Welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I post them to my magazine 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.
California wine grape growers face unknown impact of smoke taint
Give it 30 days.
Winemakers Still Fighting the Clone Wars
Geek territory to be sure.
Border Grape: How Grenache Links Catalonia and Roussillon
Lauren Mowery draws the lines across the mountains.
Jancis Robinson on the evolution of wine varieties
Changing times, changing flavors.
After 43 Years, the Wine Sentinel of the River Café Stands Down
Eric Asimov writes a fine appreciation.
Anson: The Indian entrepreneur behind new Bordeaux wine Solicantus
Jane Anson on immigrant success.
Wine’s diversity issue starts with the way we talk about the taste of wine
Hmm. Not sure I agree Esther. Why is Petrichor ok, but Brioche not?
A lightning fire, a thunderous path
This is the fire that burned down 33% of Napa County last month.
A Great White Barolo-Land?
Sounds tasty.
Wine’s New Alcohol Balancing Act
James Lawrence teeters on the scales.
Turning the Tables on Allen Meadows
An interview with Allen.
Why This Former LVMH Executive Left The Corporate World To Make Wine In Burgundy
Same reason many wealthy execs buy a vineyard.
California’s wildfire smoke plumes are unlike anything previously seen
The science of fire-weather interaction.
Wine Country Grape Growers Fear Significant Damage From Wildfire Smoke
It’s coming.
Despite Unprecedented Fires Oregon Wineries Are On Track For An Epic 2020 Vintage
Lots of the same language as being used in California. I hope things are better in Oregon than they are in Sonoma.
Will wildfire smoke damage the 2020 Willamette Valley wine harvest?
It sounds increasingly like it will.
Inside a Human Rights Lawyer’s Quest to Become the First Black Master of Wine; “This is Really About the Journey”
Angela Scott is on her way.
Wine Auctions Pivot—Quite Profitably—to the Virtual World
When people are buying more…
California Heatwave Leaves Grape Growers Sweating
But smoke in the atmosphere is cooling things down.
How Pouilly-Fuissé got Premier Cru recognition
By making good juice.
Trump visa restrictions add obstacle to California winery harvest season: no international interns
Though some wineries won’t be needing them thanks to smoke taint.
Wine solves a problem for Hollywood
Gimmick gets people drinking.
The Dirty Business of ‘Clean’ Wine
As we all know.
Reports of Champagne’s demise greatly exaggerated
The story is rarely simple.
The Grape Varieties That Have Increased and Declined the Most Since 2000
Who will shed a tear for Mazuelo?
A Scientific Case for ‘Fingerprinting’ Terroir in a California AVA
Academic to be sure, but interesting to geeks.
Do California Grapes Have Smoke Taint from Wildfires? Finding Out Isn’t So Easy
California is a big place. Lots of grapes have it and lots of grapes don’t.
California families and succession
Jancis on intergenerational wine transfer.
Life Lessons with Hugh Johnson OBE
Not many lessons there, but some cute facts.
The Good Old Days
A review of Oz Clarke’s new tome.
The spirit of port
What’s in there besides wine.
Simon J Woolf: What the hell is typicity?
Doesn’t matter, as long as we don’t let government decide.
Tuscan Wine Marks Pilgrims’ Progress
Blake takes time out from fire coverage to tell a cool Tuscan story.
As the Climate Changes, California Winemakers Seek Cooler Sites for Cabernet Sauvignon
Russian River Cabernet is coming.
Citizens group begins deep dive in Napa Valley groundwater issues
An issue you’re going to be hearing a lot more about.
Washington winemakers hoping impact of wildfires on grapes remains minimal
Hope is all we have left it seems.
A Just Recovery for Sonoma Vineyard Workers?
A rundown of the issues.
Once more, how not to report a wine and health story
Listen to The Curmudgeon.
What’s the problem with celebrity wines?
There isn’t one, unless they’re lying.
What is lightstrike in wine and why is everyone talking about it?
You’ve probably tasted it and not known it.
