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.
This California Winery Is Opening a Massive Sculpture Park With Works by Ai Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama, and More Blue-Chip Artists
Looks to be quite the installation.
As Chinese Buy French Vineyards, Names Like Château Imperial Rabbit Rattle Purists
But it sounds so much better in French!
Jeremiah Tower on Champagne in Restaurants
Really the first restaurant to serve Champagne by the glass? Really?
Weighing Up the Value of Biodynamic Wine
If only our scales could tell us….
Napa Staff Shortages Hurting Wineries
In the tasting rooms, now too.
Napa’s Problem is Cars, Not Drought
Yes, but does the board of supervisors know that?
Is Gallo Saving the Wine Industry?
By owning most of it?
Investors see red as police give up the hunt in $5m wine heist mystery
Lots of upset Australians.
Does Great Wine Terroir Exist If No One Is There To Appreciate It?
Catherine Todd asks deep questions.
How Jackson Family Wines’ Top Brass in Oregon Is Shaping the Willamette Valley’s Future
A nice article that goes deep.
Menthol Is Not Mint: Decoding Freshness in Wine
Sounds like an interesting lecture.
Battle of the somms
Jancis reports on the finals
The Big Reverb of Australia’s Lo-Fi Wine Movement
If you think you know Australian wine, try one of these.
Katerina Axelsson of Tastry on Teaching Computers to Taste Wine
Yet another “we analyze your taste and try to predict what you will like” startup
Constellation Sells Budget Wine Brands to Gallo
Blake Gray discusses the big M&A news.
What Gallo’s $1.7 billion buyout of Constellation’s bargain-priced wines really means
Esther Mobley on the purchase.
Privileged access
Soon you’ll have to be someone to taste a first growth.
Dolcetto – Piedmont’s Charming, Delicious Red Wine
Tom Hyland writes a primer.
Science and the Future of Winemaking
Sean Sullivan offers pithy bits on new winemaking tech.
How Technology is Improving Wine at Home
And then he does it again for the wine lover at home.
How Wine in the Restaurant Industry is Evolving
And then a third time for restaurants.
How Robots are Taking Over Vineyards
In case you hadn’t noticed, Wine Enthusiast is on a tech tear.
California’s newest grape-growing region is now on wine labels, but it may take a while to catch on
A profile of the Petaluma Gap.
Bordeaux, ‘En Primeur’, and the Irrational Romance of French Wine Tradition
An explanation of the madness.
How Computers are Being Used to Hack Grapes
Just don’t call it GMO.
Bordeaux’s Make or Break Moment
Only the 12th such moment in the last 15 years. Yawn.
DRC Toppled as Leroy Takes Price Crown
AKA, why you’ll never get to taste these wines.
