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Chilean leftists engaged in acts of public disorder and small riots on Wednesday in celebration of the tragic death of moderate President Sebastián Piñera the day before in a helicopter crash. Police arrested at least one individual in the disturbances. Piñera, who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022, died on Tuesday evening while piloting his personal helicopter. The helicopter crashed into a lake near the southern Chilean town of Lago Ranco. Piñera was accompanied by three members of his family, all of whom survived the crash and were able to swim...

Once a year, global elites from all sectors attend a five-day conference in the snow-capped town of Davos, Switzerland - which is supplemented by caviar, champagne, and all types of debauchery after hard work is over. The World Economic Forum 2024 is kicking off this week, with world leaders and business executives convening for discussions and events surrounding the most prominent issues of the day. The theme this year is 'Rebuilding Trust' - and will be attended by 3,000 guests. But when they descend on the small Alpine resort town of Davos, attendees do more than just discuss global conflicts,...

What does champagne left on the bottom of the ocean for 170 years taste like? Leather and wet dog, apparently.Those were the initial findings by a team of scientists and lucky tasters after analyzing a sample from one of the 168 bottles of champagne recovered from a shipwrecked vessel on the Baltic seafloor. Divers had found the sunken trade ship off the Aland Islands of Finland in 2010, and the treasure trove has chemists and connoisseurs curious.After allowing what is thought to be the oldest champagne ever tasted to breathe, however, the researchers were surprised to find an entirely different...

During an appearance Monday on MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour,” Democratic strategist James Carville explained why he was not worried about a prolonged election process with the outcome uncertain for days, weeks or even months. Carville told MSNBC’s Brian Williams he anticipated a Democrat win for Joe Biden and control of both chambers of Congress on November 3 and went as far as to boast about a celebratory bottle of champagne in time for Williams’ 11 p.m. ET program.

TikTok fans are retaliating for Trump’s threats of banning the app, which is owned by China’s Bytedance Ltd. and is hugely popular in the U.S., especially among teens. The thought of taking away a key social and entertainment hub in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to outrage. “For Gen Z and Millennials, TikTok is our clubhouse and Trump threatened it,” said Yori Blacc, a 19-year-old TikTok user in California who joined in the app protest. “If you’re going to mess with us, we will mess with you.” Blacc said the movement gained steam Wednesday when a popular...

Lovers of Champagne and other French sparkling wines should brace for big cost increases if the United States makes good on a threat to impose 100% tariffs on French goods in a dispute over the country’s planned digital services tax. A $70 bottle of Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage could surge to $130, for example, said David Parker, chief executive of Benchmark Wine Group, the largest U.S. supplier of fine and rare wines for wine retailers. The U.S. government said in December it may slap duties of up to 100% on $2.4 billion in imports from France of Champagne, handbags,...

France is threatening a “strong European riposte” if the Trump administration follows through on a proposal to hit French cheese, Champagne, handbags and other products with tariffs — of up to 100%. The U.S. Trade Representative proposed the tariffs on $2.4 billion in goods Monday in retaliation for a French tax on global tech giants including Google, Amazon and Facebook. “I’m not in love with those (tech) companies, but they’re our companies,” Trump said Tuesday ahead of a sure-to-be-tense meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in London. The move is likely to increase trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe....

Share Share Tweet Share Pin It Email Comment Print It’s an important distinction, actually. Photo: Elliot Elliot/Getty Images/Johner RF A man in Quebec has filed a class-action lawsuit claiming a Canadian airline inflicted actionable damages by serving him a free glass of sparkling wine that wasn’t Champagne. A skimpy pour isn’t what outraged Daniel Macduff on his Sunwing flight to Cuba for a holiday getaway — it was the fact that he thought he’d been promised Champagne, but he instead spied a bottle that wasn’t marked with the style’s protected appellation. The airline, you see, offers “Champagne service” and “Champagne...

China on Wednesday launched its first domestically built aircraft carrier by smashing a bottle of champagne on its prow, the first time the Western tradition has been used with a PLA warship. But some guests attending the launch party for the still unnamed carrier at the Dalian shipyard in Liaoning province, wondered why champagne was used and not mao-tai, the Chinese liquor, naval expert Li Jie said. “China adopted the Western tradition of smashing a bottle on the ship, signalling the Chinese aircraft carrier is drawing close to international standards,” Li said. State media did not identify who wielded the...

The MCC warns spectators at Lord's ground not to injure players with stray champagne corks.

