Robert Dahl A bitter, multimillion-dollar dispute between Napa Valley vintner Robert Dahl and investor Emad Tawfilis ended in a murder-suicide on Monday, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Mike Veseth, the wine economist, explains how the U.S. and Canada accidentally destroyed wine. (Whoops!) Ray Isle offers “An Insider’s Guide to Outsmarting Bur

Not such a “dumb investment” after all (Wikimedia) In Wine Searcher, W. Blake Gray looks at how Cakebread – an Oakland garage owner’s “dumb investment” – turned into one of America’s favorite wines. “2013 was not the easiest of vintages in Alsace,” says Panos Kakaviatos in Harpers. But “it is really hard to go wrong with Zind Humbrecht

Cathy Corison (Corison Winery) In the New York Times, Eric Asimov praises Cathy Corison for making cabernet her way in Napa Valley. “Best of all, they demonstrate plainly that Napa cabernet can speak transparently and persuasively in a pure, restrained voice without artifice or bombast.” CBS reports that some of the country’s top selling wines have

Not Napa. (Flickr: bunnicula) Worried about arsenic in wine? Alder Yarrow thinks it’s “a bullshit, scaremongering story.” “Eleven years on from the release of Sideways, the movie that put wine tourism on the map… the region in which it is set is arguably one of the least developed in terms of facilities for visitors.” Jancis Robinson tries to under

J Vineyards & Winery, just purchased by E. & J. Gallo (Flickr: yajico) “So you want to be a wine writer. Why?” asks Mike Dunne, in a summary of his experience at the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in the Sacramento Bee. “E. & J. Gallo, the world’s largest wine company, has purchased J Vineyards & Winery, a prominent S

“Of course, I’m part of the problem there by giving high scores…” — Robert Parker    (Flickr: winestem) Robert Parker tells the Drinks Business “we have a caste system of wine.” He also admits that he is “partly to blame for the demand and subsequent high prices of certain fine wines.” “Is anyone else wondering what happened to th

What’s next for Riedel? (Flickr: davereffellphotography) In the New York Times, Eric Asimov offers notes on the most recent Wine School, Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon. “Not surprisingly, reaction to these wines varied widely… About the only point on which almost everybody agrees is that it’s expensive.” He also announces what’s up for next m

Is bacteria around the root system of vines the secret to terroir? (Flickr: farenough) Scientists say the secret to terroir could have more to do with bacteria around the root system of a vine than the soil that it grows in, reports Decanter. In Wine Searcher, Adam Lechmere discusses the process of preparing a blend for Bordeaux en primeur week and