In Ambrook Research, Sara Ventiera looks at how profit-sharing is taking root in the wine industry. “Well-executed profit-shares are helping wineries solve major crises including labor shortages, rising costs, critiques of exploitative working conditions, and cost-of-living issues faced by workers earning meager salaries in some of the most expensive places to live in the United States.”

In the Atlantic, Emily Oster on what all the “is wine healthy” studies get wrong. “If you do not enjoy, or actively dislike, alcohol, then the abstinence standard might be the right one for you. But many people do enjoy a drink from time to time: a beer with friends, a cold glass of rosé in the summer, a hot toddy in front of the fire, even just a glass of white wine while cooking at the end of a long day. If we accept that pleasure has value, and that the data are muddy, then the moderation standard makes more sense.”

With a focus on small production and minimal intervention techniques, Slovenian producers are writing a new chapter in the country’s wine story, writes Lauren Mowery in SevenFifty Daily.

Some of the top companies in California wine are intergenerational concerns. How do these families manage to pass the torch gracefully, and what can we expect from the next generation? Lettie Teague explores succession in the wine industry in the Wall Street Journal.

In TRINK, Nicole Wolbers explores the potential of bottle-aged Rieslingsekt.

Alessio Perrone looks at what climate change means for Piedmont’s iconic Barbera wines in Wine Enthusiast.

In National Geographic, Sarah Gillespie offers a guide to Czech wine country.

Despite strict alcohol laws, Utah wine is finding its footing, says Rebecca Treon in Wine Enthusiast.

“After surveying a community of wine enthusiasts with a median age of 35, Wine Country concierge Cuvée Collective was struck by one particular data point. When asked what non-wine Napa activity they were most interested in, 78% of respondents reported that they wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride,” reports Jess Lander in the San Francisco Chronicle. “Cuvée Collective took this feedback seriously — 80% of its 1,850 customers in 2022 were Millennials — and it inspired a bold move. The company has purchased Napa Valley’s oldest hot air balloon company, Napa Valley Balloons.”

As climate change drives up temperatures and grape acidity drops, malolactic fermentations have mostly died out for rosés. But for a few key regions, grapes, and producers, rosés with malo still have a place, find Elizabeth Gabay and Ben Bernheim in SevenFifty Daily.

In Imbibe Magazine, Betsy Andrews explores the growing wine industry in Uruguay. “The country’s total vineyard acreage is about 13,550, roughly a third that of Napa. But what Uruguay lacks in volume, it makes up for in quality and diversity.”

Elin McCoy ranks her picks for the world’s best vineyards to visit in 2023 in Bloomberg.

Miquel Hudin explores Jerez, the top ecotourism destination in all of Spain.

In Wine Enthusiast, Kristen Richard catches up with Jon Bon Jovi and his son Jesse Bongiovi to talk about the success of their Hampton Water rosé brand.

Edward Deitch recommends a handful of white wines from Abruzzo in VinePair.

German producer Leitz makes a range of nonalcoholic wines under the Eins Zwei Zero label.

In SevenFifty Daily, Valerie Kathawala looks into why Germany is driving the quality revolution for non-alcoholic wine. “While many producers and industry experts believe these are still early days in the development of quality dealcoholized wines, dedicated researchers at Geisenheim, Germany’s top wine university, have been working on alcohol reduction in wine for at least 40 years…A recent step up in quality stems from producers paying closer attention to the condition of their base wines and from experiential and technological breakthroughs that are noticeable in the latest vintages. Germany is also gaining considerable sophistication in the fast-evolving field of flavor capture and add-back.”

“Three important cultural touchstones in wine—the founding of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, the film Sideways and Pinot Noir’s skyrocketing success across California—may have never happened without Michael Benedict, who died last week at age 83 from melanoma.” In Wine Enthusiast, Matt Kettmann remembers Michael Benedict and looks at how he changed California’s Pinot Noir game.

As Champagne brands get stronger, do they still have the same appeal for consumers? In Wine-Searcher, Kathleen Willcox explores the changing face of Big Champagne.

On JancisRobinson.com, Alder Yarrow shares his picks for the top California rosés.

“The DO Cava is in the process of implementing demanding new regulations, which require all wines in the Cava de Guarda Superior category to be 100% organic by 2025,” reports Martin Green in Decanter.

South Africa experienced a cool harvest season that resulted in low volumes for the 2023 vintage. Meininger’s has the details.

Nicole Kliest highlights Sicilian wines in the Zoe Report.

(Flickr: piker77)

The Australian federal government has awarded a grant of almost $3 million designed to boost quality and innovation within the burgeoning low-alcohol and alcohol-free wine market. Martin Green has the details in Decanter.

