CHAMPAGNE IN HISTORY For centuries, Champagne producers were focused on one thing: inspiring us to drink Champagne. Then they were forced to change. A few decades ago, the world shifted, and instead of being concerned about their one little corner of the earth, Champagne producers became aware that every aspect
This story is continued from "Wine is too cheap: Working Harvest in South Africa (Part 1)" As a tasting exercise during meals, Burger pulled two bottles of wine for me and the assistant winemaker Drew to sample blind and guess the grapes and origin. We could ask four strategic questions
The world seems to be shaking on its axis as it watches the new administration take a wrecking ball to the US. Not to mention forest fires destroying large tracts of the Chilean vineyard surface, and the rise of worrying post-Brexit extremism and racism all across Europe. And we narrowly missed
The world seems to be shaking on its axis as it watches the new administration take a wrecking ball to the US. Not to mention forest fires destroying large tracts of the Chilean vineyard surface, and the rise of worrying post-Brexit extremism and racism all across Europe. And we narrowly missed
Drive into the Cakebread Cellars parking lot and it seems fairly normal. Nicer and prettier than most, sure, but otherwise standard. But look a little closer and you discover a cleverly engineered facility designed to up the winery’s water game. The pavers are permeable and rest atop a foot of
If the planet Earth had an amusement park, this year it would be EXPO MILANO 2015. And it’s about food – one of our favorite subjects – and feeding the planet. Every five years there’s a universal expo somewhere in the world, and this year it’s in the economic capital
New Zealand is the world leader in sustainable wine production. At least that's the message that came through at the industry's annual Romeo Bragato conference (named for an early Kiwi winegrowing advocate) in late August. 94% of the country's growers are certified through the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand program.
Editors' note: To close 2011, Palate Press: The online wine magazine will be featuring some of our top stories from the past year. Our fifth piece comes from columnist W. Blake Gray, exploring the idiosyncrasies of how the wine world defines sustainability. Two Central Coast vintners walked through a pristine-looking vineyard last