Wines Wire

In an attempt to woo well-heeled travellers, and certainly keep them away from the newly-competitive Virgin Australia, Qantas is launching a $99-per year wine and food club as an add-on to its existing Frequent Flyer program. Upon joining, members will receive a "welcome gift" from Qantas worth $130 (seems a fairly safe bet that it will be quaffable), and access to the epiQure website. The membership is also available for 13,000 points. Qantas promises the community will allow members to...

Brown-Forman Corp.'s fourth-quarter profit spiked from the sale of its California-based Fetzer Vineyards, capping a year that showed strong growth for its flagship Jack Daniel's brand and el Jimador tequila. The company, whose brands include Southern Comfort and Finlandia vodka, on Thursday reported a 26-cent-per-share gain from the sale of Fetzer to Chilean wine producer Vina Concha y Toro S.A. The $238 million deal closed in April.Brown-Forman, based in Louisville, Ky., also reported strong...

Wild spring weather across California's wine country has been enough to drive a vintner to drink. From killer snow in the Sierra Nevada foothills to dry-season downpours along the coast to a hard freeze in temperate Paso Robles, 2011 is proving a challenging vintage. "That's what makes this business so damned interesting," said Jim Fiolek, executive director of the Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association. It also can keep winemakers up at night. Jason Haas, general manager of Tablas Creek...

Waltz Vineyards has added an eighth wine to its lineup and its first reserve. Its new Chardonnay spent 10 months in French oak and gives the winery a sophisticated white that foodies will find appealing. It's going for $36/bottle. The Manheim, Pa., winemaker also just released new vintages of its regular Chardonnay ($25/bottle) and its 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($28/bottle). Both are delicious whites certainly worth trying if you stop by the winery for a tasting. The tasting notes call out the...

AT CHATEAU Latour in Pauillac, horses plough the vineyards just as they did in the 14th century, when vines were first grown on the estate. But this is a recent return to tradition at Latour, one of the five renowned ''Premier Grand Crus'' of Bordeaux, and it's based on sound commercial considerations rather than sentimentality. Fine-wine prices have surged because of an explosion of interest from China and other Asian countries in recent years. Unable to increase production - land is limited...

Researchers fear the culture of wine drinking is being lost in France, with younger generations less likely to savour a bottle over food and more prone to drink simply for pleasure. They are also less aware of its cultural significance to France. Just 16.5 per cent of the French population are now regular wine drinkers, according to research from the ESC Pau research centre and Toulouse 1 Capitole University/ Regular consumption over meals has been replaced by the French drinking wine...

The digital revolution is spreading across the wine world — whether the industry is ready or not. More than 450 wine-related applications are now available on the iPhone and other mobile devices — more than six times the number that existed only 18 months ago, according to a recent survey. Last year, people on Facebook, Twitter and other social media had 14 million online conversations about wine, providing recommendations, reviewing vintages and suggesting the best wineries to visit, said...

Should winegrowers rip up their vines, or wait for the tide to turn? Greg Ninness asks the questions. This year's huge sauvignon blanc vintage is putting pressure on winemakers' profits – and widening a rift over how to restore the sector's financial health. The industry is a house divided, with some arguing for increased production, while others want to see vines ripped out to limit supply. Whatever position they take on the issue, something most wine companies and vineyard owners will have...

Sonoma’s bachelor Ben Flajnik may have faced rejection from The Bachelorette’s Ashley Hebert on national television Monday night, but the day after he was back at work on his increasingly popular wine brand.Speaking from San Francisco, Flajnik said Evolve Winery, based in Sonoma Valley, is working on launching a new brand of value wines called “Epilogue,” which will be ready for sale in September. But he also now just may be Northern California’s most eligible bachelor. With his newly...

TAXING wine in the same way as beer would earn the government an extra $1.5 billion. At the same time, it would cut sales of cask wine 61 per cent, boost sales of beer, and cut overall alcohol consumption 9 per cent. The plan, tested in economic modelling by the Allen Consulting Group, will be unveiled at a forum in Parliament House today designed to pressure Treasurer Wayne Swan in the lead-up to the October tax summit. Allen Consulting has told the Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation...

Winemakers around the state are coping with another late growing season as persistently cool spring weather delays the growth of the grape crop, The Oregonian reported. Oregon's $1.4 billion wine industry has grown to more than 400 commercial wineries where managers try to balance the effects of weather that can range from cool and wet to hot and dry in short order. At Seven of Hearts winery in Carlton, owner Byron Dooley said the cool early spring has set him back about two weeks from where...

The mountains of northwestern North Carolina hope to become the Southeast's next hot destination for wine lovers. The Watauga Tourism Development Authority has helped develop the Boone Area Wine Trail to attract more visitors to the high country vineyards around Boone and Banner Elk. A former winemaking researcher at Appalachian State University, Richard Wolfe, says some high-level elevation locales are comparable with successful European viticulture climates. The tourism authority's website...

As wine tasting is considered to be a very sophisticated practice there is a specific etiquette you have to follow. This etiquette should remain the same whether you are at a vineyard, a wine tasting private party, or in a restaurant. When you have a wine tasting party you should only invite the amount of people that you can fit comfortably in the room you want to have your party. A crowd may be intimidating. You do not want any of your guests to feel like they are being rushed when they are...

In this article you will be given a brief introduction to the wine making process and a summary of each step from harvesting to bottling. Wine making has been around for thousands of years and it is quite a natural process that requires very little human intervention. Every wine maker has their own special process which contributes to the uniqueness and diversity of wines, making life much more interesting. Although there are many different methods and variations involved in creating wine,...

Wine is produced all over the world from single varietal grape selections to popular varietal blends to please almost every palate, from the novice to the seasoned wine taster. Red wine happens to be the most popular choice the world over. Barolo and Barbaresco: Derived from the Nebbiolo grape, Barolo wines are typically deep red with a thick and complex flavor that is sometimes flowery, reminiscent of violets and roses. Other flavors are fruit, licorice or oak. Barolo should be enjoyed at...