Wine news July 9, 2015

Philly.com on NJ's wine growing scene. "There are more than 40 wineries all over New Jersey, and a respectable cluster are located on the way from Philly to the Shore and near the beach in Cape May County."

CBS reports China is trying to turn the desert into a wine growing region. "It's taking billions of gallons of water to irrigate fields there each year and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment to make it China's wine country."

The New York Times profiles Austin sommelier Vilma Mazaite.

Forbes asks is Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard America's best wine?

The BBC looks at Greek wine during the Greek crisis. "He says it reminds him of what his father told him about World War Two, when occupied Greece suffered mass starvation and emaciated bodies were commonplace in the streets of Athens."

Will Lyons in The Wall Street Journal examines the correct temperature to serve wine. "The late Serge Hochar, of Lebanese winery Château Musar, once told me that he never put ice in his water, however hot it was outside, and that he always served his white wine at room temperature—never chilled."

Fast Company on one company's effort to "beerify" wine. "The brand’s motto is "pinkies down," signaling a rejection of the classic wine-drinking pose of holding up a glass of wine with one’s smallest digit in the air."

Vegas Seven on the sake sommelier."Nguyen is one of only 180 Level II sake professionals in the world, as certified by the Sake Education Council." 

The Drinks Business reports on a French criminal investigation on a winemaker who died after 40 years of exposure to pesticides.

Vinography on the wines of Santorini. "It's this thick layer of volcanic pumice that makes wines from Santorini Island so unique. With very little organic matter, the roots of any plants that grow there must dig deep and struggle to find nutrients."

Jon Bonné in Punch makes a case for fizzy, sweet wine. "The poster child for these wines is probably Bugey-Cerdon, a cherished but little-known mountain appellation due west of Geneva. Sparkling Bugey-Cerdon, made from gamay and poulsard, is one of those irresistible orphans beloved by wine people."