Orange Glou in New York City.

In SevenFifty Daily, Rémy Charest has some advice for how to navigate the growing diversity of orange wine. “One reliable guidepost for determining the style of an orange wine is whether it is made from aromatic or non-aromatic grapes…With such stylistic diversity, lumping all orange wines together seems just as accurate as saying all Riesling is sweet. The way skin-macerated whites are categorized and presented should evolve to showcase style, variety and even terroir.”

Drought is already a challenge or this year’s French wine harvest, according to Vitisphere.

In Decanter, Rupert Joy reports on how Catalan producer Torres is experimenting with new innovations to tackle climate change in the vineyard.

Is Franken (Franconia) Germany’s most underrated wine region? TRINK says so.

When Gene Pierce and his partners opened Glenora Wine Cellars in 1977, it was the first winery on either side of Seneca Lake and one of just a handful in the Finger Lakes. Today the region is home to well over 100 wineries, and, as Don Cazentre reports, Pierce and partner Scott Welliver have put the 64-acre property up for sale for $10.8 million.

On JancisRobinson.com, Spanish wine specialist Ferran Centelles offers a guide to the wonders of Monastrell. (Paywall)

In VinePair, Katie Brown highlights sparkling red wines.

Syrah. (Flickr, McD22.)

In Club Oenologique, Oz Clarke draws back the curtain on the history—and mystery—behind a grape variety with two names and a thousand different personalities. “One sounds like a wine-tasting note, the other a call to arms. We’re not talking about the same thing here. Well, yes, we are. We’re talking one grape variety: Syrah in France; Shiraz in Australia.”

In TRINK, Matthias Neske explores the work of researchers and vintners working to return historic grape varieties to Germany’s vineyards.

New York’s Long Island AVA is now approaching its 50th anniversary. In Decanter, Charles Curtis provides an overview of the region. (paywall)

Also in Decanter, Chris Wilson surveys the world of celebrity wines to see how involved the celebrities are in the winemaking process and whether the wines themselves are any good.

In Wine Enthusiast, Virginie Boone considers the importance of biochar, a fine-grained charcoal and ancient technique used to cultivate healthy soils.

In the Drop, Jeff Siegel profiles David Parker, who’s on a mission to hunt and sell the rarest wines in the world.

Once dismissed as a cheap ticket to an epic hangover, sangria has become an unlikely showcase for bartender creativity, reports Kara Newman in PUNCH.

Sheep grazing in a vineyard. (Flickr: Stefano Lubiana)

In the New York Times, Eric Asimov explores the role of sheep (and other animals) in vineyards and ecosystems, and looks at how winemakers are starting to embrace regenerative agriculture. “Because wine is so often a product that heightens people’s awareness of agriculture, it can stimulate interest in the possibilities of regenerative agriculture as a tool to fight climate change and build more diverse ecosystems.”

Meininger has returned to the Ahr wine region nine months after the flood. Although piles of rubble still incite anger, sleeves are rolled up and the focus is firmly on the future. Simon Werner reports what he found there.

More then 4,200 bottles from Prince Robert of Luxembourg, owner of Bordeaux first growth Château Haut-Brion, his family and friends were put on sale at Sotheby’s in New York over th weekend. Elin McCoy has the details in Bloomberg.

In Wine Enthusiast, Emily Saladino shares how she learned to embrace the science of wine. “There are all sorts of ways in, and none more legitimate than the other. Plus, wine provides a lens through which you can explore everything from history to geopolitics to culture to chemistry.”

Fitou and Corbières are set to leave the Languedoc wine trade body over an ongoing spat, reports Wine-Searcher.

Jancis Robinson explores the many wineries and companies seeking out alternative wine packaging options.

In the Wall Street Journal, Lettie Teague finds great value and Pinot Noir in California’s Anderson Valley.

In Grape Collective, Christopher Barnes talks to Nicolas Ottin of Ottin Elio about the family farm and the evolution of the Valle d’Aosta.

This week, I have a selection of American wines I find exciting.

For many years, I’ve been touting Arizona wines, and I’m here to do it again. I love a lot of Arizona producers, their DIY winemaking culture, the interesting mix of varieties and styles. One of my favorite activities in life is to go climbing and hiking in some Arizona mountains and come home to a delicious local red blend with a grilled steak. Aridus is a great entry into Arizona wines, as this Willcox-based producer has a lot of different bottles available in a bunch of markets.

