EDIT Saturday September 19: I prepared this post previous to the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Suffice it to say her passing has affected me greatly. As such, I wanted to add a nod to this wonderful woman who, though not related to wine or the wine industry, has been and will continue to be a great role model to women who wish to pursue their passion in any career field, make a difference in their community, and stand up for what is right and just no matter what their adversaries throw at them.

“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” she said.

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Hello and happy weekend. Hope everyone is doing well, staying healthy and happy. For my part, as I write this, Sonoma is still overcast with a mixture of ash and fog—that latter bit I’m actually grateful for for once, as I’m *hoping* it will help clear away the pollutants. For those of you near any West Coast fires who thought the world was coming to and end—well, so did I. The Napa Valley Register has a great piece enlightening us to the science behind that apocalyptic orange glow.

More local news: I recently wrote what (I think) is an interesting piece about how scientists can now “fingerprint” a wine’s DNA, which, in effect, can pinpoint the place of origin, thus basically making a scientific case for the idea behind terroir.

There’s quite a few pieces about the wine industry that came out this week, including the latest in wine shipping news, Pouilly-Fusse’s new premier cru status, and a notable NY sommelier announcing his retirement.

As always, there’s some great independent insight from the Blogs. This week I found a few great wine recommendations from around the world—time to stock up on those international varieties methinks.

Read on, have fun, and leave me a note to say hi. Cheers.

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