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Esther Mobley highlights nonalcoholic wines and other beverages.

After decades of decline, Attica’s traditional grape is making a comeback. Savatiano’s drought resistance and late ripening could be an answer to climate change, says Wojciech Bońkowski in Club Oenologique, but that’s not the only reason to love it.

In the World of Fine Wine, Raymond Blake reviews The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide: One Hundred and Fifty Years from 1870 to 2020 by Neal Martin.

“Michael Benedict, the botanist who co-founded Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in 1971 and forever changed Santa Barbara County’s wine industry, died this week,” reports Matt Kettmann. “He was 83 years old.”

In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Antica Terra has acquired Keeler Estate.

In Wine Enthusiast, Kara Newman explores Vermouth di Torino.

Lettie Teague has some recommendations for vacation wines in the Wall Street Journal.

Argentina’s high-altitude wines have captured imaginations. But there’s more to the country’s modern wine evolution than dizzying heights, says Alistair Cooper in Club Oenologique, who explores how perceptions of oak usage have changed among winemakers.

According to Margaret Rand in Wine-Searcher, merchants are not happy with Bordeaux’s En Primeur campaign this year. “Prices were up on average just under 15 percent, but for the top châteaux they were up 20-40 percent. Collectors who buy every year bought again this year – but there were fewer of them, and many of them bought less wine. Some wines seem to have been a particular struggle…”

Jamie Goode highlights the organic and regenerative farming practiced by Steve and Jill Matthiasson, and how it affects their wines.

Jancis Robinson profiles Barbara Banke, widow of Jess Jackson, and the Jackson family’s winemaking empire.

Grape Collective chats with Karlen Manasserian of Tushpa Winery about the rebirth of Armenian wine.

In the Washington Post, Dave McIntyre looks at how a late spring frost affected Finger Lakes winemakers this year.

Chianti Classico’s Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive (UGA), which divide the classic Tuscan denomination into 11 specific and officially delimited production areas, have been approved for use on Gran Selezione labels, reports Marisa Finetti in Decanter.

Bottles of pét-nat.

Has pét-nat jumped the shark? In PUNCH, Megan Krigbaum explores how the category went from niche party wine to full-on brand. “In the mad dash to assimilate pét-nat, plenty of other outstanding sparkling wine was pushed to the side. Pét-nat the brand may have paved the way for everyday sparkling wine appreciation, but it also flooded the zone…One undeniable pitfall with pét-nats is that if there are any flaws, the bubbles make those flaws all the more apparent.”

In the New Wine Review, Virginie Boone looks at what makes Cathy Corison such a beloved winemaker. “This story is about how Corison knew precisely what she wanted to do, then did pretty much exactly that for her entire career as the world of fine wine changed dramatically around her.”

In Wine Enthusiast, Marshall Tilden III explains how to determine a wine’s QPR and why it matters. “QPR is certainly subjective. One person’s assessment of quality may be widely different from another’s. However, there’s no question that evaluating a wine’s QPR can help you make more educated decisions about which wines to buy and enjoy.”

Vicki Denig offers some tips for finding value in high-demand regions in Wine-Searcher. “As prices for entry-level wines from Burgundy, Piedmont, and other in-demand areas soar higher than ever before, finding value within said places – or budget-friendly alternatives to “replace” them altogether – has become increasingly necessary, from the importing side of business all the way down to the consumer level both on and off-premise.”

Soaring demand for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc allowed the country’s wine producers to increase exports by 25% in the past year, reports Martin Green in Decanter.

VinePair shares its list for the best Sauvignon Blancs to try this year.

In the New York Times, Eric Asimov looks at how sherry producers are using older methods and forgotten grapes to reveal the magic of the wine’s terroir and tradition. “In sherry country…history was ignored for decades as the sherry business grew and consolidated, focusing on inexpensive, mass-market bottles primarily for foreign markets,” he writes. “But in the last decade or so, a small group of winemakers have focused intently on the region’s past. They have re-examined the terroirs, rediscovered long-lost grapes that were nearly extinct and resurrected unfortified styles that had largely disappeared. In short: They are producing some of the most exciting wines in the world.”

In Wine-Searcher, Kathleen Willcox looks at why female and BIPOC corporate stars are turning to wine education to help break the glass ceiling.

Thieves recently stole $700,000 worth of wine from Lincoln Fine Wines in Los Angeles store by cutting a hole in the ceiling above its cellar, with some of the stolen bottles costing over $5,000 a piece.

Flooding in central Chile has left vineyards underwater, and a red alert has been issued in some areas of the country, with Maule and Bíobío among the regions affected, reports the Drinks Business.

