Your daily dose of news and happenings from around the drink-o-sphere:
– Arson is the suspected cause behind a fire that destroyed California’s Tuscan Village winery and 4,000 acres of land.
– A new study out of UCLA suggests that organic and eco-certified wines taste better.
– Food & Wine shines a spotlight on Friuli, one of Italy’s lesser-known wine regions located on the border of Austria and Slovenia.
– New York’s Death & Co. will see its second location open in Denver’s Ramble Hotel in late 2017.
– The Teeling Whiskey Company is revitalizing the Irish whiskey industry by focusing less on Irish heritage and more on innovation.
– Though the barrel-aged cocktail trend remains popular in several LA-based bars, some suggest that it may be overrated.
– In the Columbia Journalism Review, Bill Ward explores the curious phenomenon of sports writers turned wine writers.
– Finally, the remote-controlled Pongbot makes beer pong more challenging by creating a moving target.
[Photo: Flickr/Stefano Lubiana]