grapes

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In the 'Tuscany of Portugal,' Grape Harvests Kick In at Night

In the Alentejo region, night harvests are a viticulture tradition to shield wine grapes from sun, heat

(Newser) - Under a moonlit sky and the glow of headlamps, workers gingerly pluck grape clusters while much of Portugal sleeps. They harvest in the Alentejo region, sometimes called the "Tuscany of Portugal" for its rolling vineyards, olive groves, and forests that supply cork for the wines. In this vineyard about...

Dinosaurs' Extinction May Have Been the Birth of Wine

Plant that gave rise to commercial grapes spread in dense forests after asteroid impact

(Newser) - Had an asteroid not struck the planet some 66 million years ago, dinosaurs might still exist—but there would potentially be no wine. According to researchers, grapes might have originated only after the Chicxulub impact transformed the environment, wiping out 76% of all living species, per IFL Science . "We...

This 'Dirty Dozen' Are the Most Contaminated

Strawberries top Environmental Working Group list on which fruits, veggies contain the most pesticides

(Newser) - If you aim to eat as cleanly as possible to preserve that temple you call your body, you may want to cross-check what you're buying with the new list of contaminated produce items from the Environmental Working Group. The EWG ranked the pesticide levels of the fruits and veggies...

Top Wine-Producing Nation Is About to Be Dethroned
Top Wine-Producing Nation
Is About to Be Dethroned
in case you missed it
Oct 22, 2023 4:10 PM CDT

Top Wine-Producing Nation Is About to Be Dethroned

France to overtake Italy after a growing season marked by intense heat, mildew

(Newser) - After a growing season disrupted by intense storms and blistering summer heat, the world's top wine-producing nation is about to be dethroned. Experts from the European Commission, French Ministry of Agriculture, and Italy's Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market predict Italy will produce 12% less...

NASA Spots Grape Disease Early, From the Sky
NASA Spots Grape Disease
Early, From the Sky
New Study
Aug 13, 2023 2:20 PM CDT

NASA Spots Grape Disease Early, From the Sky

Innovation could be a huge benefit to vineyards

(Newser) - Up to 30% of global grape harvests fall prey to pathogens including bacteria, mold, and viruses each year. Now, the Sacramento Bee reports that there's hope on the horizon: Researchers using tech from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab detected early signs of a grape disease before it could...

Oaky Wines Are Fine. Ashy, Not So Much

This year's crop could be a disaster

(Newser) - Smoke from the West Coast wildfires has tainted grapes in some of the nation's most celebrated wine regions with an ashy flavor that could spell disaster for the 2020 vintage, per the AP . Wineries in California, Oregon, and Washington have survived severe wildfires before, but the smoke from this...

Winery Owner Wishes 'Painful Death' on Grape Thieves

Virginia's Firefly Hill Vineyards say nearly its entire harvest was stolen overnight Monday

(Newser) - A family-run Virginia winery is indefinitely closed and in the "grieving process" after a theft that stripped it of nearly all its grapes. Allison Dunkenberger, co-owner of Firefly Hill Vineyards in Elliston, tells the Roanoke Times that someone she thinks "knew something about the winery's operations" came...

On 8K-Year-Old Shards, Proof of Ancient 'Social Lubricant'

Scientists believe they've found proof of production of 'world's oldest' grape wine in nation of Georgia

(Newser) - Wine has been used as a "social lubricant, mind-altering substance, and highly valued commodity" throughout the ages. Now, a discovery just south of Tbilisi details just how far back through the ages the beverage has existed, the BBC reports. Per a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy ...

Stink Bugs Can Change the Taste of Your Wine

Especially if you drink pinot noir

(Newser) - Bugs wind up in most things we consume, organic and otherwise. It's so common and hard to avoid that the FDA sets allowable levels, notes the American Council on Science and Health . It's no surprise, then, that stink bugs , which have a fondness for grapes, can end up...

Guy Nabs Grape Dropped From Hot Air Balloon—With His Mouth

Brent Fraser should have a new world record

(Newser) - Since at least high school, Brent Fraser has had a "natural knack" for catching things in his mouth. The odd skill has finally paid off. Fraser, 35, has apparently claimed the world record for the "greatest height catching a grape in the mouth" at 101 feet, reports the...

