The French must drink less wine, say health officials

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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%.

Lawmakers suggest former Trump aide Flynn broke US law

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn failed to comply with the federal law According to Rep. Elijah Cummings, documents show that Flynn did not report his earnings from speaking engagements in Russia and lobbying activities in Turkey. The Oversight Committee asked the White House for documents of Flynn's security-clearance applications, but the White House replied that the papers were not in its possession.

Sotomayor says University of Michigan needs more blacks

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor gestures after receiving a Doctor of Laws degree from University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017, during a ceremony at the university in Ann Arbor, Mich. less Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor gestures after receiving a Doctor of Laws degree from University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017, during a ceremony at the university in Ann ... more University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel presents Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a Doctor of Laws degree, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017, during a ceremony at the university in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Anson: How Al Gore convinced Miguel Torres to fight climate change in wine

In the week of an unlikely meeting between Al Gore and US president-elect Donald Trump, Jane Anson talks to Spain's Miguel Torres Snr about the influence of Gore on his own battle against climate change in wine. 'We don't know what is going to happen in politics over the next few years, but we do know that the pattern of global warming is not going away.

Federal government bars Dakota Access pipe route

Activists celebrate the decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to block the current route for the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota. Activists celebrate the decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to block the current route for the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota.

The Colonial Booze Trade

We all need things to read other than articles where liberals and the left yell at each other over the election, depressing election post-mortems, and pieces describing the horrors to come. So how about some good reading on the colonial booze trade? In 1713, because of the lobbying of the powerful brandy producers frantic at having lost the British market during the War of Spanish Succession, a law was passed in France making it illegal to either produce or import distilled alcohol made from anything but wine, a law that stayed in effect for most of the eighteenth century.