Happy weekend and I hope everyone is enjoying the summer season, staying cool, hydrated, and healthy. Welcome back to your weekly round up of wine-newsy items. Locally, we have to talk about the California wildfire season’s effects on the wine industry (yes, this is an ongoing issue—check AGG and CAWG’s investigation on rejected 2020 fruit), political tensions, and—unfortunately—the continuous spread of COVID throughout the Sonoma community.
On a broad industry level, if you haven’t heard about Russia’s new rules surrounding ‘Champagne,’ take a read and let me know what you think. And—it look like there may be a new, more environmentally friendly, way to achieve Parker Points?
Fun Stuff: Next time you go to a bar, you may just get straws made of….pasta! And (shameless self-promotion), I dig into the notorious ‘wine twins,’ —wines commonly mistaken in blind tasting or tasting exams in my latest article for Wine Enthusiast.
There’s much much much more. So enjoy your coffee, tea, cocktail, wine—whatever time it is while you’re reading this post—scroll through, have fun, learn some stuff. Cheers.
Wine Enthusiast: Wine Twins Can Confuse Even the Most Expert Tasters
While it might seem like a party trick, blind tasting helps those who sell and study wine to better understand styles, regions and typicity.
But certain varieties often confuse tasters. Called “wine twins,” these duos might share chemical makeups, agricultural and winemaking practices, or characteristic styles.
What are the trickiest wine twins, and how do pros tell them apart? READ MORE…
Bloomberg: The Burning Question for California Wine Country
Will climate change ruin one of the most beautiful (and lucrative) valleys in the world?
Down the hall from Tom Knecht’s office in St. Helena, hanging on a wall near the reception area, is a memento from the Before Times: an official photograph of several dozen California firefighters in their dress blues, commemorating the 2015 fire season.
It was a memorable year for the Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, commonly known as Cal Fire. The Valley Fire of September 2015 was the kind of experience that firefighters talk about for years, a “once-in-a-career event,” said Knecht, the unit’s division chief. READ MORE…
Press Democrat: North Coast grape harvest nears with smaller crop amid challenges of drought, wildfires
As he surveys the area surrounding his vineyard in the Ukiah Valley, Tyler Rodrigue tries to remain upbeat about the North Coast wine industry’s two big worries: drought and another looming fire season.
“There’s a lot of things out of our control … welcome to farming,” said Rodrigue, CEO of Noble Vineyard Management. “You kind of just layer on another one with the drought.”
The company oversees 1,500 acres of vineyards in Mendocino, Sonoma and Lake counties. That includes its own holdings as well as those of large companies such as Jackson Family Wines and Concha y Toro, which owns Fetzer Vineyards in nearby Hopland. The only area that it doesn’t operate in the North Coast is Napa County. READ MORE…
Napa Valley Register: “Choke the woke” sign on Silverado Trail draws attention of Napa police, code enforcement
Acluster of at least seven signs posted outside a small, nondescript Silverado Trail house is uncompromising in proclaiming its creator’s conservative stance — “AMERICA LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT,” “SUPPORT THE NRA,” “UP YOURS NEWSOM.”
But two of the placards — one formed from red lettering on a white panel, the other hand-lettered onto green cardboard — appear more pugnacious than the rest: “CHOKE THE WOKE.”
That message is the latest in an assortment of slogans to be posted within sight of those driving, bicycling or walking a section of the Trail, just east of the Napa Valley Expo and a few blocks from Soscol Avenue’s busy commercial strip. READ MORE…
Press Democrat: More COVID patients landing in Sonoma County ICU beds as virus spreads among unvaccinated people
With a modest but stubborn surge of COVID-19 cases adding to the usual summer spate of recreational misadventures and heat-related illness, Sonoma County’s intensive care units are filling at an uncomfortable if not alarming rate.
