Here’s my weekly roundup of wine and food—and this week travel—news. Though not all articles included are about the pandemic, I have to admit that, regardless of what’s on this list, the biggest news going into this weekend is certainly how the COVID pandemic continues to affect our lives.
This week is Thanksgiving in the US. I implore you, whatever you decide to do—be safe, take care of yourself, take care of your families and friends, take care of your fellow humans.
Thank you.
Wine Industry Network: WIN Insiders with Lindsay Hoopes of Hoopes Vineyard, Napa Valley (VIDEO)
Talking about the non-profit, Save the Family Farms
Save The Family Farms is a Napa Valley 501(3) non-profit created and run by a group of owner-occupied grape growers and so-called “micro-producers,” many of whom produce less than 1,000 cases each year. What a lot of people may not realize is that in Napa the Winery Definition Ordinance (WDO) stipulates that it is illegal for these micro-producers to invite consumers to either taste or purchase wines on their premises. The WDO dictates that producers must have a production facility on-site in order to conduct direct-to-consumer business. This is an investment many of these grower-winemakers do not have the budget nor the real estate to afford.
Lindsay Hoopes, proprietor of her family’s multigenerational business, Hoopes Vineyard in Napa, California, is an active member of Save The Family Farms. WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE…
Decanter: Leading Port figure James Symington dies
James Symington, who is credited with playing an instrumental role in reviving the Port wine industry in the second half of the 20th century, has died.
Symington Family Estates, owner of Warre’s, Dow’s and Graham’s, announced the death of James Symington this week.
He was part of the third generation of the Symington family to make Port and was a leading figure in Portugal’s famous Douro Valley for more than 40 years, the family-owned group said in a tribute.
From overseeing the making of legendary vintages like 1966 and 1970 to expanding the reach of Port overseas – especially in the US – James Symington is credited with helping the region recover from a precarious financial position following the Second World War. READ MORE…
The Drinks Business: Private Cellar of Joseph Phelps to Be Sold
The private cellar of the late Joseph Phelps, spanning over 5,000 bottles of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Champagne and Napa wines, is to be auctioned off by Hart Davis Hart this December.
The collection will be offered at HDH’s sale on 18-19 December. An active collector for decades, he valued provenance, condition and storage highly and all of the wines were either kept at his winery or in a temperature-controlled cellar at his home.
He even kept original receipts and note cards of purchases over the course of 50 years which the family were able to hand over to the auctioneer. READ MORE…
New York Times: It’s Time to Put the Noble Grapes in Their Place
Given a chance, many varieties, once scorned or dismissed, have proven they can shine. Why constrain our thinking about them by creating hierarchies?
The way people talk about wine often reflects their other beliefs about the world.
When gender attributes were more rigidly defined than they are now, for example, it was common to hear wines described as masculine or feminine. This has diminished, though, as people have come to see that gender does not predestine character and personality.
Similarly, in socially stratified societies, wines were commonly discussed in terms of their class or breeding. This tendency, too, has ebbed, as social orders in many places have become more fluid.
Wine grapes, however, still seem to be in the grip of an inflexible caste system that establishes the limits of a grape’s potential. Some people, like the writer Robert Joseph, defend this hierarchical view of grapes. But to me, it’s a narrow-minded, obstinate and sadly condescending way to look at a world of wine that has become far more egalitarian than it’s ever been before.
Until fairly recently, generations of wine authorities habitually referred to the “noble” grapes, classically a group of six considered to have aristocratic potential: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and riesling. The constituency differed slightly depending on who was doing the ordaining, but this was the core group. READ MORE…
VinePair: Idaho Is the Next American Wine Region That Deserves Your Attention
“Boise is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, which is helping to really propel the Idaho wine industry,” says Moya Shatz Dolsby, executive director of the Idaho Wine Commission.
Many of the people moving to or visiting the state are young, knowledgeable about wine, and open to trying new things. They’re visiting urban tasting rooms and the surrounding wine regions in droves, and, as Dolsby confirms, they’re loving the Syrahs, Rieslings, Tempranillos, and other bottles they’re finding. “People are proud of them,” she says, “and they want to bring them home to their families.”
The industry is also growing in size. There are now 60 wineries in the state, which is a 58 percent increase since 2010. Leslie Preston, who owns Coiled Wines in Garden City, left a job at Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa to return to her home state and make wine. She was initially drawn in by the promise of Idaho Syrah, but has found other grape varieties to be just as exciting and distinctive. READ MORE…
Sonoma Count Restaurant fined $1,000 for violating virus restrictions
A Rohnert Park restaurateur was fined $1,000 on Wednesday for violating state pandemic-related restrictions by not having more of the tent-like enclosure around his outdoor tables open for air flow.
