wine

The champagne grape harvest in northeastern France, like this one near Mailly-Champagne, started early this year due to lack of rain.

Champagne Makers Bubble Over A Bumper Crop Caused By European Drought

5:51am September 13, 2018

by Eleanor Beardsley

A record heat wave ruined crops across Europe this summer, but not all crops. Champagne growers are ecstatic over a bumper crop of grapes this year. Vintage 2018 is expected to be one of the best.

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The vines at Pheasant Ridge Winery near Lubbock, Texas, were devastated by drift from the herbicide 2,4-D in 2016.

West Texas Vineyards Blasted By Herbicide Drift From Nearby Cotton Fields

7:01am August 21, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

Texas is one of the largest producers of wine in the U.S. But the grapevines in the High Plains are facing a threat that's causing them to twist and wither. And it's coming from the cotton fields.

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A sign welcoming visitors to the Napa Valley along Highway 29 in Oakville, Calif.

California Winemakers Nervous About U.S.-China Trade Talks

1:34pm May 18, 2018

by Shia Levitt

China is one of the top export destinations for U.S. wine, but last month, in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, China imposed a tariff on U.S. wine and other food.

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With the new tariff in effect, most American wines will incur duties of 29 percent.

Should California Winemakers Be Worried About China's Tariffs?

1:19pm April 12, 2018

California produces about 85 percent of American wine, which is worth about $1.5 billion in exports. As of now, China imports little U.S. wine, but it's one of the world's fastest-growing markets.

Making ice wine requires the grape to be picked and pressed at below-freezing temperatures, like in this vineyard in southern Germany. So, only a few places in the world — mainly Canada and Germany — produce it. But now, vineyards in frigid parts of t

Economy

New York Vineyard Takes A Risk On Ice Wine For A Sweet Reward

11:56am December 28, 2017

by David Sommerstein (NCPR)

Most of the ice wine in the Unites States comes from Canada and Germany. But now, American wineries in places like upstate New York and Michigan are also starting to produce some of their own.

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Smoke from wildfires, like this lingering cloud in Sonoma County, Calif., in October, may be responsible for creating an off taste in wine.

Winemakers Worry Wildfires Will Leave Whiff Of Ashtray In Their Wine

2:57pm December 13, 2017

by Danielle Beurteaux

Grapes exposed to smoke from wildfires can absorb compounds that carry over into wine and ruin the flavor. The problem is only expected to grow as extreme weather events become more frequent.

Books

Book Of 'New Rules' Flows With Tippling Tips To Demystify Wine

8:00am November 14, 2017

by Alicia Cypress

Wine writer Jon Bonné says that the traditional ways of thinking about wine no longer fit today's diversity of flavors and cultural influences — and that drinking it should be mainly about pleasure.

A truck passes by burgundy vineyards during the grape harvest season last month in Volnay, central France.

Wine Organization Forecasts Historically Bad Year Due To Weather Events

1:00pm October 24, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

Europe, home to the world's leading wine producers, is making wine at significantly lower levels than usual – and that's because of weather such as frost and drought that have damaged vineyards.

National

Muscadines May Be The Best Grapes You've Never Tasted

1:27pm September 26, 2017

by Tanya Ballard Brown

It's muscadine season, and for writer Tanya Ballard Brown, the smell and taste are a throwback to childhood. But for others who grew up outside the South, these thick-skinned grapes are a mystery.

At the Cathedral Ridge Winery in Hood River, Ore., smoke has poured into the property and there are worries it could alter the taste of the grapes.

National

Pacific Northwest Winemakers Worry Wildfire Smoke Could Ruin Harvest

2:49pm September 13, 2017

by Molly Solomon

The smoke and ash hanging in the air from the still-burning Eagle Creek Fire in the Columbia River Gorge could easily transfer to the grapes, potentially changing the quality of the wine.