“Picpoul means “lip stinger” in French, which is a nod to this white grape’s ability to produce very high-acid wines. And traditionally, that’s what people have expected from it—a refreshing vin de soif (“thirst quencher”) to be served alongside plates of oysters on a hot day. But Picpoul can sing more than one simple note.” In SevenFifty Daily, Sophia McDonald looks at how French and American winemakers are making textured, age-worthy wines from Picpoul.

In Wine Spectator, Robert Camuto explores Aligoté’s return to Burgundy. “After a period of long neglect, in which it was relegated to a low-budget ingredient of Kir cocktails, the grape variety is experiencing something of a renaissance.”

In Wine Enthusiast, Virginie Boone reports on how climate change is forcing California winemakers to reconsider what grapes grow where. “For decades, California winemakers have long thought of the Winkler Index as gospel. Developed in the 1940s by two professors at the University of California at Davis (U.C. Davis), the Index uses regional climate conditions to determine the best places to grow a wide range of wine grapes… On July 22, U.C. Davis announced it would update the Index for the first time in more than 75 years. This new reality has profound implications for what we grow, make and drink in the future.”

On JancisRobinson.com, Samantha Cole-Johnson charts the history of vineyard management companies in Napa Valley. (subscription req.)

In the Drop, Henry Jeffreys looks back on 100 years of Blue Nun.

In VinePair, Millie Milliken explores the category of English still wine. “Finally, English still wines are on the map — albeit mainly domestically. So who’s paving the way for the English still wine market? And which winemakers should you be looking out for?”

Tom Wark ponders “the real threat of counterfeit wine from wholesalers.”