This week’s wine news underscores an industry balancing severe economic restructuring with exciting cultural shifts. In California, a collapsing bulk market has pushed producers to drastic measures—from giving away premium grapes just to free up tank space to laying off vineyard staff and pulling vines. On a brighter note, Oregon’s Rogue Valley is celebrating a major win after being named America’s top wine region in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Globally, independent Chinese critic Alexandre Ma is reshaping wine scoring with Eastern sensory descriptors, while Italy’s workhorse Catarratto grape is stepping into its own well-deserved spotlight.
W. Blake Gray, writing for Wine-Searcher, reports from the International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show in San Francisco, and he opens with a detail that stops you cold. Ciatti grape broker and partner Steve Dorfman told the room that some California producers have given away premium Pinot Noir this summer purely to clear tank space. Not discounted it. Given it away. Dorfman’s framing was that pricing has gone to zero and buyers will still take it, because at a certain point an empty tank ahead of harvest is itself the valuable asset.
From the article:
I attended the same show last year and the desperation from wine producers in the audience was palpable. This year, it was different, but not because vintners are less desperate.
The wine industry’s contraction burst into the mainstream media this week. The New York Times ran a story with the headline “Sales Are So Low, California Wineries Are Burning Their Vineyards,” focusing on a major Pinot Noir grower in Monterey County. Beckstoffer Vineyards revealed to the Sacramento Bee that it has laid off 50 of its 65 workers, and will not farm nearly half of the acreage it owns.
“I believe that this industry is aggressively moving to a new model of doing business,” Blissett said. He said there will be two outcomes. “Mega businesses will do deals with mega distributors. All the smaller brands will either go out of business, or they’ll find a new home.”
Nobody was offering a new home. Moderator Sid Patel, CEO of Beverage Trade Network, asked the question everyone most wanted asked: “What are three categories you’re adding more of?” Nobody is adding more domestic wines.
It’s that time of year again for the USA Today Top 10 Everything lists. And the Rogue Valley has been named the number one Best Wine Region in the United States in this years USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, climbing from second place in 2025. The timing is good: the Rogue Valley AVA is marking its 35th anniversary this year. The case for the region is the geography.
From the article:
The award caps an exceptional year for the region. Travel Medford has partnered with the Rogue Valley Vintners Association and wineries throughout the valley to promote Rogue Valley Wine Country through destination marketing campaigns and signature events including Savor Southern Oregon, Wine With Everything, the Labor Day Weekend Celebration, and the Indie Wine Mixer. Complementary efforts by the Applegate Wine Trail, Jacksonville Wine District, Bear Creek Wine Trail, and Upper Rogue Wine Trail have further showcased the distinct experiences that make the Rogue Valley one of America’s most compelling wine destinations.
“This honor belongs to every grower, winemaker, tasting room, vineyard employee, and hospitality partner who has helped shape the Rogue Valley into the destination it is today,” said Meghann Walk, Vice President of the Rogue Valley Vintners Association. “Visitors are discovering what we’ve always known: that the Rogue Valley is a world-class wine region defined not only by exceptional wines, but by the authentic people, breathtaking landscapes, and unforgettable experiences found throughout the valley.”
Mina Holland, writing in The Guardian, makes the case for a grape most people have been drinking without knowing it. Catarratto is Sicily’s most widely planted white grape, accounting for roughly a third of the island’s vineyards, and after Sangiovese it is the second most planted grape in all of Italy. Sit with that for a second, because almost nobody outside the trade could name it. Including me. But that’s what makes wine such a fun hobby. And big shout out for the Quincy Jones tie-in. Classic.
From the article:
It has about it a bit of a Quincy Jones quality: integral to the success of others before being recognized in its own right. Which it now really is, as modern producers make more complex Catarrattos that really express their terroirs, be that volcanic, maritime or the rolling hills around Alcamo in the Sicilian north-west.
While Catarratto might not be a wine for every occasion, it is one for any occasion: ripe pear and peach, lemon and almond notes do a delicious dance to which few can object. It remains a favorite on wine lists of places that want a fun, affordable, and crowd-pleasing white, but it’s also being named and championed in supermarket bottles.
This is a really interesting article. Morris Cai, writing for Vino Joy News, profiles Alexandre Ma. Ma is a Bordeaux-based independent Chinese critic. He and his teammates represented China and won the World Blind Tasting Championship in 2016, he holds the WSET Diploma, France’s D.U.A.D. tasting diploma, and French, Italian, and Spanish Wine Scholar certifications all with highest honors, plus France’s national sommelier qualification, and he is an honorary knight of both Bordeaux’s Left Bank wine fraternity and the fraternity of Pomerol.
From the article:
But the accolades aren’t what matter most to him. More than titles, Ma wants to build something else: a system of wine criticism rooted in Eastern modes of expression, capable of speaking to consumers as equals.
For someone with an Asian face, becoming a professional wine critic in Europe was no easy task.
“There was no problem with being an intern,” he says, “but when it came to actually reviewing and scoring wines, many European wineries initially found that difficult to accept.”
He compares it to a foreigner arriving in China to evaluate Chinese tea: people naturally wonder whether the person really understands it.
” Asian consumers don’t lack sensory ability, he argues — what they lack is the chance to connect their existing sensory memories to wine. “Our task is to use professional knowledge to make that connection,” he says.
That belief shows up directly in his reviews, which lean more heavily on Eastern food references than most Western criticism does. Dried cranberry, a common descriptor among European and American critics, closely resembles the hawthorn jelly familiar to Chinese consumers. Wines with a gelatinous texture that seems to melt in the mouth remind him of tremella soup, the traditional Chinese sweet soup made with snow fungus.
Troon Vineyard brings the wines of Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley to downtown McMinnville through its Biodynamic Wine Bar. The estate focuses on Rhône and Mediterranean varieties, including Syrah, Grenache, Tannat, Vermentino, and Viognier, with a mix of traditional, skin-contact, and amphora-aged bottlings. Its farming program is certified biodynamic and regenerative organic, and the wines are produced with native fermentation, restrained oak, and limited cellar additions. The McMinnville location offers a relaxed way to explore Troon’s range without traveling to the estate near Grants Pass.
The Hess Collection “The Lion” Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is a concentrated Mount Veeder wine built around blackcurrant, black cherry, cassis, cedar, and dark chocolate. It remains full-bodied and firmly structured, with high tannins, fresh acidity, and developing notes of tobacco, earth, and spice. The wine is drinking well now with one to two hours of decanting and should continue to develop through 2030.
Yuki Yama Sushi brings a polished mix of traditional sushi and modern Japanese dishes to Park City’s Main Street. The menu ranges from tuna belly and hamachi nigiri to pork gyoza, cucumber salad, and toro battera with seasoned rice, pickled garlic, and nikiri. The dining room is contemporary and lively, with dark finishes, wood details, and a more intimate layout. With a broad menu, attentive preparation, and a $25 corkage fee, it works well for diners looking for an upscale Japanese meal in the center of town.
Corkage Fee: $25 Per Bottle
Corkage Fee: $75 Per Bottle / 2 Max
Bozeman, MT
4.1 Stars with over 220+ Reviews
Elegant restaurant with an open kitchen serving up prime steak cuts, seafood, and classic cocktails.