May, 22, 2013 US: Sonoma Co. visitor spending rises 9%

(NBBJ) - Visitors to Sonoma County spent $1.47 billion in 2011, a more than 9 percent increase over 2010, according to the latest figures released by Visit California. “This is great news for Sonoma County’s thriving hospitality industry,” Ken Fischang, president and chief e...

May, 22, 2013 UK wine retailer First Quench in $242 million pension risk deal

(Reuters) - British alcoholic drinks retailer First Quench is insuring a chunk of its pension liabilities with specialist provider Pension Insurance Corporation, improving retirement benefits for its 1,966 members. A growing number of "final salary" pension schemes are running into trouble beca...

May, 21, 2013 Why Aren't 2012 Bordeaux Futures Selling?

(WineSpectator) - Most châteaus lowered prices, but consumers don't think the wines are worth the investment. The 2012 Bordeaux futures campaign defies easy description as it limps toward a lukewarm finish, according to château owners and wine merchants around the globe. Was it ...

May, 21, 2013 UK: Consumers pushing for calorie labelling

(TheDrinksBusiness) - Consumers are keen to see government plans for calorie labels on wine become legislation as calorie counting becomes an increasingly important factor in the wine buying process. Speaking during a seminar at the London International Wine Fair at ExCel yesterday, Johnnie For...

May, 21, 2013 US: Jackson Family consolidates Oregon holdings

(Decanter) - Jackson Family Wines is aiming to increase its production of ‘world class’ Pinot Noir with the purchase of a number of vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The acquisition of the Zena West vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA comes after the California pr...

May, 21, 2013 UK: Sutton brother and sister wine traders Daniel and Dina Snelling 'conned investors out of £4.5m', Southwark Crown Court hears

(ThisisLocalLondon) - Brother and sister fraudsters conned £4.5m out of investors through a vintage wine scam, a court heard. Daniel Snelling, 38, of Basinghall Gardens, Sutton, is accused of four counts of fraud at Southwark Crown Court, and is joined in the dock by his sister Dina Snel...

May, 21, 2013 China may probe EU wine: report

(Xinhua) -- China is likely to make substantive moves this year toward initiating an anti-dumping investigation into wine imported from the eurozone, the China Security Journal reported on Tuesday. The government may take a further step in pushing the probe in response to a strong call from the do...

May, 21, 2013 Frugality out: Restaurant sales at all-time highs

(USAToday) - Americans seem to be fed up with frugality. As the recession ever so slowly recedes, an increasing number of Americans say they are less frugal than they were a few years ago. At the same time, sales at restaurants are at an all-time high and at least one survey says consumers e...