As of Tuesday, 72% of the county’s staffed ICU beds were occupied — or 81.5% discounting surge capacity — according to county data. There were 44 patients with COVID-19 being treated in the area’s six hospitals that day, and 13 of those patients were in intensive care, numbers last seen here in mid-February, Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said. READ MORE…
The Washington Post: Wine critics should consider a bottle’s social and environmental impact, too, one vintner says
Max de Zarobe takes issue — not with pretty labels, but with critics’ scores. De Zarobe is chairman of the board of Avignonesi Winery in Tuscany. Last month, he published an open letter to wine critics, urging us to pay as much attention to how a wine is made as to how it tastes. READ MORE…
BBC: France in a fizz over Russia’s champagne label law
France has hit back at a new Russian law ordering French champagne makers to label their bottles as sparkling wine.
France has strict rules protecting its bubbly, meaning to be called champagne it must be from the French region that shares the name. But under Russia’s new law, only local producers can call their drinks “shampanskoye” – the Russian equivalent of champagne.
France’s main champagne industry group called the law “unacceptable”. Under the new legislation – signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday – foreign producers of sparkling wine are ordered to describe their products as such on the back of the bottle. French producers are still allowed to use the word champagne on the front of bottles, but the use of “shampanskoye” is allowed only on local produce.
Business Tech: Alcohol ban to be challenged in court as South Africa faces extended lockdown
Vinpro, a non-profit company that represents 3,500 South African wine producers, will challenge the government’s adjusted level 4 lockdown restrictions in court this week in a bid to have the prohibition around the sale of alcohol relaxed.
The group, which is set to have its urgent interdict application heard in the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday (7 July), is specifically aiming to lift the ban on the sale of wine in the Western Cape, seeking relief for wine businesses. READ MORE…
Blogs Worth a Read
Taken from the list of Blogs I follow regularly, here are just a few posts from this past week I think are worth a read. Shoot me a note if you have suggestions of blogs to follow or want your blog included on that list.
Jancis Robinson: The return of the corkscrew
Is cork making a comeback in Australia? After two decades of aluminium screwcaps reigning supreme as the stopper of choice here, a small but growing number of producers are starting – or returning – to sealing their bottles with plugs of tree bark. Especially their more expensive bottles.
I’m not referring to the bottles Australian winemakers send to export markets like Asia or the US, where cork has always been preferred. I’m talking about a surprising uptick in the use of cork locally – surprising because Australian wine drinkers, particularly younger ones, have become so used to screwcaps that many don’t even know how to use a corkscrew. Seriously. READ MORE…
Young Gun of Wine: Babydolls and McLaren Vale’s Other Green Pin-Ups
South Australian–based research winemaker Dr Lieke van der Hulst takes us inside a community of winegrowers in McLaren Vale who are making changes from the ground up.
McLaren Vale in South Australia is the home ground of many devoted custodians of the land, but a burgeoning group of grapegrowers and winemakers are pushing the idea of environmental sustainability just that little bit further in the hope of leaving the planet at least as well as they found it – and maybe even better. Small changes and big revamps are all part of this philosophy in the Vale, with winemakers considering regenerative farming and ‘closing the loop’ to be just as important as making delicious wines.
Brad Moyes and his wife Kendall Grey from Orbis Wines, for example, are turning their 32 hectares in the middle of McLaren Vale into a green playground. Orbis (Latin for ‘circle’) is not simply a winery dream come true for Moyes, but a deeply personal decision after reading Jared Diamond’s book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, in 2005. Moyes and Grey wanted to set an example for their daughters by doing their bit to help fight climate change. Simply buying carbon-offsets was not enough for Moyes, though. “I looked into buying a forest,” he explains, “but that turned out to be too big, so we decided on a vineyard with surrounding woodland to live more sustainably.” READ MORE…
bw166: Spirits Lead the Acceleration in Seltzer/RTD Label Approvals
Label approvals for seltzer and seltzer-like products continue to accelerate in 2021. Currently in 2021, approvals are trending at 334 per month versus 228 approvals per month in 2020 (the TTB approved 2,002 labels in 2020 in total and has already approved 2,741 in 2021 through June). These trends continue to point to increasing fragmentation in the seltzer/RTD space and, clearly, many companies are chasing their share of seltzer’s phenomenal growth. READ MORE…
The Wine Gourd: The value of wine exports
I have written before about the relationship between the volume of wine exports and the monetary value of those exports, with regard to particular countries. Clearly, some exports are worth a lot more money, per liter, than are others. I thought that it might be worth looking at the current top export countries, to see how these differences come about.
