Gearing up for change: with formal welcome into the European Union announced this April, Cyprus stands to reap major economic and political benefits. But EU membership also presents significant challenges, both to Cyprus and its non-EU neighbours. (Cyprus).
Strollers along the corniche in the resort city of Limassol will hardly notice a difference this season, but the latest expansion of the European Union is expected to bring great changes to the Cypriot economy. Even the elegant Cypriot pound will disappear in the process, as the country swiftly...

Court rules PUC may not regulate sightseeing train.
In the latest round of a battle that began during the late 1980s, the City of St. Helena has won an appellate court ruling stating the Napa Valley Wine Train is not a public utility to be regulated by the Public Utilities Commission. The decision appears to mean that...

From the editor.
Life, it appears, involves a series of things lost and things gained. There are times when events, occurrences, and collective efforts imply both at the same time. And so in this issue of Americas a species saved, an industry revived, a symbol recorded and destroyed, the photographic record of...

The good earth: harvesting the spirit of Mendocino County.
It's a crystalline Sunday afternoon, and John Ash has invited friends to share in a harvest feast. The setting: Mendocino County's Bonterra Vineyards, a private ranch with lush fields and meadows encircled by rugged, tree-covered Northern California hills. Inside Bonterra's converted sheep barn, a convenient kitchen provides ample cooking...

Grape events: Our cuisine editor picks her five must-do's at this month's Winefest.
Lots of things will be different at this month's Florida Winefest & Auction, but the basic elements will remain the same: food, fun and fine wine uncorked all over town at a whole constellation of great events. In all, the festival offers 40 events, and you can't do everything...

FARM TOURISM: A CASE STUDY IN FLORIDA'S ORANGE GROVES.
To some the idea of farm tourism conjures up visions of remote destinations filled with exotic flora and fauna. To others, the concept includes opportunities in more commercialized environments like wineries. Few would immediately think of a farm-based operation in an urban, south Florida environment, but such is the...

Fine wines and wine fines.
Restrictions on interstate sales of alcoholic beverages turn oenophiles into smugglers. Coffee. Condoms. Salsa. Socks. You can have the finest of each, delivered monthly to your doorstep, anywhere in the United States. In this era of niche marketing, it seems that anything you could possibly desire is just a...

New Vines from Uruguay.
When a connoisseur mentions South American wine, consumers think of Argentina, Chile, or Brazil--rarely Uruguay. Fernando Deicas, president of Establecimiento Juanico, would like to change that. His company recently signed a joint venture with French distributors William Pitters and announced it would invest $1 million to buy land to...

Balance Sheet.
ASSETS * Das Cut. Germany's Social Democratic government reverses course and backs budget and tax cuts. The corporate tax rate would be cut to 38 percent and capital gains taxes would be slashed. German businesses react by canceling plans to pack up and leave the country. ...

Argentina's power youth.
Under a broiling February sun, twenty-five-year-old Beatriz Fernandez--donning a yellow hardhat and brown work gloves drives wire supports into the ground with specialized tools, then helps other construction workers lay bricks for an hour before heading to the water cooler for a quick break. The sight of this...