January, 23, 2013 Rising Demand For Craft Alcohol, Premium Products

(FoodProductDesign) - Rising taste for high-end beverages is driving demand for higher-priced craft and imported spirits. As a result, the alcoholic beverage manufacturing sector is overflowing with opportunities for crafty entrepreneurs looking to enter the beer, liquor and wine industries, accordi...

January, 23, 2013 Alcohol and a Good Night's Sleep Don't Mix

(WEBMD) - Think a nightcap may help you get a better night’s sleep? Think again. A new review of 27 studies shows that alcohol does not improve sleep quality. According to the findings, alcohol does allow healthy people to fall asleep quicker and sleep more deeply for a while, but it reduces rap...

January, 23, 2013 Price hiked for 'Two-Buck Chuck'

(PressDemocrat) - It's the end of an era for "Two-Buck Chuck," the wine that earned a nickname and notoriety for its surprisingly low price. For the past decade, shoppers at Trader Joe's stores in California have paid just $1.99 for a bottle of Charles Shaw shiraz or cabernet sauvignon. But the n...

January, 23, 2013 Gap's Crown, a Top Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Vineyard, Is Sold

(WineSpecatator) - Gap’s Crown, a Sonoma Coast vineyard that supplies Pinot Noir to top producers like Kosta Browne, Patz & Hall and MacPhail, has been purchased by Bill Price, a financial investor who has taken a stake in several leading California vineyards and wineries in recent years. Price...

January, 22, 2013 'Roots Run Deep'—the New Branding for Sonoma Valley

(Patch) - Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance has unveiled a new multi-faceted marketing program called “Roots Run Deep.” The campaign creates a platform for sharing the Sonoma Valley story in a way that is memorable, motivating, differentiating and engaging to target consumers, according ...

January, 22, 2013 Darth Vader is My Lover: Revelations About Brettanomyces in Wine

(PalatePress) - My whole wine world is shaken. What does Syrah taste like? Are floral aromas pretty? Is a “typical Bordeaux” supposed to taste like medicine and ashes? I don’t know anymore. Lucy Joseph, of UC Davis, presenting the diverse aromas of brett. I’ve been to a Brettanomyces tast...

January, 22, 2013 Is This Really a Golden Age for Wine?

(WineSpectator) - We've all heard it said—many of us have probably said it ourselves—that we're living in a Golden Age for fine wine. But is it true? I'd say that, yes, it is true—up to a point. It is a Golden Age for fine wine. But not for every producer, and it's not everywhere, either. A...

January, 22, 2013 Zinfandel: Uniquely and Distinctly American

(PalatePress) - Mention Zinfandel to most wine consumers, and it’s quickly dismissed. It’s easy to see why. For starters, many Americans associate the variety with the cheap, sweet “blush” wines that became popular in the 1980s, like Sutter Home’s white Zinfandel. This style of wine wil...