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October 12, 2008 10:38:14 PM CDT

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Stories related to: wine industry

Stories

19 Stories

  • October 2008

    • 'Oentrepreneurs' Hit Napa

      CNNMoney  |  Oct 9, 08 1:34 PM CDT

      'Oentrepreneurs' Hit Napa

      (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 »

      Tags

      wine  • wine industry  • Napa Valley  • second career

  • September 2008

    • In Vino, Cash: Amazon to Sell Wine

      Reuters  |  Sep 11, 08 12:07 PM CDT

      In Vino, Cash: Amazon to Sell Wine

      (Newser) - Online shopping got a little more intoxicating today as Amazon announced it will start selling wine in the US starting in October, Reuters reports. The retailer—looking for a chunk of the $30 billion-plus US wine market—has partnered with Napa Valley Vintners, which will supply vino from the 315 wineries it represents. Only 7% of wine sales are currently made online. More »

      Tags

      alcohol  • wine  • Amazon.com  • wine industry  • wineries  • Amazon  • Napa Valley

    • Familiar French Red Gets Mod Makeover

      New York Times  |  Sep 3, 08 11:19 AM CDT

      Familiar French Red Gets Mod Makeover

      (Newser) - Today's Côtes du Rhône is no longer a middle-of-the-road red, writes Eric Asimov in the New York Times . France's wine industry is changing, and the region that once churned out bottles that were "light and fruity if you were lucky, more likely tart and harsh," has grown up. But the best still display "characteristic Rhône touches of earthiness and minerality." More »

      Tags

      France  • wine industry  • red wine

  • August 2008

    • Wine Drinkers Pick the Pink

      Portfolio  |  Aug 27, 08 3:04 PM CDT

      Wine Drinkers Pick the Pink

      (Newser) - Rosé wine has gone from tacky to trendy, with easy-to-swallow prices helping sales bubble up by nearly a third in the past year, compared to just a 5.1% boost for all wines. Both US and European consumers are hooked—in France, rosés are selling faster than whites, reports Portfolio . The blush boom has caught the attention of serious players, with makers in Bordeaux and other regions rushing to cash in. More »

      Tags

      France  • wine  • wine industry

    • Midwest Adding Grapes to Its Grain

      Economist  |  Aug 22, 08 5:40 PM CDT

      Midwest Adding Grapes to Its Grain

      (Newser) - As farmers seek higher profits and politicians angle for healthier rural economies, vineyards are cropping up across the Midwest, the Economist reports. Michigan and Ohio now have over 100 wineries each, with vintage monikers handily swiped from French-named Midwestern locales like “Marquette” and “Frontenac”—or, less convincingly, “La Crescent.” More »

      Tags

      wine  • agriculture  • Midwest  • wine industry

    • Napa Valley Girl Makes Splash in French Wine Marketing

      Gourmet  |  Aug 17, 08 2:00 PM CDT

      Napa Valley Girl Makes Splash in French Wine Marketing

      (Newser) - France’s wine business is stuck in the doldrums, as American wines (and their aggressive marketing campaigns) explode onto the scene. But one Napa Valley girl is working to change that, by introducing stodgy French vintners to the modern concept of marketing. “A lot of what I do is psychological,” Jaime Araujo tells Gourmet . “Changing the identity of a wine that’s been in your family for four hundred years is hard, and it takes a lot of hand-holding.” More »

      Tags

      France  • wine  • marketing  • wine industry  • Napa Valley

    • Wash. Vineyards Flush With Pot Crop

      Associated Press  |  Aug 10, 08 4:50 PM CDT

      Wash. Vineyards Flush With Pot Crop

      (Newser) - Washington state is cracking down on drug dealers' latest innovation: Using vineyards to secretly grow marijuana crops, the AP reports. Police have made 22 arrests this year and confiscated 110,000 pot plants from the Yakima Valley alone, worth more than $100 million. But tracking dealers isn't easy: Some are in Mexico and others buy farms with fake names in quick cash deals. More »

      Tags

      wine  • marijuana  • Washington  • wine industry  • Drug Enforcement Administration  • drug trade  • vineyard

    • French Winemakers Turn to Terror

      Time  |  Aug 2, 08 7:30 AM CDT

      French Winemakers Turn to Terror

      (Newser) - Tough times have turned some wine-growers in southwestern France to "wine terrorism," Time reports. Guerrilla grape-growers have bombed supermarkets and government buildings, hijacked trucks carrying foreign wine, and drained tanks. The growers want the French government to protect them from the cheap imports they say are threatening their survival. More »

