http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/wine/ en-us Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:11:26 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2405606/posts Bae Yong Joon may be one of the few oenophiles still living in Korea based on wine's dropping popularity on the peninsula. (Photo courtesy of Arnaldo Bassini) Wine sales in Korea are continuing to decline according to a Dec. 8 Korea Times article. The Korea Customs Service told the Times that 2009 (at least the first 10 months) was the first year they noticed a decline in wine sales in Korea since the Asian financial crisis reached its zenith in 1998. However, the South Korean government expect wine imports from Europe and South America to improve after recently signed free-trade... Beyond Koreanfornian Cooking http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2405606/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:11:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2395148/posts There is Protestant drinking and there is Catholic drinking, and the difference is more than mere quantity. I have no scientific data to back up my claims, nor have I completed any formal studies. But I have done a good bit of, shall we say, informal study, which for a hypothesis like this is probably the best kind. To begin with, what is Catholic drinking? It's hard to pin down, but here's a historical example. St. Arnold (580-640), also known as St. Arnulf of Metz, was a seventh-century bishop of Metz, in what later became France. Much beloved by... Inside Catholic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2395148/posts#comment Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:22:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2377182/posts I was driving on Riebli Road near Santa Rosa, Calif. on Nov. 1 and noticed this sign by some vines of New Vine Zinfindel(Zin). It is owned by Bastoni Vineyards, according to WineMap. The US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) reported that the 2008 average price for Sonoma County Zin, which is the basis for determining the grape sale contracts of the 2009 harvest, was $2,485.66 per ton. That's about $1.25 per pound. This is less than half that price. Beyond Koreafornia Cooking http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2377182/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 05:29:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2363986/posts PARIS – Over the years, the chief sommelier had forgotten they were there. And when the four bottles of 1875 Armagnac Vieux were finally unearthed from the labyrinthine wine cellar this week, they were covered in a black fungus that looked like matted cat fur. The landmark Tour d'Argent restaurant, which dates back to 1582, is cleaning out its 450,000-bottle wine cellar, considered one of the best and biggest in the world. It is putting 18,000 bottles up for auction in December, an event that has captured the imagination of French wine lovers. The restaurant is selling mostly wine but... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2363986/posts#comment Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:55:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2360308/posts Veteran actor Sean Connery has refused to give up his favourite red wine even after been diagnosed with a heart condition. The former James Bond star has been warned to stop drinking alcohol by medics but he refuses to give up, as he believes it is good for his health. “I do drink red wine because of my friend David Murray, who owns two French wine estates. He showed me the evidence that it was good for the health,” the Daily Express quoted him as telling Wine Spectator magazine. “I favour Merlots from Chile for their value and I keep... The Thailand http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2360308/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:49:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2350857/posts The blessings of the grapesBy Kate Gonzales Posted: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 10:35 AM CDT Father John Finley sings hymns Sunday with children after he has blessed Lavender Ridge Vineyard grapes. Enterprise photos by Kate GonzalesFinley blesses thousands of grapes with holy water. Enterprise photo by Kate GonzalesLavender Ridge Vineyard owners Rich and Siri Gilpin added an extra ingredient to their winegrapes this weekend: holy water. Friends, family and employees of the Gilpins traveled out to their vineyard along the rolling golden hills of Milton to enjoy the second annual ceremony of the blessing of the grapes. “It's just new... calaverasenterprise.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2350857/posts#comment Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:49:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2333619/posts Christine Vernay was on holiday in Missouri when she got the call. It was August 12 2003 and the French vineyard owner was not due to return home for 10 days; the harvest on her Rhône valley estate would begin in late September. But then a friend from the same village, Condrieu, called her husband’s mobile phone. “The grapes have ripened early. You need to come home now,” he said. France was sweltering in the most extreme heat wave on record. Christine and her husband, Paul Ansellem, caught the first flight back but by the time they reached the vineyards... Financial Times UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2333619/posts#comment Mon, 7 Sep 2009 00:15:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2315329/posts (Rising temperatures may have a devastating effect on the way French wines are made, destroying the industry.) French wines, the country's pride, are looking at a grim future failing an ambitious deal on climate change at the upcoming United Nations summit in Denmark, 50 top chefs, winemakers and Greenpeace warned Tuesday. "Climate change has made vines increasingly vulnerable," the group said in an opinion column in the daily Le Monde. "Wine," they added, "is the result of an alchemy between a native soil, or terroir, and generations of winemakers. Today this alchemy is in danger." Because of the