The Guardian on the pluses and minuses of wine clubs. "There are downsides, however. It’s easy for retailers to pop slow-moving wines or those that have reached their drink-by date into a mixed case, for example, and you obviously can’t taste before you buy, as you can in a shop, so you may end up with bottles that aren’t particularly to your taste."
Jon Bonné in Punch looks at some problems within the wine community. "It is an industry that, because it’s viewed by outsiders as a nice little escapist haven from the real world, has a nearly pathological aversion to its less-than-perfect side."
Eric Asimov in the New York Times writes the obituary for Rhone winemaker Auguste Clape. Mr. Clape (pronounced klahp) was one of a pantheon of midcentury winegrowers in the northern Rhône whose wines, though made initially for the local market, were eventually celebrated internationally as among the most profound expressions of the syrah grape.
Decanter reports Napa Valley's Duckhorn has agreed a deal to buy celebrated California Pinot Noir producer Kosta Browne for an undisclosed fee.
Seven Fifty Daily profiles natural wine importer and wholesaler Jenny and Francois. "In the 18 years since it was created, the company has grown dramatically. Jenny & François now sells 279 wines from 71 producers in 10 countries to 42 states."
