The Bacchus

Watch: Ancient artifact shows where France got its love of wine

Eric W. Dolan — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:16:16 +0000

Wondering how wine first got to France? In a newly published video, Trace Domingeuz of Discovery News explained that a wine press dating back to 425 B.C. indicated that the ancient Etruscans in northern Italy traded the beverage with the Gallic people in western Europe. This wine trade was occurring more than a thousand years before the barbarian tribe known as the Franks took control of the region — which is why France is now called France rather than Gaul. Check out the video below:

Celebrity chef Charlie Trotter sued over allegedly counterfeit wine

AFP — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:54:36 +0000

US celebrity chef sued for counterfeit wine (via AFP)

Celebrity Chicago chef Charlie Trotter was sued for allegedly selling two collectors a large bottle of wine that was supposedly highly valuable but in fact was a fake. Bekim (Benn) and Ilir Frrokaj paid more than $46,200 in June of last year for what Trotter had claimed was a magnum of 1945 Domaine…

Anatomy of a wine shop

FOOD52 — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:44:40 +0000

Anatomy of a Wine Shop (via Food 52)

We may have food down cold, but wine? This is where we’ll conquer it. Join us; we don’t want to drink alone. Today: To find the best bottles, get to know your wine store inside and out. There’s a wine store in Boston called Federal Wine & Spirits, smack in the middle of historic downtown. You open…

The key to perfect wine: Mozart? One Italian winemaker believes so

Eric W. Dolan — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:38:40 +0000

Is Mozart good for wine? One Italian winemaker believes so. He recently spoke with CNN about his unique musical experiment.

“We have shown that music helps them to grow better,” winemaker Carlo Cignozzi told CNN’s Ben Wedeman. “The grapes mature two weeks earlier, the fruit is more regular, and the leaves are thicker and greener.”

Since 2005, the vineyards of Paradiso di Frassina at the foot of the Montosoli hill in Italy have been serenaded with the classical music of Wolfang Amadeus Mozart.

“Pathogens, parasites and insects are disturbed by this sound,” Cignozzi said. “Wild boars, porcupines and deer don’t come here because this sound which we love, because its Mozart, bothers them.”

His musical experiment has attracted the attention of researchers, according to his website. The University of Florence and University of Pisa are both investigating what effects the music has on the vineyard.

“Irrespective of the scientific side, music for me ultimately remains an amazing way of marrying art with new paths of knowledge,” he wrote.

Check out the video below:

3 wines to drink with salads

FOOD52 — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 21:09:19 +0000

3 Wines to Drink with Salads (via Food 52)

We may have food down cold, but wine? This is where we’ll conquer it. Join us; we don’t want to drink alone. Today: Salads are a playground for experimentation — here’s how to choose a wine that will play alongside. From mainstays like chicken caesar and tuna salad, to summer favorites like potato…

China trade dispute worries EU wine exporters

AFP — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 21:07:03 +0000

China trade dispute worries EU wine exporters (via AFP)

European wine producers working to drum up new business in the promising Chinese market expressed frustration Thursday as an escalating trade dispute put their industry in the crosshairs. Chinese state media added fuel to the row with threatening rhetoric warning the European Union of further action…

On experimenting, and pairing red wines with shellfish

FOOD52 — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:40:43 +0000

On Experimenting, and Pairing Red Wines with Shellfish (via Food 52)

We may have food down cold, but wine? This is where we’ll conquer it. Join us; we don’t want to drink alone. Today: Our next step in becoming better tasters? To challenge long-held assumptions about food and wine pairings. Let’s break the mold. David Rosengarten and Joshua Wesson published one of…

China opens anti-dumping investigation into European wine

AFP — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:27:48 +0000

China opens EU wine probe as trade dispute spreads (via AFP)

Beijing has begun an anti-dumping probe into European wine, the commerce ministry said Wednesday after the EU imposed tariffs on solar panel imports from China, in a dramatic broadening of the trade dispute. China is the EU’s second-largest trading partner, with $546 billion in two-way business last…

France criticized as presidential wines go up for auction

AFP — Thu, 30 May 2013 16:33:00 +0000

France criticized as presidential wines go under hammer (via AFP)

President Francois Hollande has been accused of selling off France’s national heritage with an auction of hundreds of bottles of fine wine from the cellars of his Elysee Palace. A total of 1,200 bottles, including some of the world’s most prestigious labels, went under the hammer on Thursday evening…

Wine Enthusiast names top ’40 under 40′ wine stars in June issue

Eric W. Dolan — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:32:50 +0000

The June issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine names the top 40 tastemakers under 40 years of age in the U.S. wine industry.

The list includes 11 young and talented winemakers, along with a number of sales professionals and other wine experts.

Not surprisingly, most of the top “40 under 40″ are based in California. But New York, Virginia and even Arkansas have some tastemasters to be proud of.

Wine Enthusiast’s June issue celebrated its 25th anniversary by handpicking the magazine’s top stories along with bottle recommendations that allow you to “Taste the Trend Today.”

“It is with great pride that Wine Enthusiast Magazine celebrates its Silver Anniversary and we plan to continue this incredible growth for the next twenty five years,” Wine Enthusiast editor and publisher Adam Strum said May 7. “We are excited for our June issue to hit newsstands today with a groundbreaking look back at how this wine drinking nation has evolved, and a look at those who will be bringing us into the next two and a half decades.”