Take a look at this week’s wine-centric news round up. A few call outs: Love this piece by Jeff Siegel about how the wine industry just needs to ‘calm down’ about all this DTC shipping legal craziness. Looks like the glassy winged sharpshooter has been found in Northern California wine country—that could be horrible if it turns out to be an infestation. Take a look at this piece I wrote for the Napa Valley Wine Academy answering the question—What is Rutherford Dust really?

Don’t forget to sign up for this year’s WINExpo, where I’ll be moderating a session on regenerative agriculture. And if you haven’t yet—please submit your nominee for who you think Wine’s Most Inspiring Person for 2021 should be.

That’s all from me for now. I will not be here next week as I prep for my next WSET Diploma Exam and then take a bit of time off to recover. Until the next time—drink good wine…cheers.

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Hey all, I want to call out something super important here. Wine Industry Advisor has just opened up submissions for its Most Inspiring People awards and this is the first time they’ve asked for nominations from the public. So if you know someone who’s made a significant, positive contribution to the US wine industry please nominate them here.

Did you do it? Awesome. Then you may continue on with your perusal of this week’s short list of wine-related news items. I’ve got a few pieces out myself, but some of my favorite articles this week are highlighting the diversity of our wine industry—so great to see these stories amplified in the media.

Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy!

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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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