The spritz evolves from Italian aperitif to global cocktail
October 10, 2022 GMTVENICE, Italy (AP) — A glowing sea of bright orange and red cocktails has become a common sight in bars and restaurants across Europe and beyond as the Italian-born spritz continues to find new fans.
Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine objects to oil pipeline
October 4, 2022 GMTKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A planned pipeline to export oil from Uganda is likely to entrench the long rule of President Yoweri Museveni, opposition figure Bobi Wine said Tuesday, voicing his opposition to a project that's increasingly controversial over environmental concerns.
Growth in licensed products gives NMSU athletics an assist
October 3, 2022 GMTLAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Pete’s Most Wanted Salsa, a new product bearing the image of New Mexico State University mascot Pistol Pete, celebrated its launch Wednesday with a party at La Posta de Mesilla; and the university says more branded products will soon be joining a growing family of licensed NMSU merchandise.
Louisiana casino plans to move ashore by 2024
September 17, 2022 GMTBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A riverboat casino in Louisiana's capital city has been given approval to move onto land.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board this week unanimously approved the casino’s request to move off of its aging gambling boat and into the casino’s atrium, news outlets reported.
Victims of floatplane crash included activist, winemaker
September 7, 2022 GMTWHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. (AP) — A civil rights activist, a business owner, a lawyer, an engineer and the founder of a winery and his family were on the floatplane that crashed in the waters of Washington state's Puget Sound, killing 10.
Drought forces earliest harvest ever in French wine country
August 26, 2022 GMTBORDEAUX, France (AP) — The landscape in the prestigious vineyards of Bordeaux looks the same as ever, with healthy, ripe grapes hanging heavy off rows of green vines.
But this year something is starkly different in one of France’s most celebrated wine regions and other parts of Europe.
Residents of small Maine town end long ban on alcohol sales
June 15, 2022 GMTCORNITH, Maine (AP) — Voters in a rural Maine town have decided to reverse a decades-old ban on alcohol sales.
Residents of Corinth, a town of about 2,800 some 20 miles from Bangor, voted in the late 1960s and '70s to impose bans on alcohol sales.
Minnesota lawmakers consider loosening state’s liquor laws
May 11, 2022 GMTST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers are considering a lifting a cap on growler sales, a high priority for the state's craft brewers, and letting local distilleries sell normal-sized bottles of their spirits direct to drinkers.
Kansas to set up weevil program, let drinkers roam at fair
April 18, 2022 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — New Kansas laws will make the state fair home to drinkers who roam and allow the state to tax each bale of home-grown cotton up to $2 to pay for efforts to get rid of the bug that ruins cotton crops.
Recipe: Apples, nuts, wine make a classic Passover charoset
April 6, 2022 GMTIt's one of the six symbolic foods on the Passover seder plate — and it's pretty delicious too.
Charoset (also spelled haroset) is usually made from sweet fruits, nuts and some red wine, all nods to verses in the Bible.
Kansas State Fair could soon be home to drinkers who roam
March 10, 2022 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — People attending the Kansas State Fair this fall will be able to stroll the grounds with a beer, a glass of wine or even a cocktail if some Kansas legislators get their way.
House and Senate negotiators are set to draft the final version of legislation expanding the sale of alcohol on the fairgrounds in Hutchinson.
US House candidate sorry for intoxication during sleepover
February 22, 2022 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A U.S. House candidate in Oklahoma has apologized after reports that she became intoxicated at a Valentine's Day weekend sleepover for middle-school-aged girls, berated several of the children and vomited in a hamper.
Germany’s drugs czar wants higher age limits for alcohol
February 11, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The German government's drugs czar has proposed raising the legal age when people can buy beer and wine from 16 to 18, and cracking down on alcohol and tobacco advertising.
Burkhard Blienert told the Welt daily in an interview published Friday that he believes there are “many medical reasons” to increase the purchase age even for lower-strength alcoholic beverages.
Adele scoops 3 prizes in hometown return to UK’s Brit Awards
February 8, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — Adele made a return to live performance and won three prizes at the Brit Awards in London on Tuesday, weeks after she canceled a much-anticipated string of shows in Las Vegas.
