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Vineyards near the village of Walporzheim near the Ahr Valley

Vineyards near the village of Walporzheim near the Ahr Valley

Uncork the mystery

No grape variety invites as much intrigue as the region's very own frühburgunder.

--File--A customer shops for imported wine at a supermarket in Fuzhou city, southeast Chinas Fujian province, 28 March 2011. Foreign wine imports are growing rapidly in China, as the nation has imported a record of US$1.27 billion of bottled wine in 2011, up 94 percent year-on year. However, the value of imported loose-packed wine was down 20 percent from the previous year to US$120 million, according to the statistics released at the first China Worldwide Wine Summit Forum. The sale of imported bottled wine first surpassed imported loose-packed wine in 2009, Xinhua news agency quoted Lin Feng, vice president of H & J Consulting Company. The sale of imported bottled wine doubled that of loose-packed wine in two years, indicating that the imported wine market is evolving from low-end to high-end, Lin said during the forum held in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province. According to statistics provided by the China Culture Association of Poetry and Wine (CCAPW), also the sponsor of the forum, the total volume of imported wine increased 76.5 percent and 80.9 percent in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

--File--A customer shops for imported wine at a supermarket in Fuzhou city, southeast Chinas Fujian province, 28 March 2011. Foreign wine imports are growing rapidly in China, as the nation has imported a record of US$1.27 billion of bottled wine in 2011, up 94 percent year-on year. However, the value of imported loose-packed wine was down 20 percent from the previous year to US$120 million, according to the statistics released at the first China Worldwide Wine Summit Forum. The sale of imported bottled wine first surpassed imported loose-packed wine in 2009, Xinhua news agency quoted Lin Feng, vice president of H & J Consulting Company. The sale of imported bottled wine doubled that of loose-packed wine in two years, indicating that the imported wine market is evolving from low-end to high-end, Lin said during the forum held in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province. According to statistics provided by the China Culture Association of Poetry and Wine (CCAPW), also the sponsor of the forum, the total volume of imported wine increased 76.5 percent and 80.9 percent in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

France seeks wine solidarity

French President Francoise Hollande has requested a special EU meeting to forge a common stance on the EU's trade row with China. The call has come after China launched an anti-dumping probe into French wine.

Rotwein Einschank mit Essen, Red wine with cheese and bread © Nick Freund #24246819

Rotwein Einschank mit Essen, Red wine with cheese and bread © Nick Freund #24246819

China hits back at EU wine

A day after the European Union announced levies against solar panels imported from China, China has announced a price dumping investigation into wine imported from the EU – adding a new layer to a trade spat.

Red wine being poured into glass

Red wine being poured into glass

Finest wines leave Elysee

Times must be really hard when the French presidential office starts selling some of its top domestic wines. A two-day auction should help refill state coffers, officials in Paris have said.

Inside Volpetti in Rome with Alessandro and Emilio: Salamis hanging in Rome's Volpetti gourmet food store, Rom 2012; (Photo: Kenny Dunn)

Inside Volpetti in Rome with Alessandro and Emilio: Salamis hanging in Rome's Volpetti gourmet food store, Rom 2012; (Photo: Kenny Dunn)

Buonissimo!

Our hungry reporter goes on a culinary tour of Rome to sample some of the city's finest cuisine.

Curry Sausage Bildnummer 4243027 © koi88 - Fotolia.com Land Deutschland Repräsentative Kategorie Essen & Trinken Essen Fleisch Konzeptionelle Kategorie Wohlbefinden Gesundheit Ernährung

Curry Sausage Bildnummer 4243027 © koi88 - Fotolia.com Land Deutschland Repräsentative Kategorie Essen & Trinken Essen Fleisch Konzeptionelle Kategorie Wohlbefinden Gesundheit Ernährung

Trends in taste

Traditional or exotic - food comes in all shapes and tastes in Germany.

Grapes on a vine

Grapes on a vine

California wine

The German Beringer brothers helped found the American wine industry.

