Your daily dose of news and happenings from around the drink-o-sphere:
– Virginia has become one of the top 5 viticultural states in the U.S. with sales approaching $1 billion.
– In Food & Wine, sommeliers share their tips for getting guests to try sherry.
– Runner ducks, which have long been employed in Asia to keep rice paddies pest free, have recently been deployed by a South African vineyard to eat snails that damage vines.
– The perceived curative properties of certain species have led to the illegal production of rare animal booze, including tiger-bone wine, snake wine and lizard tonic.
– Budweiser will debut new temporary patriotic labels this summer replacing “Budweiser” with “America” and “King of Beers” with “E Pluribus Unum” in the lead up to the presidential election.
– By year’s end Boston will lift its long-standing BYOB ban.
– Craft beer is the latest political prop on the campaign trail as presidential candidates opt to showcase local, independent breweries over Big Beer.
– Finally, Roads & Kingdoms explores the world of Kabul’s illegal moonshiners.
[Photo: Flickr/Jun]