Amidst the flurry of news about preparations for the Royal Wedding, we finally know which sparkling wine is going to be served. It's not Nyetimber or Ridgeview or any other English sparkling wine of exceptional quality, writes Reva K. Singh. The official fizz at the Royal Wedding on Friday, April 29th, as reported by Decanter.com, is Pol Roger Champagne.

Having had the quote "the best vintage in my lifetime" splashed across the cover of last June's Decanter magazine, I can only agree with the title above, " Bordeaux 2010 - An Embarrassingly Good Vintage" from Bill Blatch's highly-regarded Vintage Report, and most of the châteaux owners share this view, writes Steven Spurrier in an article in the Tasting Panel Magazine. Keep reading for more on a vintage that is clearly meant for the history books.

Be green and raise a toast to drinking wine with a clear conscience. Organic is the way to go. Award-winning organic wines from Emiliana Adobe in Chile won gold and silver medals at the Challenge Millesime Bio held last November in France - the only international competition for organic wines according to European regulations of organic agriculture.

The 45th edition of Vinitaly, one of the longest running international wine exhibitions, concluded in Verona, Italy, on Monday April 11th. Vinitaly is different from the other big trade exhibitions (Prowein, London International Wine Fair, Vinexpo) in that it is not international in its exhibitor profile and is dedicated almost exclusively to Italian wines, reports Gaurav Anand who makes the most of the opportunity to 'taste Italy'.

If the world market share of Austrian wines is steadily increasing, it is largely due to the efforts of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, writes Soni Sangwan. Recognition for the work being done by the AWMB has come from German publishers Meininger in the form of the "Award for Outstanding Achievement".
Left: Willi Klinger with the Meininger Award 2011

The Indian Grape Processing Board puts Indian winemakers on centre stage. The Indian wines' showing at ProWein in Dusseldorf - the world's Number One wine trade show - was literally something to write home about. Among 3,600 exhibitors from 50 countries, the Indian exhibitors succeeded in impressing many of the record 38,000 visitors during the three-day event from 27 to 29 March. This was a test of sorts for the Indian Grape Processing Board, which had taken several Indian vintners to the show, where they seem to have made an impression.

The first thing that strikes you about Prowein is the sheer size. The 3-day show kicked off in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 27th of March with 3,600 exhibitors from 50 countries. In an exhibition of this size the main challenge for the visitor is to decide how to focus their time, reports Gaurav Anand from ProWein.

Good Earth Winery wines have been selected by the Indian embassy in Washington DC, to be served at official embassy functions. "Not only is the embassy selection a massive vote of confidence in our product, but it will also provide major visibility to the entire Indian wine industry", says Girish Mhatre, Founder Good Earth Winery, of the recognition.
Pictutred, a bottle of Antaraa Cabernet Shiraz

On the 7th of March,The Drinks Business, a prestigious British Magazine presented the Lifetime Achievement 2011 Award to the President of Bodegas Torres, Miguel A. Torres for his career spent supporting sustainable environmental practices in the wine and spirit industry. Setting itself firmly as a winery committed to the environmental cause, Bodegas Torres received the same award in 2010 for being 'The Green Company of the Year' as well as in 2009 when it was featured in the publication's 'Green List'. Pictured: Miguel A. Torres on one of his visits to India

We all knew that wine can be big business. But exactly how big can be gauged from the fact that the owner of Château Cheval Blanc and Château d'Yquem is the world's fourth richest man according to Forbes magazine's Rich List. Bernard Arnault's fortune stands at a whopping US$ 41 billion.
Pictured, left: Bernard Arnault

If you happen to be taking a flight out of Dubai, head for the fine wine store, Le Clos in Terminal 3 near gate 214 or the Emirates First Class lounge. Le Clos offers customers a selection of the finest, rarest and most exclusive wines and spirits across the globe, at duty free prices. Over and above that, spend 1,000 dirhams at the store and you get a free raffle ticket with the chance of winning fabulous wine prizes. There's no time to waste because the draw takes place on April 1, 2011 in the store.

Vandals kill 500-year-old 'parent' of gru-vee wine
VIENNA Police say vandals have destroyed a 500-year-old grapevine that is believed to have been a direct ancestor of the popular gruner veltliner wine, notes a report in Business Week. Police were called in on Thursday after vintners in the southeastern village of St. Georgen discovered that the vine on an outlying hillside was chopped into pieces. Scientists who have examined the so-called "St. Georgen" vine believe it was crossed centuries ago with a variety of traminer grapes to produce the first drops of the acidic and tangy gruner veltliner, known as gru-vee in the US.

Australian wine drinkers are thumbing their noses at pricey wines and reaching for the discounted bottles available as part of price promotions in the retail sector. Even though Australians are willing to spend more per bottle than their German or British counterparts, there is likely to be a price deflation. Soni Sangwan reports.

18th-Century Wine Sets Record In France. A 1774 vintage bottle of wine was sold on Sunday, February 6, 2011, for $77,270 in a record for eastern France's Jura region, according to OfficialWire.com.The vin jaune (yellow wine), was made by Anatoile Vercel (1725-1786) from savagnin grapes grown during the reign of Louis XV (1715-1774), Radio France Internationale reported.