“Because of drought, one of Sonoma County’s best Syrah vineyards will bear no fruit this year. The grapevines at Griffin’s Lair Vineyard in Petaluma are parched, said owner John Flynn,” reports Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s a stark reminder that climate change is already making a fundamental impact on Wine Country.”

“Simon Tolley Wines in Adelaide Hills has joined a research project created to look at how smoke tainted grapes may still be used to make spirits. It’s part of a larger investigation into the effects of climate change on brandy production in Australia.” Chris Mercer has the details in Decanter.

Can both cutting-edge technology and character coexist in winemaking? Tim McKirdy asks the big questions in VinePair. “Is a winery’s pursuit of perfection — its quest to stamp out every flaw that may arise on a grape’s journey from vineyard to bottle — ultimately worth it if it risks losing the intangible romanticism of traditional winemaking? Or is that very argument just a cleverly calculated concept, conceived to excuse the industry’s inertia?”

In the World of Fine Wine, Chloe Ashton looks back on the Bordeaux en primeur 2020 campaign and picks out the wines that represented the best value and are still available to buy.

In Vinous, Joaquín Hidalgo offers an update on the 2021 season in Chile. “To sum up, for some regions, the 2021 season in Chile had its rough patches, while for others it was smooth as silk.”

Eater highlights a handful of canned wines for hot days.

In the Drop, Jeff Siegel explores the past, present, and future of Texas wine.