Weekly Wine News Around the Web

Wine Counterfeiter Claims Illegal Search: New details emerged recently in the case against well-publicized wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan, according to Wine Spectator magazine. New developments delve into just what happened and what was found when the FBI searched Kurniawan’s house. Kurniawan is accused of several charges, including allegedly selling counterfeit wine. The story has been widely publicized due to the scope of his alleged counterfeiting and the prominent wine industry luminaries he encountered in his travels.

Tablas Creek Find: Here’s a nugget from one of our favorite winery blogs written by the folks at Tablas Creek Vineyard (vineyard view pictured at right) – they recently found a 1966 bottle of wine that represents the first collaboration between Robert Haas and the French Rhone maker Chateau de Beaucastel. An important historical footnote in the evolution of Rhone wines in California.

Booze and your Brain: Interesting read on how alcohol affects the human brain, courtesy of Forbes.  

Wine Shortage: Due to a massive decrease in production in France, Italy and Spain, the world is facing a wine shortage equivalent to 1.3 billion bottles next year. Part of the cause is due to bad weather, which damaged grapevines in southern Europe this year. Adding to the problem is the fact that wine inventories in Italy and Spain were depleted in the past two years, leaving no buffer to compensate for the slump in 2012 production, according to this article from the The Salt Lake Tribune.

Big Bottle Riff: A funny, thought-provoking take on the complications surrounding the purchase of larger size, typically limited production bottles of wine, often sold at auction, by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Some things to think about before you cart off your double magnum of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.