In Vino, Cash: Amazon to Sell Wine

Critics applaud vino from local grape

(NEWSER) - For decades, critics wouldn’t give Japan’s wine industry a second sniff—but a new wine from a local grape could change all that. One firm’s koshu wine has won over taste buds from France to the US, the Guardian reports. The “crisp and pleasant” Cuvée Denis Dubourdieu is “clearly meant to be a wine to guzzle with sushi or sashimi,” noted wine critic Robert Parker. 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»

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»

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.

Rich execs ditch fast-paced careers, look to winemaking

(NEWSER) - A new breed of winemakers is flowing into Napa Valley, writes Jeffrey O'Brien in a colorful look at the trend in Fortune. Investment bankers, tech entrepreneurs, and other wealthy refugees of the white-collar rat race are buying up vineyards at $400,000 per acre to pursue second careers that let them have a business—and a life. These "oentrepreneurs" aren’t just looking to make a buck; they’d rather generate buzz with sought-after, high-end cult wines. More»