The north London-born diva was named artist of the year at the U.K.’s leading music prizes.
For ‘ice wine’ vintners, frigid temps are reason to rejoice
January 16, 2022 GMTOVID, N.Y. (AP) — While the vast majority of New Yorkers are hunkering down to ride out frigid temperatures and snow blasts from the latest winter storm, others are seizing on the opportunity to ...
For celebrations, English fizz is on the rise
December 27, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — English sparkling wine has been gaining prestige in recent years, with some experts comparing it to Champagne in taste and quality.
Globally, the sector is still relatively small: IWSR Drinks Market Analysis reports that sparkling wine produced in the U.K.
‘No culture, no future’: Belgian artists decry virus rules
December 26, 2021 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — Thousands of Belgian performers, cinema operators, event organizers and others joined together Sunday to protest the government’s decision to close down the country’s cultural life to stem the spread of the surging omicron variant.
Marler’s Boks buildup: Wine and exercise in a chicken pen
November 19, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — Drinking wine and exercising in a chicken pen while recovering from the coronavirus is hardly the ideal way to prepare for a test match against the world champion Springboks.
Then again, Joe Marler isn’t like most rugby players.
Authorities begin identifying Michigan plane crash victims
November 14, 2021 GMTBEAVER ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — The four people who died in a plane crash on Michigan's Beaver Island included a real estate agent and a couple who were planning to open a winery and vineyard there, authorities said Sunday.
Cheers! Booze delivery, wine shipments begin in Alabama
November 9, 2021 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabamians can now get limited quantities of beer, wine and spirits delivered to their homes after the first companies have gotten licensed.
Alabama lawmakers this year approved separate bills to allow alcohol deliveries from retailers to a person’s home and to allow wineries to ship directly to consumers in the state.
Italy-Croatia fight over Prosecco name gets ready to pop
November 3, 2021 GMTPROSECCO, Italy (AP) — On tiny pockets of terraced terrain overlooking a bay shared by Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, Milos Skabar is reviving a centuries-old winemaking tradition known as Prosekar, which shares roots with its better-known bubbly cousin, Prosecco.
Employee death at California winery under investigation
October 14, 2021 GMTHEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) — State workplace safety officials are investigating the death of a worker at a Northern California winery who was found unresponsive near a fermentation tank, authorities said Thursday.
Kentucky Distillers’ Association welcomes new member
October 14, 2021 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Saddlestone Distillery has become the 46th member of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, the non-profit trade group that leads the state’s signature bourbon and distilled spirits industry.
Israeli archaeologists discover ancient winemaking complex
October 11, 2021 GMTYAVNE, Israel (AP) — Israeli archaeologists on Monday said they have unearthed a massive ancient winemaking complex dating back some 1,500 years.
The complex, discovered in the central town of Yavne, includes five wine presses, warehouses, kilns for producing clay storage vessels and tens of thousands of fragments and jars, they said.
Mexico’s Napa Valley protests against unfettered development
October 9, 2021 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Defenders of Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe wine-producing valley protested Saturday against unfettered development they say threatens the area’s environment and agriculture.
On Saturday, federal authorities announced they shut down a massive land-clearing project that had bulldozed native semi-desert vegetation on a hillside to create a concert venue.
California extends cocktails-to-go and outdoor dining rules
October 8, 2021 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California moved Friday to extend the sale of cocktails-to-go and keep alcohol service for outdoor dining at parklets as officials try to help restaurants recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Daughters of Carl Levin christen US warship bearing his name
October 2, 2021 GMTBATH, Maine (AP) — The future USS Carl M. Levin was christened Saturday by the Michigan senator's daughters, who simultaneously smashed bottles of sparkling wine against the warship's bow at Bath Iron Works.
Los Angeles County to require vaccines in indoor bars
September 15, 2021 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Public health officials in Los Angeles County will begin requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for patrons and workers at indoor bars, wineries, breweries, lounges and nightclubs next month.
Wine spat: Italy heir accuses Sting of slander, flat apology
August 31, 2021 GMTMILAN (AP) — The heir of a late duke who sold Sting his Tuscan winery 25 years ago says the singer has hit a flat note with a lame apology for comments the family deems slanderous.
