== Balvenie moves into the spotlight == William Grant & Sons is synonymous with its pioneering Glenfiddich brand, but it is its smaller neighbour Balvenie that is set to hog the limelight at the TFWA World Exhibition with the launch of a new limited edition expression. As its name suggests, The Balvenie SherryOak 17 Year Old has been matured solely in European oak butts previously…

So what is a bitter, excepting an English top-fermented ale ? According to web encyclopedia Wik ipedia, it is: "A preparation of herbs and citrus dissolved in alcohol or glycerine with a bitter or bittersweet flavour. The brands, once numerous, were formerly manufactured as patent medicines, often served as digestifs. The few remaining varieties are principally used as aperitifs or as flavourings in cocktails." There…

US producers of biodynamic wines need to get beyond the “voodoo stuff” and educate the public, speakers told a seminar on biodynamic wines in San Francisco. The message was that there should be fewer stories about pruning grape vines by the sign of the moon and more stories about the wines. Mike Benziger, of Benziger Winery in Sonoma County, said there is a…

A year ago, UMP party deputies Philippe-Armand Martin and Gerard Voisin suggested teaching wine appreciation in French schools to help the nation’s ailing vineyards, in the light of increasing evidence that young French people are turned off by the traditional drinks of their parents. Per capita wine consumption had, after all, famously dropped dramatically from what it was in 1970, standing at some 55 litres…

reports citing the health benefits provided by the high number of antioxidants in pomegranate fruit, two companies are now importing wine made from pomegranates into the US. Aiko Importers, in Charleston SC, imports Tree of Life pomegranate wine in a semi-sweet and semi-dry version from Armenia. A dessert-style from Rimon Winery in Israel and a dry and a port-style pomegranate wine (both kosher) are due…

You can count on E&J Gallo to latch on to a good thing when the market is right and currently one of the hottest imports into the US is wines from Argentina. For the first six months of 2007, Argentin ian bottled table wines were up 23 per cent by volume and 43 per cent by value. Including bulk wines, the gain by volume…

Barring a late season shift in weather, California’s 2007 wine grape harvest appears to be textbook-perfect and should wrap up by the end of October, according to reports from the vineyards. Due to a smaller berry size than normal, the crop appears to be lighter than expected – more in line with the 2006 harvest of 3.1 ­million tons. A record -breaking 3.7 ­million-ton…