August, 04, 2013 US: Postal Service Considers Cutting Into Alcohol Shipping Business

(ABCNews) - As the  U.S. Postal Service  faces $15 billion in losses this year as fewer people send mail, one of the ways it hopes to raise money is by shipping alcohol. Private carriers have been shipping alcohol for decades, but the postal service is prevented by law from engaging in...

August, 03, 2013 US: Caymus Pays $1 Million for Alleged Violations of Napa County Rules

(WineSpectator) - Caymus Vineyards has agreed to pay $1 million to Napa County to settle a dispute over allegations the winery violated local ordinances and bottled 20 times more wine at its Rutherford facility than permitted. Last year Caymus bottled 2 million gallons of wine, or 830,000 cases,...

August, 03, 2013 Israeli archaeologists discover 1,500-year-old Christian lantern and wine press

(FoxNews)  -  Israeli archaeologists say they have unearthed a 1,500-year-old lantern decorated with crosses and a wine press that shed light on life in the Byzantine period.  The Israel Antiquities Authority this week announced the discovery of the rare items, which were found in...

August, 02, 2013 Araujo Winery Acquisition Ups French Stake

(Wines&Vines) - Araujo Estate Wines, the cult producer of wines from Eisele Vineyard in Napa Valley, has been acquired by France’s Pinault family through its holding company the Artémis Group, parent company of Château Latour in Bordeaux, Domaine d’Eugénie in Bur...

August, 02, 2013 France: Hail destroys 300ha of vineyards in Champagne, says report

(Decanter) - Last weekend's severe hailstorms caused such extensive damage that several parts of the Champagne region lost up to half the potential 2013 crop, according to an official report issued yesterday. The report by the Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne (CIVC) found...

August, 02, 2013 California: Grape harvest gets going early in Napa

(PressDemocrat) - As the morning light broke over Napa's Silverado Trail, a crew of vineyard workers began the early harvest of pinot noir grapes for sparkling wine on Thursday. The crew of 46 men harvested about 15 tons, filling bins heading for Mumm Napa, in what's believed to be the first...

August, 01, 2013 U.S. Drinkers Divide Between Beer and Wine as Favorite

(Gallup) - Americans who drink alcohol are about equally likely to say they drink beer (36%) or wine (35%) most often. Another 23% say liquor is their beverage of choice. That continues the trend in which beer has declined as the preferred beverage of U.S. drinkers, shrinking its advantage over ...

August, 01, 2013 China Makes First Investment in South African Wine Industry

(Bloomberg) - A Chinese company bought a wine cellar and vineyards in South Africa, the first such investment by an operator from the Asian nation. Perfect China bought the cellar of the Val de Vie estate, located between the towns of Paarl and Franschhoek, near Cape Town, it said in an e-mailed...