Wine Stored At Home Ages FOUR Times Faster

Opus Winery 

  Wine Stored At Home Ages FOUR Times Faster: Drink Loses Its Taste And Becomes Less Healthy -- Daily Mail 

* In the experiment, 200 bottles of red wine were stored in conditions mimicking a dark room in a house, and 200 in a professional cellar
* Study found that wine stored in the 'house' aged four times faster, contained fewer healthy antioxidants and tasted blander than bottles stored in a cellar
* Experts from the Edmund Mach Foundation wine academy in Italy, said a relatively small rise in the temperature speeds up several chemical reactions
* These reactions have a large effect on wine ageing
* The three factors that have the most direct impact on a wine's condition are light, humidity and temperature

It is often said that a good wine tastes better with age.

But a new study has found that if it is stored at home, fast ageing can occur, which leads to a less tasty tipple.

Italian scientists discovered that wine ages four times quicker when stored at home.

In an experiment, red wine kept in conditions mimicking a dark room in a house was less flavourful and contained fewer healthy antioxidants than wine stored in a professional cellar.

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My Comment: Nothing new here. Light, humidity and temperature .... the three factors that can influence wine. Control them properly .... you can maintain the quality of your wine.

Global Warming Will Affect Your Beer

Growing Barle. Photo by Lucash on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

How Global Warming Will Affect Your Beer -- Popular Science

A pilot study examines how drought affects the quality of starch in barley.

There are many things that will change as Earth's climate warms.

Doctoral student Peter Gous is worried about the price and quality of beer.

The aspiring plant bioengineer worked with a team of scientists to test how not getting enough water altered the quality of barley grains.

In a small pilot study, the scientists found that the starches inside barley grains grown with too little water are different from starches found inside nicely-watered barley grains.

The dryness-stressed barley had longer-chain starch grains and more protein than normally grown barley.

From there, Gous made an interesting conjecture about the future—one we've never thought of.

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My Comment:The beer will be fine.beer

The 2012 And 2013 Vintages Are Probably The 'Two Best Vintages In The History Of Napa Valley'

2012 And 2013 ‘Best In Napa's History’ -- The Drinks Business 

The 2012 and 2013 vintages were “the best two vintages in the history of the Napa Valley”, according to Garen Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard.

Speaking to the drinks business during a lunch in London last week to celebrate the estate’s new partnership with Pol Roger in the UK, Staglin said: “The elements were perfectly aligned in 2012 and 2013 in the Napa Valley.

“I’d have to go very far back in order to compare them to another vintage. I’d call them ’98-100 point’ vintages in terms of quality and quantity.

“It was like the 2009 vintage in Burgundy – the wines had such great expression, if you bought anything from anyone in those years then you’d be happy.”

While the Rutherford-based estate sells 70% of its wines directly to consumers via its mailing list, Staglin has recently partnered with Pol Roger to distribute its range in the UK.

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My Comment: I am looking forward to drinking these vintages.

A Guide To Tennessee Whiskey

Amanda Macias/Business Insider 

  An Expert's Guide To Tennessee Whiskey -- Richard Carleton Hacker, Business Insider/Robb Report 

Too often when a bartender is asked which bourbons his or her bar carries, the list invariably includes Jack Daniel’s sour-mash Tennessee whiskey.

But as most residents of the Volunteer State know, Tennessee whiskey is an entirely different libation from bourbon, even though they share many traits.

Bourbon must be made in the United States, but contrary to popular belief, it can be made anywhere in the country.

It is by a unique combination of history and geography that 95 percent of all bourbon is now made in Kentucky—the Civil War, the realignment of state boundaries, and the proximity of waterways are among the reasons.

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My Comment: A rather brief summary of Tennessee Whiskey .... but still worth the read.

