What I'm Reading --

The Man Behind Two Buck Chuck Said No Wine Should Cost More Than $10. He Was Half Right.

The most hated man in American wine asked why an $80 bottle is worth forty times a $2 one. The research answers him, and so does his own guilty plea. (The Polished Palate)

Why mid-strength spirits offer new threat to wine industry

Bulk wine imports to the US slumped by 22% in the first quarter. bulk wine is the engine room of the global industry; not all bulk is low-priced hooch but nonetheless it is crucial to the volume end of the wine market – the bit that attracts people into wine in the first place because of affordability and that cements wine consumption as if not an everyday habit, then at least an every-week habit. that is an established fixture in the shopping trolley. Wine has talked about the importance of recruitment for as long as I can remember. Acccessibility, including in price, is key to recruitment. (Global Data via Yahoo! Finance)

Why This Grape Grower Is Going All in on Smart Technology

Grape markets have weakened while growers continue contending with high labor and input costs. "If you're not doing it efficiently in today's ag world, you're going to really, really struggle," one says. (Growing Produce)

‘Fine wine tastes better with margins’: how should businesses prepare for the recovery?

Now is the time to knuckle down and prepare fine wine businesses for the recovery of the fine wine market, a panel of industry experts told the db conference last week – even if we are a few years off a “true recovery.” (The Drinks Business)

The Road to Great Wine With Eben Sadie

When one of the world’s most talented and ambitious winemakers decides to lay out what sounds like a grand unified field theory for making great wine, you shut your mouth and listen. (Vinography)

A Rare Look Inside Inglenook, the Coppola Family’s Napa Valley Legacy

Hollywood and history converge at Inglenook, the largest contiguous estate in Napa’s famed Rutherford Bench, where organically farmed wines have been produced since 1879. (Modern Luxury)