      Tags

      France  • terrorism  • protests  • wine  • wine industry  • wineries

  • July 2008

    • Prosecco Targets Champagne Crown

      Reuters  |  Jul 22, 08 8:07 AM CDT

      Prosecco Targets Champagne Crown

      (Newser) - Sales of Italy's answer to champagne have been bubbling up for years, Reuters writes, but prosecco producers plan to boost output to 250 million bottles next year, with an eye on someday overtaking champagne as the world's favorite sparkling wine. The bubbly is cheaper to make than its French rival, and vintners believe its sweeter taste will go down well in red-hot export markets like China. More »

      Tags

      Italy  • wine  • wine industry  • wineries  • champagne  • sparkling wine

  • June 2008

    • Wine Reviews: Taste the Pretension

      Los Angeles Times  |  Jun 13, 08 11:46 AM CDT

      Wine Reviews: Taste the Pretension

      (Newser) - When wine lovers say they taste notes of cherries or hints of tobacco, “usually all I can detect is a whole lot of jackass,” Joel Stein writes in the LA Times . Wine dialogue has devolved into a meaningless string of obscure scents, Stein says. It’s boring—too boring even to make fun of—and it says virtually nothing about the wine. More »

      Tags

      wine  • wine industry  • reviews  • taste

  • May 2008

    • France Eases Wine Laws to Cork Competition

      Times (UK)  |  May 30, 08 11:53 AM CDT

      France Eases Wine Laws to Cork Competition

      (Newser) - France is ditching some long-cherished wine rules to compete with upstart New World wines, the London Times reports. The country, which sees itself as the center of the wine world, has been steadily losing market share to wines from places like Australia and California. A new class of French wine will permit "foreign" techniques such as adding tannins or wood chips. More »

      Tags

      France  • wine  • wine industry  • wineries

    • Wine Whiz Mondavi Dead at 94

      San Francisco Chronicle  |  May 16, 08 7:54 PM CDT

      Wine Whiz Mondavi Dead at 94

      (Newser) - California wine master Robert Mondavi died peacefully today in his Napa Valley home at age 94, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Disciples and critics alike have praised the vintner for elevating West Coast wine from jug juice to world-class vino. "His legacy and his vision for what California could do remains with us as guidepost and a source of aspiration," one winemaker said. More »

      Tags

      California  • obituary  • wine  • wine industry  • innovation  • Napa Valley  • vineyard  • Robert Mondavi

  • April 2008

    • French Wine Goes Pop

      Associated Press  |  Apr 27, 08 6:09 PM CDT

      French Wine Goes Pop

      (Newser) - A screw-top Bordeaux? The once-laughable notion is bubbling up in France these days as wine makers try to reverse decades of sour sales, the AP reports. Even snazzy labels and boxed-wine-with-a-straw are fair game, after French wineries exported a record $15 billion last year with "New World"-style packaging. More »

      Tags

      France  • wine  • wine industry  • wineries  • red wine

    • In Veritas, Vino Wins Over Shanghai

      Portfolio  |  Apr 3, 08 2:13 PM CDT

      In Veritas, Vino Wins Over Shanghai

      (Newser) - The wine scene, long dormant in China, is booming in Shanghai, reports Portfolio . Chinese consumers were traditionally more passionate about spirits; if anything, only red wine was taken seriously. Not anymore: Shanghai's three premium-wine importers have multiplied to more than 100 since 1999, and wine bars abound. It's a trend expected to shift the figures in a country that consumes 25% of the world's liquor but just 2% of its wine. More »

      Tags

      China  • wine  • wine industry  • Shanghai

  • March 2008

    • Sonoma-Napa Rivalry Escalates

      Reuters  |  Mar 26, 08 2:54 PM CDT

      Sonoma-Napa Rivalry Escalates

      (Newser) - The friendly rivalry between California’s two leading wine regions has evolved into an out-and-out marketing duel, reports Reuters. Sonoma winemakers frown upon the more famous—and much pricier—wine made by their neighbors over the hills. Collectors covet Napa Valley’s exclusive vintages, paying from $400-$1,000 a bottle for cult brands, while many Sonoma wines are generally priced under $20, due to larger harvests. More »

      Tags

      California  • wine  • wine industry  • Napa Valley  • rivalry  • Sonoma

    • Oregon's Having a Grape Year

      Associated Press  |  Mar 19, 08 4:07 PM CDT

      Oregon's Having a Grape Year

      (Newser) - Thanks to good weather and rising demand, Oregon crushed a record number of grapes in 2007—good news for its 370 wineries. And despite selling 1.7 million cases worth $208 million last year, the state hasn't quenched thirst for its wine, the AP reports. "Fussy superstar" pinot noir has maintained its post- Sideways popularity, and Oregon's small wineries produced 15% more of the grape. More »

      Tags

      wine  •