It’s been another week already. Hope yours went well. And I hope you enjoy this weeks booze-news round up. I’ll start with my oh-so-famous shameless self-promotion and point you this profile piece I wrote for Wine Enthusiast on Randall Grahm. Personal anecdote: way back when, Randall was the first winemaker I ever interviewed. I was such a newbie, asking basic winemaking questions as we tasted through 20+ of his wines. He’s a teacher at heart, and though my questions may be more complicated than they were back then, he’s still the kind, patient, and excited winemaker I know and love. He continues to be one of my favorite people in the industry to interview. So cheers to that.

Speaking of leadership in the industry, Kathleen Willcox has a great piece about wineries not just hiring more females for vineyard work, but creating a nurturing environment where these women can thrive and advance in their viticultural careers. Cheers to that. Oh and no big deal, but there may just be a cure to Pierce’s Disease…

When it comes to the next new thing in wine you may want to take a look at Kansas. (I guess there’s no place like home…). But, it looks like canned wine is a brushed up old has-been. Or is it?

What else? So much more. Take some time, scroll, read, learn, enjoy, leave a comment if you so desire. Have a great weekend.

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Good morning. I dare say we all made it to the weekend, so cheers to that. What’s on deck for this week’s wine-news round up?

I’ll start with my selfish plug for my latest article for Wine Enthusiast, diving into the definition of ‘Microclimate.’

If you’ve never considered the implications of covid on wine storage, here’s an interesting perspective on that. And, how would you all define ‘natural wine?’ (Yes, I just asked the controversial question.) Also enjoying this round up on sustainability measures around the world.

In the blogs, I have to call out my gal Amber again, who says what we’re all (at least I am) thinking about wax seals. And please, people before you go bashing bloggers for inserting their opinions (especially pros like Amber) take a look at this post as well.

As I study for my Diploma D4, sparkling exam, I’m looking forward to listening to Matthew’s podcast on Cava. And for those with the MW pipe dreams like me—take a look at this past year’s exam questions and then read the reaction of a current MW candidate.

Loads more, per usual. So sit back, relax, scroll, read, learn, enjoy. And shoot me a note every once in awhile. Cheers.

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Hello my friends. Another busy week. But since my friend (and fellow blogger) Rick actually took the time to send me a thank you note for these weekly round-ups, I figure they are, indeed worth the time and effort.

A few article call outs: Check out these two Black female powerhouses making waves in the Mid-Atlantic wine scene. Closer to home, in case you missed it, Napa and Sonoma experienced thunder and lightening and thankfully some rain, which means we’re not having an epic fire situation per 2020. However, there have been some suspicious spot fires around Healdsburg. Meanwhile, though the Caldor Fire continues to burn, containment continues to increase and vintners start the long recovery process. And now for something completely different: It seems expert analysts not convinced by recent poll concluding a massive wine consumer gender gap—interesting data there.

Over in the blogs, Tablas Creek has some interesting, and concerning, harvest updates regarding a significant drop in yields. A must read: Jancis Robinson’s article on females in the Slovenian wine industry. And, since I’m studying for my WSET Diploma D4 exam at the moment (Sparkling Wines of the World), I thought this post on Champagne from Jamie Goode was quite interesting.

Oh! And I’m not one to push press releases but check this out: Wine Company Pairs with Comic Book Producer. Need more of this in my life.

And, yes, registration is open for WINExpo where I’ll be moderating the viticultural session on regenerative organics.

There’s plenty (plenty) more. So take a scroll, read, enjoy, drink good wine. Cheers.

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Happy weekend, all. Happy Three-Day Weekend, in fact. There’s been so much going on in the news lately, it was almost hard for me to keep up this week. But I’ve done it, and hopefully I can help you catch up on anything you may have missed.

Of course, with selfish self-promotion, I’d like to point to my article speaking to vintners from Napa’s Spring Mountain AVA who are still cleaning up after the 2020 fire events that nearly destroyed the mountain top region. I report this, with respect to those who are currently battling the Caldor Fire and am happy to say, at least thus far, it seems El Dorado and Amador vintners remain optimistic. (Though the resulting smoke from these fires seem to be affecting our Canadian neighbors to the north.) Here’s how to help Caldor fire victims.

For a bit of dual fun-education, check out my Wine Basics feature for Wine Enthusiast answering the question: What does ‘Reductive’ Mean in Wine? And if you didn’t see my Wine Basics feature last week defining ‘mid-palate,’ take a read, and then check out this ‘critique’ of my article from Edible Arts’ Dwight Burrow.

Wine Industry folks: Ticket registration has opened for the second largest wine industry event in the US—WinExpo—and yours truly is moderating a panel discussion on regenerative agriculture. Sign up, join me, let’s learn how to save the earth one vineyard at a time.

What else? Well, it looks like the future of the US wine industry just may be based on *gasp* hybrid grapes. And, opinion time, what do ya’ll think about ‘hot climate’ wine regions? Oh, and if you like shopping at those small, independent wine shops, here’s an inside look at just how hard it is for producers to assert themselves onto those shelves.

I also have to include a few blog call outs:

With the abortion ban in Texas, my gal Amber asks the hard question—how is the wine industry going to respond?

James Suckling posted about the Top 10 wine instagram accounts the same week Wine Market Council released their data answering the question, “Does Social Media Impact Wine Choices.” Interesting juxtaposition.

And no worries, my fellow wine students, Jancis Robinson has no intention of retiring any time soon.

But wait! There’s more!!! If all that’s not enough booze news for you scroll through, there’s so much more that’s been reported this week. Did I miss anything? Let me know. Thanks for popping by. Cheers!

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