Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 1/20/19


Welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I post them to my magazine on on Flipboard, but for those of you who aren’t Flipboard inclined, here’s everything I’ve strained out of the wine-related muck for the week.

Wine’s Most Inspiring People 2019: A Wine Communication Artist
Elaine gets well-deserved press.

Are words better than numbers for describing wine quality?
Depends, of course.

The power of wine’s collective spirit
Tim Atkin likes a team effort.

Zinfandel Is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of
Still drawing crowds in San Francisco.

Farewell to Wine’s Great Champion
Gerard Bassett obit.

The Future of Wine: No Corks, No Vintages, and Maybe No Grapes
The future of wine, hipster style.

This Broker Traded Wall Street for Winemaking–and Is Changing Pinot Noir as We Know It
Sara Schneider profiles Jamie Kutch

This Canberra winery is using geese droppings to make a better drop
Honk honk.

‘Disgusting to Say, but It’s the Truth’: German Winemakers See Boon in Climate Change
It’s true. Just ask British wineries.

US Government Shutdown Hits Wine Hard
Label approvals, harvest data, all fall to the shutdown.

Would You Drink Wines from Virginia? Here’s Why We Think You Should
Oh, definitely.

France Knights Portugal’s Paulo Amorim for His Contributions to Wine Industry
Interesting move.

12 Best Wine Tours and Tastings in Florence
Well, near Florence anyway.

Millennials to Blame for Expected Shrink of Wine Sales in 2019
Blame the young ones. They just need more money.

Pheasant’s Tears Keeps Georgian Tradition Alive
A profile of John and his winery.

The Next 5 Years Will Challenge The U.S. Wine Industry, Says Report
An overview of the SVB wine Industry Report

Healdsburg’s Common Crush blends wine tasting with wine making
Custom crush to the next level.

Trader Joe’s Has Wine Bottle Succulent Gardens For All Your Boozy Gardening Needs
Super cute.

Wine And The African American Community: A Retailer’s Perspective, Straight Up (Part 1 of 2)
Part one.

Wine And The African American Community: A Retailer’s Perspective, Straight Up (Part 2 of 2)
Part two.

Loire Valley: A Wine Region You Need To Know
Lana Bortolot offers a Loire and Quincy primer.

‘Prosecco-like?’: EU digs in over fight to rename Australian wine and cheese
Naming fights continue.

Are US millennials giving wine the cold shoulder?
They’re drinking less.

Adults Under 35 Are Behind a ‘Marked Decline’ in Wine Consumption
More millennial news.

Is That Wine You’ve Been Hoarding Actually Valuable?
In short, unless you bought it from the right producer and put it in your temp-controlled cellar only.

Glimmer of Hope for Wine Lovers at Supreme Court
Blake Gray analyzes the transcript.

Wine world legend Gerard Basset OBE MW MS dies
RIP Gerard.

The Restaurant Wine List Is Dead. Long Live the Wine List
Meet the “micro list”

Holiday Season Fraudsters Target Wine
Watch out.

What’s Really Going on in South African Wine
Michael Fridjhon reports.

Why the Nation of Georgia Wants to Make Wine on Mars
Because…. publicity.

Sweden’s Blooming Wine Scene Is Challenged By Regulations More Than Climate
Monopoly challenges.

Tales of Italy Through One Small Wine Importer
Susan Gordon profiles importers.

The Wine Garden of England
English fizz farms.

Could 2019 Bring Big Change to Wine?
The end of the 750, and more.

Wine on the Rocks
Roger Morris on getting “stoned.”

Wine Experts’ Tasting Notes Can Vary Based on Where They’re From, Study Suggests
Regional differences, apparently.

Shutdown could delay key California wine grape harvest report, trade group warns
Far flung impacts continue.

Wine trends to watch in 2019
Decanter predicts.