Finally, World-Class Wine From Japan

The beer class is finally embracing the grape, Slate says

(NEWSER) - The American middle class has become connoisseurs of everything—coffee, '80s Japanese garage-rock bands, environmentalist toilet paper, and now wine, writes Slate's Field Maloney. Fermented grape juice doubled its audience in the past decade, while consumption of lower-brow beer stagnated. And for the first time in history, Americans pollees prefer wine to beer. More»

Industry pushes President Sarkozy for carbon emission cut

(NEWSER) - A warming world has French winemakers sweating more than a little, experts tell the Financial Times. “Current research suggests that by the end of the 21st century, one summer out of two will be at least as hot as 2003,” the year of a record-breaking heat wave that prompted early harvest and lackluster vintages, notes one scientist. Industry experts are worried enough that they penned a letter asking Nicolas Sarkozy to get behind a steep carbon emissions cut at a meeting in December. More»

40% do no exercise at all, says federal report

(NEWSER) - Plenty of Americans still like to drink, smoke, and hang out on the couch. Over half of the population—61%—drinks alcohol, 20% smoke, and 40% do no leisure-time exercise at all, says a new government survey. Only about 31% exercise enough to reap benefits. The survey found little improvement in the last decade. More»

Expect your cocktails to be herbal, matched with food, and cold

(NEWSER) - Absinthe and other speakeasy libations are so last decade. Now that craft cocktails are mainstream, what will the next 10 years bring to the hottest watering holes? Derek Brown of the Atlantic looks into his crystal ball:

• Food pairings: They're not just for sommeliers anymore. "Expect to see cocktails accompanying your food in 2010."

Drinkers like single serving, easy transport, eco-friendliness

(NEWSER) - It may lack a certain old-fashioned class, but that’s not stopping the wine industry from embracing aluminum cans, the Times of London reports. A top can-maker said he’d sold 35 million cans to the industry last year, up from 6 million in 2006—and he foresees wine fans chugging, er, sipping, more than a billion cans a year in the future. More»