Frost and vines. (Flickr: epeigne37)

As Amanda Barnes reports in the Drinks Business, Mendoza’s government has declared an agricultural state of emergency following two nights of devastating frost this week which have impacted over 10,000 hectares of vineyards as well as other crops.

In Decanter, Barnaby Eales also reports that wine producers have been assessing vineyards after an unexpected and severe “black frost” this week, amid concerns of significant damage in the key Mendoza region.

Jancis Robinson explores “Château Rayas, a red Châteauneuf-du-Pape made from Grenache grapes which manages to be both rich and ethereal, transparent and floral, utterly hedonistic, necessarily alcoholic because Grenache needs full ripeness, but without heft.”

“It has been broadly accepted that biggest contribution to a wine’s carbon footprint comes, not from vineyard or cellar practices, but from the energy deployed during the manufacturing and transportation of the glass bottle itself, from factory to end-drinker.” In Wine-Searcher, Kathleen Willcox reports on how winemakers are embracing reused wine bottles, wine in kegs and other environmentally-friendly packaging options.

In Wine Enthusiast, Melanie Haiken looks at why winemakers are embracing worms in the fight to conserve water.

In Grape Collective, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher share highlights and takeaways from a recent trip to South Africa.

American Wine Project’s Erin Rasmussen talks about how she’s rethinking Wisconsin wine.

In the World of Fine Wine, Nicolas Belfrage picks out some of the visionary individuals who have contributed most to the soul of Italian wine over the past half century.