Bloomberg on how an El Nino caused draught is damaging South Africa's grape crop. "The smaller berries will lead to good color and intense flavor in this year’s red wines, VinPro said. “The white wines also appear surprisingly good, with great structure and good flavors,” it said."
The Telegraph says the English are building more luxury wine cellars.
W.Blake Gray on Bulgarian food and wine. "Bulgaria claims to have been the world's second-largest wine producer in the 1980s. Can you imagine? It's the size of Ohio and it made more wine than Spain, Italy or the US?"
Winefolly on wines from Portugal. "All told, there are over 250 indigenous varieties and a few imports (including Alicante Bouschet) that have adapted well to the Portuguese landscape (i.e. they are delicious)."
Punch on how peasant grapes are staking a claim in Barolo. "Pelaverga makes its home primarily in Verduno; grignolino is mostly found in Monferrato and Asti (and, honestly, there’s not too much of it around these days), alongside ruché, which commands just 400 acres."
The Drinks Business reports that UK vineyards are close to an amber warning over pesticides. “The toolbox is rapidly diminishing and at the same time resistance to the ones in use [mainly herbicides and fungicides] is growing; we are heading towards a catastrophically high risk scenario,” Chris Cooper, the UKVA’s pesticides expert said."
The Wine Economist compares the profitability of South African and Australian wine. "The price premium that Stellenbosch wines receive in the market does not appear to be enough to offset higher per bottle costs, eating into margins."