Mary’s Pizza Shack owner Cully Williamson said he plans to appeal the citation, saying he had invested heavily in public health safety at his eatery since the coronavirus emerged in the county and had repeatedly sought help from the city to find a way to operate in colder weather.
But after a Rohnert Park compliance officer warned him that having three sides of the tent closed around tables was not allowed, the officer returned the next day and found the same thing. READ MORE…
Wine Spectator: As Shutdowns Return, Restaurants Grapple with the New, New Normal
Spiking COVID cases are triggering new restrictions on indoor dining in major markets
For restaurateurs in cities across the U.S., winter is arriving early. After a trying year of pandemic shutdowns followed by a dance of takeout, outdoor service and limited indoor service, the industry is looking at shutdowns again as COVID-19 cases spike throughout the nation.
“I was and am extremely concerned for our restaurant community,” said Rachael Lowe, beverage director at Spiaggia, Chicago’s famed Italian eatery. “To closely experience the myriad emotions our hourly employees are experiencing with the constant state of upheaval, closures, reopenings and then closing again, it’s really devastating. So many people are not only without work, but now faced with decisions they might have never considered, such as another career path.”
Local governments are reinstituting measures—including a halt on indoor dining—in an effort to help control the spread of the virus. Chicago banned indoor dining Oct. 30 and San Francisco followed suit Nov. 14. Today, new shutdown rules went into effect for indoor dining at restaurants and bars in Michigan and Oregon. New York, New Jersey and Minnesota have implemented 10 p.m. curfews for restaurants. READ MORE…
CGTN: Lufthansa tests ‘COVID-negative’ flights
True to German punctuality, flight LH2058 pushed back from the gate at Munich Josef Strauss airport at exactly 9:11 a.m. bound for Hamburg.
This was Lufthansa’s first fully COVID-19 tested flight, meaning prior to boarding all passengers and crew tested negative for the virus.
This flight is part of a trial program conducted by Germany’s largest airline, Lufthansa, for which it has teamed up with biotech company Centogene and MVZ Martinsried to offer free rapid antigen tests at the airport with results available within the hour.
According to Chris Leffers, the head of corona testing at Lufthansa, the objective is to make traveling easier amid global lockdowns to curb the coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE….
Travel + Leisure: Chile to Reopen Its Borders to International Tourists Next Month
Visitors will have to fly into Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport and present proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of their arrival. They’ll also have to provide a sworn health statement and consent to be monitored by app on a daily basis.
International passengers who meet Chile’s entrance requirements won’t have to quarantine and will be free to wander around the country, presuming they keep officials updated about their health and any coronavirus symptoms they may experience.
“All the people who enter the country, Chileans and foreigners, will be under a surveillance period of 14 days. They will have to report their symptoms and location,” Chile’s Undersecretary of Public Health Paula Daza told La Tercera.
ABC Australia: Fears China has cut off imports of Australian wine amid worsening trade war
There are signs that Australia’s billion-dollar wine trade with China has effectively ground to a halt, as winemakers continue to grapple with disruptions.
Industry group Australian Grape and Wine says it has asked exporters if any shipments had cleared China’s customs since an unofficial ban was touted two weeks ago, but so far none have reported success. “We know there’s been no official confirmation of a ban,” chief executive Tony Battaglene said. READ MORE…
ABC Australia: South Australian COVID-19 lockdown hits Australian wine sector hard
Wineries and cellar doors in Australia’s largest wine production state have been forced to shut shop for a second time as South Australia goes into a six-day ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown to stop a second wave of coronavirus.
Brian Smedley chief executive SA Wine Industry Association said winemakers and wineries needed to follow the Emergency Management (Stay at Home) (COVID-19) Direction 2020, and it was not business as usual for the wine industry. READ MORE…
Wine Searcher: Southern France’s Wine Future Far From Rosé
The south of France is synonymous with pretty pink plonk, but there is greater potential elsewhere.
In 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron took a trip to China. Several châteaux were invited to provide a few bottles during one of the presidential dinners, including Cheval Blanc and a Grand Cru Burgundy produced by Domaine Louis Latour. Quelle surprise – a motley collection of the usual suspects were trotted out to impress China’s political class.
Yet Macron did break with tradition during his presidential visit: he asked ex-rugby player Gerard Bertrand to showcase the best of Languedoc winemaking. Choice vintages of Château l’Hospitalet and Cigalus – both reds – were served alongside a Premier Grand Cru Classé from Bordeaux. “What further proof do you need?” enthuses Gerard Bertand.