I’m also a huge fan of amphora wines (grapes fermented on their skins in clay vessels). It’s been done all around the world in ancient winemaking cultures, from Georgia, Italy and Portugal. I spent a lot of time digging into the amphora winemaking culture in Alentejo a few years ago, and I’ve been keenly watching for New World producers who step up and make wines in this method and style. Behold! Beckmen Vineyards delivers with their “1Ingredient” wines. From Ballard Canyon, these wines are pure expressions of their grapes and place, but also of their fermentation method – as the wines offer this beautiful mouthfeel and elegant complexity. Check this out if any of this sounds interesting.

Booker is a Paso Robles producer I’ve known and respected for a while. Their wines are so exciting and delicious, and offer a ton of value, too. Paso is such a dynamic scene, and I always enjoy keeping up with what they’re doing out there – and Booker is a staple and legend for a reason.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Vineyards in Sonoma. (Flickr: Melinda Young Stuart)

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Esther Mobley explains why winemaking keeps migrating outside of Napa Valley. “As Napa, the center of American wine, grows more crowded and more expensive, vintners are pushing out to the perimeters. And that creates opportunities, as well as challenges, for the perimeters themselves. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that the satellite-wine-region story has become a veritable sub-genre of California wine writing.”

In Forbes, Michelle Williams talks to sommeliers about their insights on how to transform the restaurant industry from racial awareness to antiracism. “These vulnerable conversations highlighted experiences of trauma and pain, but they did not end there. Solution oriented hope illuminated concrete ways the restaurant industry can make cultural shifts for healing.”

In Wine Enthusiast, Kelsey Ogletree on what being a wine consultant entails—and how to become one.

In TRINK, Christoph Raffelt delves into the story of Blaufränkisch. (subscription req.)

Patagonia Provisions aims to show the way to a green future through regenerative agriculture – and now, viticulture. In Club Oenologique, Adam Lechmere finds out why the outdoor clothing company is championing wine in such a way.

Mike Veseth, the wine economist, admits that he’s “very concerned about how higher inflation will impact the wine industry.”

Ordering wine at a chain restaurant? Follow these rules, outlined by Katie Brown in VinePair.

Hunter Valley in Australia. (Wikimedia)

W. Blake Gray reports on troubles the Australian wine industry has faced this year in Wine-Searcher. “Australian grapegrowers got a double whammy of disturbing business news this week. It’s part of an ongoing downturn for the Australian wine industry started by a trade war with China, but an industry analyst says the roots of the problem were planted 25 years ago.”

In Club Oenologique, Nina Caplan explores the historic crafts to survive across Venice’s network of islands—including winemaking at Venissa, a walled vineyard where the city’s indigenous Dorona grape is enjoying a revival.

“Pinotage is a grape that has struggled to be taken seriously…Of late, though, its reputation has improved quite a bit, and a lot of the thanks have to go to one producer: Kanonkop.” Jamie Goode profiles the South African winery.

Margaux is “the most exciting and divisive” appellation this vintage, according to Colin Hay’s take on the Bordeaux 2021 vintage in the Drinks Business.

In the Wall Street Journal, Fiorella Valdesolo looks at why low-alcohol cocktails, wine and beer are on the rise. (subscription req.)

In VinePair, Christine Clark talks to pizzaiolos about the best wines to pair with pizza.

Lauren Mowery highlights luxury train vacations for wine lovers in Wine Enthusiast.

(Source: Pure the Winery)

On Vinography, winemaker Adam Lee sent several Pure the Winery “zero sugar” “clean wines” to an accredited lab to be analyzed. “From these numbers, it is obvious that the wines do not truly have “zero sugar.” These numbers certainly are below the TTB requirement for advertising a wine as “zero sugar” but they also are not significantly different from most of the wines I’ve made over the past 27 years…Basically, while the label is technically compliant, the wine’s advertising is clearly not true and is misleading.”

On JancisRobinson.com, Elaine Chukan Brown reports on how hybrids are gaining traction in the US, which isn’t burdened with Europe’s prejudice against non-vinifera wines. (subscription req.)

Continued drought conditions caused concern for Chile’s producers this year. In Decanter, Alejandro Iglesias talks to winemakers across the country to discover which regions performed best.

