Crazy week this past week, no? I usually have more to say, but I think this week, I’m going to leave it to you.
Scroll through,
read,
learn,
comment if you have a comment.
Cheers.
Searching for "Italy"
DipWSET Theory: Tasting Germany—Not Riesling
Would that I could have a bottle of every single wine variety. I bet I could learn a whole heap that way (not to mention have a whole heap of fun). But, alas, the money tree seems to be in its dormancy. So the title of this post is a bit mis-leading, as I won’t be physically tasting through these wines, but more putting together what I can gather from my readings about the style and structure typical to these varieties, as it pertains to German winemaking.
Afterwards, I want to take a walk through a few of the other notable wine producing regions of Germany and talk about what non-Riesling grapes thrive best there and why. Sound fun? Totally. Let’s go…
This Week’s Latest Wine Headlines: August 29—September 4
Hello my people and happy weekend. I’ve been a bit silent on the posts lately, studying feverishly for those WSET exams. Not to worry, I’ll have some fresh (educational content) lined up for you this next week.
Good news from the Sonoma home front is that fire containment continues to improve, with the larger Wallbridge Fire currently at 88% containment as of 7 a.m. this morning (Friday), according to SoCo Emergency. For those in the Ag sector, please take a look at CAWG’s list of resources detailing safety and training measures during fire season.
There’s a lot going on locally, nationally, and abroad. So, scroll through, catch up on some news, get some independent insight from the Blogs. And of course, as always, I’ve hidden one or two fun and/or amusing tidbits amongst it all.
Cheers
This Week’s Latest Wine Headlines: August 8—August 14
Happy weekend, my friends. Let’s take a look at some of the headlines in wine this past week…
Remember how the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee released a report significantly changing the recommend daily alcoholic intake, stating men should not consume more than two drinks per day and women should only consumer one? (Yeah…right…) Well, the NAWR has something to say about that. And if that doesn’t put a damper on things, it looks like tariff drama continues and its affecting wine businesses all over the world. (They really want to make it hard for us to get a drink around here, eh?)
It looks like COVID’s latest wine victim is the ancient art of food-treading. Wine Spectator reports that more and more Port producers are turning to mechanical means to make their wines this vintage.
Over in Russia there seems to be something of a wine boom, according to Wine Intelligence’s latest report. The younger generation wants to steer clear of their parents’ and grandparents’ typical imbibes (vodka) and want something “modern” and “lower in alcohol,” which for them means—wine. Which is funny, because my cohort Jim Gordon wrote a short piece for Wine Enthusiast saying that to attract U.S. Millennials, wine producers need to emphasize the health benefits of wine on their labels, calling out organic, biodynamic practices and even providing clear tasting notes. (Seems like we’re going to need bigger labels…) I have thoughts on that. What are yours?
Oh yeah! NOT wine: Sonoma has officially planted its first legal hemp farm. Not something I’m into personally, but kind of interesting how things evolve. Curious if this trend will continue.
Interesting stuff—and there’s tons more. So scroll through, and don’t forget to check out the Blogs for some independent insight.
Stay well, stay healthy. Cheers.
This Week’s Latest Wine Headlines: June 14—June 19
The world is sick right now. In multiple meanings of the word. And the wine industry is not immune. While wineries and tasting rooms long to welcome back guests—and many are, indeed, reopening their doors—the coronavirus continues to spread amongst winery employees.
Concurrently, a whole segment of our industry—our black colleagues—are fighting against racial injustice, discrimination they experience within our industry, and fighting for their right to be seen and heard for who they are and what they contribute as black wine professionals.
I’ve compiled a list of wine-newsy items as I usually do, but I want to call out a few specific articles that, for me, provided a ray of hope amidst all the other feels I am feeling at the moment.
Shakera T. Jones‘ first person account, published in SevenFifty Daily of being an under-represented black professional also dives into how the wine industry can step up and truly be an ally their black colleagues—action, influence, inclusion.
My piece for Wine Enthusiast looks at how wineries—all around the world—worked to keep their hospitality staff members working during tasting room closures by training them to work in the vineyards, rather than temporarily (or permanently) suspending their employment.
And if you only read one blog post this week, please let it be Amber LeBeau‘s “Why the Wine Industry Shouldn’t be Color Blind.” I’ll just leave that there.
Please, be kind to one another. Please take care of yourselves. And please please please
Please help heal our world.
