Fri, 07 Nov 2003

Wine's health benefits disputed
I recently attended a program on cancer prevention sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. A woman in the audience asked whether red wine increases risks.

US: 2003 Napa Valley Harvest Report
We started the growing season cooler than any in my short-term memory and now we are ending it with more accumulation of degree days than every vintage after 1997.

Latour 1961 Fetches World Record Price at L.A. Auction
A case of Château Latour 1961 sold for a world record of $56,400 at an auction held in Los Angeles on Nov. 1 by NYWinesChristie's. That figure is 262 percent above the wine's average price in the third quarter 2003 Wine Spectator Auction Index.

FRANCE: Wine export volumes continue fall
Export volumes of French wine fell 2.7% in the 12 months leading up to July 2003, according to figures from the national wine body ONIVINS, the fourth fall in the last five years. However, the value of exports was up to Ä5.723 billion (US$6.571 billion) from Ä5.685 billion.

US: Wildfires spare vineyards, wineries
The two San Diego area wildfires that destroyed close to 330,000 acres and 2,500 homes last week licked at the edges of several wineries and vineyards, fraying vintners' nerves but ultimately sparing their property.

Thu, 06 Nov 2003

US: John Cleese to Host Special on Wine
John Cleese is ready to start wining. The "Monty Python" star has agreed to host a Food Network special aimed at "debunking the myths and fussiness that make wine intimidating to the average person," according to an announcement Wednesday by the cable channel.

Chocolate makers taking a leaf from wine growers
Fermentation, fragrance and palate. Terms usually associated with a fine claret or a chablis are now being used by Europe's finest chocolate makers.

Security fee another setback, say Marlborough exporters
Marlborough's wine and mussel industries say a $20 million export security fee is another blow to business. Customs Minister Rick Barker announced yesterday the fee would be introduced from July next year to recover the cost of new security systems needed to screen export containers.

'Parochial' wine call
Robert Sands, president and chief operating officer of the world's largest wine company, Constellation Brands, claims a free trade agreement (FTA) with the US will help Australian winemakers but probably won't benefit US producers seeking access to Australian markets.

Wine industry handed competitive advantage
The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation on Friday launched its on-line Winefacts Data Warehouse. Agriculture Minister Warren Truss, who launched Winefacts, said it would enhance the industry's major strength - its ability to respond rapidly to the ever-changing demands of consumers.

NORWAY: Wine consumption up, beer down
Figures released yesterday show Norwegians are drinking more wine at the expense of beer. According to the National Statistics Bureau, Norway's wine consumption rose by 4% to 26.3m litres year-on-year in the first six months of 2003.

Aussie wine elbows French aside in U.S
As vintners Down Under might tell their French rivals -- vive la difference, mate. In a battle pitting their upstart Yellow Tail brand against vintage Bordeaux, Australian wine makers are elbowing past the French as dominant exporters to a friendly U.S. market.

Wed, 05 Nov 2003

Label change pays off
Sometimes it's not what's inside that counts. As Hogue Cellars of Prosser has shown, a change in name and label color can make a big difference. Since making those changes, the winery has sold about 2,000 more cases in one-third of the time.

Vintage years ahead for English wines
The quality of the world's wines has improved over the past 50 years because of global warming, research suggests.

US: Concord marks 150 years
In New York state, grape growers hardly have time to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Concord grape as they deal with one of the most difficult growing seasons in a generation.

Americans End Boycott of French Goods
They might hate French diplomacy, but Americans can't help but splash out on France's fine wines.

South Australia eyes Korean wine market
South Australia's top administrator expects to expand his state's bilateral relationship with Korea, especially focusing on wine trade and educational exchanges.

Wine industry facing profit squeeze despite strong exports
CANBERRA: The Australian wine industry has undergone a major squeeze with winery profitability slashed and smaller operations going out of business, a new report has found.

Olympics may kickstart Greek wine trade
A report released today warns Greece that its wine industry is being squeezed out of the market by the New World and high prices.

AUS: Domestic wine sales up 3pc
Domestic wine sales increased 3.3 per cent in September, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said today. The bureau said sales climbed to 34,761 million litres, with white wine sales improving 4.8 per cent and red and rose sales up 6.1 per cent.

SAWIT to harvest Wine Industry BEE Charter
(Cape Town, 2 November 2003) 300 representatives from every level within South Africa's wine industry met on 1st November to provide their inputs on an all new, much needed BEE Charter for a historically disempowered wine industry at a conference hosted and facilitated by the South African Wine Industry Trust (SAWIT).

Tue, 04 Nov 2003

Climate change in the vineyards: The taste of global warming
A study of the world's top 27 wine regions' temperatures and wine quality over the past 50 years reveals that rising temperatures have already impacted vintage quality. As for the next 50 years, climate modeling for these same wine regions predicts a 2°C temperature rise that is likely to make cool growing regions better producers of some grape varieties, and already warm wine regions less hospitable for viticulture.

Wine needn't go to waist
A chardonnay from Australia called "Swaying Willow" bills itself as "The First Diet Wine," with only one-third the usual calories. It promises the "creamy, peachy character you'd expect from a chardonnay, with a hint of oak on the palette." Laurent Perrier and Piper Heidsieck both make a "light" champagne at the request of jockeys who have to keep their weight down in the Calista Flockhart range, but would like to celebrate with bubbly once in a while.

US: Weird harvest wraps up
Grape growers and winemakers are saying goodbye and good riddance to the crush of 2003, a troublesome harvest fraught with rain, lightning, cold spells and scorching heat waves.

Ancient grapes thrive in these parts
Those who are always looking for a new flavor in wine would be tantalized to know what U.C. Cooperative Extension advisor Glenn McGourty and the University of California at Davis are doing in the study of ancient wine varietals. Their names are tantalizing: Aglianico, Fiano and Greco; Dolcetto Freisa and Corvina.

Future looks fair for Lion Nathan
In what is likely to be his last annual result as Lion Nathan chief executive, Gordon Cairns is expected to announce a $180 million net profit on Thursday as attention turns to what is in store for the beer and wine group in 2004.

AUS: Dollar wipes out export gains
Australia's exporters are selling more but earning less. September's trade deficit was $2.3 billion as the rising dollar wiped out almost all the gains from rising commodity prices and stronger global growth.

SA: Inflation, Rand Dilute Winecorp's Results
Increased input costs and the strong rand contributed to wine production and marketing company Winecorp reporting what it called a disappointing loss for the year to July.

AUS: Domestic wine sales rosy
Australian domestic wine sales increased 3.3 per cent in September, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. The bureau said sales climbed to 34,761 million litres, with white wine sales improving 4.8 per cent and red and rose sales up 6.1 per cent.

US: Grape glut leads to Cheap Wine
"When prices are down and demand exceeds supply, prices go up, and people start planting," said Richard Smith, owner of Paraiso Vineyards near Soledad. It took a while for growers to catch up with the consumer momentum. But they did catch up. And now, the economy and the market are catching up with them.

Red-Wine Compound Shows Potential for Alleviating Bronchitis
Resveratrol, a compound abundant in red wine, may help reduce inflammation and fluid buildup in the lungs, allowing sufferers of certain lung diseases to breathe easier, according to a study conducted by the Imperial College London in England.