Good Saturday morning! Here are some of the latest wine-related news (including a piece by yours truly) and blog posts I’ve been reading this week. A little overview of what you can find: For those of you who are feeling a little wander-lusty, it seems that Italy plans to reopen its borders starting in June. But how welcome will the U.S. be? This report from Japan Today gives Americans a realistic perspective on what relationships between Asia and Europe mean for potential travel. And if you think that’s a bummer for those who travel for leisure, check out what it means for traveling winemaker Nick Goldschmidt.
Of course we can always travel vicariously via wine—but your wine bottles out of the E.U. may start to look a little different.
Here at home, it looks like Sonoma County may start to see a slow, cautious re-opening of local businesses, including wineries and tasting rooms. (I just ask that if you do decide to visit my hometown, please be respectful of all the rules and regulations put in place. Thank you.) Oregon, on the other hand, seems to be going at it a bit more aggressively.
And of course don’t forget to check out the Blogs below. We’ve got some great opinion pieces, some wine science, and more. Cheers!
Wine Enthusiast: Social Distancing and Fire Prevention: California Prepares for Wildfire Season
California wine country has had a challenging year. The United States Department of Agriculture’s 2019 crush report indicated yet another grape-glut while consumer interest in wine continued to dwindle and the coronavirus pandemic forced tasting room closures.
Now, while wineries struggle to keep consumers engaged in the digital sphere and prepare for the slow progression of reopening brick-and-mortar establishments, California is also in the midst of one of its most important annual stretches: fire prevention season. READ MORE…
Star Advisor: Italy plans to reopen its borders June 3 with no travel restrictions
The Italian government announced today that it will throw open its borders next month, effectively ending Europe’s longest and strictest coronavirus lockdown just as the summer tourism season gets under way. Both regional and international borders will open June 3, with the government eliminating a 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving from abroad. Many hope the move will revive a decimated tourist industry, which is worth 13% of Italy’s gross domestic product. Such an opening is exactly what tourism operators have been waiting for — even if European neighbors so far appeared be wary of the unilateral Italian announcement. READ MORE…
Japan Today: Why the U.S. might not open up to international travelers any time soon
The U.S. government largely shut down international travel to the United States in March with a series of rapid-fire moves, but restarting it will likely be a longer, more piecemeal process that could be complicated by rising tensions with China. Even as President Donald Trump pushes for U.S states to begin reopening their economies, U.S. borders remain shut to travelers from China and Europe. Any decision on easing travel restrictions will depend in large part on what safety protocols all countries put in place to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus and whether those countries in turn grant entry to Americans. READ MORE…
wine-searcher: Europe Moves on Wine Ingredient Labeling
The rise in production of low-intervention natural, biodynamic, and organic wine suggests that consumers want to know what they are drinking. It is uncertain whether the listing of wine ingredients and nutritional information on labels, including the amount of sulfur added to wines, would have any impact on the wine choices most wine consumers make. READ MORE…
The Press Democrat: Coronavirus pandemic forces traveling winemakers to change plans
As the coronavirus spread around the world, Nick Goldschmidt had to race out of Chile before the United States closed its borders in March. The vintner took the last flight out to Houston, Texas, then spent 14 days in quarantine at his home in Healdsburg. Goldschmidt is a flying winemaker who produces wine in Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, as well as the United States. The coronavirus forced him to cut his time in Chile short by two weeks during the harvest. Flying winemakers travel the globe, often making exotic varietals and bringing a wealth of knowledge to bear, gained from working in many cultures and winegrowing regions, typically through more than one harvest. When they can’t travel, their profits can suffer, and so can the quality of the wine. READ MORE…
The Press Democrat: Sonoma County seeks state approval to reopen restaurants, breweries, tasting rooms for outdoor use
Sonoma County’s top health official on Monday submitted a reopening plan to the state that would allow customers to return to Sonoma County restaurant, brewery and winery patios nearly two months after they were closed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Also on the Sonoma County’s list of activities awaiting state approval: summer camps for kids, drive-through ceremonies for high school seniors and drive-up religious services for places of worship. Dining indoors at restaurants will have to wait. So will trips to the mall. READ MORE…
Wine Spectator: Oregon Wineries Open Doors
After being closed to the public for nearly two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Oregon’s 450 tasting rooms began welcoming guests over the weekend. Gov. Kate Brown announced May 14 that 28 of Oregon’s 36 counties had received approval for the state’s Phase 1 of reopening, which includes allowing restaurants and wineries to reopen at limited capacity. 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 or want your blog included.
