wine – News Stories About wine - Page 14

Bridget Jones Sinking Sales
of Chardonnay?

May 30, 2008 11:28 AM CDT

Bridget Jones Sinking Sales of Chardonnay?

UK wine critic blames fictional neurotic for giving it a bad name

(Newser) - The thirtysomething neurotic character Bridget Jones is getting the blame for plummeting sales of chardonnay in the UK, the Independent reports. The fictional publishing assistant miserably pours herself a tall glass after each one of her attempts at landing a husband fails—not exactly a great marketing tool. "Chardonnay...

Pushy Waiters
Should Put
a Cork in It

OPINION

May 28, 2008 3:08 PM CDT

Pushy Waiters Should Put a Cork in It

Overzealous waiters can kill an evening of good wine

(Newser) - Barbaric waiters are storming the dinner table, "butting in and pouring wine without being asked" and expecting diners to hurry up and pony up to replace the drained bottle, laments Christopher Hitchens in Slate. Leaving punchlines and evenings in tatters, their unsolicited interruptions aren't just a sign of bad...

Wine Whiz
Mondavi Dead at 94

May 16, 2008 7:54 PM CDT

Wine Whiz Mondavi Dead at 94

Dapper vintner proved California grapes could rival Europe's

(Newser) - California wine master Robert Mondavi died peacefully today in his Napa Valley home at age 94, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Disciples and critics alike have praised the vintner for elevating West Coast wine from jug juice to world-class vino. "His legacy and his vision for what California could...

French Wine Goes Pop

Apr 27, 2008 6:09 PM CDT

French Wine Goes Pop

Wineries try 'New World'-style screw caps, snazzy labels to revive sales

(Newser) - A screw-top Bordeaux? The once-laughable notion is bubbling up in France these days as wine makers try to reverse decades of sour sales, the AP reports. Even snazzy labels and boxed-wine-with-a-straw are fair game, after French wineries exported a record $15 billion last year with "New World"-style packaging.

Germany's Dry
Rieslings Go Down Sweetly

OPINION

Apr 24, 2008 6:00 PM CDT

Germany's Dry Rieslings Go Down Sweetly

Quality has flourished over the past decade, Times wine critic says

(Newser) - The dry rieslings Eric Asimov sampled a decade ago in Germany were “tart and shrill,” he writes in the New York Times. So "how did they get so good" since? Lower-quality wines aren’t shipped to America, hypothesizes one wine importer, who nevertheless concedes that the country's...

Billionaire Pays $500K for 27 Bottles of Wine

Apr 19, 2008 2:14 PM CDT

Billionaire Pays $500K for 27 Bottles of Wine

Global economic downturn? What global economic downturn?

(Newser) - As the global economy falters, many people are fighting to make ends meet. And then there’s the Chinese billionaire who spent $500,000 for 27 bottles of wine today. The sale set a record for a single lot. “I don’t think he has bought this as an...

Top New Chefs: Read 'Em & Eat!

Food & Wine takes a look at the freshest cooking talent the US has to offer

(Newser) - Food & Wine has posted its Best New Chef awards for 2008. Look for their profiles in the July issue, but take a peek at the winners here:

Jim Burke: owner of James, a modern Italian restaurant in Philadelphia's Bella Vista neighborhood.
Gerard Craft: owner and chef at Niche in

...

Wines Tainted With Pesticides

Apr 4, 2008 1:51 PM CDT

Wines Tainted With Pesticides

Large majority of bottles in study contain hazardous substances

(Newser) - A large majority of European wines are tainted with pesticides and other toxic substances, a study by a consortium of environmental groups has found. Thirty-four of 40 bottles sampled, including grands crus from some of Bordeaux's most prestigious vineyards, contained hazardous pesticides, the Telegraph reports. But of the six organic...

In Veritas, Vino
Wins Over Shanghai

Apr 3, 2008 2:13 PM CDT

In Veritas, Vino Wins Over Shanghai

Wine's popularity booms in China

(Newser) - The wine scene, long dormant in China, is booming in Shanghai, reports Portfolio. Chinese consumers were traditionally more passionate about spirits; if anything, only red wine was taken seriously. Not anymore: Shanghai's three premium-wine importers have multiplied to more than 100 since 1999, and wine bars abound. It's a trend...

A Dad Debates Introducing Wine

OPINION

Mar 28, 2008 4:14 PM CDT

A Dad Debates Introducing Wine

Times oenologist, eying responsible drinking, leans toward giving sons a taste

(Newser) - Will letting your kids sip wine decrease chances of binges later, Eric Asimov wonders in the New York Times. “I can’t help hoping that my sons might share my taste in ball teams and politics. Why should wine be any different?” writes Asimov, who imagined raising his children...

