Category: Uncategorized

NEED WINE? JUST ADD WATER…

We thought we had heard everything until we read about the Miracle Machine, a work in progress from the folks who brought you the flash site Lot18.  The idea sounds simple:  just add water and some proprietary ingredients to a carafe shaped device that is small enough to sit on your kitchen counter, wait 3 […]

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WINE & WARFARE–PART III–FINAL INSTALLMENT

Now for the third and final installment from the Drinks Business series Wine & Warfare.  If you missed anything here’s the first installment and the second installment. Wine & Warfare Part XI — Beer and Madness Wine & Warfare Part XII — Vineyards Under Attack Wine & Warfare Part XIII — Divine Winds Wine & […]

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HUGE BOULDER RIPS THROUGH WINERY AND VINEYARD

You gotta see this.  On January 21st in northern Italy three boulders broke loose from a cliff and roared down the mountainside.  One boulder ripped through an unoccupied part of the winery while a second stopped just inches from the main structure.  The building houses a catholic order, so it makes you wonder about divine […]

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Wine & Warfare–A Series Not To Be Missed

Thanks to London based Drinks Business, our readers can now explore a fascinating online series depicting the enduring relationship between war and alcoholic beverages. The series, currently at 15 chapters, spans history from Rome to World War II.  The writing is superb with evocative images from period photos and paintings.  While each chapter includes some […]

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Just desserts

The verdict is in and Rudy Kurniawan has been convicted on both charges against him.  Sentencing is in April and he could receive up to 20 years on each count.  The jury took less than two hours to reach a guilty verdict. While wine-searcher.com gives a good account of the jury findings, Mike Steinberger the […]

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Hugh Johnson Uncorked

To say that Hugh Johnson, the iconic British wine writer, can be outspoken is an understatement.  When it comes to shelling out opinions on all things wine, he is as unfiltered at a Kermit Lynch Bandol. Dave McIntyre, who writes a wine column for the Washington Post, recently caught up with Mr. Johnson in New […]

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Would you pay $10,000,000 for an acre of grapes?

Burgundy winemaker Alex Gambal was recently featured in an “Ask a Winemaker” video where he discussed land prices in the Côte de Beaune.  His basic premise was that Grand Cru vineyard prices have become so expensive (he paid $1 million USD for an acre of Bâtard-Montrachet) that there is less than a 2% return on […]

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What goes into a $50 bottle of wine?

In a previous blog we quoted noted wine writer Jancis Robinson on production costs for a bottle of wine.  Ms. Robinson correctly noted that there is little correlation between production costs and what owners ultimately decide their products are worth.  But “production” costs are only part of the picture when it comes to factors that […]

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HAILSTORMS, FLOODS WREAK HAVOC IN BORDEAUX, BURGUNDY AND ALSACE

Mother Nature hasn’t been kind to French winemakers this year.  In many areas 2013 was already shaping up to be less than bountiful, but in early August huge hailstorms swept through areas of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Alsace devastating thousands of acres of grapes.  In Bordeaux alone, more than 50,000 acres were affected with 17,000 acres […]

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Cold Wine in the Summertime

Hopefully you have armed yourself with plenty of white wine, rosés and sparklers to last you through the summertime.  Getting the stuff cold in a hurry (under 10 minutes) can be a challenge, so we wanted to share with you a few ways to speed up the process.  And you may be surprised by what […]

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