The Gray Report

19/07/2025

Good morning from San Francisco!

17/07/2025

Lodi is changing color this summer. Normally it's green in July as grapevines thrive in the warm California sun. But in 2025, Lodi is gradually turning yellow and brown: the color of hay, and of dirt.

Abandoned vineyards lie on every road. Some are merely untended, with signs like out-of-control foliage noticeable only to experts. But plots of recently bulldozed earth with a pile of dead vines, waiting for the state-approved burn truck to arrive, are unmistakable – as are For Sale signs that are more common than mailboxes.

(Check out the photo -- on the left pole, Lodi is Wine Region of the Year. The bulldozed vineyard it stands in front of is for sale.)

While tariffs have wine importers running scared, growers in Lodi see them as a lifeline to save their vineyards. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher

15/07/2025

Today is the very last day for my favorite burger joint, Wesburger

15/07/2025

Loire Valley, France

15/07/2025

As a wine geek who tries to write for the general public, I often find articles about tasting coffee a bracing -- and needed -- slap in the face.

I taste wine like a member of the cognescenti, but I taste coffee like an amateur: I like dark roast and cappuccinos, which just made coffee nerds shudder. I also never taste all the fruits that geeky shops list on their single-finca coffee tasting notes.

This VERY long article contains the following passage that is a direct parallel to wine:

"I take a sip. It tastes like being punched in the face.

“That’s the acidity,” Celicious explains. “Within the industry, there’s this trend to have more punchy, higher intensity acidity, but I don’t know that I really like that. It’s (higher acidity) more appealing to coffee people than to the general public.”

Does anyone have thoughts on this?

Out of the dozens of people who have gathered outside of 1100 Valencia St. at 9 a.m. on a beautiful Friday morning, some have come for the chance (small,

15/07/2025

What happens when a 3rd generation viticulturist decides to devote some of his family's highest elevation, coolest vineyards to Chardonnay?

The result is some spectacular wines that offer what you may have been missing from Burgundy.

Moreover, while the focus of the article is on the more expensive wines, one of my recommendations can be had for $10. What are you waiting for?

Argentina's Familia Zuccardi is well known for its Malbecs, but its Chardonnays are also exciting our US editor. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher

14/07/2025

What do US wineries need to know about additives and processing aids to export their wines?

I am here to help! And I start by busting a myth about Europe.

With the domestic wine market slowing down, many wineries are wondering about trying to export. That raises a question about wine additives. We frequently r ...

14/07/2025

Napa Valley doesn't allow weddings in wineries -- but that could change.

A ruling last week in a lawsuit by Michigan wineries against their local government is an ominous warning for the fate of Napa Valley's agricultural preserve law.

Just because voters approved the ag preserve doesn't mean it will survive a court challenge -- and in fact, such a challenge has already been filed.

One of Napa's most contentious laws could come under the microscope after a successful Michigan lawsuit. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher

07/07/2025

If you like big, rich red wines, I've got some for you.

Well, not literally. You have to buy them.

The Umbrian red is famously powerful, but winemakers are now looking to tone down the alcohol and tannin. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher

03/07/2025

It's easy to miss in this week while everyone in DC is talking about the budget, but President Trump made a potentially significant announcement on Sunday on Fox News.

In a meandering interview on Fox, President Trump again suggested easing the clampdown on undocumented farmworkers. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher

02/07/2025

President Trump says he's considering a "pass" for longtime farmworkers who are in the country illegally.

Also, he said he plans to go forward with tariffs on July 9.

In a meandering interview on Fox, President Trump again suggested easing the clampdown on undocumented farmworkers. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher

01/07/2025

Climate change creates winners and losers in wine. An unexpected winner appears to be an obscure white grape (with a name recognition problem) that nearly went extinct because growers could never get it fully ripe.

Now that they can, it's really interesting: "It's full-bodied, but with the freshness to handle it, and it can have intriguing fennel and lemongrass notes, with fruit character leaning more toward ripe pear than citrus. Many also have plenty of minerality. If you want to compare them to something familiar, I'd say white Rhones, but a little fresher because it's Italy."

I wanted to write this story last year but there weren't enough good wines to recommend yet. Now there are.

Umbria is famous for Orvieto and Sagrantino, but here is also another white gem to be discovered. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher