Along the Prosecco Wine Road (Flickr: Lorenzo Benetton alias apolide)

Protesters in Italy are rising up against prosecco wineries, which they say have polluted rivers with pesticides—increased by 36% over the last eight years—and wastewaters, reports Angela Giuffrida in the Guardian. Local cypress trees have also been torn down to make room for more vineyards.

Also in the Guardian, Kate Connolly talks to German winemakers about recovering from the recent devastating floods. “Over the past weeks, the challenge for the vintners has been to ensure that their vines have been kept free of fungal infections, of particular concern due to the high humidity caused by the flood and weeks of torrential rain.”

“After a devastating wildfire swept through the Var region in Provence, vintners have returned to their estates to survey the damage and proceed with the 2021 harvest where possible,” reports Suzanne Mustacich in Wine Spectator. “While the majority of the burned landscape—18,000 acres in total—was forest in the Plaine des Maures nature reserve, local wine officials estimate that over 3,000 vineyard acres were impacted by the fires.”

In Wine Enthusiast, Sean P. Sullivan delves into the art and science behind selecting vineyard sits.

In the Napa Valley Register, Sam Jones considers the role of rootstocks in establishing more resilient vineyards.

In the New York Times, Eric Asimov offers 10 ways to appreciate wine even more than you already do.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old Portland Trail Blazer shooting guard CJ McCollum appears to be the first active NBA player to own his own vineyard, reports Mike Pomranz in Food & Wine.