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.

£330,000 On A Single Round Of Champagne

British Millionaire Spends £330,000 On A Single Round Of Champagne... And Needed 12 Staff To Help Him Serve It -- Daily Mail

* British entrepreneur Charles Shaker purchased the rare Armand de Brignac Brut Gold 'Dynastie' collection of champagne at the Billionaire Club Monaco

A wealthy Briton splashed out £330,000 pounds on a single round of champagne as he partied with Hollywood stars including Leonardo DiCaprio at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Charles Shaker, a British entrepreneur and adviser to the ultra wealthy, forked out the fortune on an extremely rare Armand de Brignac Brut Gold 'Dynastie' collection of champagne.

The extravagant buy was ordered at the exclusive 'Armand de Brignac Gold Party' hosted by the Billionaire Club Monaco.

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My Comment: £330,000 for a bottle of champagne .... I am lost for words.

Only Sparkling Wines Produced In Champagne Can Use The Name In China

China Recognises That Not All Bubbly Is Champagne -- France 24

Beijing said Tuesday that only sparkling wines produced in Champagne can use the name in China, giving the region's wine makers a long sought after victory in its bitter battle to stop the name from being abused.

Wine makers in France’s Champagne region have long toiled to educate consumers worldwide that not all bubbly is champagne, but here’s news they can finally drink to: China has said it will limit the champagne label to wines produced in the world-famous French region.

The new recognition comes as a major success for the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), a trade association comprised of grape growers and wine makers from the Champagne region, who have campaigned to safeguard their product from being confused with other types of sparkling wine.

In other words, it isn’t champagne unless it was made in Champagne.

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My Comment: China has a huge counterfeiting problem when it comes to wine .... but this is still a positive step for China and the industry.