Here are some highlights from the week in wine news:
The famed Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival is returning for the first time since 2020. One of America’s premiere food and wine events will be making its anticipated return to Monterey from April 4-7 this year. Events on the docket include seminars about La Grande Dame, Opus One, BOND, and Laurent Perrier’s Grand Siècle. Expect to see a lot of celebrity chefs and sommeliers in attendance, including local favorites Chef Suzette Gresham (Acquerello), Chef Gonzalo Guzman (Nopalito), Chef Charles Phan (Slanted Door), and Master Sommelier Max Kast. Ticket prices range from $475 for a one day tasting pass to $10,000 for an all-access VIP pass to the whole weekend, including the PBFW Golf Invitational. The weekend is a fundraiser for Pebble Beach Company Foundation, a non-profit that assists low-income youth in the Pebble Beach area.
California’s “Bottle Bill” is now starting to take effect. Signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2022, Senate Bill 1013 enforces the recyclability of wine and spirits containers, which were not previously accepted for CA redemption value at CalRecycle locations. California residents may now redeem standard glass wine bottles for 10 cents each, any spirits or juice containers under 24 fluid ounces for 5 cents each, and large Tetra-Paks and bag-in-box containers for 25 cents per piece. Combined with new labeling laws regarding the “California Redemption Value” language on wine and spirits bottles, this is a sweeping piece of legislation that will help to curb the ongoing glass shortage in the beverage industry, in addition to giving glass, aluminum, and Tetra-Pak containers another life in the form of recycled goods. All California wineries and spirits producers are now required to register with CalRecycle (effective January 1 of this year), and the labeling laws with go into effect on July 1, 2025, giving producers time to design new labels.
Bordeaux’s historic châteaux are returning to French ownership after years of Chinese investment. In the early 2010’s, wealthy Chinese wine lovers were taking initiative and investing money into their favorite Bordeaux châteaux, sometimes going as far as to take on ownership, partnership, and even renaming rights. Between more restrictive Chinese investment policies, the COVID-19 pandemic, and lots of frustration from Bordeaux residents and consumers, these same Chinese investors are now quietly selling back their properties to French investors. The new owners typically share their deep knowledge of the land and the product in order to resuscitate the family-run estates of Bordeaux, but they face many challenges in getting these châteaux operating in the black.
Further Reading: Hubert Prolongeau wrote a feature article for Le Monde in 2022 about the beginning of the buyback movement in Bordeaux.
SevenFiftyDaily has assembled a list of six stories to monitor in the new year. Rather than focusing on the anticipated drinking trends of 2024, Betsy Andrews has taken a holistic approach and cultivated a great list of six things to look out for in the wine industry. Among the trends to note are ensuring good working conditions and solid pay for labor, both in the vineyard and on restaurant floors, a focus on regenerative agriculture in place of more biodynamic certifications, and more BIPOC-led wine businesses.
And finally, as consumers find interest in Dry January and sober living, sommeliers are starting to reckon with their own relationships to alcohol. Lauren Paige Richeson has profiled three notable sommeliers - Laura Vidal, Sam Anderson, and Master of Wine Tim Hanni - about their professional and personal lives as sober sommeliers. Each of these sommeliers has a different approach to sobriety on the floor and at home, and it’s refreshing to hear about a side of the beverage industry that doesn’t often get air time.
The Wine Press: Jan. 8, 2024