wine industry news stories on Newser

After Pouring a $300 Bottle, White House Mum on Wine

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:38:33 CDT

Last night, British PM David Cameron enjoyed his very first taste of March Madness, compliments of President Obama. At tonight's state dinner, he'll likely enjoy some American wine as well—but don't expect too many details about the winery, year, or appellation. That's because Obama put a stop to the...

Forget Snobbery: Drink Cheap Wine

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:03:59 CDT

Studies have shown that wine drinkers can’t tell the difference between cheap and expensive bottles, and may actually prefer the cheap stuff in a blind taste test—so why are we still paying at least 15 bucks for a supposedly “everyday” bottle of wine? Because, as other studies have shown,...

Finally, World-Class Wine From Japan

Matt Cantor — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:17:27 CST

For decades, critics wouldn’t give Japan’s wine industry a second sniff—but a new wine from a local grape could change all that. One firm’s koshu wine has won over taste buds from France to the US, the Guardian reports. The “crisp and pleasant” Cuvée Denis Dubourdieu is “clearly meant...

French Wines Wither Under Climate Change

Matt Cantor — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:13:00 CDT

A warming world has French winemakers sweating more than a little, experts tell the Financial Times . “Current research suggests that by the end of the 21st century, one summer out of two will be at least as hot as 2003,” the year of a record-breaking heat wave that prompted early...

In Search of Profit, Tobacco Farms Morph Into Vineyards

Harry Kimball — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:30:02 CDT

A falloff in demand and an end to subsidies has tobacco farmers across the country turning to the vino, the Wall Street Journal reports—farming grapes and making wine, that is. “The small-plot tobacco farmer is a thing of the past,” says a North Carolina wine official, who notes that...

Chianti Makers Not Toasting Powdered Wine

Rob Quinn — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:45:00 CDT

Angry Italian winemakers say a product that changes water into wine is more insulting than miraculous, Der Spiegel reports. The vintners complain that the "wine powder," made by a Swiss company that caters to hikers, is a "terrible copy" of Italy's Chianti and gives the entire European wine industry a...

S. African Wines Aim to Put Brakes on 'Burnt Rubber' Rap

Nick McMaster — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:52:02 CDT

South African is the ninth-largest producer of wine, with several distinctive varietals that should be poised to break into the global marketplace, the New York Times reports. But the country’s wines have been dogged by comments made in 2007 by an influential British wine critic, who said after a tasting...

Genetically Altered Yeast Ends Wine Hangovers

John Johnson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:30:27 CDT

A Canadian scientist has found a genetically modified hangover cure. He distributes an altered yeast, MLo1—which eliminates compounds that cause headaches in red and many white wines—to 40 winemakers in the US and Canada. But some vintners and winos are resisting the genetic alteration of their craft, which...

US' Yellow Tail Fever Taints Aussie Wines

Ambreen Ali — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:15:26 CDT

Droughts, wildfires, and weak currency have hurt Australia's wine exports—but for losing their reputation as premium vintners, the Aussies have no one but themselves to blame. When $7 Yellow Tail flooded US markets three years ago, "Australia made itself synonymous with cut-rate, generic wines," Mike Steinberger writes in Slate....