'Oentrepreneurs' Hit Napa

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»

(NEWSER) - France’s wine business is stuck in the doldrums, as American wines (and their aggressive marketing campaigns) explode onto the scene. But one Napa Valley girl is working to change that, by introducing stodgy French vintners to the modern concept of marketing. “A lot of what I do is psychological,” Jaime Araujo tells Gourmet. “Changing the identity of a wine that’s been in your family for four hundred years is hard, and it takes a lot of hand-holding.” More»

Dapper vintner proved California grapes could rival Europe's

(NEWSER) - California wine master Robert Mondavi died peacefully today in his Napa Valley home at age 94, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Disciples and critics alike have praised the vintner for elevating West Coast wine from jug juice to world-class vino. "His legacy and his vision for what California could do remains with us as guidepost and a source of aspiration," one winemaker said. More»

Larger Sonoma frowns upon high-end Valley

(NEWSER) - The friendly rivalry between California’s two leading wine regions has evolved into an out-and-out marketing duel, reports Reuters. Sonoma winemakers frown upon the more famous—and much pricier—wine made by their neighbors over the hills. Collectors covet Napa Valley’s exclusive vintages, paying from $400-$1,000 a bottle for cult brands, while many Sonoma wines are generally priced under $20, due to larger harvests. More»

You won't be able to tell the difference: Brian Palmer

(NEWSER) - 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, American consumers think they prefer more expensive wine—even if they're unknowingly comparing two glasses of the same vintage. Europeans, conversely, are happy to drink a $1.79 bottle or break out “a 1-euro tetra-pak of wine for guests,” writes Brian Palmer in Slate . More»