[BND] The Beverage Reader

Good Morning and Happy Saturday, May 9., 2026.

We're on our way to Florida for a week, but here's whaat I read this past week.

The Right Rides to Wine's Defense

The future of wine and whiskey may depend on right-wing media. A well-researched article published last week in The Daily Mail newspaper could be a harbinger.

The alcohol industry has always tried to avoid politics because consumers on the left and right drink about equally. Politicization of wine, in either direction, is a huge risk. Yet I cannot imagine left-leaning media defending alcohol from neo-Prohibitionists the way the Daily Mail has just done. (Seven-Fifty Daily)

This Was Once America's Best-Selling Ale — Now It's Nearly Vanished

The next time you sidle up to your favorite bar in search of the latest craft beer, take a moment to peruse the forgotten options. In our list of vintage beers that vanished from America's fridges, we commended Genesee Cream Ale for its drinkability and flavor. (Mashed)

Napa’s most colorful winery is back after bankruptcy, a billionaire acquisition and a yearlong restoration

Calistoga’s Clos Pegase, designed by famed postmodern architect Michael Graves, was collateral damage in the sudden bankruptcy of California wine conglomerate Vintage Wine Estates in 2024. More than 30 wine and spirits brands were auctioned off to the highest bidders, and Clos Pegase — along with four other classic California wineries — went to a surprising new owner: billionaire Jay Adair, the executive chairman of Copart, a global online car auction company based in Dallas. (San Francisco Chronicle)

After 33 years, a Eugene family buys back their wine estate

This spring, Silvan Ridge Winery was sold back to the estate’s founding family and restored to its original name, Hinman Vineyards. For the Hinman family, reacquiring their estate — while rare in the industry — was as strategic as it was serendipitous. (LookOut