French Wine Industry Tanks, But It Still Makes Best Vino

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.

Government suggests knowledge as tool to fight binge drinking

(NEWSER) - How do you get college kids to drink less? By giving them wine, of course! At least that’s what a French government-commissioned report suggests. By holding wine tastings, the reasoning goes, colleges can educate students on the merits of drinking well in moderation. “Why is there sexual education and not viticultural education?” study co-author and noted gastronome Jean-Pierre Coffe asks. 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»

Foreign buyers retool prominent Chateaus for exports to China

(NEWSER) - Mao wouldn't likely approve on a couple of fronts, but Chinese investors looking to introduce their countrymen to the best in wine are buying up storied chateaus in the heart of French wine country, the Washington Post reports. Two companies paid several million dollars each to own Chateau Richelieu and Chateau Latour-Laguens, with the intention of sending home high-end wines with deep roots in French history and culture. More»

Medical journal weighs in with plan to curb Brits' boozing

(NEWSER) - Britons are downing too much wine, the British Medical Journal concludes, and it has a solution: smaller bottles. “Once two of us have had a glass each, it’s all too tempting to finish the bottle then and there,” wrote one doctor of the standard 750-mililiter size. One UK supermarket has already announced the introduction of 500ml (16.9 oz.) bottles. More»