Close up of champagne cork popping (Photo: Mikael Damkier - Fotolia 2007)

Close up of champagne cork popping (Photo: Mikael Damkier - Fotolia 2007)

Fizzing over

What actually goes on inside a champagne bottle to create that special kind of bubbly?

Santa Claus with a bell and book in hand

Santa Claus with a bell and book in hand

Holiday cheer

Christmas in Germany: From markets and mulled wine to family gatherings and traditional food.

Beer or kir?

DW takes you to a remote bistro outside of Paris to explore French drinking habits.

Michael Barthel

Michael Barthel

Scene in Berlin

Berliners make a mean Riesling - even though they can't sell it, says DW's Leah McDonnell.

Wine on the mind

German winemakers attempt to win Chinese palates but a change in mentality might be necessary.

Greek Salad with Red-Wine Cheese

Greek Salad with Red-Wine Cheese

A concert held at Schloss Vollrad © Helmut R. Schulze

A concert held at Schloss Vollrad © Helmut R. Schulze

A winning recipe

The mammoth Rhinegau Music Festival has celebrated its 25th anniversary this summer.

Obama announces help for farmers

President Barack Obama announced plans to stem the impact of the worst drought in 50 years as he began a three-day trip to the Midwest state of Iowa.

Founded some 13 centuries ago, Würzburg is one of the oldest towns in Franconia. It also has a long tradition of winegrowing. The local wine was reputedly a favorite of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's.

Founded some 13 centuries ago, Würzburg is one of the oldest towns in Franconia. It also has a long tradition of winegrowing. The local wine was reputedly a favorite of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's.

Discover Germany

Founded 1,300 years ago, Würzburg is one of Franconia's oldest towns and has a long wine tradition.

Two thousand years ago, Roman conquerors brought the people of the Moselle Valley grapes and the knowledge of how to cultivate them. The hub of this wine-growing region is Trier, Germany’s oldest city.

Two thousand years ago, Roman conquerors brought the people of the Moselle Valley grapes and the knowledge of how to cultivate them. The hub of this wine-growing region is Trier, Germany’s oldest city.

Trier home to Roman relics, Riesling and romance

Two thousand years ago, Roman conquerors brought the people of the Moselle Valley grapes and the knowledge of how to cultivate them. The hub of this wine-growing region is Trier, Germany’s oldest city.

Women and wine

It seems men may not have the best vocabulary when it comes to speaking about wine … and that's something women, in Italy at least, are using to their advantage.

Louis Vuitton shop in Italy

Louis Vuitton shop in Italy

Luxury goods in high demand

The world's biggest luxury goods group, LVMH of France, has experienced a sharp increase in sales in the first quarter. Strong demand particularly in Asia helped the company to healthy revenues.

Weinveranstaltung in Neukölln, im März 2012 Weinkenner auf der Bühne an dem "Weinsalong" in den Heimathafen.

Weinveranstaltung in Neukölln, im März 2012 Weinkenner auf der Bühne an dem "Weinsalong" in den Heimathafen.

In vino veritas

Berlin's real wine aficionados stick to whites made in Germany's southern regions.

Sparkling wine glasses full of wine form a pyramid

Sparkling wine glasses full of wine form a pyramid

A bubbly science

Skinny flutes and wide coupes existed for generations, but neither is the ideal champagne glass.

Taste Florence's tour participants eat gelato topped with aged balsamic vinegar, a uniquely Italian treat.

Taste Florence's tour participants eat gelato topped with aged balsamic vinegar, a uniquely Italian treat.

No tourist traps

A passionate foodie iis on a mission to ensure tourists experience authentic Tuscan cuisine.

Men picking grapes in a California vineyard

Men picking grapes in a California vineyard

Migrants' rights

Too many factors conspire against migrants in their struggle for better working conditions.

Vineyards in the Moselle region

Vineyards in the Moselle region

Discover Germany

The Moselle Valley has been known for its wines since Roman times.

