Wine Spectator April 30, 2022

Over the years, our family has vacationed in Italy and Sardinia multiple times. These trips were always great fun. This issue touches on many of the reasons why Italy is such a great place for Americans to visit. Of course there is the rich and historic wine culture, but equal in my mind is the wonderful food. I probably dine out at Italian restaurants more than I do any other ethnic cuisine. The top Italian restaurants in America are exceptional and usually my first choice while at home. But having had numerous opportunities to visit the great restaurants of Italy, I am convinced they retain their authentic edge. There is something extra special about eating out in Italy that goes beyond even the food itself. It’s in the feeling of the…

When harvest came last fall, many Napa and Sonoma vintners weren’t sure who was going to pick the grapes. America’s labor crunch is being felt across California’s $43.6 billion wine industry. Fires and other weather challenges have shrunk grape-picking windows and pandemic travel restrictions have kept away seasonal workers from Latin America. But all these challenges have merely exacerbated a chronic labor problem that has been worsening for more than a decade: Workers are leaving the wine industry for good. “Vineyard work is extremely difficult and people have a lot of options today,” said Bob Torkelson, president and COO of Trinchero Family Estates, one of California’s largest wine companies, farming more than 10,000 acres of vines. “We’ve seen farm work-ers leave for jobs in the service industry, construction and at huge…

Merlot to go could be back on the menu in New York state this year, giving an added revenue source to restaurants during hard times but worries to store owners concerned about competition. During her January State of the State address, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her support for the permanent legalization of alcohol to go, which would allow beverages such as wine and cocktails to be sold for pick-up and delivery. “Thousands of bars and restaurants, the souls of our neighborhoods, have had to close,” Hochul said as she announced the proposal, calling it “something our bars and restaurants have been asking for … a critical revenue stream during the lean times last year.” The initiative is part of the governor’s nearly $10 billion recovery plan to help small businesses…

Philippe Cambie One of the most influential winemakers in the Southern Rhône Valley, Philippe Cambie, died Dec. 18, a month shy of his 60th birthday. Cambie was consulting winemaker for dozens of wineries in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Southern Rhône and in the Languedoc. He was also owner of his own Southern Rhône wine brand, Les Halos de Jupiter, and co-owner of two brands, the Provençal project Calendal and the California Pinot Noir project Beau Marchais. He was larger than life, a 6’2” giant of a man who loved great food, wine and friendship; he was most happy sitting at the table of an excellent restaurant, surrounded by friends, or cooking in his own kitchen for them. Cambie was born in 1962 in the heart of the Languedoc’s Herault wine region. In 1998, he started…

What if that glass of Châteauneuf you’re sipping with dinner is also reducing your chances of contracting COVID-19? A recent study analyzed health data on nearly 480,000 United Kingdom residents and found that subjects who drank one to two glasses of red wine a day had a 10% to 17% lower risk of contracting the coronavirus than nondrinkers. Subjects who drank white wine and consumed five glasses or less per week had a 7% to 8% lower risk, while those who frequently drank beer or hard cider had a 28% higher chance of contracting the virus than nondrinkers. The study, published in January in Frontiers in Nutrition, was conducted by a team of researchers in China at Shenzhen Kangning Hospital. They wanted to look at possible links between alcohol consumption and…

Sadly, science has yet to deliver on a surefire cure for a head-pounding alcohol-induced hangover, but a recent analysis of research has found a sliver of hope. Scientists from King’s College London and South London and the tion Trust analyzed mul-tiple studies of purported hangover treatments. The question around the effectiveness of substances that claim to treat or prevent a hangover appears to be one with considerable pubmert Roberts said in a statement. His team’s review, around the world. The studies analyzed data from a total of 386 participants ages 65 and published in the journal Addiction, collected data from 21 randomized trials conducted juice and 20 other remedies. All the studies included a placebo control group. The results showed statistically significant reductions in overall hangover symptoms to treat migraines), pyritinol (an…