Sheep grazing in a vineyard. (Flickr: Stefano Lubiana)

In Wine Enthusiast, Kathleen Willcox highlights the winemakers bringing sheep back to the vineyard. “While hard numbers are tough to come by, the use of sheep, and other animals, in vineyards is on the rise after about a century of decline… sheep help eliminate the need for chemicals, herbicides and fertilizers. They also help reduce tractor passes to take care of weeds with the built-in fertilizer their urine and feces provide. As an added bonus, the stimulation of sheep’s hooves helps build microflora in the soil and makes it more resilient to extreme cold and heat.”

For devotees, it is Italy’s most profound grape. For naysayers, it’s pale yet tannic. Now, collectors’ love affair with Burgundy is putting Nebbiolo in the spotlight—and not just in its Barolo and Barbaresco heartland, says Walter Speller in Club Oenologique.

In the Napa Valley Register, Sam Jones says that for many wineries, virtual tastings will persist well beyond the pandemic.

In the Washington Post, Dave McIntyre reports on a new executive order that aims to improve competition across several industries, including alcohol.

In the New York Times, Penelope Green pens an obituary for Rebecca “Becky” Wasserman-Hone, who helped put Burgundy on the U.S. map. She died on August 20 at 84.

Jeni Port looks at what’s behind the rise of Australia’s Heathcote region in the Drop.

In Meininger’s, James Lawrence searches for the Pinot Noir regions of the future.