“This categorically illustrates that the Languedoc is considered a fine wine region.” READ MORE…
Eater: The Anime Show Where People’s Clothes Fly Off When They Eat Delicious Food
“Food Wars!” is a reminder that sometimes the only proper reaction to a good meal is a foodgasm
Food Wars! (or Shokugeki no Soma), based on a Manga with the same name and available to stream on Netflix, is basically what happens when you combine Harry Potter and Iron Chef. Teenager Yukihira Soma, who works at his dad’s diner, begins attending the elite Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, where he is surrounded by rich kids hellbent on mastering fine cuisine. Yukihira is an incredibly creative chef, typically elevating common diner dishes to extreme culinary heights and surprising his more traditional classmates. He also has a tendency to challenge his fellow students to food wars — battles to see who can create the most delicious dish. 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.
Tim Atkin: Why Brits love laughing at wine experts
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo and Unsplash
It is heartening that even under lockdown, the first signs of Christmas appear just as always: the Oxford Street lights, mince pies in the shops, and earlier this month the Sun running a piece trilling that a £4 South African red at the International Wine and Spirit Competition had beaten bottles costing ten times as much. The party season is secure! And poncey, self-appointed wine connoisseurs can’t actually tell the difference between wines any more than the bloke in the pub. READ MORE…
Jamie Goode: Explaining reduction, and dispelling some myths
One of the most interesting of all wine faults is reduction. But it’s a source of a lot of confusion in the wine world. So I thought I’d write a short article that attempts to explain what it is, and what it isn’t. One of the problems is that of overlapping terminology: the same word is used to refer to different things, and similar sounding words add to the confusion. READ MORE…
The Wine Economist: Wine, Tariffs, & Globalization
If you want to get a sense of wine’s global reach today I suggest you visit your local upscale supermarket or wine shop and survey the landscape there. I had my university students do this back in 2011 and reported the results in a Wine Economist column. The local Safeway store carried about 750 wines from a dozen different countries back them, which caught the students by surprise. The store has expanded its wine wall since then, with even more offerings, and the supermarket across the street has an even larger set of wine choices. Globalization delivers a world of wine to your doorstep. READ MORE…
BC Wine Trends: Winemaker’s Thoughts on BC Harvest 2020
The 2020 harvest in British Columbia was a replay of 2019. Another February deep freeze causing bud damage and low yields. An early October cold snap and snowfall causing harvest challenges.
However, when the crush was completed, although the yields were down as much as 30% at some vineyards compared to the average year, the fruit quality was excellent.
Here are some detailed harvest comments for the Okanagan Valley, grouped by location.
The 2020 harvest in British Columbia was a replay of 2019. Another February deep freeze causing bud damage and low yields. An early October cold snap and snowfall causing harvest challenges.
However, when the crush was completed, although the yields were down as much as 30% at some vineyards compared to the average year, the fruit quality was excellent.
Here are some detailed harvest comments for the Okanagan Valley, grouped by location. READ MORE…
Napa Valley Vintners: Napa Valley Vintners to Continue Legacy of Caring for Community Through New Platform for Giving (Press Release)
The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) nonprofit trade association excitedly looks toward 2021 as a time for new beginnings as they announce a new chapter for Auction Napa Valley.
In the spirit of innovation, the Napa Valley Vintners and Auction Napa Valley Boards of Directors have unanimously determined that is it time wrap up Auction Napa Valley in its current format and redefine how a world-class wine region fundraises for the good of its community
“Pausing our Auction due to the global pandemic allowed us time to reflect on all we have achieved and gave us the space to envision what our future might look like.” said Robin Baggett, Chairman of the NVV Board of Directors. READ MORE…\
Nielsen: Giving Thanks Takes on a Whole New Meaning in 2020
In a year unlike any other, even Thanksgiving is not immune to polarization in the U.S.
As we confront ever-rising COVID-19 cases and physical and financial restraints, this year’s Thanksgiving festivities will look and feel drastically different, depending on location, generation and the financial impact of the pandemic. Yet from online shopping to price hikes, consumers share commonalities in confronting a Thanksgiving unlike any other. READ MORE…
bw166: The Increasing Fragmentation of Seltzers
With the rapid growth of the seltzer category, it was inevitable that more participants will chase that growth. Using our newest tool, Label Inquiry, we thought we’d take this opportunity to understand how many and what new entrants are making a play at the seltzer space. READ MORE…
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