Vice on how a SF based sommelier is turning wine speak into comics. "I don’t want you to feel super-intimidated if you’re unfamiliar, so instead I will describe the experience of drinking this. And it can come off as sounding kind of insane, but at the same time I do think it is more fun than saying [in a mock snooty voice], “This has medium-plus acidity and high alcohol,” because that’s not what sells the wine or what makes the wine exciting."
The Telegraph on why wine promotions are a waste of time. "To my huge frustration, promotions have been particularly instrumental in selling supermarket wine. I’ve spent much of my career explaining that a “£13.99” wine sold at “half price” is just a £7 wine sold at £7, and is often worse than a wine priced at £7 all year round, because it’s made in gigantic volume and the people who sell it think that those who buy it are mugs who won’t notice what it tastes like."
Bloomberg on what every wine geek needs to know. “There’s been a massive change in the style of wine that people seek,” explained Robinson. “Very ripe, high-alcohol wines are out. Winemakers are looking to tradition—returning to their grandparents’ methods—and moving away from aging wine in new oak.”
In Decanter Andrew Jefford on Penfold's. "Grange is a showy wine. It reminds me of a carnival or a fairground: lots going on both at ground level and up in the sky; full of noise and bright colour; something extraordinary to greet you wherever you peep inside the wine. In recent years, though, Peter Gago has added intricacy and finesse to the blends."
The Drinks Business on the top 10 tips to marketing wine to millennials. "They want brands with a higher purpose and authenticity of deed. A great example is Brewdog, which exists with the sole mission to make people passionate about craft beer and to take a stand against bland mass-produced global lager brands."
On JancisRobinson.com China v Bordeaux - games people play. "The Bordelais completely misread what looked like the beginning of a Chinese love affair with its famous classified growths. In most cases this was not love but speculation pure and simple."
The Washington Post on why you should add blush to the wine colors of the fall. "The qualities that make rosé food-friendly in summer — its crisp acidity and bright fruit — don’t disappear once the mercury drops. So now that we’ve become enamored of rosé, we should not simply consign it to one season."
