Hurricane Sandy had East Coasters stockpiling booze, but beer industry could suffer
NEW YORK - There were big, block-lettered instructions on the chalkboard in the window of Brooklyn's Buschenschank bar this week: "Keep calm and drink on. We are open." Bottled water may be the official beverage on emergency grocery lists but many East Coasters were...
Liquid Assets: Is Scotch The New Wine?
THIS OCTOBER Macallan hosted a party at the Bowery Hotel in Manhattan to celebrate the release of 1,000 bottles from its Annie Leibovitz Scotch collection. Prices start at $2,750 and each bottle comes with a limited-edition Leibovitz print. Marketing gimmick?...
Producers desert Cava DO for its ‘detrimental’ image
Sparkling producers in the Penedes wine zone of Spain are abandoning the Cava appellation and branding their wines 'Spanish sparkling wine'. Josep Albet of Albet I Noya winery, current president of the Regulatory Council of Penedes, told Decanter.com many growers were...
‘French paradox’ professor dies
The French professor credited with identifying the French Paradox has died, aged 84. Professor Serge Renaud, who first noticed the paradoxical fact that there is a lower risk of heart disease in France, where the diet is high in saturated fats, died near his home in...
U.S. craft brewers fear Modelo deal will limit their route to pubs
Some U.S. craft brewers are uneasy about plans by Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR) to buy out Mexican beer maker Grupo Modelo (GMODELOC.MX), fearing the giant's increased power could make it harder for them to hitch a ride on delivery trucks to stores and pubs. Brewers,...
EU wine regions lobby against vineyard extension
Wine grower associations from 15 EU member states will gather in Brussels this week to lobby against a European Commission reform that would increase vineyard plantings. The European Commission envisions a liberalisation of planting rights starting in January 2016. A...
AZ Liquor Wholesalers and Retailers Under Investigation by State Liquor Department
Lee Hill, Communications Director for Arizona's Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, has confirmed a rumor that's been flying around the restaurant industry for weeks: The department is conducting a statewide investigation of the relationships between licensed...
Harvest Report: Napa Valley mostly finished with 2012 harvest
The 2012 harvest has come to an end in most Napa Valley appellations. A few correspondents reported that some of the last fruit was being brought in on Tuesday, in anticipation of rain the following day. In general, growers report bringing in fruit of excellent...
WSWA Asks FDA to Extend Food Facility Registration Deadline to Help Firms Impacted by Hurricane Sandy
Temporary regulatory relief would ease burden of recovery, WSWA CEO says (WASHINGTON)—The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should consider extending its deadline for wine and spirits industry firms who must register as food facilities to ease the burden these...