France

White Marsannay is subtle and satisfying
White Burgundy, made almost exclusively from chardonnay, is one of the most sought-after wines in the world. Despite tremendous advances in California and other New World locales with chardonnay, white Burgundy remains the benchmark for wines made from that grape.

A teaspoon of wine or pure gold
At 2,000 to 10,000 dollars a bottle, depending on the vintage, even a teaspoon of the Burgundy region?s Romanee Conti is literally worth its weight in gold. In a list of ?100 wines to try before you die? compiled by British wine magazine Decanter, three of the top ten were made by Domaine de la Romanee Conti.

Wine vs health war rages in France
The French government is 'demonising' wine with a 'quasi-scientific' and alarmist advertising campaign, France's top wine professionals claim. The ministry of health is 'battering' the country's wine culture with a series of hard-hitting anti-alcohol adverts, the L'Academie du Vin de France said, while the Cercle du Rive Droite is trying to block the campaign.

Some respect for grenache
Grenache has the dubious distinction of being an uncelebrated presence in some very celebrated wines. It's not hard to figure out why. More than a few important European grapes are little known outside their home territories. They are components of wines named after the region in which the grapes grow, rather than after the grapes themselves. These grapes hit the big time only after they came to the United States and were made into wines called cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay or syrah. Now they are famous around the world.

Vintage Wine Records Trace Climate Change to 1300s
Connoisseurs may pore over grape-harvest records in search of the perfect vintage of wine. But a team of French scientists and historians is toasting the same records for the insights they yield on past climate.

Developments in missing Petrus case
A two-year-old case involving an elderly widow and 400 missing bottles of Château Pétrus came closer to its conclusion last week.

Hospices de Beaune: prices fall
Prices of red wine at the annual Hospices de Beaune auctions fell by one third for red wine. Prices of red Burgundy at the charity auction this weekend (20/21 November) were 33% less than last year. This is in contrast to the 2003 price, which showed a 21% increase on 2002. The price of white wines fell by 21%.

2002 bordeaux - the bargain vintage
One of the questions I am most frequently asked about wine is whether you get what you pay for. No, no and again no, is my answer. Many of the world?s most expensive wines are expensive because they are rare rather than great, and many others? prices reflect ambition on the part of their makers rather than intrinsic wine quality.

United States

Brother Timothy, wine industry icon dies
Brother Timothy, a beloved man of the cloth recognized for his pioneering efforts in the California wine industry, died at the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle novitiate Tuesday. He was 94.

Films about wine and cocaine lead film awards
LOS ANGELES: A wine-soaked road comedy and a cocaine-fuelled drama lead the list of contenders for the Independent Spirit Awards, the American art-house world's version of the Oscars.

US: The Wine Wars
THE issue is wine, not tea. The enemy is not George III, but a law prohibiting New Yorkers from buying wine directly from out-of-state suppliers. But when a group of latter-day patriots make their stand in the U.S. Supreme Court come Tuesday, justices will hear echoes of the world's most famous tea party.

US: Spectacular DRC collection up for auction
One of the rarest and most spectacular collections of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti wines ever to come to auction goes under the hammer at Zachys on 3 December.

Oregon wine heads to China
Oregon pinot noir wine has apparently found a market in China. Whether other Oregon products will break into the world's largest base of potential consumers remains unknown.

US: A Legacy Lost
Robert Mondavi feared most of all that he would lose family control of his wine empire when he decided to sell shares of the Napa-based winery and place it on the stock market.

New York's Long Island blossoms as wine producer
JAMESPORT: Once rich with potato farms and Christmas tree nurseries, New York's Long Island is fast becoming legitimate wine country and some here believe the region could one day rival California's famous Napa Valley.

The Science Behind the Napa Valley Appellation Now Available
For those seeking a better understanding of the relationship between place and wine, look no further than, "The Science Behind the Napa Valley Appellation," released today in print by the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV). The 10,000 word essay explores more than three years of research, and speaks directly to the issue of terroir and new world wines.

US: Research team combines DNA Technology with Entomology Research to fight Wine Grape Disease
DNA technology is joining forces with conventional entomology and viticultural management to fight a disease threatening the Texas Hill Country wine industry. Bacterial in nature, Pierce's disease causes leaves to become discolored, grape clusters to shrivel and new canes ? the stem of the wine vine ? to grow stunted and misshapen. New shoots may be stunted even on vines that did not show symptoms the previous year.

What we like: Beaujolais
WHAT IT IS: Beaujolais wines, which by definition come from the southern part of France's Burgundy region, are made from the gamay grape (in contrast to most of the red wines from Burgundy, which are made with pinot noir grapes). Though many wine drinkers think of French reds as being intensely flavored and full-bodied (think a fine, aged bordeaux), beaujolais wines are known for their light body, fruity flavor and low amount of tannins, making them less suitable for aging and perfect for drinking young.

Wine X awarded world's Best Wine Magazine
Wine X has been voted the world's "Best Wine Magazine" by the Jacob's Creek World Food Media Awards (JCWFMAs). The awards, which recognize the best of the world's food and wine media, are the equivalent of the film industry's Oscars. The unique competition recognizes excellence throughout the broad spectrum of food and wine media: television, books, guides, newspapers, magazines, photography, CD-ROMs and Web sites.

Wine Institute Welcomes U.S. Supreme Court Review
On December 7, the U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments in cases challenging discriminatory bans on interstate, direct-to-consumer wine shipments in New York and Michigan.

