The Briefcase

Long Island Business News, Apr 18, 2008

Brooklyn wine country

A California winemaker has decided to ditch the bucolic scenery of Napa for a more urban, and local, jungle.

Abe Schoener will crush New York grapes and make wine from the juice in a factory in Brooklyn's Red Hook district. His first wines, due out a year from now, will be made from North Fork grapes.

Schoener, who holds a doctorate in Greek philosophy, was an intern at Stag's Leap Winery before moving on to become winemaker at Luna Vineyards.

Who wants Newsday?

So much for those Cablevision-is-going-to-buy- Newsday rumors.

Reports earlier this week said the Bethpage-based cable operator is not interested in buying Long Island's daily publication.

That leaves New York Post owner Rupert Murdoch and Daily News owner Mortimer Zuckerman in the fight for the paper, which could fetch more than $500 million.

Heated up

First Massapequa Park, then Southern California. Now it's Uttar Pradesh.

The Clear Skies Group, born on the Island's South Shore five years ago, installs systems that convert solar power into electricity.

Now the local team has gone global, signing a $20 million deal with Power Cube, a company in India's largest state by population, to develop and construct several solar energy projects.