wine

The old adage about booze being recession-proof may have some truth to it: alcohol sales are up 2% over the past year. Not surprisingly, the cheap stuff is leading the way, with sales of private-label wine — no, that's not the stuff you brew in your backyard — up 20%. And more people are shunning bars and restaurants, opting instead for the comfort of a brown paper bag and the neighborhood stoop.  More »

The Champagne Bureau, a trade organization representing "the grape growers and houses of Champagne, France," just sent us a nonsensical press release warning consumers to be on the lookout for imposter champagne. WATCH OUT! You're pouring sparkling wine into your mouth, you jerk! The thing is, the only real reason "champagne" is unique is because wine houses in that region of France managed to get laws passed to prevent anyone else from using the word on their own sparkling wines. They're all sparkling wines; how they're made is what determines quality.  More »

An anonymous couple wrote in to tell us about how they ordered a couple bottles of wine on a Carnival cruise, but were dismayed to find only one had been delivered. After they complained at the service desk and got their wine, they returned to their cabin to find a Carnival employee searching their cabin, telling them she was following policy.  More »

Canadians have been recycling corks for ages, but a new campaign in the States is hoping to reclaim corks here as well.  More »

I swan! [Fans face.] Sweet magnolia breeze! I do declare! [Clutches petticoat in pre-swoon anticipation.] Alabama is in a dither over a drawing of a nude nymph on a wine bottle label, so they've banned the product from being sold. Their liquor regulations forbid the display of "a person posed in an immoral or sensuous manner" on any alcohol packaging. We have to side with Alabama on this one—after all, we're not sure you can ride a bike naked without eventually doing something immoral, whether you mean to or not.  More »

Pacific Rim's experience with their totebag giveaway should serve as a cautionary tale to any company that wants to put up a nice, limited-scale offer of free stuff online.   More »

Do you enjoy one-stop shopping? Do you love to pick up your groceries, Valium, cat litter, and a nice Cab Sauv all from the same place without the sheer slog of taking out your credit card a whole four times? Well, tough luck, because New York Governor Paterson has nixed his plan to sell wine at supermarkets. Why?  More »

It's New Year's Eve, and we have some drinking suggestions for you.  More »

The new La Cave des Fondus in New York is serving wine in baby bottles. It's a high-lowbrow collision in your mouth, and it's hilarious! [Diner's Journal via Dr. Vino] (Photo: ljwrighty)  More »

6 Ways to Save on Beer, Wine and Liquor [Smart Money] "Here are six ways to save on your favorite vintage, malt or brew."  More »

Hey, did you know that with Microsoft Word, $250 and maybe a foreign language dictionary -- your lemonade stand can get a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence? That's what one enterprising fellow set out to prove.   More »

You can't have a good summer without good wine, but good wine doesn't need to be expensive. Forbes compiled an excellent list of 25 delicious wines that won't leave your wallet feeling light and woozy.  More »

Are waiters trying to inflate your wine bill by popping in and topping off everyone's glass? Or is it just attentive service? [Slate via Dr.Vino]  More »

New brain scans confirm that people actually enjoy the same wine more if they think it's more expensive, say researchers from California Institute of Technology and Stanford University.   More »

Don't bring $3000 worth of wine to Melbourne's Tullmarine airport packed in your carry-on luggage, because they are hardcore. [News.com.au via Fark]  More »

Tyler Colman, Ph.D., also known as Dr. Vino, suggests giving magnums this year because those huge bottles have a smaller carbon footprint due to the more favorable wine-to-glass ratio.   More »

We approach wine in a bag in a box with great caution. So does reader Karl, who only purchased a box of 2005 Trove Chardonnay from his local Kroger supermarket after reading uniformly positive reviews. The wine was so acidic that it triggered acid reflux that sent Karl running to his local doctor.

Bringing it home, the first glass had a bunch of sediment, and the wine was VERY acidic -- my girlfriend didn't drink any of it because it burnt her throat. I, on the other hand, needing a good drink and possessing the intestinal fortitude of a bull, drank a few glasses.  More »

Is the world ready for Martha Stewart-themed wine?   More »

"The dynamic of the wedding industry is that most people get engaged at Christmas, and most people who are planning [a wedding] get distracted by the holidays," says Alan Fields, co-author of "Bridal Bargains." The result: very lonely bridal-shop owners anxious for business.