The juicy celebrity dispute has spilled onto the pages of Italian newspapers.
Worker death leads to $11K fine for Dundee winery
August 7, 2021 GMTSALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Agency said this week it has fined a Dundee winery $11,100 for alleged violations of confined space rules after an investigation into the death of a worker.
Tucson’s Hotel Congress in first phase of renovation plan
July 24, 2021 GMTTUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Tucson's iconic Hotel Congress is getting a revamp that staff say is more than a century in the making.
The historic property, which has been closed all of July, is slated to re-open Aug.
Nightclubs elated but doubts cloud England’s ‘Freedom Day’
July 18, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — Sparkling wine, confetti, a midnight countdown: It’s not New Year’s Eve, but it might as well be for England’s clubbers. After 17 months of empty dance floors, the country’s nightclubs are reopening with a bang.
Smoke, extreme heat pose harsh test for West Coast vineyards
July 10, 2021 GMTTURNER, Ore. (AP) — The heat wave that recently hit the Pacific Northwest subjected the region’s vineyards to record-breaking temperatures nine months after the fields that produce world-class wine were blanketed by wildfire smoke.
Washington wine giant Ste. Michelle sold for $1.2 billion
July 9, 2021 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has been sold for about $1.2 billion to a private equity firm by its parent, the tobacco company Altria.
Woodinville-based Ste. Michelle describes itself as the nation’s third largest wine company, farming nearly 30,000 acres across Washington, Oregon, and California and selling wines under labels including Chateau Ste.
Bubbly supply halted after Moscow says champagne is Russian
July 5, 2021 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — For most aficionados, a sparkling wine can be called champagne only if it comes from the region of France with that name and is made under certain regulations. A new Russian law makes the counter-claim that the word can be used only for Russian wine.
Vermont vineyard acquires existing Addison County vineyard
June 27, 2021 GMTNEW HAVEN, Vt. (AP) — Shelburne Vineyard has acquired Lincoln Peak Vineyard about 24 miles south in New Haven.
It plans to open the Addison County winery's tasting room on July 9 for the summer and fall, the Burlington Free Press reported.
States hesitant to adopt digital COVID vaccine verification
June 26, 2021 GMTCustomers wanting to wine, dine and unwind to live music at the City Winery's flagship restaurant in New York must show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to get in. But that's not required at most other dining establishments in the city.
Wine giant to begin building $423M center in South Carolina
June 15, 2021 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The biggest winemaker in the United States is set to begin construction on a $423 million bottling and distribution center in South Carolina.
German military to ship surplus beer back from Afghanistan
June 7, 2021 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The German military says it has found a solution for an unusual logistics problem its troops in Afghanistan face: a glut of beer.
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Christina Routsi said Monday that a recent decision by the German commander in Afghanistan to ban the consumption of alcohol for security reasons had resulted in a pileup of beer, wine and mixed drinks at Camp Marmal in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Oregon Legislature makes cocktails to-go permanent
June 2, 2021 GMTSALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers have passed a bill allowing the sale of cocktails to-go to continue after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Senate Bill 317, which allows licensed establishments to sell “mixed drinks and single servings of wine in sealed containers for off-premises consumption,” previously passed the Oregon Senate in March.
Investor aims to transform Augusta into national destination
May 31, 2021 GMTAUGUSTA, Mo. (AP) — A Florida investor with Missouri roots is spending about $100 million in hopes of turning an area of Missouri Wine Country into a destination that will attract visitors from around the country.
More Cambodians die from tainted rice wine despite crackdown
May 26, 2021 GMTPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Twelve more people have died in Cambodia from drinking cheap adulterated rice wine, a perennial problem especially in rural areas, officials said.
The Health Ministry said the victims died in two additional deadly incidents after a drinking session at a May 10 funeral in Kandal province took the lives of 12 other people.
COVID shot not just a day at the beach in NJ, but all summer
May 19, 2021 GMTISLAND BEACH STATE PARK, N.J. (AP) — Some say getting the COVID-19 vaccination is no day at the beach, but they're wrong: Getting the shot in New Jersey will get residents an entire summer at one of the state's most popular beaches, free of charge.
