AC/DC fans in the UK can now get their grubby mitts on a bottle of ‘AC/DC Wine’, with Laithwaites Wine announcing its launch of the line in the UK.

Laithwaites have partnered with Australian wine producer Warburn Estate to deliver two varieties of the AC/DC wine range to UK consumers.

Available immediately from laithwaites.co.uk are:

* Back in Black Shiraz (2011) from Australia’s Barossa wine region; and
* Hells Bells Sauvignon Blanc (2011) from the Malborough wine region.

Pricing starts from £9.99 a bottle.

‘AC/DC wine’ has been a huge story for Australia’s world renowned wine industry, with sales of the AC/DC range going platinum within two weeks of its Australian launch in August 2011.

The AC/DC wine range also includes:

* You Shook Me All Night Long Moscato (2011 750mL Sweet White);
* Highway to Hell Cabernet Sauvignon (2008 750mL Dry Red);
* Hells Bells Sauvignon Blanc (2010 750mL Dry White); and
* Thunderstruck Chardonnay (2011 750mL).

No word yet on any further international release dates, but stay tuned to ACDCfans.net for more details.

Have you tried AC/DC wine? Let us know what you thought of it in the AC/DC forum.

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson has confirmed hopes of a new AC/DC album in 2012.

Speaking ahead of his appearance in the Rolex 24 endurance race at Daytona Speedway, Johnson confirmed to Florida radio station WYGM-AM 740 The Game that he hopes the band will be in the studio before summer.

Johnson later reaffirmed his earlier comments in an interview with Cowhead Radio, revealing that health issues were affecting one of the band members – but he was confident of a full recovery and that the boys would be back together soon and working on new material.

“It’s a wonderful thing when we get in a room. When the boys get back together I get all… you know, it gets exciting”, revealed Johnson. “The boys after a while pick the guitars up, Phil will make his way to the drums, Cliff will pull his bass out and then all of a sudden this noise comes out and I sit there with just this big old grin on my face.”

Listen to the Cowhead Radio interview below and be sure to drop by the AC/DC forum to discuss this and other AC/DC news with fellow fans.

Brian Johnson of AC/DC on The Cowhead Show by mrcowhead

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has entered the digital age, with his Tauranga restaurant now sporting a Facebook page, Twitter account and its very own webpage.

Phil’s Place, located at the Bridge Marina in Tauranga, New Zealand, opened in October last year and has seen plenty of bookings through the door since undergoing extensive refurbishment.

Billing itself online as the best steak restaurant in New Zealand and a dining experience not to be missed, visitors to the Phil’s Place website can peruse the restaurant’s menu and wine list and snap themselves up some merchandise.

Phil’s Place popping up online comes on the heels of the recent launch of the Brian Johnson racing website.

Check out philsplacenz.com for more details.

Have you been to Phil’s Place? Join us on the ACDCfans.net forum and let us know your experience.

On this day, 31 December 1973 (38 years ago!), AC/DC played their very first live gig at Chequers Nightclub in Sydney, Australia.

The line-up that night included Dave Evans up front on vocals, Angus and Malcolm Young, Larry Van Kriedt on bass duties and Colin Burgess on the skins.

The reported setlist from that night:

• School Days (Chuck Berry cover)
• Honky Tonk Women (The Rolling Stones cover)
• Get Back (The Beatles cover)
• Jumpin’ Jack Flash (The Rolling Stones cover)
• No Particular Place to Go (Chuck Berry cover)
• Nadine (Chuck Berry cover)
• I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (The Beatles cover)
• The Old Bay Road
• Midnight Rock
• Show Business (early version called “Sunset Strip”)
• Rock and Roll Singer
• Soul Stripper
• Rockin’ In The Parlour
• Can I Sit Next To You Girl
• Baby, Please Don’t Go (Big Joe Williams cover)

Can I Sit Next To You Girl b/w Rockin’ In The Parlour went on to become AC/DC’s first single, released only in Australia on 22 July 1974 on the Albert Productions label. This single is the only commercial recording featuring Dave Evans and is now a highly sought after and very rare AC/DC collectors item. Have a listen below!

AC/DC’s lead singer Brian Johnson has put his Riley Daytona Prototype through its first test at the Daytona International Speedway ahead of his debut in the Rolex 24 race in Florida.

As previously reported, Brian Johnson will race in the 50th running of the Rolex 24 endurance event alongside fellow historic car driver Byron DeFoor for Predator Racing. The Rolex 24 at Daytona is the first major event on the racing calendar, and widely regarded as the most difficult race to win. The third driver to join Johnson is yet to be announced.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated ahead of his dream ride, Johnson explains: “I just always wanted to be part of it, but to actually drive in it, was just …. I didn’t even have the ability to even mix with these puppies, but after about 12 years of vintage racing, everybody said, ‘come on Brian. Give it a shot. You got a few podiums,’ and stuff like that. Byron just made it happen.”

Johnson plans to use his participation in the race as a way to raise money for the Austin Hatcher Foundation’s ‘Highway To Help’ campaign, which hopes to raise $1 million. AC/DC fans can donate to the campaign by texting “2232″ (that’s “ACDC” folks!) to 501501 or by making a donation of any amount at www.hatcherfoundation.org/highwaytohelp.

