Prosecco Targets Champagne Crown

Quality rivals mean champagne prices shouldn't take the bubbles out of festive drinking

(NEWSER) - Champagne may feel like a vestige of a world without a credit crisis, but there's no need to go without bubbly on New Year's Eve. Slate offers some moderately priced options:

• Cava is Spain's answer to champagne, made by the same method. A thrifty seeker of festive spirits can pick up a bottle of Cristilano Cava Brut and get change from $10.

(NEWSER) - 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 bad name. More»

Domestic producers expect Obamas will continue to drive sales

(NEWSER) - President Barack Obama’s affinity for wine is the toast of American winemakers, hopeful that after eight years of teetotalling rule, the new first family will boost domestic sales, Reuters reports. Obama reportedly has a 1,000-bottle cellar in his new $1.65 million Chicago home, drawing raves from oenophiles. And while the White House lacks a cellar, it serves only US wines at state dinners. More»

Firms has partnered with nonprofit association of vintners

(NEWSER) - Online shopping got a little more intoxicating today as Amazon announced it will start selling wine in the US starting in October, Reuters reports. The retailer —looking for a chunk of the $30 billion-plus US wine market —has partnered with Napa Valley Vintners, which will supply vino from the 315 wineries it represents. Only 7% of wine sales are currently made online. More»

Wine growers battling cheap imports launch commando attacks

(NEWSER) - Tough times have turned some wine-growers in southwestern France to "wine terrorism," Time reports. Guerrilla grape-growers have bombed supermarkets and government buildings, hijacked trucks carrying foreign wine, and drained tanks. The growers want the French government to protect them from the cheap imports they say are threatening their survival. More»