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WineSpectator.com


Pennsylvania Struggles to Comply With Direct Shipping Laws (Wine Spectator)
Proposed legislation would make direct shipment of wine from out-of-state wineries unfeasible; bill's sponsor plans substantial amendments

Chef Talk: Arnaud Berthelier (Wine Spectator)
This French chef knows a thing or two about German and Alsatian wines, and is not afraid to pair them with his cuisine in Atlanta

What Am I Tasting? (Wine Spectator)
Bright, vibrant and distinctive for its strawberry and raspberry fruit, riding high over a base of lively acidity and fine tannins. Hints at rose petal and white pepper as the finish keeps zinging.

Unfiltered: Erin Brokovich's Cause Célèbre Could Be Aided by Wine (Wine Spectator)
Plus, a $900 bunch of grapes, a wine haven for music lovers, a trippy tasting room, European wine diplomacy and Champagne bottles on a diet

Montalcino Vineyards Damaged by Hail on Cusp of Harvest (Wine Spectator)
Castello Banfi is among Brunello producers to suffer losses in freak pre-harvest hailstorm

Australia Sings the Wine Blues (Wine Spectator)
Once the hottest import into the United States, Aussie wines are struggling with bad times

White Wines and Seafood for Labor Day (Wine Spectator)
Say goodbye to summer with California Chardonnays and some great recipes from the sea

Domaine Alfred Is Sold (Wine Spectator)
Owner of Pine Ridge and Archery Summit buys leading Central Coast Pinot Noir estate

Hail Strikes Vineyards in Beaujolais and Mâconnais (Wine Spectator)
Beaujolais' top Cru appellations may be hardest hit by early August storm

Carneros Faces Impending Quarantine (Wine Spectator)
Two light-brown apple moths, potentially devastating vineyard pests, are found in wine region, which will mean a complicated harvest

Red Wine Aids Meat Digestion (Wine Spectator)
A new study examines benefits that occur in the stomach

What Am I Tasting? (Wine Spectator)
This wine is rich and beefy, with plush smoke, blueberry, blackberry and spicy, leathery scents. It fans out and gains depth and complexity, picking up exotic spice notes.
   

Wineloverspage.com


30 Second Wine Advisor: What's a negociant and why should we care?
Today let's review a fairly common French wine term that's not always widely understood and that can provide useful information in the quest for wine value.

Wine Reports: Moillard 2006 "Les Violettes" Côtes du Rhône ($10.99)
Not overly complex, but this negociant Rhône is a nicely balanced food wine and a good value.

30 Second Wine Advisor: Which wines are worth aging?
Last week's article about two mature California Cabernets inspired many of you to request a tutorial on choosing wines for cellaring; with a bonus report on two 1982 Bordeaux that survived dubious storage.

Randy's Culinary Wine & Food Adventures: Albariño, the Gastronomic Grape
In Hawaii, Randy Caparoso found that Albariño made a perfect match the briny tastes of island fish. Back on the mainland, he's impressed with it as a "tweener," bridging the gap between an appetizer and a white meat course.

30 Second Wine Advisor: Two well-aged Cal Cabs
After weeks of promises, I finally file my report on two delicious, mature 1992 Napa Cabernets - Joseph Phelps and Clos du Val - received from our friends at the Aged Cabernet Series.

WineBlueBook: Wines compared by score and price
This month's issue of WineBlueBook covers many White Burgundy, Tuscan Sangiovese and West Coast Chardonnay wines that were scored last month by the wine critics. A total of 737 wines are profiled in the August 2008 issue.

Wine Reports: Bonterra Vineyards 2006 Mendocino County Zinfandel ($14.99)
Very appetizing aromas of mixed berries - traditional Zin "bramble fruit" - in a strong, hearty but well balanced organic wine.

Rogov's Ramblings: Travels and Tastings at Vinoble
Daniel Rogov reports from Andalucia in southern Spain, where the city of Jerez de la Frontera recently hosted the Vinoble wine fair dedicated to sweet and fortified wines.

