• Korbel father, daughter in lawsuit: This story is equal parts sad and unbelievable. Korbel Champagne Cellars’ owner Gary Heck is suing his daughter, Richie Ann Samii, for defamation. Heck says she is the Internet postings that damaged the winery’s reputation. Samii, meanwhile, denies making the comments -- although she admits they came from her Internet account. And it gets even stranger, involving a potential free speech precedent, sexual assault, and pet zebras. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat has the details.
• Winery account stole millions: A judge will decide next month whether to send the former manager of financial planning for a Niagara winery to jail for stealing C$7.4 million (about US$6.5 million). Christine Papakyriakou stole the money from Andres Wines over an 11-year period, citing alcoholism and a gambling addiction in her defense.
• Feds OK new appellation: The federal Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which regulates wine in the U.S., has approved the country’s 316th appellation. The Upper Mississippi River Valley Viticultural Area covers parts of four states -- southeastern Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin, northwest Illinois and northeast Iowa. One question, though: What difference does this make? The Wine Curmudgeon is as big a supporter of regional wine as there is, but I’m not sure how parts of four states can be defined by terroir.
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