The first lot of data to be discussed come from the Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (via VinEx), for the year 2020. The graph below shows us both the volume (horizontally) and the value (vertically) of the wine exports for the top 11 wine-exporting countries, with each point representing one country.
Clearly, there are three (named) countries that stand out from the rest, plus another two (Chile and Australia) that produce more than the main bunch (which includes, in decreasing order of volume: Argentina, United States, South Africa, Germany, Portugal, New Zealand). READ MORE…
Vino Joy News: Silver Heights leads Ningxia wine exports
Silver Heights, China’s foremost terroir-driven winery in northwestern Ningxia, is now leading in the country’s quality wine exports with over 60% of Ningxia’s entire wine export value coming from this family-owned winery.
Silver Heights, China’s foremost terroir-driven winery in northwestern Ningxia, is now leading in the country’s quality wine exports with over 60% of Ningxia’s entire wine export value coming from this family-owned winery.
The data was revealed by Ningxia Wine Bureau and confirmed by the winery.
The news came on the back of the country’s ambitious 15-year plan to turn the northwestern wine region sitting on the edge of Gobi Desert into the country’s best chance to produce world-class wines to rival international brands.
According to Ningxia Wine Bureau, Silver Heights is now exported to 13 different markets in Europe, Americas and Asia Pacific Region.
Despite the pandemic, the winery exported RMB 1.64 million (US$254,000) worth of wines in 2020, which accounts for 61.88% of Ningxia’s total export value (RMB 2.65 million), making it the biggest wine exporter among all wineries in Ningxia. READ MORE…
Vino Joy News: 24 wineries awarded Wine Advocates’ Green Emblem
Twenty four wineries have been awarded Wine Advocate’s newly launched Green Emblem to recognize “the most extraordinary cases of sustainable efforts” in wine industry, the wine publication has announced.
Twenty four wineries including Champagne house Louis Roederer and Italy’s Tasca d’Almerita have been awarded Wine Advocate’s newly launched Green Emblem to recognize “the most extraordinary cases of sustainable efforts” in wine industry, the wine publication has announced.
The new recognition follows consumer trend to demand more transparency in wines beyond a 100-point scale for wines that demonstrate environmental preservation efforts.
WA has also adopted organic and biodynamic filters to its wine database, and the Green Emblem according to the publication is a step further. It is awarded to “producers/wineries that have achieved outstanding levels of sustainability. It is very rarely given out, and only after careful consideration of firsthand reviewer knowledge,” it explains.
However, the distinction is not set for life. It could be revoked if changes that are considered contrary to sustainable efforts were made, according to the publication. READ MORE…
GuildSomm: Franciacorta Webinar—History, Geography, & Grapes
In the first webinar of this two-part series, MS Christopher Tanghe explores the history, culture, geography, and grapes at the root of Franciacorta, the traditional-method sparkling wine from Northern Italy. This webinar was recorded on June 24, 2021. WATCH HERE…
A Balanced Glass: Think Alcohol-Free Is Boring? These 7 Winners Will Prove Your Tastebuds Wrong
We like to road test as many products as possible before we put our name to them as “ABG Recommended.” So this week we took some time to sit down and taste some non-alcohol offerings to see if we could find some interesting gems in this newly emerging category.
With a matching set of products lined up in front of us, Cathy and I were joined by ABG Community members Jesse Kirkpatrick of Atlanta-based retailer Elemental Spirits Co. and Adrienne Stillman Krausz, co-founder of Dry Goods Beverage Company, to dive into a selection of bitters, shrubs, drinking vinegars, non-alc and “alternatives” offerings from the Dry Goods portfolio.
