Seaver Trades Curve Balls for Cabernets

Award-winning German winegrower ruined

(NEWSER) - An award-winning German winegrower has lost his crop of grapes to a band of brazen thieves just before harvest time. Almost three tons of high-quality red grapes destined to become wine were stolen overnight by bandits who brought their own harvest machine, reports Der Spiegel . Wine experts believe the theft was carried out by a desperate winegrower who lost his own crop to frost or hail, and the culprit will be found when a winemaker not known for quality produces a superb product this year. More»

Climate change could take the 'wine' out of wine country in next 30 years

(NEWSER) - A new report warns that climate change could drastically shake up California’s wine country in the next 30 years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that Napa Valley will eventually see 10 more days with grape-scorching temperatures of at least 95 degrees, the Los Angeles Times reports. If the weather pattern holds, that means trouble for Napa's Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon varietals, which don't do well in the heat. More»

(NEWSER) - Screw tops, boxes, and now—plastic bottles? A move is afoot to package wine in low-cost, lighter plastic containers, the Los Angeles Times reports. The bottles come with an expiration date because the plastic does not provide the same airtight seal as glass. But because most wine sold in the US is consumed relatively quickly, it shouldn't affect taste. “The wine doesn't know what package it is in,” a wine educator says. More»

Winner will live in California, Tweet about wine

(NEWSER) - Hardy Wallace recently lost his job—but he’ll soon be making $10,000 a month promoting Murphy-Goode winery on the Web, as the winner of the much-touted “Really Goode Job,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Atlantan, who has a wine blog and has taken sommelier education courses, was first in line at the recruitment drive and says, “I was trying to get this job before there was this job.” More»

(NEWSER) - The French wine industry is in a tough spot, Mike Steinberger writes on Slate. “It is hemorrhaging market share abroad, domestic consumption continues to plummet, and thousands of vintners are in desperate financial straits.” What’s more, “the appellation system that regulates much of French viticulture is a shambles.” Sounds bad, but here’s the silver lining: “France is still the wine world's beacon and will surely remain so long into the future.” More»