Archives:
Feb, 2003
Jan, 2003
Dec, 2002
Nov, 2002

Value of US wine exports up 2% for 2002
The value of US wine exports are on track to finish 2002 about 2 percent ahead of 2001, while the volume should finish 2002 about 8 percent under 2001.....Wed, 29 Jan 2003

Southcorp angers investors and industry as woes continue
From an industry darling to drop out in the space of two years, the Australian winemaker Southcorp has few sympathisers left. David Robertson looks at the repercussions for this falling giant....Wed, 29 Jan 2003

UC Davis On Four-Continent Itinerary for Wine MBA
Wine industry professionals from as far away as Chile and Singapore have unpacked their suitcases and plugged in their laptops to study business at the University of California, Davis....Wed, 29 Jan 2003

South Africa: Research To Promote Precision Viticulture
Distell has helped fund the purchase of a hyperspectrometer, a highly sophisticated sensor able to scan objects, making use of reflectances that could ultimately help to advance precision viticulture by better understanding vineyards and the differences that occur within them....Fri, 24 Jan 200

Australia: Major Wine Tourism Boost For Tasmania
Australia's Tasmania region received yet another major tourism boost with the commencement this week of a four-and-a-half star tourism development in Tasmania's premier wine region, the Tamar Valley. The development comprises 16 luxury serviced apartments in a vineyard retreat setting, and a cellar door/conference and function centre, to complement the existing Rosevears Estate winery and restaurant.....Fri, 24 Jan 200

British Columbia grape harvest continues to rise
British Columbia wineries topped off a spectacular year of awards with a grape crop harvest of 15,500 tons in 2002, according to preliminary estimates compiled by the British Columbia Wine Institute....Fri, 24 Jan 200

South Africa: Winecorp uncorks new potential
STELLENBOSCH-based bulk wine producer WineCorp is defying lingering scepticism around small wine producers' ability to crack profitable markets in the UK and Europe....Fri, 24 Jan 200

Wine, Beer Wipe Out Ulcer-Causing Bacteria, Study Shows
Moderate consumption of wine or beer may help rid the body of a type of bacteria long suspected of causing peptic ulcers, according to a team of researchers in the United Kingdom....Thu, 23 Jan 2003

Vine mealybug traverses California in only eight years
For an insect pest that gets around on its own only by crawling, the vine mealybug sure gets around. It has taken the tiny little pest only eight years to traverse California to every grape growing region....Thu, 23 Jan 2003

Organic Wine Is Hot Air Says Marchevsky
Organic wine production is hot air and is missing the point, according to respected Argentine viticulturist Pedro Marchevsky. " 'Precision viticulture and sustainable agriculture' is the future while 'Organics' is an extremist position and is hard to make profitable" said Marchevsky....Thu, 23 Jan 2003

Chilean wine and alcoholic beverage exports flat in 2002
Chilean wine and alcoholic beverage exports totaled $563 million during the first 11 months of last year, compared with $561 million during the January-November period of 2001, according to the Agricultural Research and Policy Office (ODEPA)....Thu, 23 Jan 2003

Barossa: Fickle signs for vintage 2003
Grapes are ripening, and winery equipment and harvesters are coming out from under wraps. Vintage is on its way once again and this year is looking somewhat unpredictable for Barossa winegrowers....Thu, 23 Jan 2003

U.S. Tough times no party for wine makers
Following a decade of unprecedented growth that saw a 50 percent rise in the number of wineries, vineyard acreage and consumer prices on bottles of wine, it's the morning after for California's wine industry....Weds, 22 Jan 2003

Tough market hits earnings of Australian wine giant
Australia's biggest winemaker, Southcorp, has slashed its earnings outlook, forecasting no growth this year because of fierce competition. The announcement sent its shares down as much as 7 per cent yesterday.....Weds, 22 Jan 2003

Grange sets new record at auction
An imperial of Penfolds Grange has achieved the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of Australian wine at auction....Tue, 21 Jan 2003

New Zealand Taste Trumps Glut
The New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) predicts that New Zealand wines would still sell well, even in the event of an international wine glut because of its appeal to high-income consumers in non-traditional markets, the Financial Times reported....Tue, 21 Jan 2003

EU: EC pledges 840,000 pounds to promote European wine in US
The European Commission is to provide 840,000pounds - or half the total cost of a campaign to promote European wines in the US. The other half will be met by French and Spanish wine organisations...

French fighting back
The French are marching again - this time in a battle to drain the mediocre wine lake which steadily drowns their national reputation, while the Aussies and the Americans ruthlessly advance on the international export market....Mon, 20 Jan 2003

French are up in arms over America's wine guru
Gael Chauvet does not read Robert Parker's ratings until weeks after they are released. He does not buy Parker's best-selling wine guides, or follow the yearly scramble to buy young vintages recommended by the world's most powerful wine critic....Fri, 17 Jan 2003

Grapes could be just a start
Near the eastern shore of Lake Apopka, scientists are trying to grow genetically altered grapes that can produce fine merlots and cabernets -- a nearly impossible task in Florida's humid climate....Fri, 17 Jan 2003

Mexican wines making mark
Guess what country is the latest to throw its hat into the ring of fine wines? I'll give you a hint - the hat would be a sombrero. Tucked away on the Baja peninsula, just south of the California border, lies the Valley of Guadalupe....Fri, 17 Jan 2003

Pursuing wine buyers of a younger vintage
The struggling U.S. Wine industry makes a discovery: Contrary to conventional wisdom, the 34-and-younger set is more willing than others to spend for a premium bottle....Thu, 16 Jan 2003

Tokay wine breakthrough
Hungary has agreed to recognize some Slovak wine produced in the country's south-east corner under the protected trademark Tokay, with both sides agreeing to continue Tokay negotiations in the run-up to EU entry....Thu, 16 Jan 2003

