Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I post these stories in 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 California winery, a staple at Bay Area Michelin-star restaurants, is closing
So long, Ernest.
The Chemist of Claret: Robert Boyle, Haut-Brion, and the Scientific Birth of Modern Bordeaux
A bit of history.
NZ Sauvignon Blanc: moving the Marlborough conversation on
Regionality rises.
Vincent Morrow’s NYC Wine Empire
I knew him when…
Hoopes Vineyard hit with millions in fines, attorney fees
The latest chapter in this local soap opera.
Do De-Alcoholized Wines Deliver?
TL;DR: Wine Spectator says “No.”
‘It’s time to rethink things’: Oregon wine experts discuss disrupting industry
Oregon ponders.
The Supreme Court Is Poised To Remind States That the Constitution Doesn’t Stop at the Liquor Store
We can pray.
CellarTracker: the ‘doom and gloom narrative’ of wine’s falling consumption is ‘a little overplayed’
Not sure you should extrapolate CellarTracker behaviour to the wider market.
Winnie Chen on the daily discipline needed to be a Master Sommelier
Another profile from The Buyer.
Alsace Winemaker Pierre Trimbach Dies at 69
RIP to a leading light.
Chinese Wine Is No Longer Imitating Europe — It’s Defining Itself
Jacopo Mazzeo reports.
The Shadowy World of West Bank Wine
Growing on stolen land.
Expertise, accuracy, and reputation inflation in the wine market: Evidence from Vivino ratings (PDF)
Is there score inflation even amongst consumers? Yep.
California’s wine industry is in trouble. Could farmers markets help?
I love the idea.
Direct Wine Shipments Suffer Their Worst Decline in History
The data doesn’t lie.
The Soft Power of Napa Merlot
Some very powerful indeed.
