Budget Bubbles for New Year's

Chicago-area stores to offer booze, entertainment

(NEWSER) - There's still no chance of getting an Irish coffee in Starbucks, but beer and wine will soon be available in up to seven of the coffee chain's Chicago-area outlets. Following a model first introduced in Seattle and Portland, Starbucks aims to boost traffic in the evenings by offering beer and wine, as well as plate snacks like bread with olive oil and live music and poetry readings in some stores, the Chicago Tribune reports. The boozy new locations are set to open by the end of next year. More»

Sales are surging and critics are approving of new deluxe boxed wines

(NEWSER) - Companies selling boxed wines want Americans to pour their next glass of fine vino from, dare we say it, a spigot. In fact, sales of new deluxe boxed wines spiked 19% last year, and wine reviewers are beginning to dispense praise. While upmarket boxed wines may still turn off wine snobs and lack subtle nuances of flavor, the prices remain dirt-cheap—as little as $4 for the equivalent of a 750ml bottle, the New York Times reports. More»

'Alcohol abuse stem from other drinks,' he says

(NEWSER) - In order to combat alcoholism, Dmitry Medvedev would like Russia to push people to drink more wine. That is not a joke ... and neither is Russia's battle with alcoholism . Medvedev believes that encouraging people to put down the vodka bottle and pick up a nice chardonnay is one way to win the war. "Countries where this sector is strong have no problems with alcohol abuse: problems with alcohol abuse stem from other drinks," he explained. More»

Seriously, nobody is happy about it

(NEWSER) - One from the Bad Taste Hall of Fame: A Long Island winery is getting slammed for its decision to release two new wines ... in honor of 9/11. Almost every detail about the wine, as reported by the LA Times , is cringeworthy. The price? $19.11 a bottle. What to expect from Lieb Family Cellars ' 9/11 Memorial Commemorative Chardonnay? It finishes "with a toasty vanilla flavor." The marketing? The grapes were grown "90 miles from the site of the World Trade Center"! The chunk of the proceeds that will be donated to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum? Just 6% to 10%. More»

We're not back in boom times, but things are looking more rosé

(NEWSER) - Olympic golds pale in comparison to this national feat: The US last year consumed more wine than France. And it's just one of many full-bodied wine stats for 2010. The Los Angeles Times shares the signs that Americans are trading their recession-minded ways for a good (or, at least, decent) glass of red:

• Shoppers flocked to bottles priced at less than $7 during the peak of the recession; sales of $7 to $14 bottles were up 5% last year.