Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 12/6

I read a lot of stuff about wine on the Internet. People frequently ask me for recommendations. But there’s just so much out there and only so much room in my head. In part that’s why I’ve been curating a wine magazine on on Flipboard for the last year or so. But for those of you who aren’t Flipboard inclined, I’ve decided to post a round-up here of what’s caught my eye over the past week.

Enjoy.

The Caribbean’s First Major Vineyard. Yes — Wine From the Caribbean
Colombard, even.

Opinion: Natural wine nightmare before Christmas
Nasty surprises are never good in the holiday season.

Renaissance of the ancient world
OUP is now writing about wine a lot.

Wine Collecting for Real People
Jon Bonné suggests wines for ageabilty.

Up On the Roof
Jancis Robinson observed by the New Yorker.

The Black Women Leading South Africa’s Wine Revolution
Seven Sisters gets its own tasting room.

When you land in New Zealand, the wine is closer than you think
Wonderful Waiheke

Botrytis ‘noble rot’ fungus reprograms wine grape metabolism
Geek alert. Cool science about noble rot.

Drinking Wine After Working Out? Why The Brain May Crave Alcoholic Drinks After Exercise
I crave wine BEFORE working out too.

Women in Wine: Ioanna Vamvakouri and Venetsanos Winery
Allison Levine profiles Santorini’s newest (female) vintner.

The Characters of Wine Country: An Insider’s View
Becky Sandoval profiles some characters.

Aglianico, a Red With a Sense of Place
Eric Asimov drinks his way through Irpinia.

Chinese wine culture goes mainstream
Bans on politics gifts result in regular people buying “regular” wine.

Is the Story More Important than the Wine?
More important? No. Important? Yes.

Sniffing stones and other tasting notes
Jancis on the topic of minerality.

Forty years on
Helluva career, Jancis.

2015 Winemakers to Watch
Esther Mobly’s list for 2015.

Filmmaker Jason Wise on Drinking While Editing and Staying True to Normal Wine
Nice bit on the man who is increasingly bringing wine to the masses.

How is Port Made?
Port Winemaking 101.

How a Wall Street Exec Became The Ultimate Burgundy Wine Collector
Oh, the good old days, when Grand Cru was less than $50.

Sicily: The Challenge of Turning Great Potential Into Great Wines
Ian D’agata on the current state of the island’s wines.

Ethical hedonists: Trend-spotting authentic wine in Berlin
Natural Wines in Germany.

Screw cap vs. cork? Many vintners say ‘Screw it’
Esther Mobly offers a primer on screw caps.

Four more thoughts on wine and screw caps (Warning: This gets geeky)
And then there was more.

Last Call: Will Lyons
Lyons gets interviewed about Oregon Wine.

Cool About Wine?
Choice begets dispassion, says Matt Kramer

Abacela discovers 140-year-old Mission grape planting
Fun discovery inside a blackberry patch.

Tasting the Highs and Lows of Ethiopian Honey Wine
This one’s worth it for the tasting notes alone.

Scientists hope to turn ancient grape DNA into wines drunk by King David, Jesus
Hopefully with better sanitation.

Tokaji Aszu Wines Are a Taste of Hungarian Sweetness
Eric Asimov offers a primer.