March, 20, 2013 US: Californians drinking less beer, more wine, spirits

(SacBee) - California adults now drink, on average, less than a gallon of beer each year. They're making up for it by drinking more wine and distilled spirits. California beer consumption per adult fell 12 percent from 1998 to 2010, according to the latest federal statistics. Over that same pe...

March, 20, 2013 AUS: £12m of cannabis found in Victoria vineyard

(TheDrinksBusiness) - Two men from New South Wales have been arrested for cultivating a crop of cannabis with a street value of £12m in a neglected vineyard in Victoria. The crop, the biggest found in Victoria in a decade, was discovered in a vineyard in the King Valley in northeastern Vic...

March, 20, 2013 U.K. Cuts Tax on Beer, Continues Scheduled Rise for Wine

(Bloomberg) - U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne cut the price of a pint of beer by 1 penny, canceling a scheduled increase of 3 pence in a bid to support the country’s pubs. The reduction, which will take effect on March 25, follows a campaign by the brewing and hospitality indu...

March, 19, 2013 US: Where Is California's Central Coast?

(Wines&Vines) - Say “Central Coast” to consumers in Boston and they may think you’re referring to North Carolina or somewhere else along the mid-Atlantic. Consumers in Florida, however, think of the Tampa area. Few consumers in the East connote the phrase “Central Coast&...

March, 19, 2013 Turning winemaking waste into food supplements and flowerpots

(RecyclingPortal) - Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered how to turn the pulp from crushed wine grapes into a natural food preservative, biodegradable packaging materials and a nutritional enhancement for baked goods. The United States wine industry creates a tremendous amount ...

March, 19, 2013 Authenticity Key to Wooing Younger Wine Consumers, Price Says

(Bloomberg)  - California’s $20 billion wine industry needs to work harder to entice young consumers who resist conventional marketing, said William Price, a co-founder of buyout firm TPG Capital and chairman of Vincraft Group. Younger wine buyers, those born in the 1980s and 1990s and k...

March, 19, 2013 Female drinkers give India’s booze industry a boost

(NYDailyNews) - More Indian women are starting to drink outside their home, as female-friendly bars are gaining social acceptance. Drink makers in the country are even aiming advertising efforts at women, creating bottles with pastel labels and lower alcohol content. Women who drink, long portrayed...

March, 19, 2013 Coppola buys Geyser Peak Winery facilities, vineyards

(PressDemocrat) - Francis Ford Coppola Winery bought the Geyser Peak Winery facility and 32 acres of vineyards on the Geyserville property on Monday. The deal enables Coppola to expand its winemaking capabilities after a bumper crop that left many wineries scrambling for additional space in win...