Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 19.12. 2007

European Union agreed on a reform of wine European market

The European Union agreed on a reform of wine European market today. A suggested ban of sweetening wine with beet sugar with which some countries including the Czech Republic did not agreed is not in the final text. It was said to ˙TK by a source close to negotiation. The agreement is a compromise of member states with an aim to increase competitiveness in a competition with wines from South America, the United States and Australia. The EU is one of main producers, consumers, importers and exporters of wine. Nevertheless, it is aware of a fact that import of wines from other corners of the world still increases while consumption of wines produced in the Union decreases.

Above –average year brought aromatic and piquant wines

Wines from this year will be very aromatic and lightly piquant. According to vine-growers they will contain less alcohol than those from last years. This year’s yields per hectare of vineyards moves over ten-year average. However, wine quality is from area to area variable in dependence on how vine-growers regulated amount of crop.

Ice tea smells. Kofola has to withdraw it

Kofola has to withdraw from sale a part of bottles with citron ice tea. It was ordered by the State Agricultural and Food Inspection. Inspectors on base of a suggestion of one of consumers revealed objectionable non-alcoholic beverage Jupí Tea citron with expiration date in May 2008 in Hypernova in Prague. “In the place inspectors forbade further sale of this beverage due to unsuitable sensorial characters. The product had a non-typical chemical smell, it was turbid and it contained agglutinated wads”, Martina Šmídová, a spokeswoman of the Inspection said.

First part of liming of damaged forests

Aerial liming leads to improvement of state of forests damaged by pollutions. This year the Ministry of Agriculture (MZe) provided liming of 2400 hectares of forest. The liming was realized in ˙eskomoravská vrchovina, Šumava, in Orlické mountains and Krušné mountains. “An original plan for liming for this year counted with 2800 hectares. Regarding the fact that snow fell down a month earlier it was not possible to keep the original extent”, Petr Vorlí˙ek, a press spokesman of MZe explained. Despite the fact the treated area represents more than a half of 4300 hectares planned for this and next year.