These Wine Grapes Listened to Mozart, to Their Benefit

Inside an interesting experiment in Italy

(Newser) - A taste of black cherry, leather, and just a hint of G minor? In the hills of Montalcino in Tuscany, winemaker Giancarlo Cignozzi has, for more than a decade, been playing Mozart 24 hours a day to a section of Sangiovese grapes growing in his vineyard, reports CBS News . At...

Bunch of Grapes Sells for $11K
 Bunch of Grapes Sells for $11K 
Jul 9, 2016 7:16 AM CDT

Bunch of Grapes Sells for $11K

Japanese supermarket will give away Ruby Romans

(Newser) - The Ruby Roman grape is like the bluefin tuna of vineyards: The first auction of the year in Japan tends to result in ridiculous prices as buyers compete for prestige. This year, a new record was set when a bunch of around 30 grapes sold for close to $11,000,...

Never Give These Foods to Your Pet

Grapes, avocados, cookies are dangerous for dogs, cats

(Newser) - You may have heard that you shouldn't give chocolate to your dog—but how about grapes? Or sugar-free gum? Alternet lists eight foods that humans may consume, but pets definitely shouldn't:
  1. Sugar-free treats like gum, which contain xylitol. The sugar alcohol is extracted from fruits and vegetables to
...

California Drought Perk: Better Wine

A vintage 'for the ages': winemaker

(Newser) - The long drought in California is, of course, bad news for most in the agriculture business—but winemakers are seeing some real benefits. The lack of rain is actually leading to some of the best wine Napa and Sonoma counties have seen in a while, the Wall Street Journal reports....

French Wine Is Actually Rooted in ... Italy?

Ancient containers point to surprising origins

(Newser) - Sorry, France: It seems your much-lauded winemaking techniques may have originated in Italy. Researchers investigated 13 different 2,500-year-old amphoras—containers found in Lattara, on the French coast. They also looked at a limestone object that appeared to be a wine press, Scientific American reports. Chemical assessment suggested the amphoras,...

France's Champagne Harvest Is Worst in 40 Years

But this year's bubbly won't be affected

(Newser) - Wet weather and hailstorms combined to make this year's Champagne harvest—the real capital C stuff from France—the worst in 40 years, reports BloombergBusinessweek . Damaged vineyards in the Champagne region yielded 40% fewer grapes this year, says an industry spokesman in Paris. The only good news is that...

Raisin Bosses Launch $1.5M War on Craisins

California growers furious at 'copycat' snack

(Newser) - When Ocean Spray's Craisins first emerged in 1989, California's raisin growers were miffed: Raisins had been around, by some accounts, since Biblical times, and here was a new fruit snack trying to steal their thunder—not to mention borrow their name. Now the raisin growers have had enough,...

Grape Bandits Strip Vineyard
 Grape Bandits Strip Vineyard 
Sep 21, 2011 1:38 AM CDT

Grape Bandits Strip Vineyard

Award-winning German winegrower ruined

(Newser) - An award-winning German winegrower has lost his crop of grapes to a band of brazen thieves just before harvest time. Almost three tons of high-quality red grapes destined to become wine were stolen overnight by bandits who brought their own harvest machine, reports Der Spiegel . Wine experts believe the theft...

Wine: a Sunburn Preventative?
 Wine: a Sunburn Preventative? 
Aug 1, 2011 11:59 AM CDT

Wine: a Sunburn Preventative?

Flavonoids contained in grapes are beneficial: study

(Newser) - More good news for oenophiles: A new study shows that drinking wine might protect you from sunburn, or at least that's the Telegraph's take. Flavonoids contained in grapes can halt the chemical reaction that causes cell death and skin damage when UV rays hit the skin, Spanish scientists...

12 Little-Known Wines Worth Trying

You may not have heard of them, but they're 'thrilling'

(Newser) - Ready to move beyond familiar cabernet sauvignons and chardonnays? Eric Asimov of the New York Times suggests a dozen little-known but “thrilling” wines to explore:
  • Assyrtiko: This white wine grape from the volcanic island of Santorini “produces dry, deliciously minerally wines” that pair well with seafood.
  • Frappato: These
...

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