Wine Reports: De Faveri Spumante Rosé Extra Dry ($15.99)
Frothy and tart, just barely sweet, a light 11 percent alcohol makes it particularly inviting as an aperitif that won't knock you back on your heels.

Wine Reports: Shoofly 2007 "Buzz Cut" Wine of Australia ($11.99)
Very good food wine, with impressive balance and complexity for a white at this price.

Wine Reports: Peachy Canyon 2006 "Incredible Red" Paso Robles Zinfandel ($11.99)
Neither an old-fashioned "field blend" nor a modern "blockbuster," it falls close to the "claret-style" category.

Bucko's Wine Reports: 100 new wines
White wines and rosés from around the world will refresh you during the dog days of summer, but you'll still need some big reds to go with that grilled steak. Randy "Bucko" Buckner reports this month on 100 new wines in a variety of categories.

Tiziano 2005 Chianti ($10.99)
Simple but appealing, good and characteristic simple Chianti; at this price, a recession-buster.

Dibbern on Wine: Beer Choices for Wine Drinkers
As we reach midsummer and temperatures climb to the nineties, even true wine lovers sometimes think to reach for a beer with their meal instead. Writer Donald A. Dibbern Jr. talks about beer for wine drinkers.

Wine Reports: Pedroncelli 2005 Dry Creek Valley Sonoma County "Mother Clone" Zinfandel ($17)
It's a big boy, but the clean, fresh and exuberant expression of "bramble" berry fruit takes me back to Zin the way it used to be.

Wine Reports: Durbanville Hills 2005 Durbanville South Africa Sauvignon Blanc ($12.49)
Fresh citric flavors make it an exceptionally good wine for sipping chilled on a hot summer evening, and the screwcap kept it fresh.

Wine Reports: Chrisman Hill Vineyards 2006 Kentucky Norton ($17.99)
A decent interpretation of the unusual American Norton grape from a leading Kentucky winery.

Wine Reports: Falesco 2005 Umbria "Vitiano" Cabernet-Merlot-Sangiovese ($14.99)
An Umbrian mix of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot in equal proportions, this "super-style" Italian red is quite a value.

Vino 101: Refresher course
Coinciding with our Wine Focus, Jorge Eduardo Castillo is talking about the wine he enjoys most on a really, really, really hot day: Sauvignon Blanc.

WebWineMan: Bordeaux on the Fly!
Writer Richard Fadeley recently returned from his annual pilgrimage to France. He offers a report on Bordeaux with a variety of tasting notes on Bordeaux of good quality and value.

Oxford Town Wines: The power of the bubble
Sparkling wine can turn any summer time meal into a wonderful event. Columnist John Juergens encourages readers to pop a cork or two as he shares his thoughts on bubbly.

Schaefer on Wine: Chile's organic and biodynamic wine leader
The wine world is "going green." Correspondent Dennis Schaefer files this report from the largest organic grape grower in Chile, Emiliana Organico in the Colchagua Valley.

Italian Wine Guide: Barolo and Barbaresco - The Latest
Tom Hyland recently sampled the latest releases of the great red wines of the Langhe area of the Piemonte region: the 2005s from Barbaresco and the great 2004s from Barolo.

Wine Advisor FoodLetter: Pork chops Liegoise
We follow up on last week's nostalgia session with another Belgian-inspired dish from another favorite 1970s cookbook.

From Amazon.com: Hugh Johnson's 2008 Pocket Wine Book
If there's one indispensible reference for the wine lover, it's Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book. Updated annually, the 2008 edition is now available. This handy guide packs an incredible amount of information into a pocket-size volume.

For The Love of Port: Roy's 2004 Port Wine Forecast
The trend toward more frequent releases of "second label" Vintage Port seems here to stay, says Port expert Roy Hersh, who offers this extensive report on the Vintage Ports of 2004.