global rise... Mother Nature Network http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2315329/posts#comment Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:00:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307324/posts Scientists from Scotland and Singapore have unraveled a mystery that has perplexed scientists since red wine was first discovered to have health benefits: how does resveratrol control inflammation? New research published in the August 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, not only explains resveratrol's one-two punch on inflammation, but also show how it - or a derivative -can be used to treat potentially deadly inflammatory disease, such as appendicitis, peritonitis, and systemic sepsis. Science Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307324/posts#comment Mon, 3 Aug 2009 19:19:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306247/posts Dense and opulent, with a sweet nose, $20K bottle of wine stolen in Hopkinton August 1, 2009 07:34 PM By Terri Schwartz, Globe Staff This was no bottle of "Two Buck Chuck." A Hopkinton liquor store owner says thieves stole a bottle of wine worth $20,000 from his store. The Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306247/posts#comment Sun, 2 Aug 2009 00:49:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2306061/posts MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Alabama's ban on a wine that features a nude nymph on the label became a business opportunity for a California vintner who is preparing a marketing campaign to capitalize on being "Banned in Bama." The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board recently told stores and restaurants to quit serving Cycles Gladiator wine because of the label. Board attorney Bob Martin said the stylized, art-nouveau rendition of a nude female with a flying bicycle violated Alabama rules against displaying "a person posed in an immoral or sensuous manner." Bill Leigon, president of Hahn Family Wines in Soledad, Calif.,... Southeast Missourian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2306061/posts#comment Sat, 1 Aug 2009 18:28:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301400/posts Researchers concluded that levels of sexual desire were higher in women who were moderate drinkers of red wine than in their counterparts who preferred other alcoholic drinks, or were teetotal. One theory put forward by the team of Italian doctors who carried out the study is that chemical compounds found in red wine may improve sexual functioning by increasing blood flow to key areas of the body. The researchers said: "While this finding needs to be interpreted with some caution, it nevertheless suggests a potential relationship between red wine consumption and better sexuality." In the project, described as the first... Telegraph (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301400/posts#comment Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:32:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2300423/posts MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A wine label showing a nude nymph is too racy for Alabama's liquor control agency, which has told restaurants and stores not to sell the product. hosted http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2300423/posts#comment Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:10:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2290964/posts When Korbel Champagne Cellars’ owner Gary Heck sued to find out who was saying nasty things about him on the Internet, he might have been surprised to discover an answer so close to home. The anonymous critic on Craigslist was his daughter Richie Ann, according to papers Korbel filed in Sonoma County Superior Court. Heck and Richie Ann Samii are embroiled in a bitter legal fight over a multimillion-dollar stake in Korbel, America’s top seller of traditional sparkling wine. The Press Democrat http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2290964/posts#comment Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:44:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2288679/posts Seoul to enforce new restrictions on goods going into N. Korea By Tony Chang SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- Seoul will stiffen control of South Korean goods going into North Korea, mostly banning luxury items such as wine and fur, the Unification Ministry said Thursday. The restrictions, to take effect as of Friday, are in accordance with U.N. Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1874 adopted after North Korea's second nuclear test on May 25. The resolution prohibits weapons trade with Pyongyang and calls on member states to tighten the sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after its first nuclear test in October 2006.... Yonhap News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2288679/posts#comment Thu, 9 Jul 2009 06:53:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286709/posts Well, pour yourself a glass of vino to go with that lobster tail tonight because wine prices have fallen so much, winemakers in Australia are complaining that wine is now cheaper than some bottled water. WATER! Dan Murphy, a major wine-retail chain in Australia, is currently selling cleanskins, bottles of wine without a label that are usually sold in a case, for 1.99 Australian dollars, or about $1.60, the Sunday Mail reports. That’s less than half of what wine cost 10 years ago, the New York Times reported. “Australia can’t even bottle air and make money selling at that price,”... CNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286709/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 19:38:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2276205/posts In a surprise discovery that may help boxed wine shake off its image as a gauche alternative to bottles, scientists in Canada are reporting that multilayer aseptic cartons (a.k.a. 