there were as many winemakers and owners from new wineries introducing themselves and their product

Only a couple days remain before the start of the fifth annual Drink Local Wine conference

Tennessee's beer taxes outstrip any other state's because the bulk of the levy is based on price rather than volume. The more a beer costs, the higher the taxes that must be paid to buy it

With a population of just 46,000 Hattiesburg, Mississippi is not the type of place you might expect to find a major wine festival featuring a huge array of world class vintners.

After limping out of the gate, a bill that's a priority for the St. Augustine Distillery is flying through the committee process

The Florida Legislature may revisit a law limiting the amount of wine sold in an individual container to one gallon, as advocates would like to see the advent of wine in a keg.

It began in 1975 as a teeny spot in Gulfport. Success brought change, and the Wine Cellar moved to bigger digs in North Redington Beach that next year. Despite the grander 200-seat location, Karl Klumpp, Ted Sonnenschein and Peter Schuckert set about creating the same warmth and intimacy in this moodily lit setting.

Wine Spectator's annual March Madness competition puts wineries from Kansas, Kentucky, New York and Michigan in the spotlight

A veteran vacationing in Southwest Florida from Kentucky says he was discriminated against because of his disability. Wounded Iraq War veteran Alex Brown says it was at Eden Winery in Alva that he got turned away because of his service dog.

Senate Bill 13, sponsored by Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, allows a retailer to sell alcohol during the hours the polls are open on a primary, or regular, local option, or special election day across Kentucky

"This removes the antiquated red tape and eliminates a Prohibition-era rule that is still in our books," said Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, the House sponsor of the bill, HB 623.

Hattiesburg City Council has adopted an ordinance to open downtown streets to the sale and consumption of beer and light wine during special events.

All that could change soon, under a bill that cleared the Senate in a 27-7 vote Monday, allowing home-grown wines to be sold at 10 a.m. on Sundays.

Members of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee will hold one final vote on a measure that would let voters decide through local referendums whether to let their grocery stores sell wine.

The company is set to double the production capacity and is working on making their bestsellers available on wine shops in different states including Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Five neighboring states in the Midwest announced a new tourism initiative yesterday that makes it easier to experience all 43 "wine trails" within their borders

An effort to expand the number of Florida-based wineries that also could directly sell their products may need to be watered down a bit before it's ready to be served up to state lawmakers this session.

Vibrant wine and food cultures thrive these days in all sorts of American cities - Austin, Tex.; St. Louis; Atlanta or even Birmingham, Ala. - as high-speed travel and communications make the world a smaller place. Still, one hardly expects to find a Shangri-La for wine lovers blossoming here in the rolling Piedmont hills of central North Carolina.

A crowd of about 300 enjoyed a variety of wines to complement samplings from 10 area restaurants, a feast of several seafood dishes - including shrimp creole from The Globe Restaurant, bacon-wrapped shrimp from Wintzell's Oyster House, and shrimp puff pastries from the Hotel Capstone.

Our journey to Northern Virginia continues as we visit with a couple of the Commonwealth's most celebrated winemakers.