Tue, 23 Dec 2003

US: A growing taste for wine
Supplies are plentiful. Prices are good. And the health benefits of moderate red-wine consumption are well publicized. These are some of the reasons wine sales are up nationally - particularly among the 25million whom the Wine Market Council calls core wine-drinkers, those who drink wine weekly or more often.

South Africa's Historic Boschendal Winery Sold
South Africa's historic Boschendal Estate, one of the largest wineries in the Cape district, has finally been sold, for 323 million rand (roughly $50 million). The winery had been on the market since September 2001.

SA: 2004 looks like a grape year for the Cape
Days of wine and noses are in store - and prospects of export success high - with a bumper 2004 vintage season expected in the vineyards of the Cape. Cooler summer weather and a few good showers have raised hopes for an excellent season for winemaking in all grape-growing regions.

AUS: Show us the wine list
Queenslanders are shrugging off their reputation for quaffing beer and rum, turning to the favourite tipple of the cultured classes, wine. For the first time, figures show more Queenslanders are drinking wine than beer.

Global wine majors raise a toast to India
Wine makers from the world over, especially those from Europe and Australia, are eyeing what they consider to be a greenfield market in India. Signalling this interest, country-level participation from France, Italy and Australia, apart from the US and other European countries, is being held in the upcoming India Food & Wine Show from January 8 to 10 in New Delhi.

Foster's lifts U.S. grape harvest
Australian beer and wine-making giant Foster's Group says its 2003 California grape harvest is up 6 percent over the previous year. Foster's said Tuesday its total crush intake, including bulk wine, will reach 140,600 tonnes, compared with 132,600 tonnes in 2002.

Yalumba looks upmarket
In a wine industry that Robert Hill Smith describes as "competitive and as cut-throat as I've ever seen it", it takes a lot of nerve to commit to the single biggest investment in your company's history.

Box wines improve image with higher-quality grapes
Just in time for Metro Detroiters who are planning family gatherings and holiday parties, vintners in California and Australia are introducing a new breed of dry-style box wines made from premium grapes and vintage-dated.