Daily News: Iran Bans the Word “Wine,” UK Sees Huge Uptick in Supermarket Sparkling Wine Sales

Your daily dose of news and happenings from around the drink-o-sphere:

– Winemakers in Tuscany support a government effort to reduce the number of boar and deer in the region by two-thirds; last year, Tuscan wildlife ate the equivalent of 130,000 bottles in grapes.

– In the United Kingdom, supermarket liquor sales over the holidays grew unexpectedly, with sparkling wine and gin showing the largest sales increase.

– With the end of UN sanctions against Iran, the Islamic Republic’s minister of culture has banned the word “wine” to protect against “cultural onslaught” from the West.

– A Canadian inventor and researchers at the University of British Columbia have created the G-KUP, a compostable answer to the Keurig made of bamboo fiber and sugar cane.

– Barware company Rabbit has introduced freezable beer and whiskey glasses that chill your beverage down to an un-tasteable 20-30 degrees.

– Finally, two London-based foragers are using yarrow—a staple of herbal medicine—to combat the negative effects of alcohol.

[Photo: Flickr/Didricks]

Tagged: Iran, keurig, Tuscany, yarrow