Feuerzangenbowle

Feuerzangenbowle

Schampus

Glühwein

A wine farm in Cape Town, South Africa

A wine farm in Cape Town, South Africa

Black diamond wine

Some in South Africa see a growing appreciation for wine as a way of closing the racial divide.

Black South Africans struggle to crack into wine industry

17 years after the fall of Apartheid, the wine industry in South Africa has been slow to become more racially inclusive. A recent wine festival in Gugulethu near Cape Town attempted to change attitudes. But many said more needs to be done to bring about real change in an industry where black wine owners and makers are far and few between.

A vintner in Germany with his grapes

A vintner in Germany with his grapes

Sustainable winegrowing around the world

Winegrowing cooperatives all over the world are embracing sustainability. GLOBAL IDEAS introduces a few pioneers.

Boy reaching for grapes inside a harvest container

Boy reaching for grapes inside a harvest container

Sustainable winegrowing

Winegrowers in Chile are switching to more eco-friendly production methods to save energy.

A man with a wine glass

A man with a wine glass

Sour grapes

Climate change has raised new challenges for wine makers around the world.

A Porsche being exported

A Porsche being exported

Tipsy trades

To balance trade, Argentina wants Porsche imports countered by red wine exports of equal value.

Patrik Spanel

Patrik Spanel

Science Café Week

A Czech group is getting scientists to explain their work in public, in an informal atmosphere.

Red wine

Red wine

Oldest-known winemaking

Researchers find dried grape vines after previously unearthing an ancient sandal from the same site.

Turks protest against TV series showing sultan with wine and women

Turkey's television watchdog has received 75,000 complaints about a television drama series showing the 16th century potentate Suleiman the Magnificent drinking alcohol and wooing women.

Illustration of the Brandenburg Gate with the words "Scene in Berlin"

Illustration of the Brandenburg Gate with the words "Scene in Berlin"

Cold in the capital

The allure of mulled wine pulls DW's Anne Thomas out of bed and into Berlin's Christmas markets.

Two glasses of wine

Two glasses of wine

Rare and tasty

German Riesling winemakers hope a unique vintage will make up for the year's poor grape harvest.

Porta Nigra in Trier

Porta Nigra in Trier

Discover Germany

Find Roman ruins, wine and a scenic riverscape in the Moselle Valley.

Red wine being poured into a glass

Red wine being poured into a glass

Magic manga

Thanks to a manga comic book, some French wines are enjoying huge success on the Asian market.

Manga comics spark French wine craze in Korea, Japan

Japanese manga comics featuring genuine vintage French wines have sparked a craze for the "Drops of God" in Japan and Korea.

Czech wine festival

Competing with the Czech beer tradition, Prague is indulging in a weekend of wine tasting.

Roast Organic Lamb with Red Wine Sauce and Wild Herb Salad

This recipe comes to us courtesy of Perttu Paulasto from the Juuri restaurant in Helsinki

Ludwigskirche in Saarbruecken

Ludwigskirche in Saarbruecken

Discover Germany

Join DJ Curly Buuh on a personal tour of his chilled out home city - Saarbruecken.

A woman works in a Lebanese vineyard

A woman works in a Lebanese vineyard

Lebanese wine

Tolerated by Hezbollah and replanted in the 90s, Lebanon's vineyards flourish in a former warzone.

A Cricova wine billboard.

A Cricova wine billboard.

Moldovan wine

Tiny Moldova has surprisingly big wine exports covering 15 percent of its national budget.

Anti-mafia sign from Libera Terra

Anti-mafia sign from Libera Terra

Anti-mafia wine?

Sicily's anti-mafia movement is gaining momentum with local businesses at the forefront.

A woman with a glass of Riesling

A woman with a glass of Riesling

Wine region at risk

Germany's famous Moselle winemaking region is threatened by the construction of a bridge.

German wine valley residents fearful of new bridge

A vast bridge spanning Germany's famous Mosel Valley is triggering protests from wine-makers and others who worry it will drive away tourists.

Vines in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia

Vines in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia

Shiraz auf Deutsch

Descendants of German settlers are making wine in Australia and successfully selling it in Europe.