Adulterated wine suspected in deaths of Cambodian villagers
May 18, 2021 GMTPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Eight villagers in Cambodia have died after drinking homemade rice wine that probably was adulterated, officials said Tuesday.
The victims had been drinking at the funeral of one of their neighbors on May 10, said Kouy Bunthouen, health department chief of Kandal province near Phnom Penh.
Newsom’s income went up in 1st year as California governor
May 18, 2021 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife made $1.7 million in 2019 during his first year as governor, about half a million dollars more than they earned the year before, according to tax returns his campaign released Monday.
Cheers! Alabama governor signs limited wine delivery bill
May 13, 2021 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabamians will soon be able to have a bottle of pinot noir or chardonnay delivered in the mail after Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday signed wine shipment legislation into law.
State lawmakers approved the bill this session after years of debate.
Vintage Vegas sommelier restocking wines for 100% reopening
May 7, 2021 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — The longtime sommelier at a venerable downstairs restaurant in downtown Las Vegas is restocking his wine list ahead of a full reopening with the planned lifting of statewide coronavirus restrictions June 1...
Wine giant Gallo close to $400 million center in S. Carolina
May 4, 2021 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina will likely soon tweak its liquor laws to allow the biggest winemaker in the United States to spend $400 million on a new bottling and distribution center in the state...
Wine that went to space for sale with $1 million price tag
May 4, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — The wine is out of this world. The price is appropriately stratospheric.
Christie’s said Tuesday it is selling a bottle of French wine that spent more than a year in orbit aboard the International Space Station...
Cheers! Alabama lawmakers approve wine delivery bill
April 29, 2021 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala (AP) — Alabamians might soon be able to have a bottle of cabernet or chardonnay delivered in the mail - as a wine shipment bill, debated for years in the Alabama Legislature, obtained final passage...
S Carolina quirky liquor laws give sour grapes to wine giant
April 22, 2021 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The biggest winemaker in the U.S. wants to open an East Coast bottling and distribution center in South Carolina, investing $400 million and hiring up to 500 people...
California governor declares drought emergency in 2 counties
April 22, 2021 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Standing in the dry, cracked bottom of Lake Mendocino, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency Wednesday in two Northern California counties where grape growers and wineries are major users, an order that came in response to arid conditions affecting much of the state and the U...
New Orleans brewery canning rice wine, plans expansion
April 18, 2021 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — A member of a New Orleans restaurant family is brewing the Japanese rice wine called sake from grain grown at Louisiana State University, the LSU AgCenter says...
Cosmic mouthful: Tasters savor fine wine that orbited Earth
March 24, 2021 GMTBORDEAUX, France (AP) — It tastes like rose petals. It smells like a campfire. It glistens with a burnt-orange hue...
Uganda’s Bobi Wine calls for peaceful protests after polls
March 9, 2021 GMTKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine is calling for peaceful protests in the aftermath of presidential elections, charging that electoral authorities are “grappling with forged results” that showed victory for President Yoweri Museveni...
Law enforcement probe threats against Newsom, his businesses
January 30, 2021 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Law enforcement officials are investigating escalating threats of death and violence against California Gov...
Official: Troops withdraw from home of Uganda’s Bobi Wine
January 26, 2021 GMTKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — An attorney for Bobi Wine says Ugandan soldiers have withdrawn from the opposition presidential challenger's home the day after a judge ruled that his house arrest was unlawful...
Despite election loss, Uganda’s Bobi Wine wins growing power
January 19, 2021 GMTKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan presidential challenger Bobi Wine has emerged from last week's disputed election as the country's most powerful opposition leader after his party won the most seats of any opposition group in the national assembly...
Uganda police surround Bobi Wine’s opposition party offices
January 18, 2021 GMTKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The opposition party of Ugandan presidential challenger Bobi Wine said on Monday that police have prevented top officials from going to their headquarters in the capital, Kampala, as they prepare to launch a legal challenge to free Wine from house arrest...
Cheers! French wine, vines headed home after year in space
January 12, 2021 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The International Space Station bid adieu Tuesday to 12 bottles of French Bordeaux wine and hundreds of snippets of grapevines that spent a year orbiting the world in the name of science...