Bubbly Really Is All About the Bubbles

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»

High-iron reds make a poor accompaniment, scientists confirm

(NEWSER) - Researchers conducting intensely necessary studies have confirmed what connoisseurs have always told us: Red wine doesn’t go with fish. Tasters tried 38 red wines and 26 whites while noshing on scallops. They discovered that wines with higher iron content—meaning most reds—unpleasantly accentuated the seafood's “fishy” taste. If researchers added a substance to the wines that masked iron, the taste diminished. 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»

Price does matter, but it's possible to find exciting varieties

(NEWSER) - Chardonnay is ubiquitous, but the “countless weak versions,” especially in the $10 category, disappoint wine lovers, writes Eric Arnold in Forbes. Nevertheless, Americans gulped down about 60 million 9-liter cases in 2008. If you’re willing to beef up your budget and experiment a bit, you may be surprised at the variety of “styles and flavors—and there's joy to be found in discovering which suit your palate best.” 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.