“First, I will say that I was not a fan of the wine or the man…How were the grapes farmed, and who provided the labor? What steps were taken at the winemaking facility to ensure some semblance of consistency, since the sources of the wine changed year to year? We can only guess.” In the New York Times, Eric Asimov considers the cost of Two-Buck Chuck to the wine business. “Two-Buck Chuck did not damage American wine culture. But Mr. Franzia relentlessly told American wine drinkers that no wine could possibly be worth more than $10…His message not only promoted his own company’s products, it also destroyed the notion that any wine could be better.”

“Many Bay Area wine drinkers might not be able to point out Redwood Valley on a map, but they’ve probably tasted Redwood Valley wine. This little-known slice of inland Mendocino County has become the go-to vineyard region for some of California’s most popular young wine producers,” writes Esther Mobley, who explores how climate change is transforming the region. “But the last three years have dealt Redwood Valley one devastating blow after another. Drought, frost and fires have decimated the crops, particularly in older vineyards. Many grapevines last year yielded less than 10% of the output of an average harvest. Other vines collapsed entirely, reaching the end of their life spans. Some farmers in the region said it’s been the most difficult period they’ve ever experienced.”

In Wine-Searcher, Caroline Henry reports on Champagne’s “blissful” harvest.

For the first time in several years, sales of Burgundy wines have fallen in some markets. In supermarkets, “sales fell by 25.2% by volume and 16.7% in revenue over the first eight months of 2021/2022”, said Laurent Delaunay, vice-president of the Burgundy wine bureau BIVB. Vitisphere has the details.

How bad are law violations in the US wine industry? Pretty bad, finds David Morrison.

Sarah Linn highlights Mexican Americans working in the wine industry.

Emily Saladino explores muscadine wine in Wine Enthusiast.