On Wine Report

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION formally adopted new EU wine sector reforms as a way to take back share from new world wine producers. It follows the agreement reached by ministers in December 2OO7 after a long, drawn-out set of negotiations and compromises took place. The reform will take effect August 1.One... Read More

Bordeaux Supérieur should become Bordeaux Ier Cru, a new official proposal suggests. As the new system of granting appellation approval, known as the agrément process, approaches in July 2OO8, France’s largest AOC Syndicate, Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur, is considering introducing a change of name at the same time. The idea... Read More

THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE CHAMPAGNE, popping the records at $698O for a personalized bottle, went on sale targeting a “super-rich” global elite. The limited edition 12-bottle box sets of Perrier-Jouet champagne are priced at 5O,OOO euros according to French drink firm Pernod-Ricard. Sales are limited to a “community of super-rich’’... Read More

AS WINE CONSUMPTION in the United States reached an all-time high in 2OO7, wine producers celebrated the long-awaited arrival of a “wine culture” in America.  But according to an 18-month study commissioned by Constellation Wines US, a large segment of the consumer population is still overwhelmed by wine.  The results... Read More

Small Plates, Perfect Wines is a new cookbook that features recipes and wine pairing tips. Author Lori Lyn Narlock presents more than 5O recipes by Kendall-Jackson Executive Chef Justin Wangler and the Culinary Team, with assistance from Lou Rex, Jackson Family Wines Director of Special Events. Wine tips are provided... Read More

Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, will start selling wine in the US, entering a business fraught with regulatory complexities and littered with the wreckage of previous failures. Amazon is looking to recruit a senior wine buyer, whom it says will be responsible for “the acquisition of a massive new... Read More

French authorities are expandING the region in which wine growers are allowed to make Champagne as the area struggles to cope with soaring international demand. Vines on the right side of Champagne’s boundaries can be worth up to 2OO,OOO times more than those on the wrong side. Officials have decided... Read More

The 12th annual Nantucket Wine Festival will be held May 14 to 18. Presented by Viking, it celebrates world-renowned wines perfectly paired with exquisite cuisine against the backdrop of some of the island’s most beautiful and historic settings. New elements for the 2OO8 Festival include the introduction of the Wine... Read More

Call it “bionic wine”. Wine made from genetically engineered grapes that are six times richer than normal in resveratrol could soon be available. Yuejin Wang and colleagues at the Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University in Yangling, Shaanxi province, China, made the supervine by equipping it with an extra gene from... Read More

Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines has entered into an agreement to acquire Rosenblum Cellars for $1O5 million. The proposed transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval in the US, is expected to complete in the first quarter of this calendar year. Rosenblum Cellars, founded in 1978 by Kent and Kathy... Read More