Wine in the News

Been too much going on around Wiz Manor this week. Not to get into details, but poor Johnny has been suffering from a lack of intestinal fortitude, if you know what I mean and I think you do. Luckily this good boy has kindly chosen places for… deposits that are easily moppable.

He also suffers from a mom who doesn’t have the sense to get up a lot earlier to walk him during a heat wave.

Let’s take a tip from Johnny, chill out (cooling bandanna optional but keenly encouraged), and check out what’s going on in the wider world of wine.

Wine Enthusiast magazine to stop rating wines from New Jersey and other states

According to this article, Wine Enthusiast will only taste wines from established regions in the U.S. such as California, Washington, Oregon, New York, and Virginia. They will also cut back on several smaller countries outside of Europe. The notice gives no explanation why this is happening. The article quotes my good pal John Cifelli, general manager at Unionville Vineyards and co-founder of The Winemakers Co-op, who explains how important these ratings were in getting the market here off the ground.

I don’t need to tell you that I think this decision is crap (seems to be a theme around here this week), not just for my state but for other small regions trying to grow. I look forward to hearing more about the reasoning behind this decision, right after I cancel my subscription.

Thousands evacuated as fires ravage 7,300 hectares of forest near Bordeaux

Europe is suffering the same kind of heat wave we’re having here in the Northeast. Obviously the paramount concern is people’s safety, but no word yet on how many wineries have been affected. Bordeaux is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. No telling how wines may be affected by smoke taint, which California is starting to deal with.

(Oh, speaking of heat wave, I learned last week from an arborist at Princeton Tree Care that you can have 99.999% humidity like we’ve been having and still be in a drought. C’mon, man!)

Diners arrested for stealing $1.6 million in wine from a Spanish restaurant's cellar

Wow! A couple who stole 45 bottles of high-end wine from Atrio restaurant and hotel in Caceres, Spain have been arrested. The thieves definitely did their homework:

Among the bottles stolen were 10 vintages of Chateau d'Yquem dating from 1806 to 1901 and over 20 bottles of Romanée-Conti — the Burgundy producer that holds the record for most expensive bottle ever sold — with vintages ranging from 1990 to 2012, according to Decanter.

The 1806 Chateau d'Yquem bottle alone was priced by the restaurant at over $350,000, according to inews.

I would never promote theft. However. I will probably also never get to taste a wine worth almost as much as my house. Sadly the bottles have not yet been recovered.

That’s all for today. Stay cool and hydrated (sorry, that’s one thing wine doesn’t help with, but at least it makes you care less about it).