'boxes') may help reduce levels of substances that contribute odors to wine and can lower its quality. Gary Pickering and colleagues note that trace amounts of chemicals called alkyl-methoxypyrazines (MPs) are generally negative to wine quality, masking the desirable fruity and floral flavors and giving wine an unpleasant green taste. With the wine industry still searching for a way of reducing MP levels, the scientists decided to look at the effects... sciencedaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2276205/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:12:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2259213/posts Alexander Autographs A bottle of wine from Adolf Hitler’s personal wine cellar at his mountain retreat, the Berghof. It was supposed to be a straightforward news story: an auction house was finding that items believed to have belonged to Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun were in high demand, even in a recession. But a coincidence along the way led to a mystery. It all began when the auctioneer, Alexander Autographs, in Stamford, Conn., announced the sale of possessions from the respected collector John K. Lattimer. Building on connections made during his time working at the Nuremburg war tribunals, Dr. Lattimer... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2259213/posts#comment Wed, 27 May 2009 18:23:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255726/posts NASHVILLE – It’s not wine in grocery stores, which is dead for this year, but Tennessee wine drinkers will be legally able to buy limited amounts of wine from out-of-state wineries for shipment here under a bill that won final state legislative approval today. Efforts to pass similar legislation have failed for the past several years in Tennessee but is now on its way to Gov. Phil Bredesen, who has not signaled any opposition and is expected to sign it into law. If he does, it goes into affect July 1. The bill allows out-of-state wineries to register with Tennessee... Memphis Commercial Appeal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255726/posts#comment Thu, 21 May 2009 19:50:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2243473/posts ROME - Italian authorities have just reported a national outbreak of Wine Flu. They say that it is the first such outbreak since the dreaded Perry Como Wine Flu Epidemic of 1989. Noted Italian Wine Flu Expert Giardino Tortellini stated that the early symptom of the Wine Flu is an insatiable craving to listen to Frank Sinatra records. He added that this is soon followed by the urge to pour Italian Wine on everything from breakfast cereal to baloney sandwiches, and fish sticks to chewing gum. The next stage is an obsessive desire to say typical Italian phrases such as... Gather http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2243473/posts#comment Mon, 4 May 2009 01:39:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241460/posts DRINKING up to half a glass of wine per day can help you live up to five years longer - at least for men, according to a new study. The impact also depends on the exact amount drunk - more than half a glass starts bringing life expectancy down again, according to researchers from Wageningen University in The Netherlands. "Drinking wine was strongly associated with a lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and death from all causes," said the study. Effects varied, however: men who drink up to 20 grams of any type of alcohol per... AFP via News.com.au http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241460/posts#comment Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:21:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2234645/posts Supermarkets are arranging wine tasting sessions around "good" and "bad" days as dictated by the lunar calendar. So does the Moon really change the taste of wine? A German great-grandmother called Maria Thun is wielding huge influence on the British wine industry. A calendar she first published in the 1950s categorises days as "fruit", "flower", "leaf" or "root", according to the Moon and stars. Wine is best on fruit days, followed by flower, leaf and root days. The worst day is marked as "unfavourable" in the calendar. (See factbox below for forthcoming "good" and "bad" days). Tesco and Marks &... bbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2234645/posts#comment Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:39:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2227326/posts Restaurants boost business in recession with BYOB deals: Bringing your own bottle of wine to your favorite restaurant is getting cheaper and more popular. With sales and traffic dwindling, many restaurants are either offering BYOB nights or chopping the "corkage" fee to open bottles bought elsewhere, to entice more wine-drinking diners to pay for a meal out. "My fiancee and I are wine freaks, so we have been going to more BYOBs as a way to continue to drink great wine while not blowing our budget," said Christopher McGrath, a 26-year old money market trader and liability manager who lives... recordonline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2227326/posts#comment Sun, 12 Apr 2009 02:53:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2224409/posts Pro-Palestinian activists who picketed a Toronto liquor store got more than they bargained for as customers swarmed the store and bought out the entire inventory of Israeli wine in 30 minutes. The Canadian version of "Freedom Riders" motorcycle club was also present. Video at link. Israel Matzav http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2224409/posts#comment Tue, 7 Apr 2009 22:57:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2221242/posts YAKIMA, Wash. — With more than 600 wineries across Washington state, a legislative proposal to sell state wines at the Capitol's gift shop was intended as a toast to the booming industry. But some brewers in the nation's largest hop-growing region say their products should be included, too. A bill sponsored by Rep. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, would allow the Legislative Gift Center on the first floor of the Capitol building to add bottles of Washington wine to its ample product display, which includes locally produced candies, candles, gourmet foods and flowers. hostednews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2221242/posts#comment Fri, 3 Apr 2009 03:16:08 GMT