Tuesday, August 27, 2002

New Survey Shows "Wine Anxiety" Is Widespread

"If you have ever felt like everyone else knows more about wine than you do, you're not alone. According to a new survey of wine drinkers, more than twice as many people rate their knowledge of wines as below average (38%) ..."

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California: Wineries' cup runneth over

"The grape harvest in Napa and Sonoma counties is on, with crews either picking some of the earliest maturing grapes, or thinning vineyards to pare down the expected large crops."

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Rosemount still the top seller

"Rosemount wines founder Bob Oakley and his family have reinforced their place at the top of the Australian wine industry - 28 years after their first vintage. The family's Rosemount Estate has been named the most popular single brand in Australia for the past financial year by market research company ACNeilsen."

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Winewise: Chile offers a choice collection

"Chile's vineyards cover 300kms in the Central Valley of this 4,000km long narrow country. They are positioned on a large plateau which is bisected by major rivers 600m above sea level between the snow capped Andes and the Pacific...."

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Landware Releases Wine Enthusiast Guide Summer 2002

"Landware has teamed with Wine Enthusiast Magazine to bring Palm OS users the Summer 2002 Edition of the magazine's companion for choosing, evaluating, managing and enjoying wine."

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Lake Ontario Wine Trail OK'd

"State lawmakers have approved the creation of the Lake Ontario Wine Trail, something advocates hope will boost the number of visitors to area vineyards."

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Walla Walla makes mark amid modern wineries

"It was hard not to feel sorry for the poor vines. Their thin trunks rose bravely from a bed of rounded cobblestones. The rocks were hot to the touch and radiated heat up into the sparse canopies where a few, small bunches of grapes hung. There was hardly any soil in evidence."

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Missed the Grand Cru? Host a tasting from home

"Did you miss last weekend's Grand Cru at the Long Beach World Trade Center, which featured hundreds of winning wines from California and the world? In fact, are you one of those people who didn't grow up with wine on the table, and, while curious about it, are unsure if you could ever grow to like it?"

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Washington Wine Auction Raises $1.3 Million

"Washington winemakers, wine grape growers, community leaders and wine enthusiasts raised more than $1.3 million at the 15th annual Auction of Washington Wines this weekend ...."

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Bollinger's whine costly for NZ director

"Movie director Roger Donaldson has lost a battle with famed French champagne house Bollinger over the name of the wines produced at his Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, vineyard."

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Red Wine Helps Keep Obese People Heart-Healthy

"For people who are so overweight that their life may be at risk, a glass a day of red wine may help maintain cardiovascular health, according to a recent study by a team of scientists in Australia."

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Champagne makes life worth living

"A man on the verge of committing suicide was persuaded to stay alive by a bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne....."

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Italians must break habit of a lifetime

"Italian drivers are facing the prospect of replacing a full bottle of wine at lunchtime with two glassfuls. Legislation to bring Italy in line with most other EU countries has seen the drink-drive limit cut by almost 40%."

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Researchers Link Red Wine To "Good Cholesterol"

"Researchers in France have found differences in red wine drinkers' "good cholesterol," which could account for the drink's beneficial effects against cardiovascular disease."

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Wine auctions have turned into popular big-money raisers

"Dick Boushey describes himself as a vineyardist, not a black-tie party-goer, even though many of the grapes he has raised in the Yakima Valley have helped earn money at the Auction of Washington Wines, the big charity gala."

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Organic Wine Quietly Shed Sprouts-in-a Botlle Image

"More and more California wines, including many of the finest, are going organic. But you won't see it on most of their labels or in their ads. Call it their clean little secret."

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New Zealand: January Concert Tickets Draw High Demand

"Ticket sales to an open air concert 'An Evening with Our Giants' featuring New Zealand's Kiri te Kanawa and Tim Finn, backed by the Auckland Philharmonia, has drawn an "incredibly high" demand according to winery director Steve Smith."

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Australia: Wine industry goes green

"Australia's wine industry has launched a new strategy aiming to promote a cleaner and greener environment."

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Merlot by mail: ordering wine online gets easier

"Wine lover Mark Varnes was all set to send some friends in New York one of his favorite Napa Valley varieties as an anniversary gift. He logged on to a wine Web site, picked out a bottle, and got so far as typing in his friends' mailing address -- when he discovered the whole thing was illegal: New York law prohibits shipments of alcohol directly to consumers."

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Barossa Swinging Weekend

"Fusing food, wine and jazz is proving to be a successful formula for the Barossa. The sun shone on Saturday and Sunday's second annual Barossa Jazz Weekend, which again attracted thousands of onlookers to 25 of the region's participating wineries."

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Columbia Winery ages gracefully into its 40th year

"Does life begin at 40? It certainly renews itself, in a froth of reminiscence and recalibration. In the life of an American winery, 40 is a rare milestone...."

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How To Know Your Grapes

"The French wine trade is currently recovering from a damaging fake vintage scandal - which may have been prevented if a recently developed DNA test that can tell whether a top wine really is what it claims to be, had been used."

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Do you get what you pay for?

"As you all know, it is possible to pay almost anything for some products. Certain things just seem to vary in price from one to the next much more than others. Wine is one of those products."

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New Zealand: Major winery tipped

"A new winery and massive vineyard is expected to be planted out in the Waikerikeri Valley near Alexandra later this year."

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New Zealand: Dame Kiri and Finn in winery tribute to Sir Ed

"Dame Kiri te Kanawa will join Tim Finn on stage in Hawke's Bay in January, at the Craggy Range company's 'Giants Winery in the Tukituki Valley' to celebrate the opening of the winery and to pay tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary, 50 years after his conquest of Mt Everest."

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Bouquets for wine industry

"It's a great year for Maryland wineries. Vintners are toasting both the dry weather, which makes better grapes, and a state-sponsored promotion aimed at getting more people to taste their product."

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New Zealand: Cyber connoisseurs delight on the net

"A list and description of on-line companies providing information on New Zealand's most popular food and wine sites..."

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New Zealand: Canterbury Grapes And Wines, 1840-2002

"Canterbury Grapes And Wines, 1840-2002 - Danny Schuster, David Jackson, and Rupert Tipples. How the wine industry became established in Canterbury is really three stories. All are well told in this attractive book."

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