Category Archives: Wine

A good vintage: science suggests appreciation of wine grows with age

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Changes in composition and production of saliva as people grow older appears to intensify perception of aromas

Just as a bottle of wine improves with age, so may our ability to pick out the subtleties of its scent. Changes in the composition of our saliva and how much of it we produce appears to intensify our perception of smokey and peppery aromas in red wine, new research suggests.

The findings could lead to the development of wines that are more tailored toward specific groups of consumers. “We could diversify winemaking production to make more enjoyable wines based on consumers’ physiologies,” said Maria Ángeles del Pozo Bayón, of the Spanish Research Council’s Institute of Food Science and Research in Madrid, who led the research.

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Burned bottles and scorched vines: wineries hit hard by California fires – in pictures

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The Glass fire is sweeping through the famous wine regions of Napa and Sonoma in northern California. The wildfire, which erupted on 27 September, has damaged numerous wineries and vineyards, charring grapes and incinerating inventory. Tasting rooms and restaurants have also been hit. The effect on the industry has been described as “catastrophic”. Several Napa Valley growers have said they will forgo a 2020 vintage altogether due to smoke contamination of their crop.

The Glass fire has torched more than 50,000 acres and firefighters are battling to bring it under control. It has also destroyed dozens of homes and thousands of people remain under evacuation orders.

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Sober October: 17 ways to unwind after a stressful day – without hitting the booze

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Thousands of people will attempt to give up alcohol next month and for many it will be the hour after work that ruins their plans. Here’s how to relax without reaching for alcohol

With Sober October just around the corner, thousands of us will again be attempting to give up booze for a month. But what are the best ways to wind down at the end of the day when alcohol is off the menu? Here are 17 ideas to get you started.

1 Find a new ritual to switch off. “It is important to mark the change in the day – where work ends and your life starts – especially if you are working at home,” says Laura Willoughby, the co-founder of the mindful drinking community Club Soda. “But that does not have to mean an alcoholic drink. Often it has become the time where we do most of our incidental drinking – we open the fridge at the end of the day without really realising.”

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Barnier ‘flabbergasted’ at UK attempt to reopen Brexit specialty food debate

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Bloc sources say Britain is trying to water down EU geographical protections

The UK government has renewed its attempt to reopen the chapter of the Brexit divorce treaty protecting specialty food and drink, such as Parma ham, roquefort cheese and champagne, in a move that left the EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, “a little bit flabbergasted”.

The British proposal on protected status for food and drink was included in a draft free-trade agreement handed to Barnier by his opposite number, David Frost, last week, according to two EU sources.

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Label changes scrapped after Burgundy winemakers see red

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Region’s producers were angry that redrawn map would stop them using prestigious name

Furious French winemakers have forced officials to back down over controversial plans to ban a number of prestigious wines from calling themselves “burgundy”.

The region’s producers saw red over proposed changes relating to which bottles can be labelled as coming from the region.

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French chef Alain Ducasse declares war on dry January

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Star chef says he is ‘obsessed with selling wine’ and wants to diners to drink more, not less

French chef Alain Ducasse, an outspoken opponent of Dry January, has launched an initiative to entice patrons of his restaurants to drink more during the first month of the year, not less.

“I like swimming against the tide,” he told AFP on Tuesday, announcing plans to proffer top bottles of Burgundy and Bordeaux at knockdown prices to encourage diners to order wine by the bottle rather than by the glass.

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Georges Duboeuf, France’s ‘king of Beaujolais’, dies aged 86

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Tributes paid to wine producer who ‘raised the Beaujolais flag around the world’

Tributes have been paid to the wine merchant Georges Duboeuf, known in France as the “king of Beaujolais” for his production and promotion of the famous wine variety.

Duboeuf, who has died aged 86, founded Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, one of the largest wine companies in France, and was almost single-handedly responsible for making Beaujolais nouveau popular.

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Argentina: thousands protest in Mendoza wine region over axed water protections

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Law kept mining projects out of Argentina province – now water for wine-growers will be threatened in drought-stricken area

Argentina’s wine-growing province of Mendoza, renown for its inky red Malbec varietal, has erupted in protest against the surprise overturning of a 2007 water protection law that had successfully kept water-intensive mining projects out of the province.

Thousands of people joined demonstrations on Monday outside the office of provincial governor Rodolfo Suarez in the capital city, also called Mendoza, after he overturned the law, known as 7722 late last week.

The peaceful protest turned violent on Monday afternoon, as police fired rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowd in response to stone-throwing by angry demonstrators.

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French wine-makers hope for G7 detente with Trump over tariffs

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Trump has threatened high tariffs on French wine in response to Macron’s tech tax

French wine-makers are increasingly concerned about Donald Trump’s threats to introduce high tariffs on French wine in retaliation for Emmanuel Macron’s tax on global technology companies, as world leaders gather for the Biarritz G7 summit this weekend.

