Hope everyone is staying happy and healthy and making smart decisions out there. Here’s what’s happening in the wine and food world…

Locally, California has gone back a phase (or two) and all indoor recreation, including indoor dining, wineries, and tasting rooms are shuttered once more. While those latter three can accommodate guests in an exterior setting, all bars (that don’t have a food service attached to them) must close completely. The Press Democrat has a breakdown of what’s going on, but also check out the California Department of Public Health’s Guidance on Closures below.

IF you decide to go out—WEAR. A. MASK. In Napa, the Register reports, COVID guidelines are now officially being enforced. Wear a mask, maintain social distancing courtesies, don’t gather in large groups—or be fined.

In other Napa-news COVID is now potentially affecting harvest. It’s a time when many workers travel from around the globe to pick and crush grapes, but no-go given the current circumstances. Are you a local looking for a harvest internship? Scroll down to the Napa Valley Vintners Job Board link below.

Good wine news? Wine-searcher reports that French sparkling wine is, as of yet, affected by the tariff drama. Cheers to that.

Looking for some COVID distraction? Scroll down to the BLOGS where Eater has a top list of graphic novels that feature food as the major theme. Decanter has a fun crossword that will challenge your Rhone Valley knowledge. And that same publication will take you on a tour of some of the most beautiful California vineyard estates currently for sale.

As always, there’s loads of other things to read—not all COVID and not all bad news. So, have a dose of fun with your newsy news as well.

Cheers, all. Be well.

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Alright cool kids, here’s what’s going on. The Napa Valley Register reports that Napa has shutdown indoor dining and entertainment. According to the Press Democrat, Sonoma will probably (and in my opinion hopefully) soon follow suit. The number of COVID cases in both counties are rising. The number of people who seem to care are not—check out the below pieces from wine-searcher and HuffPost on how that’s affecting our hospitality workers. (Spoiler: not well.)

But if you want some “good” COVID-related news, read Decanter’s article detailing how the UK chancellor is putting schemes in place to help the hospitality industry; Wine Spectator takes a look at the successes of the Spanish wine industry.

For those in California prepping for harvest, the Wine Institute has established a “COVID-19 Harvest Protocols Workbook,” aimed to help you with those efforts. Stay safe out there.

Don’t forget to scroll down to the Blogs. There’s a lot of good stuff up this week. I’m calling out Amber LeBeau again for her well-written piece on creating a more racially inclusive wine industry.

Another interesting anecdote: Tim Atkin’s author Andy Neather and Vinous author Neal Martin seem to be talking to each other this week. The topic: climate change—and how it’s positively affecting the English wine industry.

Oh, also, take a look at the curious (and potentially delocious?) Shiraz-Pinot Noir blends (I know!) discussed by Young Gun of Wines.

There’s loads more so, scroll through, read some educational pieces, but please do check out some of the fun bits as well.

Cheers.

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It’s a short week this week for those of us in the US, and I hope everyone has some way they’ll be enjoying the time off. Of course, celebrating our country’s heritage is a bit bitter sweet this year—for many reasons—so, I’d like to highlight a few positive pieces that came out in this week’s wine-related news. Wine Industry Advisor speaks to Sonoma viticulturist Brenae Royal, who speaks to how racial inclusivity within the wine business means creating a simultaneously broader, yet more intimate and meaningful, wine consumer base. For more on that kind of perspective, check out the Forbes piece that profiles three Black wine experts—including one of my favorite local producers Theodora Lee. And for those of you in the biz who are looking to hire, work or network with, or just become familiar with qualified Black wine industry pros, Julie Coney has spearheaded, and officially launched, the Black Wine Professionals website just this past week.

Need a bit of a laugh? Well, there’s a company making wine bottles out of paper. Yeah…

Oh, and for my wine nerds out there, check out Tim Gaiser’s blog post on deductive tasting and Young Gun of Wines’ dive into ageable Aussie Chard.

That’s some of the good/fun news. However, I do want to say that if you have outdoor plans for this Fourth of July weekend, please stay safe. Here in California Newsom has shutdown indoor businesses (including bars, restaurants, wineries, and tasting rooms) in 19 counties, as well as state beaches from Monterey to Sonoma. But before you get any ideas about packing up the truck and heading toward the North Bay, be warned: Sonoma County is not immune and is, in fact, probably next on that list.

So, again, wherever you are, however you choose to celebrate, please make smart decisions, stay safe, protect yourself and others. That’s all from me for now. Have a happy weekend and drink some good wine.

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Hello. How are you? Are you, like me, still sheltering in place or are you venturing out into the wide wine world already? I admit, on a personal note, that the offers to go to in-person tastings are tempting. I miss people, physical interactions, side-by-side vineyard and cellar walk throughs and interviews. But I’m just not *there* yet. As the SF Chronicle reports, Wine Country is attempting to reopen, but the rise of the spread of coronavirus is real—in my town, in this county, in our state, and all across the country. So, if you are going out, I urge you to please be safe, careful, make healthy choices.

If you want more drama than that, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the recent resignation of several Master Sommeliers from the Court of Master Sommeliers in protest to the immoral attitude and actions of the organization. The CMS finally sent out a public statement addressing the issue, but that statement is, in many eyes, just not good enough.

The wine industry, just like the rest of the world, is in a constant state of flux at the moment. Scroll through, catch up on some news and anecdotes (don’t forget to check out this week’s Blog call-outs) and let me know your thoughts. 

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