(Source: Wikimedia)

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Jess Lander profiles Ramiro Herrera, the only cooper in Napa Valley making barrels in-house for two premium Cabernet houses. “Herrera believes he’s the only American master cooper in the world and the first of Mexican heritage to have completed a traditional apprenticeship…An anomaly in the craft, Herrera did not come from a long line of coopers and instead got into the profession because he simply enjoyed working with wood. After answering a newspaper ad for a local Napa cooperage, Seguin Moreau, he was quickly identified as something of a prodigy and the company sent him to France.”

In the New York Times, Alex Williams tells the story of Long Island’s Wölffer Estate, and in the process, tells the story of how rosé became a lifestyle.

Rebecca Toy profiles the world’s oldest grape-bearing vine, located in Slovenia, in Wine Enthusiast.

While it doesn’t command the prices of wines from Burgundy or Bordeaux, cool-climate Syrah and the grape’s use in unexpected international blends could soon change all that, says Sarah Heller in Club Oenologique.

What makes a good wine writer? Peter Pharos ponders the complex answer on Tim Atkin’s site.

In the Wall Street Journal, Lettie Teague dives into the world of easy-drinking, refreshing, crisp and light wines.

On JancisRobinson.com, Walter Speller reports on the single-vineyard Brunellos that are emerging.