The Art of Blending (Cognac)

From YouTube: Cognac has long held a reputation for being a drink consumed by old men sitting by the fireplace, perhaps with a cigar in hand. Working with the BNIC, Flow Films looked at this historic drink through a modern lens -- injecting renewed spirit into the iconic beverage. The film follows mixologists Marcos Tello and Kyle Branche who blend Cognac into cocktails, Michelin-starred chef David Féau who pairs Cognac with food, and passionate Cognac producers who are utilizing new techniques to produce the best possible product.

By giving attention to some of the smallest (Cognac Paul Giraud) and largest (Martell, Hennessy, Remy Martin) craftsmen in the region, Flow Films was able to capture an accurate portrait of Cognac production. Equally entertaining and educational, the film also takes the viewer through the entire Cognac-making process - from the vineyard, to distillation, barrel-making, aging, and, finally, to blending. Unfortunately, tasting is something you'll have to do on your own...

A Look At The Wine From Crimea

Crimean Winery Hopes to Benefit From Russian Annexation -- Voice of America 

WASHINGTON — Many Crimeans voted to join the Russian Federation in the hope of improving their well-being.

Ukraine's crumbling economy has hurt businesses throughout the country, while Russia has accumulated considerable wealth through its energy sales.

One Crimean winery's management hopes it will benefit from the region's annexation by Russia.

The Crimean peninsula may be best known for its Black Sea coast with beautiful beaches and naval ports, but the region's main industry is food production, including a centuries-old tradition of wine making.

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My Comment: Russian/Crimean wine is unique .... but if given the support it should succeed.

America's Beer Map

Researchers analysed a million tweets to see what people preferred to drink, and found huge differences between the coasts

The East Coast Prefers Bud, While The West Goes For Coors: Beer Maps Of America Reveals Top Tipples (And Finds If You Live Near The Coast, You're Probably Drinking Wine) -- Daily Mail

* Researchers analysed a million tweets to find what beers people were drinking
* Found those living near the coast tend to prefer beer over wine
* Washington, Colorado and California prefer wine, while Midwest, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas prefer beer

The East Coast prefers Bud Light, and those near the coast are more likely to prefer wine over beer, a new study of America's drinking habits has revealed.

Researchers analysed a million tweets to find out which each region prefers.

They found tweet preferences for Bud Light were found mainly in the Eastern half of the US, while preferences for Coors Light originate in the Western half, particularly near Colorado and surrounding states.

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My Comment: I prefer Guinness and Stella Artois.

A Look At Brazilian Wine (Video)

The Top 10 Powerful Wine Brands

Top 10 Most Powerful Wine Brands -- The Drinks Business 

Every year nearly 10,000 drinks brands are analysed by Intangible Business in partnership with the drinks business to produce the Power Brands 100 – comprehensive overview of the most powerful wine and spirits brands in the world.

Every year the drinks business work with Intangible Business to produce the Power 100 – a list of the top 100 most powerful spirits and wine brands in the world.

Each brand is given a score by which its power, and the brand’s ability to generate value for its owner, is calculated by factors including its share of the market, growth, brand awareness, relevance and heritage.

A panel of leading experts then rank each brand out of 10 on each factor to calculate an average score for each brand.

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My Comment: These are the best brands???? Mondavi ... I can drink. The rest ... hmmm ... no.

A Brand Of Whiskey From Texas?!?!?!

Finest New Whiskey In The World: Not From A Glen In Scotland But From Under A Bridge In Texas -- Forbes 

A quarter mile from downtown Waco, Texas, in a neighborhood of long abandoned storefronts, is a small, rusted-metal shed hidden beneath the 17th Street Bridge. The one-time welding shop sits in between the overpass’ enormous support pillars, next to a white trailer. It’s a safe bet none of the drivers know they’re speeding over the worldwide headquarters of Balcones Distilling, the maker of the finest new whiskey in America.

Founder Chip Tate stands inside across from two handmade copper stills. He is a small man who takes pride in his whiskey and in his thick black beard, which he combs often. A t-shirt stretches across his belly and a small knife hangs in its sheath at his belt. Tate dips a glass pipette into a vat and pours the liquid into tasting glasses. It is the unmatured form of his Texas Single Malt Whisky—Tate prefers the Scottish spelling, without the “e”—the drink that put Balcones on the map.

