Wine news March 12, 2018

Vogue on a Berkeley Street that has became a natural wine oasis. "We get a lot of younger people in here who are curious about these types of wines and interested in learning more,” says Chris Brockway of Broc Cellars, one of the first tasting rooms in the area along with Donkey & Goat winery."

The Drinks Business reports that critic James Suckling is the new wine curator for American cruise company Holland America. "“It is an honour to welcome James Suckling as our wine curator, and we know he’s going to create an unrivaled list and further develop our wine-pairing program so our guests can have the perfect wine with every meal,” he continued."

Bloomberg reports that wine on tap might be coming to a hotel near you. "The first hotel to capitalize on the Plum’s in-room potential was the Four Seasons in Silicon Valley, where the pace is fast and the clientele savors the latest hi-tech amenities."

Wine prices to rise as bad weather brings the worst harvest in 50 years reports The Guardian. “Prices for things like pinot grigio or generic Spanish reds will rise by between 10% and 30% and it’s [a question of] how much of that retailers will pass on,” says Jago, who previously headed up the Tesco wine business. “Prosecco was very hard hit by frost, so there will be less of it and the price will go up.”

Travel and Leisure visits the Margaret River in Australia. " But Margaret River is a part of the world where sheer remoteness has kept it somewhat under the radar. To get there from the U.S. entails taking a 14-plus-hour flight over the Pacific to Sydney, waiting for a five-hour flight to Perth, then driving three hours south, to Margaret River."

In Decanter Andrew Jefford visits Catalonia’s Empordà. "It’s tough country, not least because of the flagellation of the Tramontane, the northwesterly wind which hurtles southwards here with unbridled force."

Jancis Robinson on British wine storage professionals. "The late Baroness Philippine de Rothschild used to swear that bottles of her Ch Mouton Rothschild stored in the cool climes of the UK tasted better than those stored in Bordeaux."

The Washington Post says California winemaker Adam Lee is going to shake things up. "But instead of selling wine, Lee will be offering membership in an exclusive community built on social media around the wine."