Biochemist Phillipe Jeandet.... who has analyzed the early 19-century bubbly, says there were surprising amounts of copper and iron in the wine. The copper most likely came from copper sulfate, which vintners used to kill mildew and fungus on growing grape vines, the report said. The nails used to hold the wooden storage barrels together probably account for the liquid’s high iron content, he said. Even after 170 years lying some 165 feet deep in the ancient sunken cargo vessel, the champagne corks had not deteriorated because, scientists say, there was liquid both inside and out. And, according to Andrew...

Nobody in their right mind is predicting a huge Obama victory. Most all the polls are showing a dead heat in the popular vote. In terms of electoral votes, many of the swing states that could decide the election--those too show a margin of only a percentage point or two, one way or the other. It looks too close to call with any confidence. The consensus seems to be that it will be one of three possibilities: a) Romney could win narrowly, b) if there is a bit of a wave, it's more likely to go to the challenger,...

Mystery Solved: The Most Expensive Champagne in the World Sold in an Auction was Purchased by Buyan, Singapore's Premier Russian RestaurantHistory was made when Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine & Caviar Bar located in the Republic of Singapore, won the world’s most expensive Champagne in a fierce bidding war. Buyan, which offers both inexpensive traditional Russian fare as well as Russian haute cuisine meant for the Tsars, has paid €30,000 (SGD43,630) for a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, which is believed to be 170 years old. Singapore (PRWEB) June 17, 2011 History was made when Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine & Caviar Bar...

MARIEHAMN - Wine experts Wednesday popped the corks of two bottles of champagne recently salvaged from the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where they had lain in a sunken ship for nearly 200 years. On stage in front of some 100 journalists and wine enthusiasts gathered in the capital of Finland's island province of Aaland, they eased the fragile corks from the dark brown bottles — one from the house of Veuve-Clicquot and the other from the now extinct house of Juglar. Swedish and worldwide champagne expert Richard Julin tastes a 200-year-old champagne Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/life/World+oldest+champagne+uncorked/3841588/story.html#ixzz15b2y19eI As the contents were...

MARIEHAMN, Finland – An accent of mushrooms merged with sweet notes of honey in a sampling Wednesday of what's been billed as the world's oldest champagne, salvaged from a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea. An expert who tasted the vintage bubbly was lyrical, detecting hints of chanterelles and linden blossom. An Associated Press reporter, who also sampled a bottle, found only a slight fizz and flavors of yeast and honey. The champagne — of the brands Veuve Clicquot and the now defunct Juglar — was recovered from a shipwreck discovered in July near the Aland Islands, between Sweden and Finland....

A group of Finnish and Swedish divers made a rare find on the Baltic seabed. If verified, the discovery could be the world's oldest drinkable champagne. Divers exploring a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea found 30 bottles of the champagne, believed to date back to the 18th-century. One of the bottles of Veuve-Cliquot has been shipped to France for analysis by champagne experts. Dark, cold conditions on the seabed are believed to have kept the champagne in excellent condition. Experts say one bottle may be worth nearly $65,000. If confirmed, the bottles would beat the previous title of the world's...

LONDON, - A buyer believed to be a Russian tycoon spent $75,000 including tip on a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne at a London bar. The purchase is believed to set a new record for a wine sale in Britain, The Daily Telegraph reported. The buyer plunked down 35,000 pounds (more than $50,000) for the methuselah of 1996 Rose Gold and added a tip of more than $15,000 on top of the service charge. The upscale transaction took place at the Westbury Hotel on Tuesday at a party following a screening of a new movie, "Boogie Woogie." The bottle was...

LONDON (AFP) – A variety of rhubarb grown in darkness and harvested by candlelight has joined French champagne and Italian Parma ham in having its name protected by the EU, officials have said. Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb has been awarded Protected Designation of Origin status by a European Union programme which aims to protect regional and traditional foods throughout Europe. It means the name can be used by only the 12 remaining growers of the foodstuff in the protected area, the so-called "rhubarb triangle" in Yorkshire. ... The rhubarb is grown in darkness and then picked by candlelight using traditional methods...

Nyetimber's Classic Cuvée 2003 which is made in Sussex was crowned Champion of Worldwide Sparkling Wines in the competition run by Italy's wine magazine Euposia. Now in its second year, the competition Bollicine del Mondo attracts sparkling wines from around the world. The wines are tasted blind by a panel of judges including winemakers. The Nyetimber wine, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, is described as having “aromas of mandarins, vanilla and lemons” as well as “shortbread and light apricot” with “biscuity notes playing a supporting role”. Camel Valley's Pinot Noir Brut, which is made in Bodmin,...