In the Wine Independent, R.H. Drexel visits the Sea Smoke estate in the Sta. Rita Hills. “It’s a sprawling estate—1,100 acres—but only 170 of those are planted to vines. The balance of the land is a beguiling mix of organic apple orchards (the apples are sold for cider), cattle grazing land, forests, an idyllic pond, and fields of organically grown hay.”

Wine Enthusiast highlights low-alcohol wines to drink this summer.

Contour farmed vineyards.

In SevenFifty Daily, Danielle Beurteaux on why the agricultural technique called contour farming is taking off in vineyards. “Contour farming is an old agricultural method that is finding favor in vineyards as part of new sustainability programs that aim to combat the growing effects of climate change. As a nature-based and regenerative agriculture approach, contouring is a sustainable tool to manage water and erosion, but it’s not suitable everywhere. To contour or not to contour? Some vineyard managers are seeking an answer.”

“The current presidential administration issued an executive order to promote economic competition two summers ago called Promoting Competition in the American Economy. In response to it, the Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) released a 64-page report entitled Competition in the Markets for Beer, Wine, and Spirits in February 2022, detailing how the drinks market functions on a legal level and how the TTB interacts with other government agencies,” reports Liza B. Zimmerman in Wine-Searcher. “Many of the responders, a good portion of whom remained anonymous, noted that the drinks industry did not need more – and actually probably warranted – less regulations.”

In the New York Times, Alex Halberstady profiles Maggie Harrison of Antica Terra in the Willamette Valley. “Harrison makes some of the most-sought-after wines in the country, and even Michelin-starred restaurants like the French Laundry and Gramercy Tavern have to work to secure an allocation. At the moment, consumers who want to buy from Antica Terra join a two-year wait-list…Harrison’s techniques seem, on the surface, to be the antithesis of terroir. When my friend told me that Harrison had “declared war on wine,” this is what he meant.”

In Bloomberg, Elin McCoy offers her picks for the best rosés to drink this summer.

Stephen Brook checks in on the 2013 Bordeaux vintage in Decanter.

In VinePair, Shayna Conde profiles Ikimi Dubose-Woodson, CEO of The Roots Fund.

In Wine Enthusiast, Arielle Weg highlights sparkling rosés for every budget.

Georgian kvevri. (Wikimedia)

In Club Oenologique, David Kermode explores Georgia’s indigenous grapes. “…the country has – at least – 525 indigenous grape varieties. A population of just 3.7 million (according to a World Bank estimate) means there’s theoretically one variety for every 7,000 people…Georgian grape names don’t exactly trip merrily off the tongue (anyone for a glass of Mtsvivali Mskhvilmartsvala?), however it is well worth the investment in some elocution, for it leads to a new lexicon of loveliness.”

In Wine-Searcher, W. Blake Gray looks at why winemaker is inoculating her vines with fungus in an effort to fight drought.

“Stagecoach Vineyard bills itself as the largest contiguous vineyard in Napa Valley, and it has secured tentative Napa County approval to grow still larger,” reports Barry Eberling in the Napa Valley Register.

Liz Thach highlights the top 10 selling American sparkling wines in Forbes.

In Decanter, Darrel Joseph delves into Welschriesling, a versatile white variety with lots of potential.

Grape Collective’s Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher talks to the wineries battling fire, smoke, and frost this year.

In Robb Report, Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen offer tips for big, bold reds to pair with burgers this summer.

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Esther Mobley, who is heading out on maternity leave, shares what it’s been like to be a pregnant wine critic. “Actually, pregnancy didn’t change my day-to-day work very much… What was frustrating was the intense scrutiny I often received in social situations. At a party, one insensitive acquaintance asked me, “Do you have to quit your job now?” I had to explain that, like most people, I’ve never spent my workdays getting drunk. (I don’t know how I’d get anything done.) Interactions like that one really reinforced the unfortunate fact that many people still feel entitled to offer unsolicited, and usually uninformed, advice on how pregnant women should treat their own bodies.” 

In SevenFifty Daily, Alex Russan explores the science of thiols, the aroma compounds often associated with Sauvignon Blanc’s tropical and citrus notes.

In Wine Enthusiast, Christina Pickard reports on how Australia’s wine industry is working to empower the nation’s Indigenous populations and allow them to reclaim their history with the land.

Big wine companies are already using AI to get a competitive advantage. In the Meininger’s, Felicity Carter reports on a new project from Treasury Wine Estates.

Lettie Teague ponders the meaning of the term “wine geek” in the Wall Street Journal.

Jancis Robinson explains what makes the Oakville AVA so special.

In Decanter, Nicole MacKay explores Canadian rosé.