A new front in Trump’s international trade wars could open up across France’s vineyards, damaging the livelihoods and jobs of small producers, if the US president decides to substantially increase tariffs on French wine as punishment for what he has called the “foolishness” of the new levy on the annual revenues of technology companies.

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Switzerland’s wine festival – in pictures

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The Swiss town of Vevey has staged a once-in-a-generation celebration of its winemakers, with fancy dress, alpine horns, cows and dancers kicking off a festival that dates back to the 18th century. The three-week Fête des Vignerons, which began in 1797, is held roughly every 20 years and on Thursday 5,500 locals donned costumes, wigs and makeup to take part in the gala opening

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Pale rosé isn’t better – and nine other pink wine myths debunked

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It’s all sweet, it’s only for summer or ought to be cheap ... the prejudices about rosé wine endure, but we really should know better

Red wine gives you headaches; white wine tastes of nothing, unless it’s sauvignon blanc; all Aussie wines are fruit bombs; the world will end if the flow of prosecco falters – the world of wine is full of ridiculous prejudices. Yet no style gets discriminated against quite like rosé. It’s all sweet, we’re told, or it’s only for women, or for summer, or for women in summer …

For a long time, rosé was disregarded because good winemakers didn’t make it: star California winemaker Rajat Parr, who was a San Francisco sommelier in the 1990s, once said: “No one cared about it, no one thought about it, no one drank it.” That, thank goodness, has changed – yet the prejudices remain. So let’s bust a few persistent myths.

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The French must drink less wine, say health officials

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Health agency advises no more than two glasses a day to cut down alcohol-related disease risk

“Quoi, just two glasses?” asked the headline on the English page of the rolling news station France 24.

It was the incredulous reaction to a campaign launched this week by French health officials seeking to persuade the public to drink no more than two glasses of wine per day – and not every day either.

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U.S. Takes Action Against Canadian Trade Measures That Discriminate Against U.S. Wine

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U.S. TAKES ACTION AGAINST CANADIAN TRADE MEASURES THAT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST U.S. WINE May 29, 2018 Source: USDA news release U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer announced today that the Trump Administration has requested that the World Trade Organization establish a dispute settlement panel to examine unfair regulations governing the sale of wine in grocery stores in the Canadian province of British Columbia . The Office of the United States Trade Representative is challenging BC regulations that discriminate against U.S. and other imported wine by allowing only BC wine to be sold on regular grocery store shelves.

Vineyard Monocultures

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The massive growth of the wine industry has led to a very real problem-wine monocultures that transform ecologically complex places such as the hills of Napa County into carefully manicured landscapes that leave no room for the wild. That a lot of wineries require hillsides makes this worse, as many species exist on a pretty strict elevation level.

California farmers, winemakers kick dirt over Chinese tariffs

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California's vintners and growers fumed Friday at the growing prospect that wine, nuts, fruit and other Golden State exports would become collateral damage in a trade battle between President Trump and China. The $47-billion industry, which largely backed Trump, has been buffeted repeatedly as the Trump administration has halted or reopened trade talks and proposed punitive tariffs aimed at protecting American jobs.

2018 Oregon Wine Industry Recognizes Leaders at Annual Wine Symposium

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Oregon's wine community was aglow with recognition during an awards luncheon at the Oregon Wine Symposium on Wednesday, Feb. 21. More than 1,300 wine industry professionals were on hand to celebrate the accomplishments of colleagues throughout the state who continue to champion the advancement of Oregon wine. Nine awards were presented, including the first Oregon Wine Leadership award, presented to Sen. Jackie Winters for her tireless support of the statewide wine industry.

Fire Recovery Begins; Demand for Flash Wine Treatment Strong

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CalFire declared the North Coast wildfires contained in late October, leaving wine grape growers in Napa County and elsewhere to take account of how the blazes affected their vines and properties. Although few vineyards burned during the fires, growers had to deal with debris cleanup, repairing damaged infrastructure such as melted irrigation lines and preparing for winter rains.

Rep. Speier wants to use 25th Amendment to remove Trump

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With fallout over President Trump's take on the bloody events in Charlottesville, Democratic Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee announcing his plans to introduce articles of impeachment against the president. Rep. Jackie Speier wants to remove Trump from office under an article within the 25th Amendment to the Constitution that allows the vice president and a majority of the cabinet to declare the president temporarily "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."

Texas Wine Industry Debates Labeling Law

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If a proposed law had been passed by Texas state lawmakers in the most recent legislative session, all wines bearing a Texas appellation would have been required to use 100% Texas grapes. While the federal government requires that wineries use just 75% appellation grapes for state labeling, California and Oregon require 100%, and Washington state mandates 95%.