We’re looking forward to an upcoming guest post from Adrienne that “decodes” the non-alcohol category; as Cath and I are learning, it’s fascinating in itself and far more nuanced and developed than we understood at first. But for now, here were our favorites from the selection that ABG purchased. READ MORE…
The Strategist: Nifty Straws Made of Pasta
On a recent balmy night in Brooklyn, my husband and I wandered down to the Columbia Street Waterfront for a rare date while our daughter was at Grandma’s house. Without a reservation, the good people at Popina scrounged up a table in their festively lit backyard, where we opened the menus on our phone. I’m pregnant again, so with a heavy heart I looked past the list of regional Italian wines and ordered a Spindrift. It arrived at our table cracked open, with a bright-green straw sticking out. Thick and rigid, the straw was a little starchy to the tongue but definitely not plastic. After commenting to my husband, a food-industry professional, that I had no clue what it was made of, he grabbed it, put it between his teeth, and said, “Honey, I think it’s pasta!” Our waitress later confirmed that not only was the straw made of pasta but gluten-free pasta, in case we were concerned. (Having trekked to Popina for its housemade casarecce, we weren’t, but we appreciated the tip nonetheless.) READ MORE…
Press Releases
These are some press releases I received this week that I actually thought were interesting…enjoy!
CAWG: Allied Grape Growers, CAWG Release Legal Analysis on 2020 Winegrape Rejections
A report released today by Allied Grape Growers (AGG) and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) analyzes various grape transactions in 2020 that resulted in rejections or severe price discounts due to alleged quality problems associated with wildfire smoke. Prepared by Downey Brand, LLP of Sacramento, the report examines how these transactions comport with prevailing contract terms, reviews the applicable law and potential liability of wineries that rejected winegrapes, and provides guidance to growers on how they might protect themselves in the future.
Industry sources estimate 165,000-325,000 tons of California winegrapes, valued at $601 million, went unharvested in 2020 due to actual or perceived concerns of quality loss due to wildfire smoke events. READ MORE…
Altria: Altria Reaches Agreement to Sell Its Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Business
Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) today announced that its subsidiary, UST LLC, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (Ste. Michelle) business to Sycamore Partners Management, L.P., a private equity firm specializing in consumer, retail, and distribution investments (Sycamore Partners), in an all-cash transaction with a purchase price of approximately $1.2 billion and the assumption of certain Ste. Michelle liabilities (Transaction). Altria’s net cash proceeds will be subject to customary net working capital and other adjustments at closing.
Altria expects the Transaction to close during the second half of 2021, subject to Sycamore Partners obtaining the necessary financing and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including antitrust regulatory clearance.
“We believe the Transaction is an important step in Altria’s value creation for shareholders and allows our management team greater focus on the pursuit of our Vision to responsibly transition adult smokers to a non-combustible future,” said Billy Gifford, Altria’s Chief Executive Officer. “Ste. Michelle and its talented employees have built an outstanding portfolio of premium wine brands, and we wish them future success.”
“The Ste. Michelle leadership team and I look forward to working with the team at Sycamore Partners and believe we are well-positioned to drive the next phase of our growth,” said David Dearie, Ste. Michelle’s President and Chief Executive Officer. READ MORE…
Michael David Winery: Michael David Winery Announces New President
Michael David Winery is excited to announce Larry Holman as President, effective immediately. After 37 years in business as a bonded winery, brothers Michael and David Phillips are eager to take the winery to new levels and are looking forward to the growth this change will bring.
Larry brings over 40 years of industry experience to the winery, holding prior executive management roles at companies such as Cline Cellars, Constellation and E&J Gallo. He will oversee all facets of the winery to increase wine production and achieve sales goals, while reporting directly to Co-Owners Michael and David. “For Dave and me, this is a step forward, not a step back,” says Founder and Co-Owner Michael Phillips. “We are confident that Larry will help us lead Michael David Winery to a bright future and are excited to see the success he will bring to the organization.”
Brothers Michael and David Phillips are 5th generation grape growers whose family has cultivated wine grapes in the Lodi region for nearly a century. Michael founded the winery in 1984 with little more than an old barn, a used press and a few barrels on a dirt floor. Recently awarded Wine Enthusiast’s “2020 American Winery of the Year,” the Phillips family pride themselves on innovative brands that deliver on both quality and price. READ MORE…
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