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Horses are again working in French vineyards

Aug 4, 2022
The animals can work land that is inaccessible to tractors, and vineyard owners say they improve the soil for grapes. But they raise costs as well.
A horse named Diva at work at Chandon de Briailles, one of many French vineyards that use horses instead of tractors.
John Laurenson

Sour grapes? An English county's wine wins a special status, but a neighboring county complains.

Jul 8, 2022
Sussex wineries receive a prestigious distinction, but a Kent winemaker dismisses the award as arbitrary, citing similar growing conditions.
Rows of vines cover the hills at a Sussex County vineyard in 2015. The government honored the county's white wines with a Protected Designation of Origin.
Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images

Can winemakers salvage grapes tainted by wildfire smoke?

Jun 7, 2022
Scientists are looking at ways to determine if grapes from smoky areas can still be used, without adding an unpleasant ashy taste to wine.
Phil Crews at his Pelican Ranch Winery in Scotts Valley. Crews, an organic chemist at UC Santa Cruz, showed that a method pioneered in Australia can detect smoke's impact on California wines.
Jerimiah Oetting/KAZU News

How Charles Shaw wine became Two Buck Chuck

Apr 18, 2017
It wasn't always cheap, and it wasn't always sold by Trader Joe's.
Wikimedia Commons

Napa Valley insists: It's in California, not Texas

Sep 9, 2016
A loophole allows out-of-state winemakers to use the prestigious name if the grapes were imported.
A loophole in federal regulations allows a winemaker to label its bottles "Napa Valley” as long as the grapes came from Napa and the wine is sold only within the winemaker’s state. 
Jacqueline Romano/Getty Images for SOBEWFF