Month: June 2021

In Meininger’s, Darren Smith explores the unique style of clarete. “Although clarete is similar to rosé, it is not simply rosé by another name. By definition, it is a wine made from co-fermented red and white grapes, which are all picked at the same time and thrown into a fermenting vessel together.”

It’s nearly impossible to get Canadian wine in the US. Maria C. Hunt explains why in Wine Enthusiast. “Wineries, importers, trade reps and sommeliers claim 99 reasons why it’s hard to find Canadian wine in the U.S., but quality isn’t one of them.”

In Wine-Searcher, W. Blake Gray reports on how the heat wave in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week means for growers and winemakers.

The Drop explores the rise, fall, and rise again of Gamay. “Today, Gamay is known as the darling of the natural wine world, thanks to its juicy raspberry flavors and the crunchy acidity that gives it such a drinkable quality. But its history is checkered. In some periods it’s been vilified as a poor-quality grape. At others, it’s been a massive commercial success. What gives?”

Director Frank Mannion gets access to the Champagne region’s most famous houses in his documentary Sparkling. But rather than deliver fresh insight, this “love letter” to the celebrated drink falls flat, says Guy Woodward in Club Oenologique.

In Wine Spectator, Bruce Sanderson reports on the changes afoot in Chianti Classico, where wineries will now include specific areas on the labels of their top wines and will no longer use non-Italian grape varieties in those wines.

Elin McCoy offers bottle recommendations for the Bordeaux 2020 vintage in Bloomberg.

In Food & Wine, Ray Isle explores the ways in which online wine shopping has changed. “Essentially, a side effect of 2020 was that many, many more people became aware that they could buy wine online — through retailers like wine.com, via alcohol delivery companies like Minibar or Drizly (the latter just purchased by Uber for a whopping $1.1 billion, after seeing 350% growth last year), or directly from wineries themselves.”

In Wine Enthusiast, Jacopo Mazzeo reports on how high-tech wineries are utilizing robots to prune vines and sensors to analyze disease.

In TRINK Magazine, Nils Kevin Puls looks at the Austrian winemakers exploring the benefits of non-vintage wines, “individualists united by one goal: to allow their wines to develop character and expressive strength, naturally.”

As Burgundy prices continue to rise, are producers in danger of pricing themselves out of the market? James Lawrence explores the answer in Wine-Searcher.

In SevenFifty Daily, Mark Stock reports on how unregulated cannabis cultivation could threaten tourism in wine country.

In the Washington Post, Dave McIntyre offers tips for expanding your red wine repertoire beyond Cabs, Pinots and Merlots.

In Eater, Delia Jo Ramsey explores Nashville’s wine bar moment.