In New York Magazine, Benjamin Wallace reports on how growers, vintners, and scientists are scrambling to protect California’s prized Napa Cabs from the aftertaste of wildfires. “The 2020 fires were a turning point for Napa’s grape growers and winemakers. The first of them hit earlier in the season than the 2017 fires had, and many grapes were vulnerable because they hadn’t yet been harvested. And when the Glass Fire arrived in late September, it devastated the later-ripening varieties still on the vine — in particular, Cabernet Sauvignon, the grape with which Napa is almost synonymous and the basis for California’s preeminent luxury export.”

From Brad Pitt to Penfolds, high-end winemakers are betting on the buzzy blockchain investment. But should you? Elin McCoy delves into the answer in Bloomberg.

Franco Allegrini, one of Northern Italy’s most influential winemakers, died April 23 at his home in the Valpolicella hills west of Verona, after a years-long battle with cancer, reports Wine Spectator. He was 65.

Pierre Lafond, the Montreal-born entrepreneur who ushered in the region’s modern era of commercial winemaking by founding Santa Barbara Winery 60 years ago, died on Sunday morning, reports Matt Kettmann. He was 92 years old.

In VICE, Romano Santos explores soursop, mangosteen and bugnay wines.

Katie Kelly Bell offers a spring buying guide to rosé wine in Forbes.

In Wine Enthusiast, Christina Pickard dives into what “funky” means when we talk about wine.