Articles

Perhaps we’ve missed the larger point. What if the real question isn’t how fires threaten wine, but whether wine regions could shield the rest of us from wildfires?

In August 1975, a group of Corsican growers and activists, armed with hunting rifles, seized a rapatrié-owned cellar in Aléria. The standoff spurred support for the riacquistu, a Corsican movement to reclaim heritage through language, song… and viticulture.

Over time, political leaders have repeatedly miscalculated when slapping high-end beverages with tariffs. In retrospect, the results were comical.

With friends stopping by frequently to tipple on my riverfront terrace, my fridge door tends to runneth over. That’s when I turn to my all American auxiliary wine cellars: two oversized Yeti ice chests (eg, the Tundra 125 model, which can hold 58kg of ice, at £550/US$600).

In the spirit of cooperation, I nominate fine wine to be everyone’s collective punchbag. Our society has been fractured by political schism. We need a common cause – something we can all agree to impose 200% tariffs on.

This is absurd. A reasonable person should only own one style of wine glass. I don’t need a towering Pinot Noir, a cavernous Cabernet Sauvignon, a bulbous Chardonnay and an abstemious Riesling glass. And yet, here they all are, vying for shelf space. And now, there are new ‘must-have’ shapes on the market.

The Eames chair is an iconic status symbol in today’s modern home. Did you know that its sleek lines were originally a response to a wartime surgeon’s plea for strong, lightweight, affordably mass-produced leg splints? Necessity is the mother and all that. We oenophiles know this well.

A century ago, in the summer of 1924, Rudolf Steiner delivered a series of eight lectures on farming. Drawn from his scholarship, observations of old-world bucolic customs and conversations with a traditional herb gatherer, they served as the basis for the agricultural practice known as biodynamics.

Since the World Health Organization dogmatically declared that “no level of alcohol is safe for our health,” a spate of alarmist news reports and protectionist governmental initiatives have thrown the wine world into an existential crisis.

A new movement, dubbed Rosautoctono, aims to assert Italy’s historic rosa wines as more than just an afterthought

Challenged by social distancing, tariffs, and a wine glut, rosé producers weigh in on what to expect, from bag-in-box and growlers, to a marketing shift for more serious times

Despite its reputation as a frivolous luxury, modern sparkling wine has been affected profoundly by combat and has played a surprisingly prominent role in world wars

Importers, wholesalers, and retailers are scrambling to soften the blow of the new 25 percent tariff imposed by the U.S. on beverages from EU nations

The Jackson and Torres families have joined forces to launch International Wineries for Climate Action, a powerful new protocol for sustainability

With drastic labor shortages up and down the West Coast, this year’s vintage may mark a dramatic shift in the way the wine industry views labor

As winemakers return to traditional methods, they’re thinking outside the building

Distillers, brewers, mixologists, and winemakers are tapping artisanal honey as the next in-demand ingredient

The founders of Division Winemaking Company have upended marketing and PR models to boost the competition—and themselves

With Eugenia Keegan at the helm in Oregon, JFW is guiding the valley’s evolution into an elite, luxury region. In return, the valley is doing the same for JFW

Two underdog grapes—one championed in Oregon and the other in California—face off

The iconic Bay Area importer discovered virtuosos like Henri Jayer—and ushered in a new era of boutique French wines.

The Oregon city has had a mainline to grower bubbly for decades, thanks to a handful of buyers, importers, and distributors.

The collaboration between the sparkling wine producer and the Santa Ana Pueblo is bearing fruit beyond the business venture.

Recent disputes find winemakers and legislators reconsidering America’s laissez-faire attitude toward veracity in wine labeling

New World winemakers are utilizing the yeast layer to create savory, unfortified wines that reference Old World regions

The prodigal New York somm turned Portland restaurateur has helped shape the careers of wine professionals on both coasts

The proprietor of Hiyu Wine Farm discusses his techniques and explains why viticultural diversity is the future

Gushing must, insect infestations, and drunken interns are just the beginning

Industry professionals share the most awkward and obnoxious situations they’ve encountered at winery tasting rooms

Some American winegrowers are rejecting the prevailing monoclone model and revisiting older techniques

At Oregon’s Hiyu Wine Farm, the vigneron is using 17th-century viticultural techniques to create a wine style for the future

While sales of the sweet, sparkling wine slow to a dribble, Saracco Moscato defies the odds

From determined college dropout to Master Sommelier, television personality, and restaurant owner, Chicago’s celeb somm has done it all

Eschewing popular domestic programs, an American somm heads down under

Some winemakers are using 100-year-old barrels, disproving the premise that they must be discarded after five years

Following a $6 million gift, the Oregon college will offer a degree focused on winery sales, hospitality, and management

How the Rhône’s most improbable superstar built his overseas business by breaking all the rules

An Oregon winemaker negotiates the transition from craft to corporate while keeping her cool

Those days on the international wine-trade route that went very, very wrong

For one Portland wine professional, escaping to France was an act of self-preservation—and an awakening

The Sutter Home and Ménage à Trois owners ignored critics and bucked traditions to get ahead of consumer trends

Sommeliers from around the country recall their worst—and funniest—experiences working on the floor

Peers and protégés reflect on how the wine virtuoso’s keen intellect and generous spirit impacted their careers

How forward-thinking winery owners give back while minding their margins

A new kind of online wine club features international imports delivered to a customer’s door

A nearly forgotten technique for exceptional wines has some producers going back to black

In the United States, there is an increasing interest in upper-echelon pink wines that will improve with age.

Boutique wine producers are embracing aluminum, and this summer’s wine lists are reflecting the trend

A primer on iconic age-worthy rosés from Europe