grapes

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Oaky Wines Are Fine. Ashy, Not So Much

This year's crop could be a disaster

(Newser) - Smoke from the West Coast wildfires has tainted grapes in some of the nation's most celebrated wine regions with an ashy flavor that could spell disaster for the 2020 vintage, per the AP . Wineries in California, Oregon, and Washington have survived severe wildfires before, but the smoke from this...

Winery Owner Wishes 'Painful Death' on Grape Thieves

Virginia's Firefly Hill Vineyards say nearly its entire harvest was stolen overnight Monday

(Newser) - A family-run Virginia winery is indefinitely closed and in the "grieving process" after a theft that stripped it of nearly all its grapes. Allison Dunkenberger, co-owner of Firefly Hill Vineyards in Elliston, tells the Roanoke Times that someone she thinks "knew something about the winery's operations" came...

On 8K-Year-Old Shards, Proof of Ancient 'Social Lubricant'

Scientists believe they've found proof of production of 'world's oldest' grape wine in nation of Georgia

(Newser) - Wine has been used as a "social lubricant, mind-altering substance, and highly valued commodity" throughout the ages. Now, a discovery just south of Tbilisi details just how far back through the ages the beverage has existed, the BBC reports. Per a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy ...

Stink Bugs Can Change the Taste of Your Wine

Especially if you drink pinot noir

(Newser) - Bugs wind up in most things we consume, organic and otherwise. It's so common and hard to avoid that the FDA sets allowable levels, notes the American Council on Science and Health . It's no surprise, then, that stink bugs , which have a fondness for grapes, can end up...

Guy Nabs Grape Dropped From Hot Air Balloon—With His Mouth

Brent Fraser should have a new world record

(Newser) - Since at least high school, Brent Fraser has had a "natural knack" for catching things in his mouth. The odd skill has finally paid off. Fraser, 35, has apparently claimed the world record for the "greatest height catching a grape in the mouth" at 101 feet, reports the...

These Wine Grapes Listened to Mozart, to Their Benefit

Inside an interesting experiment in Italy

(Newser) - A taste of black cherry, leather, and just a hint of G minor? In the hills of Montalcino in Tuscany, winemaker Giancarlo Cignozzi has, for more than a decade, been playing Mozart 24 hours a day to a section of Sangiovese grapes growing in his vineyard, reports CBS News . At...

Bunch of Grapes Sells for $11K
 Bunch of Grapes Sells for $11K 

Bunch of Grapes Sells for $11K

Japanese supermarket will give away Ruby Romans

(Newser) - The Ruby Roman grape is like the bluefin tuna of vineyards: The first auction of the year in Japan tends to result in ridiculous prices as buyers compete for prestige. This year, a new record was set when a bunch of around 30 grapes sold for close to $11,000,...

Never Give These Foods to Your Pet

Grapes, avocados, cookies are dangerous for dogs, cats

(Newser) - You may have heard that you shouldn't give chocolate to your dog—but how about grapes? Or sugar-free gum? Alternet lists eight foods that humans may consume, but pets definitely shouldn't:
  1. Sugar-free treats like gum, which contain xylitol. The sugar alcohol is extracted from fruits and vegetables to
...

California Drought Perk: Better Wine

A vintage 'for the ages': winemaker

(Newser) - The long drought in California is, of course, bad news for most in the agriculture business—but winemakers are seeing some real benefits. The lack of rain is actually leading to some of the best wine Napa and Sonoma counties have seen in a while, the Wall Street Journal reports....

French Wine Is Actually Rooted in ... Italy?

Ancient containers point to surprising origins

(Newser) - Sorry, France: It seems your much-lauded winemaking techniques may have originated in Italy. Researchers investigated 13 different 2,500-year-old amphoras—containers found in Lattara, on the French coast. They also looked at a limestone object that appeared to be a wine press, Scientific American reports. Chemical assessment suggested the amphoras,...