Alcoa Begins First Commercial Production of Award-Winning Glass Wine Closure, the
Vino-Lok System
Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that its Alcoa Closure Systems International business has begun commercial production of Vino-Lok, its "glass on glass" closure system for wine bottles that it developed as an alternative to corks and synthetic stoppers.

Australia

Dollar puts squeeze on wine
THE rocket-like rise of the dollar coupled with heavy discounting of cheap overseas varieties is threatening Australia's wine exports.

AUS: Trouble-Shooting Checklist For Wine Industry
The wine industry is introducing new measures to stop grape growers and wineries ending up in court over contract disputes.

Biodynamics: gaining a sense of place for Winemakers!
Approximately 140 participants from 6 countries attended "The First International Biodynamic Wine Forum" held at Beechworth, Victoria, Australia from the 19-21st November, 2004.

Australia's biggest wine show ready to be uncorked
Australia's biggest wine show, Wine Australia, opens to the public today at Darling Harbour in Sydney. The show will feature more than 425 wineries, 50 other wine or tourism associated exhibitors, 48 regions, 42 grape varieties - from Alicante Bouchet to Zinfandel - and 3,800-plus wines for tasting.

New names for Aussie wines
Australia is about to agree to a naming-rights policy that will end the use of many European names on Australian wines. But what will the favourite wines be called in future?

New Zealand

OSH shock for wine growers
Marlborough's wine industry is reeling from news that vineyard employers are legally responsible to ensure workers have accommodation.

Secret is out on Spanish tempranillo variety
Australian grape growers are discovering the qualities of the tempranillo variety - a flavoursome, dry red wine much loved in sunny Spain.

Wine industry urged to keep workers safe
The massive growth of Marlborough's wine industry has brought with it a relative increase in workplace hazards.

Enhanced cork technology fights back against screwcaps and corks
As New Zealand winegrowers increasingly use screwcaps to seal their award-winning vintages, two Australian companies are entering the market with technology that confuses even further the cork versus screwcap debate.

Cheats cashing in on organics craze
New Zealand's booming organics industry is under threat from a lack of regulation - meaning some sellers can claim their products are organic when they're not, growers say.

Contractor jailed for unpaid tax
The jailing of a vineyard contractor for almost $400,000 in unpaid taxes and fines highlights a big problem in Marlborough, says the region's contracting federation.

Worker shortage slows harvests
A nationwide database of seasonal horticulture jobs and available workers is needed, says Fruitgrowers Association executive officer Dianne Vesty.

Italy

Italian Wine Expert Veronelli Dies
Luigi Veronelli, a prominent expert on Italian wine and cuisine, has died, his publishing company said Tuesday. He was 79.

Vineyard Shares Perform Better Than Stock Exchanges
Florence, Italy, Dec. 2 - Do you want to invest in the stock market? Buy stocks in vineyards, but avoid Australian ones, which do not do well. This little fact emerged from the new work index on vineyards quoted on the market, realised by Mediobanca and presented today in Florence.

Germany

German company brews up 'anti-aging beer'
LONDON - It is the news to cheer drinkers everywhere: beer could make you feel healthier and look younger. The Neuzelle Kloster Brewery, a company in eastern Germany, says that its latest beer is enriched with ingredients that maintain good health and slow down the aging process.

South Africa

SA: One SA winery possibly using flavourants
After extensive testing of almost 25% of the country's producers of Sauvignon Blanc wines for the use of illegal flavourants, only one winery has been found to have possibly been guilty, according to the South African Wine & Spirit Board, the oversight body for the local industry.

SA: Cork industry loses market share
Cape Town - A survey conducted in the UK shows that wine buyers still prefer natural cork, but other stoppers are gaining ground, according to Wine Intelligence, a research and consulting business serving the global wine industry.

SA: Nederburg Wines wins Best of Wine Tourism Award
Nederburg Wines has won the prestigious "Best Of" International Wine Tourism Award for Cape Town as its leading example of wine tourism.

Argentina

Argentine wines 'sneaking up'
An October -- that is to say, springtime -- trip to Buenos Aires provided ample evidence that if Argentina is to emerge from its years of economic malaise, food, wine and design will be the recovery's forward guard.

Portugal

Seely buys major Douro estate
AXA Millesimes chief Christian Seely has just completed a ¤10m purchase in the Douro where he plans to renovate a moribund winery and build a luxury hotel.

China

CHINA: Yellow rice wine becoming preferred poison
Wang Xin was surprised recently by the way his friends, in Shanghai, received him at the dinner table. They did not offer him white spirits, beer or red wine. Yellow rice wine was their preferred poison.

United Kingdom

Britain says 'Put a cork in it!'
The British are showing an uncharacteristic resistance to change where wine is concerned. They cancelled doorstep deliveries of milk in glass bottles, preferring to collect it in cardboard Tetrapaks from supermarkets. They happily switched to drinking their beer from cans rather than bottles, and even buy ready mixed Pimm's No.1 Cup rather than preparing it themselves! But they've dug in their heels over wine, preferring traditional cork closures says the first independent survey of UK consumer's attitudes to wine closures.

Canada

CANADA: Museum explores the history of wine
A new exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Que., explores the history of wine, including its place in social customs and mythology.

Georgia

Award winner shakes up Georgian winemaking
A Georgian winemaker aims to radically change his country's vinification techniques - after winning a trip to France with the Geoffrey Roberts Award. Shalva Khetsuriani, a Georgian winemaker who won the Award last year, recently announced changes in wine practices of his country, including new vineyard management techniques, new technologies in the winery and better production methods.

Lab opens 'new era' for Georgian wine