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Esther Mobley reports on Caymus’s new tasting room. “Until recently, Suisun (soo-SOON) Valley, an 8-mile-long stretch of Solano County, had just six wineries. All are relatively small operations, catering mainly to local county residents. Most feel like mom-and-pop shops. So it’s a big deal that Suisun’s seventh winery is Caymus, indisputably one of Napa Valley’s most famous brands, whose main winery and tasting room are located in Rutherford.”

In InsideHook, Emily Monaco profiles TikTok star David Choi, who happens to be the proprietor of two Napa Valley wine companies.

The family behind popular wine brands like Yellow Tail and Peter Lehmann Wines has decided to sell more than 7,000 hectares of vineyard holdings and associated land in South Australia and New South Wales.

In Grape Collective, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher explore Texas wine country.

Vitisphere reports that low supplies of transparent bottles for white and rosé wines is “a nightmare.” “…stories of postponed bottling due to lack of bottles, or foil caps or labels, were rife, as were the multiple causes explaining supply tensions. These include low inventories at glass manufacturers since the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine along with less publicised causes such as strikes in factories and stockpiling worsening the crisis.”

The ongoing tariff dispute between Australia and China has led to millions of grapes being left to rot at vineyards across the country, despite a good vintage, reports Sarah Neish in the Drinks Business.

What does it mean that Napa Valley is too pricey for the Wall Street Journal? Jason Haas has some thoughts. “Whatever the downstream results, it seems clear that Napa Valley has set itself up for a future with higher, and perhaps dramatically higher, prices for visitors. With that, it seems inevitable that some wine lovers who are turned off by the change will decide to branch out and come to places like Paso Robles, where creating life-long customers for our wine remains the primary focus.”

In Wine Enthusiast, Noel Burgess explores the term “riddling” in wine.

Jamie Goode highlights the wines of Javi Revert, “a star of the ‘new Spain.’”

In VinePair, Pamela Vachon explores the wines of Baja California, Mexico’s primary wine region.

In Wine Enthusiast, Emily Saladino ponders what the Supreme Court leak could mean for the American wine industry. “As I sat in a balconied Georgian conference room on Thursday, three days after the leak, and listened to the experiences of female wine professionals from South Africa to Ukraine, I wondered what it means to be an American woman in wine. Who are we in the global sphere—those blessed with comparative fortune and opportunity? The resented and resentful stepchildren of an ill-conceived empire? Or something somewhere in between?”

Jancis Robinson suggests buying white Bordeaux 2021 wines. “They may not be an attribute in reds, but high acid levels are a bonus for white wines. The dry whites, all picked before late September’s heavy rain, were delightfully aromatic and full of fruit and zest – with great mastery of oak, and none of the flab seen in some riper vintages.”

Also on JancisRobinson.com, Tamlyn Currin explores regenerative viticulture. (subscription req.)

Who gets to decide what “belongs” on a fine dining beverage program? In VinePair, Angela Burke looks at how beverages can serve as a platform where representation, equity, philanthropy, and environmental and social justice can seamlessly intersect.

Producers are anxiously wondering how much of their crop has been lost to mid-April Willamette Valley frost event, reports Michael Alberty in Decanter.

Shana Clarke explores the sustainable methods being used in Vinho Verde in Saveur.

In Club Oenologique, David Kermode explores the rich history of winemaking in Alsace.

Happy Saturday to you all, and happy Mother’s Day to all the moms. It’s a mid-Spring weekend here on the east coast, with plenty of rain. But I’m excited to get out in the woods in a few days to explore some more wildflowers and mushrooms. To pair with any morels I may find (which likely won’t amount to much), I’ve got a bunch of new California wines.

Some of these are from producers I’ve known and enjoyed for a while, like the reliably exciting Chardonnays and Pinots from Sonoma’s Gary Farrell, and the value-driven and delicious wines from The Paring. But some of these are new to me, like Titus from Napa. Ancient Peaks delivers some vibrant Paso Robles wines into the mix as well. And I was excited to taste a wine grape/apple blend that I received. Kivel Stadt cellars’ Gravignon Blanc is a 50/50 co-ferment of Sauv Blanc and Gravenstein apples, and it is just delightful. Winemaker Sam Baron created this lower-alcohol, bright and zesty concoction from Alexander Valley fruit that brings a ton of Spring-y goodness – definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for something new.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »