Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 3/20/22

Hello and 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.

*This week catches up a bit from last week, when I was on vacation and didn’t post a news roundup.

In Piedmont, Unearthing Wine and Fine Dining to Rival Tuscany’s
A truffle lover’s paradise.

Tenuta di Trinoro: Like Father, Like Son
An interview with Benjamin Franchetti.

Australia Struggling for Wine Diversity
Struggling for wine sales.

California Cult Winemaker Walks Out on Winery
Quite the story.

Concrete evidence
Don’t call it cement.

California’s Newest AVA a SLO Grower
San Luis Obispo aims to shine.

Wine Movie’s Powerful Message
A review of Blind Ambition.

This California wine country town is multicultural. So why do so many feel invisible?
A very worthwhile read.

Women Winemakers in Crete Seek to Restore an Ancient Tradition
Yes to Crete! Yes to women Winemakers!

Wine and conflict
A look at history.

Amarone, the Mistake That Turned a Region on Its Head
A look into the wine’s history.

Exclusive: Wine Spectator Debuts First and Only Video Interview with Ernest Gallo on the Occasion of His 90th Birthday in 1999
An historic discussion. Anyone who cares about CA wine should watch this interview.

How Did a $5 South African Wine End Up Selling for Thousands?
One helluva story, as they say.

Low intervention reaches New Zealand
Funky kiwis.

Red Blends from Chile? They’re On the Rise
And great values to boot.

The big interview: Ian Harris on 20 years at the WSET
A look back on two decades of education.

A New Wave of Reds Emerges from Argentina
But still a lot of Malbec.

Moldova’s prized wine industry in turmoil as war rages in Ukraine
War is disruptive to so many.

Beaujolais Blanc and Rosé Are Ripe for the Taking
Yes!

An Insect Invasion Threatens East Coast Vineyards
They’re pretty but nasty.

Crushed no more: California Wine Country tourism rebounds from COVID hits to economy
A little good news.

French plan to buy back Russian-owned wineries
Taking advantage of the circumstances, it seems.

The Glass Wine Bottle Is Traditional, Beloved, and Bad for the Planet
Keep ’em light, folks.

Why the world of wine is full of chateau bottled sexists
Still a lot of work to be done.

10 Grapes Worth Knowing Better
Eric makes a list.

What is Sherry Wine? Everything You Need to Know
A quick primer.

Why TikTok — not Instagram — is a rising platform for winemakers desperate to lure Millennials
Jess Lander on the frontiers of marketing.

JBL’s unusually wide purview
Jancis profiles Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon of Louis Roederer.

The hottest grape variety on the North Coast? For wineries, sauvignon blanc is the in-demand fruit
Second fiddle no longer.

In France’s Jura region, dinosaur fossils have left a footprint on the wine industry
Full of inaccuracies, but nice to see the Jura getting some more love.

A global microbiome survey of vineyard soils highlights the microbial dimension of viticultural terroirs
Like me, the abstract might be all you need to read. But it says that the microbiome is different across terroirs.

Turkey hiding ancient variety thought to be the ‘godfather of spice’
Wish I had come up with that phrase: “the godfather of spice.”

“Wines for Ukraine” goes live to raise funds for organizations helping Ukrainians affected by the war
The auction goes on until April 1.

The Drinks Industry Has an Ageism Problem
Yep.

Two companies convicted of infringing Champagne’s trademark in China
The CIVC strikes again.

Hot Grapes for a Hot (Cold, Hailing, Rainy) World
The future of viticulture.

Why bother with Old Vines?
There’s so much to them.

Over 8,000 fake Penfolds busted in ‘mega’ fake wine operation
Nice to see some arrests.

Turning the Tables on Rob McMillan—Wine Industry Analyst
A profile of Mr. Silicon Valley Wine.

Ukraine winery owner urges Europe’s vintners to host refugees
Good idea.

Life Lessons with winemaker Zelma Long
Interview with one of the grand dames.

Grape Growers and Winemakers Try to Decide Who Bears the Cost of Smoke Damage
A fraught topic.

Sonoma Growers Face a Changeable Future
A dry future.

Understanding Volcanic Soils in Wine
An exploration versus an explanation.

Patagonia: A Dispatch from the End of the World
Going deep on the deep south.

Napa’s first Black woman winemaker, Victoria Coleman, encourages others to pursue viticulture
Here’s to more diversity.

Letters from Kyiv
Harrowing.

From France to Italy, Wines Aged Underwater Are Growing in Popularity
There’s something about the sea.

Out of This World: Wine Aged in Space and Underwater Teaches Us About Agriculture
Not sure there’s something about space.