Hello, and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I post them to my magazine on Flipboard, but for those of you who aren’t Flipboard-inclined, here’s everything I’ve strained out of the wine-related muck for the week. Drinking culture: Why some thinkers believe human civilization owes its existence to alcoholLike cities? …

In his novel East of Eden, John Steinbeck immortalised California’s Salinas Valley as a paradise, with ‘the smell of azaleas and the sleepy smell of sun working with chlorophyll’ in the air. Salinas has long been one of California’s most important agricultural regions. It still grows immense quantities of lettuce and strawberries, but it now hosts one of California’s most …

Flickr: Ren Kuo European wine exports to Russia have grown, reports Barnaby Eales in Wine-Searcher. Now, “Ukraine’s wine industry body Ukrvinprom has urged European wine companies to stop exporting wines to Russia and accused them of tolerating Russia’s war against Ukraine.” In SevenFifty Daily, Roger Morris looks into the lucrative corporate wine sales market for wineries, retailers, and business concierges …

More than 4,000 wine professionals and enthusiasts gathered in the French capital to watch the world’s best sommeliers vie for glory. Local favourite Pascaline Lepeltier, a Master Sommelier from Anjou, was eliminated at the semi-final stage, leaving just three experts to battle for the title. Tomsons was up against Nina Jensen of Denmark and China’s Reeze Choi, all of whom …

The latest figures show that Champagne sales continued to grow in 2022, albeit more modestly than in 2021, which saw the category rebound dramatically after the pandemic. Reports also show that the rosé Champagne category in particular continues to increase in popularity. Increasingly the trend is to use a lower dosage in rosé Champagne, in part as a reaction to …

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links …

Napa Valley winemaking iconoclast and Massican winery founder Dan Petroski pulls no punches in this hard look at the wine industry’s newest obstacles and trends. Host James Molesworth and Wine Spectator contributing editor Suzanne Mustacich look at the 2020 Bordeaux vintage and speak with Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande director Nicolas Glumineau and CVBG president Mathieu Chadronnier. Wine Spectator’s Straight …

According to figures released by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), the value of exports last year rose 37% to £6.2bn, with volumes increasing by 21% to the equivalent of 1.67bn 70cl bottles. That equates to 53 bottles of Scotch being exported every second, up from 44 per second in 2021. Boosted by the partial easing of supply chain constraints and …

Winemaker Nathan Carlson Center of Effort is a private wine estate located in the Edna Valley owned by Bill and Cheryl Swanson.  The estate vineyard consists of some 80 acres under vine. Winemaker Nathan Carlson  handcrafts outstanding Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and small quantities of other varieties. Edna Valley is among California’s coolest wine growing regions.  It has a long growing …

Pink Gin Valentine’s Day For some gin fans, pink gin is a serious alternative to regular gin. Others just love the eye-catching bottles and mixing up a delicate rose-coloured Gin & Tonic in summer. Then there are the gin purists who think pink gin is a step too far away from classic styles. So who’s right and just what is …

Beth Willard, Diana Rollan and David Williams tasted 97 wines, with 9 Outstanding and 43 Highly recommended. Priorat red wines panel tasting scores 97 wines tasted Exceptional 0 Outstanding 9 Highly recommended 43 Recommended 39 Commended 6 Fair 0 Poor 0 Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest-release Priorat reds, including single varietal or blended …

One of 2018’s signatures is its approachability. As such, there is plenty of choice for drinking in 2023. In some cases, these represent delightful wines without sufficient structure for ageing and will be best in the near-term to enjoy their radiant freshness.

Verbier in the snow. Located in southwest Switzerland, Verbier is best known as a luxury skiing destination – but there’s much more on offer than its famous après-ski. Indulgent restaurants with incredible wine lists, plus dazzling vineyards, make it an under-the-radar destination for wine lovers. Get to know Verbier At 1,500m altitude, the Swiss village of Verbier can be found …

A round, well-knit red, with supple tannins and orange peel acidity framing soft, juicy sun-dried black cherry and raspberry fruit and accents of mocha, anise and dried mint. Drink now through 2026. 400 cases made, 54 cases imported. Source : 9acd12b31389efd597c42def0170cd6b

Fresh and straightforward, with up-front lemon, lime, white peach and floral highlights, plus zippy acidity. The palate is lined with chalky mineral. Clairette and Roussanne. Drink now. 5,800 cases made, 3,000 cases imported. Source : 34b4c63a2ec3e70db84d2f8f4edff8ce