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My Comment: His business is booming .... good luck to him.

The Top Five Largest Beer Brewing Companies In The World

Top Five Largest Beer Brewing Companies In The World -- The Richest 

In the early 90s Dr. Patrick McGovern uncovered beer residue clinging to the inside of a pottery jar in western Iran. The beer dated back to about 3500BC; chemical evidence for the long held belief that people have been drinking beer for a long time. Beer has been brewed domestically for over a millennia. Sometime around the 6th century, Benedictine monasteries began appearing in Europe. It was part of the mandate of these monasteries to provide food and drink to passing pilgrims. The water of the age was not thought sanitary; with rivers and streams being used for sewage disposal. Beer was fermented and considered sanitary, so everyone drank it. The monks made an art of brewing. They kept track of their recipes, ingredients, and made specialty equipment for the brewing process.

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My Comment: I have tried all of those beers .... but my favourite is still Guinness.

China And Europe End Their Wine Dispute

A woman tastes wine at Wine China Expo 2013 in Beijing September 24, 2013. Credit: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon 

  EU, China End Wine Dispute Ahead Of Xi's European Ttour -- Reuters 

(Reuters) - China and the European Union have reached a deal to end a dispute over European wine exports to China, the latest sign of improving ties and just days before China's president visits Europe.

Beijing opened an inquiry last year into whether Europe was selling wine in China at unfairly low prices. The move was widely seen in Europe as retaliation over EU efforts to hit Chinese solar panels with punitive import duties.

The solar panels dispute was resolved, but China had pressed ahead with the wine case, saying it was a separate issue despite European expectations that the inquiry would also be dropped.

Paris was especially eager to see the probe called off. It remained an obstacle in trade relations between the two countries before next week's visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the French capital as part of a European tour.

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My Comment: The Chinese enjoy European wine .... and the EU enjoys selling it. I did not expect this dispute to last long.

Spain Was The World's Top Wine Producer In 2013

More than half of last year’s harvest came from Castilla-La Mancha, the region that houses La Mancha among other denominations of wine. Photograph: Alamy 

 Spain's Wine Surplus Overflows Across Globe Following Year Of Unusual Weather -- The Guardian

Spanish wine industry tops world rankings as production surges 41% to beat French and Italian competitors

A soggy spring and sunny summer made Spain the world's top wine producer in 2013, according to figures from the country's agriculture ministry.

Official ranking from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine will not be released until May, but the Spanish ministry said that wine production surged 41% last year, with vineyards producing 50m hectolitres – enough to fill 6.7bn bottles of wine.

Spain beat competitors France and Italy, who reported harvest of 42m and 47m hectolitres respectively. Ángel Ortega, who represents wine-growers from La Mancha denomination, attributed the bumper year to unusual weather conditions: "It's not often that you see all the right climate conditions come together like that."

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My Comment: Spain !?!?!?!

Is Premier Cru Wine Just A Con?

French journalist Isabelle Saporta claims wine critics are regularly bribed by wealthy chateau-owners who own some of the most prestigious vineyards in the area 

Is Premier Cru Wine All Just A Con? How Car Parks And Bribes Influence Grand Cru Classifications -- Daily Mail 

 * Wines from the region are classified to guide quality and price
 * French journalist Isabelle Saporta claims wine critics are regularly bribed
 * She also says the size of visitor car parks, comfort of conference rooms and architecture of the storehouse contribute to the criteria

Car parks and bribes influence the classification of wines in the Bordeaux region of southwest France according to a new book published today which promises to reveal the secrets of the country's wine production.

Wines from the region are classified to guide quality and price - the four best are known as premier grands crus classés A, the next 18 as premiers grands crus classés B and the next 64 as grands crus classés.

But French journalist, Isabelle Saporta, claims wine critics are regularly bribed by wealthy vineyard owners.

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My Comment: I suspect not only is cash given .... but also cases and cases of free wine to influence their evaluations.