Sonoma-Napa Rivalry Escalates

Mar 26, 2008 2:54 PM CDT

Sonoma-Napa Rivalry Escalates

Larger Sonoma frowns upon high-end Valley

(Newser) - The friendly rivalry between California’s two leading wine regions has evolved into an out-and-out marketing duel, reports Reuters. Sonoma winemakers frown upon the more famous—and much pricier—wine made by their neighbors over the hills. Collectors covet Napa Valley’s exclusive vintages, paying from $400-$1,000 a bottle...

Oregon's Having a Grape Year

Mar 19, 2008 4:07 PM CDT

Oregon's Having a Grape Year

Good weather, high pinot demand have growers toasting bumper crop, again

(Newser) - Thanks to good weather and rising demand, Oregon crushed a record number of grapes in 2007—good news for its 370 wineries. And despite selling 1.7 million cases worth $208 million last year, the state hasn't quenched thirst for its wine, the AP reports. "Fussy superstar" pinot noir...

Pairing Leaves Writer Red-Faced

OPINION

Feb 29, 2008 5:25 PM CST

Pairing Leaves Writer Red-Faced

Times oenophile comes out of shell, tries vin rouge with his oysters — and lives!

(Newser) - Oysters and red wine? "Why not?" asks Eric Asimov in the New York Times. Wine pairing as a science can drain a meal of its pleasure, while instincts and taste-testing add adventure. After Parisian waiters twice recommended red with a foodie blogger's oysters, Asimov traded the usual suspects (muscadet,...

UK Docs
Call for Smaller Wine Bottle

Feb 29, 2008 3:45 PM CST

UK Docs Call for Smaller Wine Bottle

Medical journal weighs in with plan to curb Brits' boozing

(Newser) - Britons are downing too much wine, the British Medical Journal concludes, and it has a solution: smaller bottles. “Once two of us have had a glass each, it’s all too tempting to finish the bottle then and there,” wrote one doctor of the standard 750-mililiter size. One...

A Vintage Year for Wine Exports

Feb 29, 2008 12:31 PM CST

A Vintage Year for Wine Exports

California vintners take advantage of a weak dollar to expand overseas market

(Newser) - The dollar’s decline is a boon for California winemakers, who’ve turned the greenback’s challenges into opportunities, expanding exports of everything from top vintages to bulk table wines, reports the Los Angeles Times. California wine exports, 95% of the wine the US sends overseas, jumped 9% to nearly...

Booze and Beats Don't Mix in Turkey

Feb 28, 2008 6:47 PM CST

Booze and Beats Don't Mix in Turkey

Bottles cut from music video; critics cite moves toward religious law

(Newser) - Singer Aslizen Yentur thought it was a joke when Turkey's top music channel axed shots of a wine bottle-laden table from her video. It wasn't, and now Turkey's broadcasting watchdog is drafting a bill to make scenes that encourage drinking illegal—supposedly to align with EU norms, the Independent reports....

How to Be Middle-Class Rich

Feb 21, 2008 10:26 AM CST

How to Be Middle-Class Rich

You don't have to have über-big bucks to spend like you do

(Newser) - Middle-class millionaires are carving out a luxe lifestyle to define their 16.5-million strong group, Forbes reports. And while the $1 million to $10 million stashed in the bank doesn’t make them all that rich, that doesn't put much of a dent in lavish spending habits:

Mega-home improvements, to

...

Winemakers Battle Climate Threat

Feb 12, 2008 10:50 AM CST

Winemakers Battle Climate Threat

Vineyard owners, scientists gather to share new strategies

(Newser) - For vineyards, global warming isn’t a distant, theoretical problem—it’s hurting their products now. That’s why winemakers and scientists are gathering in Barcelona this week to hash out ideas for combating changing temperatures and harsher sunlight, NPR reports. Recent studies have shown that grapes are ripening faster...

Wineries Tell Drunken Tasters to Put a Cork in It

Feb 2, 2008 2:09 PM CST

Wineries Tell Drunken Tasters to Put a Cork in It

They're cracking down on out-of-control limo and bus tourists

(Newser) - American wineries are getting fed up with loud, obnoxious, inebriated tasting groups brought in by buses and stretch limos, the Los Angeles Times reports. Worried about bachelorette parties upsetting the vibe of thoughtful sipping, wineries from California to New York have taken to posting "no limos" signs and even...

Sour Grapes Over Napa Bubbly

Jan 19, 2008 5:34 AM CST

Sour Grapes Over Napa Bubbly

Lawsuit divides members of top wine-making family

(Newser) - A feud between members of the family that produces one of the top sparkling wines in the US is making California's Napa Valley the setting for a real-life soap opera, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Hedge-fund manager John Davies is battling for his stake in Schramsberg Vineyards, charging that his...