symposium presented by Coalition for Free Trade and Free the Grapes!

Foster's Group Ltd. (FGL.AU) Chief Executive Ian Johnston said Wednesday the Australian beer market remains strong but that the domestic wine business is increasingly being affected by a structural wine and grape surplus.

Ben Franklin Press and Label Co. recently unveiled a new pressure-sensitive label press designed just for printing wine labels. This press has been dubbed the "green machine" because of how environmentally friendly it is compared to other printing processes.

Women who drink just a few glasses of white wine a week cut their chance of successful IVF, according to new research.

White wines do more damage to your teeth than reds, a study has found. Scientists have found whites such as Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio wear away enamel more quickly than red wines such as Merlot and claret.

At this time of year, mainland Europe's winemakers are busy harvesting the grapes that will go into this year's vintage. So too have their English counterparts been hard at work bringing in the grapes picked in the vineyards of Kent, Gloucestershire and other parts of the country.

Stung by a shrinking economy, local food retailers are using technology to draw diners. There are varying degrees to this trend.

The biggest building in American Canyon is almost ready for action and will open early next year. Officials with Santa Rosa-based wine giant Jackson Family Wines said Friday the massive distribution center -the size of nine football fields - will begin distributing wines around the country by road and rail in February.

Winemaker Constellation Europe has tackled the challenge of housing bulky bag-in-box packs in the fridge with the launch of the new FreshCase pack.

Sonoma County supervisors ordered an immediate halt Tuesday to new applications for property tax breaks for farmers, vineyard and dairy operators, while expressing dismay that the state has eliminated $440,000 in reimbursements for the program.

After failing to sell its wine business earlier this year, Foster's is currently in the process of restructuring its wine division and said it has made "significant progress" and is on track to deliver promised cost savings of A$100 million annually, starting in fiscal 2011.

Michaela Rodeno was honored by Bedell Investment Counseling, LLC as Woman of the Year for 2009 at their Women and Wine event at the Round Hill Country Club in Alamo.

Last year, an overwhelming number of start-ups hit the market with releases priced above $50, and some approaching $100. Even though these labels carry big-name vineyards or notable winemakers as consultants, these wines aren't selling in this economy.

Berry growers concerned about spread of dread insect

at the site of a former Circuit City store. The 33,200-square-foot building is at the northeast corner of Camelback Road and 16th Street.

The Wisconsin Grape Growers will get $35,000 to teach wine-makers and others about popular varieties of grapes.

They were quick to praise a 'phenomenal' harvest but Bordeaux winemakers are saying that the big test facing the 2009 vintage will be keeping down alcohol levels.

California has long led the nation when it comes to specialty crop agriculture. Now the state is first on the United States Department of Agriculture's list to receive Specialty Crop Block Grant funding.

The firm, on Summit Street just north of downtown, is the sole distributor of Miller Lite and several other brands in portions of Lucas and Wood counties.

An ideal blend of heat and rainfall point toward a memorable vintage for the French region

Cash-strapped Central and Eastern European governments are turning to a time-tested strategy of raising taxes on cigarettes and alcohol as the recession takes its toll on the region's public finances.