February, 01, 2012 Facebook and Twitter 'more addictive than tobacco and alcohol'

(Telegraph) - Twitter and Facebook are more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol, researchers claim. Resisting the urge to check social networking sites for updates is more difficult than turning down a drink, according to a study of people's everyday desires. The survey of 250 people found that...

February, 01, 2012 US: Pernod lines up distributor as laws change in Washington

(Drinksint) - Pernod Ricard USA has appointed Southern Wine & Spirits of America as its spirits and wine distributor in the state of Washington, effective March 1, 2012. Martin Crane, senior vice president, sales, Pernod Ricard USA, said the move coincides with the privatisation of Washington’s...

February, 01, 2012 US: Maryland's Wine Industry Grew 11.6% in 2011

(Thebaynet) - The Office of the Comptroller’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Annual Report shows that the wineries of Maryland sold 181,000 more bottles of wine in 2011 than 2010; an 11.6% increase. Wineries increased their share of the state wine market to 2.38% and total sales came in at over $19 mill...

January, 31, 2012 US: VA: Warm Weather Could Mean Problems for Winemakers

(NBC29) - As that mercury rises, so do fears at local vineyards. That's because unseasonably warm weather can trick the vines into thinking it's spring. It's a great night to sit outside and enjoy this unseasonably warm weather - perhaps with a glass of your favorite wine. But for the makers of...

January, 31, 2012 CHINA: Wine Australia urges Chinese caution

(Just-Drinks) - Wine Australia's general manager for market development, James Gosper, has told just-drinks that the country's wineries are right to be optimistic about China, but should approach the market cautiously. China was the fifth largest export destination for Australian wines in volume ...

January, 31, 2012 Breakthrough in NZ wine production

(NZHerald) - Scientists have found that wild yeasts vary from region to region, and can have a unique influence if used in the wine-making process.Climate, soil and geography have long been recognised playing an important role in shaping the character of a region's wines and whose interplay is at th...

January, 31, 2012 Chardonnay marks 100th birthday of growth in U.S.

(Reuters) - Chardonnay, the world's most popular white wine, dates back centuries, but it owes much of its history in the United States to a winemaker who planted the grape in California 100 years ago. Ernest Wente, of the family-owned Wente Vineyards east of San Francisco, brought cuttings from ...

January, 31, 2012 France: Chapoutier pours scorn on natural winemakers

(Decanter) - Renowned Rhone producer Michel Chapoutier has added to the natural wine debate by denouncing natural winemakers as out-of-touch hippies making defective wines.Interviewed in the current issue of Decanter, Chapoutier tells John Livingstone-Learmonth the practice of natural winemaking –...