Hello, Facebook friends! I like you so much I’m going to send you presents on the Internet, like iTunes gift cards or wine. Yes, as long as you’re at least 21 and I’m over 21 (I am!) I can give you the gift of the grape via Facebook. There are only two weeks left of shopping before Christmas, so Facebook is banking on this new service, which rolls out to all users today, to bring in the bucks. [More]
wine
![(Ninja M.)](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/cocktailpic.jpg?w=240&h=180&crop=1)
As Economy Recovers, Americans Are Drinking More Alcohol
It looks like Americans’ spirits are up — or at least the sales of spirits to Americans are up, as a new survey shows that people are buying more beer, wine and liquor when they go out to eat. [More]
![Where Booze Is Concerned, Americans Choose Beer Over Wine & Liquor](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/beerforevermb.jpg?w=240&h=161&crop=1)
Where Booze Is Concerned, Americans Choose Beer Over Wine & Liquor
When faced with a chilled chardonnay, a dry martini or a frosty mug of ale, all Americans who drink have a choice that we are fond of making. A new report from venerable pollsters Gallup found that a majority of us drink alcohol in some form — 66% of Americans, to be exact — but there can be only one boozy winner, and it’s beer. [More]
![California Grape Shortage Means You'll Likely Be Paying More For Wine](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/catwinewhine.jpg?w=240&h=171&crop=1)
California Grape Shortage Means You'll Likely Be Paying More For Wine
Clutch that bottle of your favorite cheap Syrah close, wine lovers — wine prices are about go up because of a shortage of California grapes. The demand for booze is increasing at the same time, says a wine industry report, which will result in higher prices for local offerings. [More]
![Wine Dealer Arrested For Allegedly Selling Counterfeit Bottles](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/wine1.jpg?w=240&h=206&crop=1)
Wine Dealer Arrested For Allegedly Selling Counterfeit Bottles
A California wine collector allegedly played off his respected reputation to pawn off cheap imitations of expensive products on unsuspecting customers. Feds arrested the collector, accusing him of selling fake vintages at high-profile auction houses. [More]
![Wine Products: The Booze Equivalent Of Velveeta](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/wineproduct_display.jpg?w=126&h=165&crop=1)
Wine Products: The Booze Equivalent Of Velveeta
In American stores, you can find food-like substances that call themselves “cheese food products” or “meat products” that contain some meat or dairy, processed beyond all recognition. Think Slim Jims or Velveeta. But diluted “wine products” lurk on shelves in those uncivilized places where people can’t buy food and booze in the same store. They look like bottles of wine and have wine-like labels…until you read the fine print and learn that they’re wine cut with sugar water and grape juice, and bottled in the idyllic wine country of Bayonne, N.J. [More]
![Pennsylvania Pulls Plug On Wine Kiosk Experiment](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/wine-kiosk11.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Pennsylvania Pulls Plug On Wine Kiosk Experiment
As anyone who has tried to buy booze, wine or beer in Pennsylvania can tell you, the Keystone State has some of the most bizarre and byzantine liquor control rules on the books. Last year, the state tried to clear things up by introducing overly complicated wine kiosks in supermarkets, but it now looks like those have fallen victim to a payment dispute. [More]
![This Is Why You Avoid Buying The Cheapest Wine Even If
You're Stingy](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/yummywinemb.jpg?w=240&h=161&crop=1)
This Is Why You Avoid Buying The Cheapest Wine Even If You're Stingy
Maybe in college you can get away with bringing out a bottle of two-buck-Chuck, aka Charles Shaw brand wine at Trader Joe’s, but since no one likes to look cheap, even the most frugal shoppers will opt for a more expensive wine choice. [More]
![How To Judge A Wine Based On Its Label](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/catwine.jpg?w=240&h=171&crop=1)
How To Judge A Wine Based On Its Label
Matthew Latkiewicz has gone through and categorized all the wines that he hates based on their label. It’s basically a written out version of what goes through my head as I walk around a wine store. There’s the graphic design student category, the ones with animals doing things (you know who we’re talking about), the fancy-schmancy French ones and more. But he’s not just being superficial, he backs it up with spot-on analysis: [More]