Foreign wines grab big share of U.S. market
Imported mid-priced wines, mostly from Italy and Australia, account for one out of every three bottles sold in U.S. supermarkets, with foreign wines grabbing an increasing share of the market from California wine producers, industry experts told grape growers Tuesday....Thu, 16 Jan 2003

Carson Attacks Heavy Trade Discounting
The heavy discounting that has been a prominent feature of the wine trade over the last 12 months is unsustainable, according to Chris Carson, CEO of BRL Hardy Europe....Thu, 16 Jan 2003

Argentina Loses Crop to Hail
The major risk to the grape crop in Argentina is hail. This year, exacerbated by the El Nino affect, has been no exception. The equivalent of 18,000 ha. have been completely destroyed by hail...Thu, 16 Jan 2003

Chilean vintners shoot higher in the wine market
While economically faltering Argentina has just begun to aggressively export its wines to the United States, prosperous Chile is already a big player....Sun, 12 Jan 2003

Getting crushed
Winemaking regions around Sacramento appear to be weathering the storm better than many others in California's wine industry, which faces a crisis of oversupply, lower prices and jittery bankers....Fri, 10 Jan 2003

WA wine industry praises exports surge
The Western Australian wine industry says the surge in sales and volume for Australian wine exports is good news for local producers....Fri, 10 Jan 2003

U.S. 2002 ends with a whimper for wine merchants
Are wine drinkers holding out? A recent survey of wineries and distributors showed that wine sales faded during the fourth quarter of 2002....Fri, 10 Jan 2003

South Africa set for bumper wine grape harvest
South Africa's 2003 wine grape harvest is estimated at 1.183 million tons, a 9.7% increase over last year's harvest and 9,700 tons more than the exceptionally large harvest of 1999, according to the latest figures compiled by South African Wine Industry Information and Systems (SAWIS)....Fri, 10 Jan 2003

Fortunes of US wine makers turning sour
Bubbles were bursting in California's wine country over the New Year, but the popping was the industry's growth bubble rather than a champagne toast....Fri, 10 Jan 2003

Australian wine exports surge 26 per cent in November
Australian wine exports for November surged nearly 26 per cent to 34 million litres, official figures showed Thursday....Fri, 10 Jan 2003

Wine industry told glut will hit it hard
New Zealand's wine industry is heading for a fall, according to the man who helped devise the Government's vine-pulling subsidies in the mid-1980s....Fri, 10 Jan 2003

Australian yields 'down by half' as drought bites
Growers in Australia's top viticultural regions face a 50% reduction in yields as severe droughts begin to bite....Thu, 9 Jan 2003

U.S. Winery closures predicted
California could see more than 20 percent of its wineries go out of business or be swallowed by larger competitors....Thu, 9 Jan 2003

New Zealand: Wine boom raises spectre of glut
Ideal weather and a good fruit-set indicate an excellent vintage for winemakers, but the industry is concerned about a national glut of of wine grapes in future harvests.....Thu, 9 Jan 2003

California Wine Woes
After a decade of unprecedented growth, California's wine industry is slumping, threatened by a worldwide wine glut and flat consumption, among other factors, experts said.....Thu, 9 Jan 2003

Australia: Overseas buyers take pick of the vine crop
Overseas investors, including South African immigrants looking for a new life in Australia, have set their sights on the booming wine industry.....Thu, 9 Jan 2003

AUS: Warm weather hastens vintage
A LITTLE bit of rain would be nice but the regions vignerons would like warm weather without the scorching temperatures of last month....Tues, 7 Jan 2003

California Wine Industry Slumps After Decade of Growth
California's wine industry is in a slump after a decade of spectacular growth. A.C. Nielsen's Wine Scan reports that holiday sales of wines declined in most categories after the industry had flat sales figures the past two years, and cheap wines from Australia, South America and South Africa are more evident in stores...Mon, 6 Jan 2003

Scientists on the trail of mold that causes 'corked' wine
Holding up a glass of wine, enology student Jim Duane swirls the golden liquid around a few times and gives it a judicious sniff. Sample No. 6 has a whiff of something not quite right. Corked? Could be. He scribbles a few notes in his lab journal...Mon, 6 Jan 2003

Terre et Vin du Monde Speaks out about GMOs
A group of well known Burgundian growers and producers have again denounced Genetic Modification of plants and microorganisms in wine...Mon, 6 Jan 2003

Researcher gets to the very roots of plant nutrition
Jim Barlow has searched the world for solutions to farmers' concerns about plant nutrition and protection. Technologies he's come upon are beginning to make their way to the Salinas Valley...Mon, 6 Jan 2003

Vineyard prices tipped to soar
Parts of New Zealand could become the world's most expensive vineyard real estate, an industry expert says....Mon, 6 Jan 2003

Uncork champagne's bubble puzzle
New Year's revelers probably don't know it, but inside every bottle of sparkling wine is a burbling scientific mystery. And Gerard Liger-Belair is trying to get to the bottom of it - one bottle at a time...Mon, 6 Jan 2003

What wine snobs ignore
It was just a stray remark in a newspaper article -- one British wine writer praising an American wine writer but with the caveat that the Yank didn't have much of a palate for Burgundy. The article by Michael Dresser also explores retsina and Mavrodafni...Mon, 6 Jan 2003

Wine, health and political correctness
In an article on New Year's Eve, The New York Times broke surprising new ground in media coverage of alcohol and health....Sun, 5 Jan 2003

California's organic wine industry up in arms
California's organic wine producers are souring on some proposed new labeling requirements that could possibly mean that organic wine labels would have to bear a separate ingredients list.....Sun, 5 Jan 2003