Brian Johnson recently launched his own racing website – Brian Johnson racing – where fans can find out more about his charity work and follow his racing schedule.

Watch the full interview with Brian Johnson and Speed News Australia below and drop by the AC/DC forum to have your say on how you think Brian will go in the race.

Billboard.com has put AC/DC wine to the test, and given it a thumbs up.

The tasting panel, comprised of three professional winos and Billboard’s editorial director, put AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” Moscato and “Back in Black” Shiraz through their paces at New York’s exclusive City Winery.

On sampling AC/DC’s “Back in Black” Shiraz, the panel found “…the big bass sound and Shiraz… work well together. If you’re not badass enough to head-bang to “Back and Black,” don’t even bother with this sharp (albeit one-note) wine.”

And the panel’s verdict on “You Shook Me All Night Long” Moscato?: “This is for the guy who wants to blast AC/DC at home and his wife gets annoyed, so he gives her this and says, ‘Oh, look who makes this! Let’s blast the song!’”.

Very clever!

AC/DC wine follows the current trend towards unconventional merchandise, with the band joining many hard rock outfits who have already dipped their toes into the wine market. Among the other drops tasted by the panel were The Rolling Stones “Forty Licks” Merlot, The Police “Synchronicity” Red Blend, Motorhead Shiraz and Pink Floyd “Dark Side Of The Moon” Cabernet Sauvignon.

AC/DC wine also comes in “Highway To Hell” Cabernet Sauvignon and “Hells Bells” Sauvignon Blanc, with the latest addition to the line being “Thunderstruck” Chardonnay.

AC/DC wine is currently only available in Australia. Still no official word at this stage on when the wine range will hit international shelves.

Tasted AC/DC wine yourself? Let us know your verdict below or sign up to the AC/DC forum and discuss this and other AC/DC news with fans worldwide.

AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams turns 62 today. Born on 14 December 1949 in Romford, Essex, Williams joined AC/DC on 27 May 1977 and has been the rock band’s bassist and backing vocalist ever since. Noted for his rock-solid and simple bass lines, Williams’ work can be heard on all AC/DC albums since 1978′s Powerage.

The AC/DC bass player started his professional music career in 1967, appearing in British groups Home and Bandit, and briefly considered retiring from music when Bandit disbanded in 1977. He was talked into auditioning for AC/DC who were on the hunt for a replacement for former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans, who was fired from the band in 1977 shortly after the recording of Let There Be Rock.

Listing his musical influences as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and blues musicians such as Bo Diddley, Williams makes no secret of the successful approach he brings to AC/DC: “[I play] the same thing in every song, for the most part… complex [bass] lines wouldn’t add anything to a guitar-oriented band like [AC/DC], so I try to create a bottom layer that drives what our guys are doing on top”.

When not touring with AC/DC, Williams is well known for his musical side projects – including a hurricane relief event in Florida with fellow AC/DC band member Brian Johnson, and Classic Rock Cares charity gigs.

Williams and the rest of AC/DC were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association’s Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Happy Birthday mate from ACDCfans.net.

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has listed two homes for sale in Tauranga, New Zealand.

According to local newspaper the Bay of Plenty Times, Rudd’s harbour-side properties have a combined rateable value of NZD$4.05 million.

The two homes were originally constructed separately over two levels and with two titles – but can be purchased as a combined dwelling or individually.

Listing agent Ken Coull of LJ Hooker has confirmed he has been appointed to sell the properties owned by Mr Rudd. Mr Coull’s listings, one of which has received over 700 viewings, make much of Rudd’s ties to AC/DC, including references to AC/DC songs ‘Hell’s Bells’ and ‘Carry Me Home’.

AC/DC fans hoping to get a private tour of Rudd’s homes can think again though – viewings are for genuine parties only and all potential buyers must sign confidentiality agreements before getting a look.

Phil Rudd’s decision to sell his New Zealand hideaways follows the opening last month of his restaurant Phil’s Place on the Harbour Bridge Marina.

Fellow AC/DC band member Cliff Williams put his two mansions up for sale recently in Georgia and Florida.

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson has revealed in an interview on VH1′s That Metal Show that he believes AC/DC will be gearing up for a new album in 2012.

Speaking with Eddie Trunk in an hour-long episode, Johnson told how he’d met up with Malcolm Young in October in London. During the pair’s conversation, Malcolm has said to Brian that he was ‘bored’ – pointing towards a desire to get things moving in the direction of a new AC/DC album in 2012.

In a revealing interview, Brian spoke about his joining the band and how Back In Black’s You Shook Me All Night Long came together.

And in a terrific nod from the band to its home crowd, he also revealed how prior to the Australian leg of the recent Black Ice World Tour, the band had decided to include High Voltage in the setlist, with Brian requesting that an image of Bon Scott be included in the accompanying video backdrop as a tribute to the former frontman and local hero.

Stay tuned to ACDCfans.net for more news on a new AC/DC album in 2012 and AC/DC tour in 2012.

AC/DC fans be sure to tune in to VH1′s That Metal Show for an hour-long episode with Eddie Trunk interviewing AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson – airing tomorrow night, Saturday November 26.

Johnson talks about plans for a new AC/DC album in 2012 and how the band survived rock music’s dark days of the 1980s.

Here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect – Brian at his absolute finest as usual. If you can’t see the preview, try here.