France's Champagne Harvest Is Worst in 40 Years

But this year's bubbly won't be affected

(Newser) - Wet weather and hailstorms combined to make this year's Champagne harvest—the real capital C stuff from France—the worst in 40 years, reports BloombergBusinessweek . Damaged vineyards in the Champagne region yielded 40% fewer grapes this year, says an industry spokesman in Paris. The only good news is that...

Raisin Bosses Launch $1.5M War on Craisins

California growers furious at 'copycat' snack

(Newser) - When Ocean Spray's Craisins first emerged in 1989, California's raisin growers were miffed: Raisins had been around, by some accounts, since Biblical times, and here was a new fruit snack trying to steal their thunder—not to mention borrow their name. Now the raisin growers have had enough,...

Grape Bandits Strip Vineyard
 Grape Bandits Strip Vineyard 

Grape Bandits Strip Vineyard

Award-winning German winegrower ruined

(Newser) - An award-winning German winegrower has lost his crop of grapes to a band of brazen thieves just before harvest time. Almost three tons of high-quality red grapes destined to become wine were stolen overnight by bandits who brought their own harvest machine, reports Der Spiegel . Wine experts believe the theft...

Wine: a Sunburn Preventative?
 Wine: a Sunburn Preventative? 

Wine: a Sunburn Preventative?

Flavonoids contained in grapes are beneficial: study

(Newser) - More good news for oenophiles: A new study shows that drinking wine might protect you from sunburn, or at least that's the Telegraph's take. Flavonoids contained in grapes can halt the chemical reaction that causes cell death and skin damage when UV rays hit the skin, Spanish scientists...

12 Little-Known Wines Worth Trying

You may not have heard of them, but they're 'thrilling'

(Newser) - Ready to move beyond familiar cabernet sauvignons and chardonnays? Eric Asimov of the New York Times suggests a dozen little-known but “thrilling” wines to explore:
  • Assyrtiko: This white wine grape from the volcanic island of Santorini “produces dry, deliciously minerally wines” that pair well with seafood.
  • Frappato: These
...

French Wines Wither Under Climate Change

Industry pushes President Sarkozy for carbon emission cut

(Newser) - A warming world has French winemakers sweating more than a little, experts tell the Financial Times. “Current research suggests that by the end of the 21st century, one summer out of two will be at least as hot as 2003,” the year of a record-breaking heat wave that...

Look for Black Widows in Your Grapes
Look for Black Widows
in Your Grapes
glossies

Look for Black Widows in Your Grapes

(Newser) - Spiders are hitching rides into grocery stores on organically grown grapes, and growers can't find a way to stop them, Gourmet reports. The problem is, spiders are helpful: They feast on bugs that feast on grapes, allowing growers to avoid pesticides. But stores from Boston to South Africa are...

The State of US Wine, in 50 Bottles
 The State of US Wine,
 in 50 Bottles
GLOSSIES

The State of US Wine, in 50 Bottles

Can good wine be made anywhere?

(Newser) - Wine snobs contend that "terroir"—soil, climate, and topography—restrict great wines to certain regions. But are they right? All 50 US states make wine, so Joel Stein sampled a bottle from each to test the claim in Time. He discovered "quite good" varietals from surprising states...

Philosophical Vintner Rethinks Wine

The bizarre techniques behind the Scholium Project

(Newser) - Abe Schoener is reinvigorating California wines with a decidely unorthodox, almost experimental, approach, writes Jon Bonne in the San Francisco Chronicle. Schoener, who lacks formal training, eschews the traditional do's and don’ts of the craft with his Scholium Project winery. His wines "are bizarre, ingenious and polarizing—quite...

Oregon's Having a Grape Year
 Oregon's Having a Grape Year

Oregon's Having a Grape Year

Good weather, high pinot demand have growers toasting bumper crop, again

(Newser) - Thanks to good weather and rising demand, Oregon crushed a record number of grapes in 2007—good news for its 370 wineries. And despite selling 1.7 million cases worth $208 million last year, the state hasn't quenched thirst for its wine, the AP reports. "Fussy superstar" pinot noir...

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