Archive for the ‘Retail Wine Industry News’ Category

Is the natural wine movement right that “everything” is wrong with the modern wine industry? A bootlegging bust in Brooklyn. Drought’s effect on price and quality in South Africa. And we begin with excellence in Bordeaux. (but in Walla Walla …) [level-members] Is Bordeaux ceding its excellence? Fans in Walla Walla, Washington may like The […]

Rosé is here to stay. Bootleggers, too. Women’s superior palates, trade agencies pushing for better labels, and we start with an insder’s look at the lack of diversity in the wine biz. [level-members] The wine biz isn’t necessarily the most diverse industry under the sun. Trade agencies in the US push for more precise and […]

More celebrity beverages, Bordeaux being bought by international investors, how the 2017 vintage looks from a pricing perspective, and more. [level-members] Because another celebrity tipple is exactly what we need: The Rock’s Tequila. It’s not just Bordeaux wines they’re buying, it’s the vineyards that the Chinese and others have their eyes on. Here’s what the trade […]

What version of Napa Valley do you prefer? Also ownership change in Napa, varietal change globally, fighting disease in Burgundy, and rock ‘n roll whiskey. [level-members] Bob Dylan makes whiskey. Both Food & Wine and the NYTimes give us the low-down on Dylan’s latest “release.” Heitz sells out. Given all of the chatter about climate […]

Fallout from the wildfires in California, whiskey tourism, trade war and wine, and the fight for Napa development rights. First, sugar in wine and on wine bottle labels. [level-members] Do we really want ingredients listed on our wine labels? European winemakers may soon have to, and closer to home there’s a question about how much […]

Is that glass of wine trying to kill you? Opportunity in China, screwcaps in New Zealand, and the SF Chronicle’s winemakers of the year.  [level-members] So much for all red wine-related health news being rosy. (Or rosé, yuk yuk.) Apparently each glass of wine we drink is killing us. Slowly. Or more accurately, bringing about […]

Cork returns, black is the new black, a new wine glass, and guess where there’s now a wine theme park? [level-members] There’s a wine theme park. Where else would it be but France? A new wine glass to beat all wine glasses. (Depending on what you look for in a wine glass …) Pink, orange, […]

Government agency entanglements, 2018 predictions, and trailblazers in the wine biz. [level-members] A fascinating story about the intertwining of governmental oversight and industry overreach that looks bad on a lot of levels. Federal Agency Courted Alcohol Industry to Fund Study on Benefits of Moderate Drinking Are we due for a return to the classics? Sommelier Belinda […]

Bad actors acting badly in France, whiskey-based cryptocurrency, good news and bad from China, and Brexit’s effect on Champagne buying habits.  [level-members] Chicanery and malfeasance in France: Leading Bordeaux Wine Merchant Accused of Massive Fraud and French watchdog details ‘massive’ misuse of Rhône and Châteauneuf names. Pay for your next whiskey with … whiskey? The world’s first […]

  [level-members] Move from Napa to New York’s Finger Lakes? Here’s why one Master of Wine did. (And I love that we’re now referring to the Finger Lakes as FLX. New to me, anyway …) More bad news: weed is having an impact on the wine industry. Let’s just keep piling on: Rich People are Ruining […]