Not all buzz is positive - the interest in some varieties isn't matched by sales

Shirley Sarvis, a San Francisco food writer, cookbook author and pioneer in the art of wine and food matching, died in her sleep at her Russian Hill home Wednesday. She was 77 and had been in poor health for several years

Wine industry people on the move from January 15 to January 21

Sydney's inaugural 'natural' wine fair is already attracting controversy, with one wine writer saying quality winemakers are annoyed by the 'natural' label.

After last vintage's second-earliest start on record on Nov. 19 and 20, 2011, the majority of the Icewine harvest in the Okanagan was on Jan. 11 and 12, 2013. Harvested at minus 8°Celsius or below, the wine made from these frozen grapes must reach quality standards including 35 Brix of sugar to be called true Icewine.

William Knoedelseder's "Bitter Brew" offers a sometimes fascinating history of America's most famous beer-makers

Sonoma State's new certificate program will be taught by wine industry professionals in the finance and accounting fields. Each seminar is designed to deliver core quantitative concepts illustrated by wine industry examples.

Both the winery's assets and affairs were put into the hands of Australian receiver McGrathNicol, an independent boutique advisory firm specializing in corporate advisory, forensic, transaction services and corporate recovery.

North Carolina-based Weathervane Winery has added two new dry red wines - Snowdrift and Temperature Rising - to its collection of white, red and sweet wines.

The business will soon be put up for sale and McGrathNicol said in its statement the winery contains equipment to crush between 3,000 to 4,000 tonnes every year, with a 41 hectare vineyard along with a restaurant and function venue.

New laws will protect McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley from urban sprawl through subdivision of land in the regions. The laws protect land traditionally used for agriculture from being broken up for housing developments and shopping malls.

To keep business decent, some wineries in the Valley try to make themselves stand out to keep visitors headed their way. Carlson Vineyards offers a seasonal hot drink and keeps their hours the same year round to help with winter business.

With daytime temperatures in Chicago today forecast to be in the low 20's with blustery winds making it feel much colder, is it any wonder visitors to Sonoma County from the Windy City are almost giddy, and not just from the wine?

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.

Wineries dealing with costly grapes and labor in 2012 tried to raise prices on their finished product, but most weren't able to do so, according to a new report from Silicon Valley Bank.

The acquisition is a part of Altaya's plans to expand its business into the Chinese mainland and open around 15-20 shops in Hong Kong and China within the next three years.

Hatch Mansfield have announced details of a memorial service to be held for Taittinger's UK Ambassador Justin Llewelyn.

Photographer Colin Hampden-White captures the beauty of Crete and Santorini in a pictorial tour of the Greek wine-producing islands.

Harrods has appointed Nick Fleming as head wine and spirits buyer following the departure of Jo Ahearne MW.

The UAE is already a market of over 1.3 million bottles (1,386,966 to be exact which is more than either China or Russia, although this is unlikely to be the case for much longer) and grew 18 percent over 2011.

North German bottlers of one of Europe's oldest - and oddest - wine names are calling on the appellation authorities to beef up its legal protection.

Food Network star says if he comes out with his own label, he will call it 'Hunt and Ryde' after sons Hunter and Ryder.

The first Long Island vineyard with a tasting room overlooking Long Island Sound is set to open this spring, the latest in a string of recent wine-trail newcomers and one of only a handful on the water.

Wine exports from Portugal, including port and table wine, rose 7.6 percent in the first 11 months of 2012 to 648 million euros ($862 million) from the same period a year earlier, according to the country's National Statistics Institute. The sales are boosted by demand from the former Portuguese colony of Angola, China and some South American countries.

A comprehensive global study by International Wine and Spirit Research (IWSR), commissioned by VinExpo reports that the United States is the largest consuming country of wines that retail for more than $10 per bottle.

New Jersey's direct shipment law - enacted by Gov. Chris Christie on Jan. 17, 2012, to permit wineries to take orders online and ship their goods directly to consumers in the state and nation - is proof that "the Internet is the direction the wine industry is going."

Sommeliers across Canada raised their glasses to a regional politician last weekend for winning the fight to freely transport wine for personal use across provincial borders.

The San Francisco Wine School now offers a comprehensive preparation course for the prestigious Certified Specialist of Wine examination.

GuestMetrics releases data for 2012 wine trends. Restaurant and bar wine consumers traded down from bottles to glasses in 2012, with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir gaining share at the expense of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The craft beer revolution kept charging ahead in 2012, when 12% more barrels were shipped than the year before, the sixth straight year of growth

The latest figures to be released in the UK show that supermarket chain Asda achieved a 25% increase in Champagne sales over December from an aggressive deal on its exclusive label Pierre Darcys.

Barillère is director of Champagne resources at Moët Hennessy and currently vice-president at the UMC, working alongside Ghislain de Montgolfier, former Bollinger president, who has headed up the UMC since 2007

New location improves visibility on Placer County Wine Trail

Despite written policies protecting farmland across Central California's agricultural heartland, the state's most productive region is on track to lose 570,000 acres of prime, irrigated land to development by 2050, according to a new report

Most agree that the varroa mite and as many as 20 viruses it vectors is part of the CCD puzzle

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

Brisbane-based Greg Jardine said he has patented a group of compounds created during the wine-making process which he says act as an anti-inflammatory and could help battle conditions such as arthritis and chronic fatigue

The 2013 Wine Industry Report is out with the first ever Live Video Conference linked above. Joining me on the panel were industry luminaries Paul Mabray, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of VinTank, Tony Correia, Founder Correia-Xavier Inc., and Mary Jo Dale, Chief Consumer Direct Officer of KLH Consulting.