Service Alcohol Delivery Idea Criticized By Merchants

(HuffingtonPost) - Oh, the beer run. That time-honored tradition of hopping in the car and heading to the local liquor establishment to replenish your supply of alcohol. Could it soon be a thing of the past?  It just might, at least that is what U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe is ho...

August, 12, 2013 Duckhorn acquires Hopland winemaking facility

(Decanter) - Duckhorn Wine Company has acquired a 76,000 square foot winemaking facility and 32 acres of vineyards in the Mendocino town of Hopland. The facility has been home to the Rack and Riddle wine company since 2007, which operated on a long-term lease agreement from the real estate co...