![The World Needs These Wine Glass Holder Necklaces](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/winenecklace.jpg?w=240&h=225&crop=1)
The World Needs These Wine Glass Holder Necklaces
Have you ever been to a classy wine-soaked bacchanal and been all like, damn, I wish I could use both my hands right now but one of them is holding a wine glass? Well be frustrated no further, because The Freehand is here. It’s a wine glass and necklace combined so that you can wear your wine glass around your neck, leaving your hands free to hold your tiny hors d’oeuvres plate and your plastic knife. Holla! [More]
![Wegmans Introduces Amazing Soda Fountain For Wine](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/wineglass.jpg?w=180&h=119&crop=1)
Wegmans Introduces Amazing Soda Fountain For Wine
Have you ever eaten in a food court or buffet and wished that you could get a glass of wine as easily as getting a Diet Coke from a soda fountain? At the food court in the Allentown, PA Wegmans grocery store, you can purchase from a vending machine a 5-ounce glass of wine, a half-glass, or a 1-ounce “sample.” A full glass costs $6 to $10. [More]
![Libbey Offers Stemless Wine Glasses, Flawless Service](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/redwine.jpg?w=180&h=135&crop=1)
Libbey Offers Stemless Wine Glasses, Flawless Service
Mark bought a set of a dozen stemless wine glasses made by Libbey, but discovered that one of the red wine glasses was missing when he unboxed it. He contacted Libbey to see about obtaining a single replacement glass. This was no problem for Libbey: they promptly sent him another set of twelve glasses to make up for the oversight. [More]
![Walmart Wants In On Pennsylvania Wine Vending Machine Bonanza](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/wine.jpg?w=240&h=206&crop=1)
Walmart Wants In On Pennsylvania Wine Vending Machine Bonanza
Remember those wine vending machines at Pennsylvania grocery stores? They’ve proven successful enough to turn heads at Walmart, which is planning to add the machines to some of its stores in the state. [More]
![VIDEO: Inside The Boozy Future Of Starbucks](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/sbuckswinegrab.jpg?w=265&h=201&crop=1)
VIDEO: Inside The Boozy Future Of Starbucks
As we reported several months ago, Starbucks is attempting to reinvigorate its image with shops in Seattle that aren’t just aesthetically different than your average ‘Bucks, but which also dole out beer and wine. Now USA Today has ventured inside of one such Seattle shop to see the results. [More]
![Self-Serve Wine Tanks Coming To Supermarkets](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/winetank.jpg?w=249&h=225&crop=1)
Self-Serve Wine Tanks Coming To Supermarkets
Self-serve wine tanks could be hitting American supermarkets within a year. These 500 and 1,000 liter mechanical kegs dispense wine into whatever container the shopper brings with them. [More]
![At Walmart, 'Chilled Pasta' Is Code For Wine](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/pastawine.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
At Walmart, 'Chilled Pasta' Is Code For Wine
In an alternative universe in which both the internet and Walmart existed during the 1920s, we would have leaped to the conclusion that this shot by Eric signified a rogue rack of moonshine that was on the flipside of one of those rotating walls you see on Scooby-Doo. [More]
![The Story Behind Trader Joe's 'Two-Buck Chuck' Wine](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/twobuckchuck.jpg?w=299&h=218&crop=1)
The Story Behind Trader Joe's 'Two-Buck Chuck' Wine
Ever wonder how Trader Joe’s stores can sell Charles Shaw wines — more commonly known as Two-Buck Chuck — for such low prices? CNN.com just posted this interview with Fred Franzia, the man behind the discount drinks. [More]
![10 Guilty Pleasures You Shouldn't Feel Too Guilty About](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/bacchanal.jpg?w=240&h=204&crop=1)
10 Guilty Pleasures You Shouldn't Feel Too Guilty About
Cholocate, wine, massages, sex… sounds like a hell of a Tuesday night. To some people, these indulgences fall under the heading of “vices,” but the folks at CNN say they’re all actually part of a healthy life, so long as you don’t overdo it. [More]