"Historically, foreign wine has had to face a strong domestic-wine lobby, " says Pat Jones, an agent with the U.S. Customs Service.

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His views are supported by fellow U.K. supermarket chain Morrisons, whose 2, 000-strong survey of British wine drinkers found that, when it comes to buying wine, 74% said they weren't confident.

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We round off the visit tasting a couple of barrel-aged beers, the 2008 edition of 25 Dodici (25th December, their Christmas beer) and two barrels of Sedici Gradi (Sixteen Degrees, their strong, dark barley wine).

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While the port wine industry remains strong, local grapes are now also being used to make fine red and white table wines that are attracting much foreign interest.

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"Olfaction and taste are really the new frontier in neurobiology, " says Stryer, quickly adding that his love of good food and wine is a strong motivator in his quest.

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The local cheeses are memorable, and the wine list is exceptionally strong.

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This year, SAP has stepped up to take the lead role as presenting sponsor, and RBC, Callaway Golf, Wine Spectator and Trumpet Behavioral Health are also offering strong support as sponsors.

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That would be a good thing if all signs pointed to a strong global economy as well as worldwide demand for that much wine from a tiny island nation in the South Pacific.

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Three units equates to two small (125ml) glasses of wine (containing 12% of alcohol by volume) or a whole pint of strong lager (5% ABV) or cider, according to the advice charity Drinkaware.

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