Mike Veseth's Blog, page 7

Book Review: Exploring China (and Chinese Wine) One Banquet at a Time

China in Seven Banquets: A Flavorful History by Thomas David DuBois (Reaktion Books, 2024).

It doesn’t always work, but sometimes you can learn something about wine by busting out of the wine box and looking back in to see what people think about wine in a different context.

This practice is always interesting but sometimes disappointing, too. For example, reading Andreas Viestad’s book about the world seen through the lens of a single meal in Rome was full of fun facts and great insights. But i...

Cantina Tramin: Strength in (Small) Numbers in Alto Adige

Your first impression when you arrive at Cantina Tramin is that you’ve entered some sort of space portal. Here in the lush Alto Adige hills, you expect to see a sturdy old building housing Cantina Tramin winery, but it’s not there. Or rather it is there, but it is hidden by a very modern addition that was completed only in 2010. Old and new.

The new Tramin is striking. You feel like you are approaching a space ship when you drive up. And you feel like you are peeking out among the vines when you...

Second Thoughts on Sustainability?

This is one of those annoying “devil’s advocate” columns. It seems like everyone I meet in the wine business is talking about sustainability and with good reason. Regional sustainability programs have had great success in bringing the industry. Given all the attention, however, maybe it is no surprise that some people are starting to have second thoughts.

What Does This Mean?

Sue and I were at a meeting of winemakers and regional wine media when one of the most respected people at the table chal...

A Tale of Two Wine Regions: Willamette Valley & Virginia

The best way to sell wine is also the best way to enjoy it: a personal experience with the winemaker, the wine, and the stories that connect the two and form a memorable bond. That’s why winery visits are so powerful.

Not everyone can come to the winery, however, so what’s the next best thing? By happy coincidence Sue and I have recently been involved in two efforts that succeed in different ways.

Willamette Valley: The Winemakers’ Lunch

The Willamette Valley, like many regions, sponsors periodi...

Wine Book Reviews: Getting Serious about Prosecco and Rosé

Here are brief reviews of two new books that tell the stories of two previously under-appreciated wines that have come into their own, but the books do so in completely different ways. Prosecco Superiore first, then  Rosé from Provence.

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The Story of Prosecco Superiore by Susan H. Gordon is a serious book about a serious wine. The first assertion is not hard to appreciate. Derived from Gordon’s doctoral thesis, the book is thick with the signs of academic research: useful and interesting foot...

The Big and Hot Guide to Wine 2024

When you’re hot, you’re hot (and when you’re not, you’re not). That’s the way it is in the wine market today.

One of the most interesting charts at the “State of the Industry” session at this year’s Unified Wine & Grape Symposium was Danny Brager’s analysis of what I call the U.S. wine market’s “Big and Hot” situation.

The gist of the slide was that the market categories that are the biggest are not very hot (indeed, most of them are shrinkingly cold) and that the market categories that are hot ...

Starbucks, McDonald’s, and the Global Wine Glut

Two of the most-read Wine Economist columns of 2023 analyzed theories of the global wine glut. The first focused on demographic theories (generational differences and life-cycle patterns) and the second took aim at economic forces (rising inflation, interest rates, housing costs, consumer and business debt). The first column got more attention. Until now.

A recent OIV report on global wine sales found that consumption measured by volume fell in almost every major consuming country between 2022 a...

Is Orange the New White?

Orange wine (white wine made with extended skin contact) isn’t new, but some people think it might be the next big thing. Is Orange the new White when it comes to wine?

White the New Red?

These are interesting times for the wine business, as recent OIV studies have shown. Not only is global wine consumption volume falling, but the composition of wine purchases is changing, too. White is the new red, for example, as global consumption of white wines has now exceeded red.

The rise of orange wine m...

GD Vajra: Once Upon a Time in Barolo

Once upon a time … That’s how many of our most beloved stories begin, so that’s how we begin this report on the wines of G.D. Vajra. These wines might be best understood in the context of the stories about them. And the stories have surely helped us understand and appreciate what we found in our wine glasses.

So … once upon a time Sue and I were invited to take part in a Zoom interview with Giuseppe Vaira, the second-generation family winemaker of G.D. Vajra. It was a great pleasure to spend an ...

Wine Book Review: Discovering the Hidden Vineyards of Paris

Geoffrey Finch, The Hidden Vineyards of Paris (Board and Bench, 2023).

Urban wineries aren’t surprising anymore. It is not that difficult to truck in grapes and other supplies to make (and then sell) wine in the heart of a busy city. City wineries are not as ubiquitous as local craft breweries, but they aren’t hard to find. If you go to Paris, for example, you’ll find a winery on the first floor of the Eifel Tower.

Urban vineyards are a different matter. Cities, by their very nature, are filled ...