Dave McIntyre's WineLine: Plus ça Change, at Lagrange
Change can be revolutionary or evolutionary, and Château Lagrange has experienced both in a generation. Dave McIntyre reports on the resurgence of this storied property under corporate management by Suntory.

Our Wine Videos: Sights and sounds of Vinitaly!
More than 150,000 visitors attend Vinitaly during its five-day run in Verona. In these live videos, Robin Garr captures the sights and sounds of the event, and gives us a glimpse into a day's work for a wine judge.

April on Wine: Blending in!
Some time ago, especially in the United States, consumers began to believe that wines made from more than one grape were inferior to single-grape wines. It's time to reconsider, says April Eichmeier, arguing that some of the greatest wines on the planet are blends.

Burghound.com Selection of the Week
In this free sample from Allen "Burghound" Meadows's fully searchable database of Burgundy tasting notes, this feature on WineLoversPage.com will display a new report on a "top value" Burgundy every week.

Favorite Wine Links: Wine Grape Varietal Table
Here's a direct link to Steve De Long's delightfully geeky new wine-grape chart, a must-have gift for the serious wine hobbyist on your list.
   

decanter.com


Australian Vintage back in profit
Australian Vintage - formerly McGuigan Simeon Wines - posted a profit in 2007-08.

Rosé consumption in the pink
The popularity of rosé has been confirmed as new figures show the number of regular wine drinkers who drink rosé has risen by over 60% in the last three years.

Massive Bordeaux 2000 collection at Christie's
A major collection of 2000 Bordeaux comes under the hammer next month at Christie's London.

Hail devastates Brunello crop
A hailstorm accompanied by 100km winds devastated much of Montalcino's Brunello crop earlier this month.

Foster's review may lead to acquisitions and sales
Drinks giant Foster's is considering buying, and selling, assets as part of a six-month review of its troubled wine business.

Seaview founder Ben Chaffey dies
Ben Chaffey, McLaren Vale pioneer and co-founder of Seaview winery, has died aged 93.

Australia becomes New Zealand's biggest market
Australia has overtaken the UK as the biggest export market for New Zealand wines, according to the country's winegrowers' association.

Trimbach to produce a Grand Cru
Top Alsace producer Maison Trimbach has revealed that it will produce a Grand Cru wine after years of strongly resisting the idea.

Burgundy 2008: poor fruit set and hail will affect vintage
The 2008 Burgundy harvest will be smaller than last year, following a poor fruit set and hailstorms in the region.

Asian wine market worth €1bn by 2017
Hong Kong officials have predicted that the value of wine imports into Asia will top €1bn by 2017.

Bordeaux: Pessac harvest halved
Wine producers in the Pessac-Leognan area of Bordeaux say they may have lost up to half of their crop this year, due to the April frost.

Eight St Emilion wines investigated by US authorities
The US government has narrowed an ongoing fraud investigation down to eight wines from France's St Emilion region.

Hilary Swank buys film rights to French Paradox book
Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank has bought the film rights to best-selling lifestyle book French Women Don't Get Fat.

Mexican appellation plan divides country
A plan by the state government of Mexico's major wine region to introduce wine appellation names in the country has divided the industry.

Boisset to launch Beaujolais Nouveau in plastic bottles
French wine giant Boisset has announced that all Beaujolais Nouveau wines imported to the US this year will be shipped in plastic bottles.

French harvest begins
The first grapes of the 2008 harvest in France were picked today in the southern French Roussillon region.

Torres launches 0.5% alcohol wine
Leading Spanish producer Miguel Torres has launched the country's first ever wine that is almost totally alcohol free.

Criminals turn wine into weed
Vineyards in Washington are being bought and converted to marijuana farms by organised crime outfits, US state officials say.

Writer says Champagne every morning is secret to long life
UK crime writer John Mortimer says a glass of Champagne every morning is the secret to a long life.

Marie Brizard rumoured for sale
Bordeaux-based wine and spirit company Marie Brizard is reportedly for sale, two years after being bought by troubled French vodka company Belvedere.