Through the Grapevine #53
Wine news and just a smidge of commentary for March 5, 2025
Life Among the Vines
I’m generally a pretty even keel sort of person, but the last week has been full of extreme ups and downs that have both contributed to my irregular writing schedule. The downs have mostly just been a sudden rush of emotions about not being as “settled” as I hoped to be as I approach a year of this California adventure, and feeling like I am still in an unstable, transitional state: watching life back in Cincinnati happen without me, knowing I can’t go back and don’t really even want to, and yet not entirely having solid footing in this new place. This week’s anxiety has centered around housing, which is just an utter nightmare in this area for anyone who isn’t wildly wealthy, but I know it’s really about the last three years’ whirlwind of constant change in my own life (which is actually more like six years, now that I think about it), plus a side order of the collapse of the United States. I have been longing for a refuge from the chaos: the stability of my own cozy couch, the homeyness of my own decor, the full complement of my own cookware to make myself a comfort meal. But all those things are in storage for the foreseeable future.
In an attempt to quell the emotional turmoil, I did take some time to hit the beach last week, which always helps ground me; easy access to the ocean is one of the many reasons the challenges here are worthwhile. I also took a day to experience the “60 yards of fun” that is Geyserville, including local wineries Pech Merle and Mercury, and came home with their excellent Cabernet Franc and Syrah, respectively. Both wineries and the restaurant where I had lunch, Diavolo, were very welcoming to dogs in addition to just being generally charming. However, in the future I will know to visit on a day other than Tuesday, because at least thirty of the sixty yards of fun were closed.
The Grape News
Speaking of the collapse of the U.S., the Canadians are pissed, and they’re hitting us where it hurts. I’m cheering for Ontario on this one, even while I cringe at the impact we’ll feel here. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued a statement on retaliatory tariffs and other measures, and the Toasts Not Tariffs Coalition has released a statement urging President Trump to lift tariffs on Canadian and Mexican wine and spirits.
Constellation Brands is on its way out of the wine business due to falling wine sales.
Napa Valley has had a string of winery and tasting room closures, most recently Brian Arden.
Mississippi has approved direct to consumer wine shipping beginning this summer.
New Jersey is in the midst of a rather dramatic legal battle over direct to consumer wine shipping. Most recently, the Third District court upheld bans on shipping out of state alcohol directly to consumers in New Jersey, but then almost immediately vacated that decision. Stay tuned.
W Platform has created technology to capture and recycle the CO2 produced during fermentation, while Familia Torres is using carbon capture technology developed by Orchestra Scientific to produce the CO2 needed to prevent oxidation.
Here’s a fun and informative article about why there is so much confusion around the term “natural” in wine. Apparently we’re all lost in translation! But it seems we’re stuck with the mistranslation now.
Given the emotional texture of the week, it may come as no surprise that I’m taking this article rather personally, even though I’m fairly certain it is not referring to my recent post on aging wine. I don’t consider myself a “wine influencer” and I certainly didn’t malign Pinot Noir or suggest it can’t be aged. Every resource I’ve ever seen has included tannin structure in the ageability equation, so I’m not taking it back, but this post is worth the read anyway if you’re trying to wrap your head around wine aging, or wondering whether anyone even cares anymore.
This excellent post on Super Tuscans is a helpful read on its own, and also a great segue into the March Wine Conversations topic: are old world and new world categorizations meaningful or helpful? Those posts will start coming out next week, but in the meantime you can read about this intersection between old and new:
Vineyard Maintenance
As mentioned above, I’m in a bit of a flux state, so I’m trying to keep up a regular posting schedule but also allowing myself space. I appreciate your patience. If you have wine questions or topics you’d like to read about, as always, send me a comment, DM, or email! I also want to offer my sincere thanks to those of you who have become paid subscribers or renewed your subscriptions this week. You have sent tangible encouragement at a time when I have really needed it. Welcome also to the new free subscribers; I’m so happy to have you on board! And thanks to everyone who engages with my work through reading, liking, sharing, and commenting here. You’re the best.
The Best Thing I Drank This Week
It’s really a toss-up between a bunch of the wines I tried at Pech Merle and Mercury. The Cab Franc and Viognier were stand-outs at Pech Merle, while the Syrah and this Bordeaux-style blend grabbed my attention at Mercury.
Rather than picking one, I’m just going to sing the virtues of visiting small wineries and tasting rooms, or if you can’t visit, ordering their wines online and enjoying them at home. Both were relaxing, gently quirky places to hang out, with engaging and attentive staff, in addition to offering very tasty wines. Besides, in this time of watching billionaires take over the government to make themselves richer, it’s just plain fun to give your money to small, local businesses.
Food and Wine Pairing of the Week
I made something yesterday that I think would go with nearly any wine that isn’t a full-bodied red: Greek-inspired bowls made with a lemony cauliflower rice (regular rice would also be fine, but I was trying to pack in some neglected veggies this week), ground turkey spiced with oregano and paprika (grilled chicken would probably be better but this girl is on a budget and ground turkey is $3/lb.), a tomato and cucumber salad dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, and mint, and tzatziki made from Greek yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, mint, and lemon juice. **Add salt and pepper to it all, to taste, as they say. It seems like a lot of components, but it took me about 15 minutes to pull together the whole meal. Nearly any zippy white or juicy light-bodied red would pair perfectly with this dish because of its fresh and slightly herbaceous profile, and it is easy to make, feels almost ridiculously healthy, and packs well for lunch the next day.
Many thanks for the restack. I appreciate it.
I went back to your original post on aging wine and it all seemed like solid common sense, so tell Joel Butler MW to enjoy his 150th reunion.