State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, filed House Bill 421 on Jan. 9. If passed by both houses of the Legislature and signed into law by the governor, the bill will allow liquor stores in Texas to be open from noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Advocates for a new "conservation culture" want water-wasting to one day be as taboo as the littering vilified in "Don't Mess With Texas" ads.

Sisters Shannon Austin Zouzoulas, 37, and Megan Austin Haller, 36, hope that the last obstacle in the way of their dream will also somehow get resolved: the fact that Arizona law prohibits opening a combination winery and brewery.

The Nevada City Council recently changed the city code to allow wineries to produce wine and brandy inside the city limits.

during the four-year period during which she recorded cash and checks in the ledger and made bank deposits, she had skimmed cash from the deposit totaling $81,114.42

According to the Texas Wine & Grape Growers trade group, the Lone Star State currently has more than 245 bonded wineries, up 50% since 2007, while production rose 35% to 1.35 million cases between 2007-2011.

Sisters work to overcome law standing in way of their dream, a combination winery-brewery

He's not a grape geek per se, but local cartoonist Doug Pike knows a hell of a lot more about wine than the average recreational drinker. You might say he makes wine his business, given that he earns a nice chunk of change creating wine-centric cartoons for the likes of The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNBC, McGraw-Hill, The French Wine Society, and Robert Parker's online version of The Wine Advocate.

The Binghams now have more than 220 acres under vine either directly owned or that they manage. They grow 20 different grape varieties for 20 wineries, making theirs one of the largest and most varied vineyard operations in Texas.

For 10 years, they've enjoyed the successes and challenges (freezes, frosts, hail storms, etc.) of running a family winery and producing fine Arizona wines; they are now ready to move on to other ventures.

Three of Tucson's 99 Cents Only Stores have applied for beer and wine liquor licenses. Eric Schiffer, CEO of 99 Cents Only Stores, said they will sell full size bottles of quality wine.

However, the businesses would still have to be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Three of Tucson's 99 Cents Only Stores have applied for beer and wine liquor licenses

The five-year-old Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery in Elgin is being sold to Flying Leap Vineyards, which owns a Willcox vineyard.

The five-year-old Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery in Elgin is being sold to Flying Leap Vineyards, which owns a Willcox vineyard

We heard it through the grapevine: two mainstays of the Reno wine scene won't be with us much longer.

The Austin Food & Wine Alliance's inaugural grants will help fund the first Texas apple orchard using organic practices, support a program raising heritage breed hogs and an initiative to provide local organic foods to low income families, and underwrite a documentary to teach Texas high school students about raising beef from pasture to plate.

"The No. 1 thing is there are a lot of new acres," said Bobby Cox, president of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, and the Texas industry is changing very rapidly as far as the types of grapes being planted.

The zoning matters are scheduled to go before the City Council on Jan. 23. And the council's approval would need them lacking only a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission permit to get going.

Five liquor stores in Tarrant County would be sold by Centennial Beverage Group to Cheers Spirits & Liquors of Pilot Point as part of a deal submitted for approval in U.S. Bankruptcy Court