Tim Atkins: Splendid Isolation
Virtual wine tasting is here to stay, in the same way as MS Teams virtual work catch-ups and Zoom family chats. They get across a lot of information to more people, more efficiently. And at least for formal tutored events, I can’t say much atmosphere is lost.
And yet such tastings are different to those in the life we led up until just a couple of months ago – and not just in the incongruous home backgrounds of some events (as Sunday Times wine critic Will comments, “It’s one thing standing in front of 150 people doing a tasting; it’s quite another inviting them into your home.”) He admits of the virtual version: “You really miss that interaction – you can’t see or hear the audience.”
It’s the vinous angle on a bigger problem which has been bothering me with the virtual conquest of locked-down space. Zoom is quite efficient – for my wine masterclass; for my daughter’s university maths lectures; for my wife’s board meeting. But it freezes out so much of the humanity in those interactions: what would have been my exchange with a fellow-critic afterwards; my daughter’s chat with classmates on the way back to halls; my wife’s shared eye-roll with senior colleagues. READ MORE…
Richard Hemming MW: Why Wine Writers Don’t Hold the Trade to Account
The quick answer is money. I’ve been writing about wine for 12 years, and have always relied on other events (judging, masterclasses, teaching, events) for the majority of my income, just like 99% of other wine writers. Getting those jobs requires maintaining friendly terms with lots of different sectors of the trade. Writing a piece that challenges or undermines the wine trade might earn you respect and viral readership numbers – but it might also decimate your earning potential.
Besides – and I’m happy to admit this – I don’t want to stir things up. I have never claimed to be a journalist. I have some very valued friendships in the wine industry, and I want the trade as a whole to be successful. That doesn’t mean I intend to willingly mislead consumers, nor that I feel unable to criticise parts of the wine trade when necessary – simply that I am realistic and pragmatic about how the job works.
Incidentally, if you think that is morally dubious, answer this: if I put a link here requesting a donation of £1 to read this article, would you pay it? READ MORE…
Beverage Law: Legal FAQs on Re-opening California Restaurants, Brewpubs, Bars & Tasting Rooms
As California begins the process of easing up on its March 19 Stay-at-Home Order (Order; FAQ Directives), there are a lot of unknowns about how it’s actually going to work for hospitality businesses, which inherently involve interactions between strangers. But don’t worry, we’re California after all, so we will fight the pandemic in the most California way possible. The road will be winding and full of regulatory potholes, buts it’s all designed to keep us safe and our famed hospitality and restaurant industries humming. Below is an overview of the regulatory framework that has been put in place as we ease back into contact with one another, and what it means for your business. READ MORE…
Science and Wine: Pinot Blanc—Impact of the Winemaking Variables on the Evolution of the Phenolic, Volatile and Sensory Profiles
Pinot blanc is a grape widely cultivated variety in regions of Germany, Austria, France and Italy. Outside Europe, it can be found in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, New Zealand, South Africa, United States and Uruguay. This wine has generally been described as greenish-yellow to gold in color, with a relatively sour taste and from light to moderate body. According to the production regulations for Pinot blanc South Tyrol DOC, this wine should look straw-yellow in colour with greenish hints, dry, with a noticeable acidity and a pleasant typical aroma. Its aroma has been characterized by descriptors such as apple, pear, yellow fruits or even by mango and spicy. The aim of this work was to identify the effects in the quality of Pinot blanc over time due to winemaking, by analysis of the changes to its chemical and sensory profiles. The grapes used were harvested all in the same day and in the same vineyard, and their processing started together, to avoid sampling effects. READ MORE…
BriscoeBites officially accepts samples as well as conducts on-site and online interviews. Want to have your wine, winery or tasting room featured? Please visit the Sample Policy page where you can contact me directly. Cheers!