Best Online Wine Columnist in the World! 2013 Roederer Award in that category, and they stopped giving out that award immediately afterward. In perpetuity!https://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvnja2v3rc2bGood story about an aspect of the wine industry downturn that we (including me) don't cover enough. https://www.agalert.com/california-ag-news/archives/september-16-2026/vineyard-workers-feel-wine-industry-pain/16 Sep 2026 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvnja2v3rc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvnbprmedk2bVegan restaurants are disappearing. I wonder if there are fewer vegans now? https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/california-vegan-restaurants-closing-22431879.php16 Sep 2026 13:48 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvnbprmedk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvl6vy4l2c2dI turned off political posts on Facebook. Meta still wants to rage-bait me. Today my feed is full of Sydney Sweeney. Apparently some columnists (all female, coincidentally) are outraged that she appears naked in an ad. I'm supposed to be outraged too! Show me the pics again ...15 Sep 2026 17:52 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvl6vy4l2c2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvkwqxfx6c2d"Figures aren’t available on how much revenue Southern generated through these illegal programs, but I’m confident crime paid off here." Sean O'Leary on the mini-slap on the wrist from the feds earned by the nation's largest wine/spirits distributor. https://irishliquorlawyer.com/liquor-industry-insights/the-southern-glazers-settlement-are-you-serious/15 Sep 2026 15:26 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvkwqxfx6c2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvii5wkuhc24Is the world ready for XXL Champagne? https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/09/champagne-hits-record-alcohol-levels14 Sep 2026 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvii5wkuhc24https://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvife62jbs24A tale of rebirth and hope in California wine. In 2017, the Tubbs Fire destroyed Joe Donelan's favorite Sonoma County vineyard, just one year after he finally purchased it. The smart move might have been to let it lay fallow. But Donelan believes in the land. https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/09/donelan-brings-vineyard-back-from-the-dead14 Sep 2026 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvife62jbs24https://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvbjfmrcks2nSept. 11 was one of the worst days in US history but the month or so that followed was one of our best, because as a nation we came together. We can do so again: Put aside our political differences and lock arms as neighbors, friends, and Americans. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/nyregion/mamdani-9-11-ground-zero-giuliani.html?unlocked_article_code=1.AVE.dWIe.gyNUK3D5emmr&smid=url-share11 Sep 2026 21:33 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvbjfmrcks2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvbgxudibc2xSan Francisco chef reads mean Yelp review. The patron was incensed that their food arrived hot. www.instagram.com/p/Dczha2UtEYm/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Dczha2UtEYm/11 Sep 2026 20:50 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvbgxudibc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvb65kqsmk2nThis music documentary about Oasis is surprisingly moving. It made me wish I was a superfan. If you like Oasis at all, don't miss it. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36150957/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_look%20back%20in%20the%20anger11 Sep 2026 18:12 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvb65kqsmk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mvb3iocnvk2n25 years later: They knocked down our buildings but they couldn't bring down our nation. 🇺🇸💪11 Sep 2026 17:25 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvb3iocnvk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mv6h2wtims2bFun post. How good is your team's backup QB? https://too-deep-zone.ghost.io/nfl-backup-quarterback-rankings-2026/10 Sep 2026 16:14 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6h2wtims2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mv6eviy7uk2bDecent analysis that lays out Carney's dilemma: Canadian tariffs on US products hurt Canadians but don't make much impact on the US. But Canadians want Carney to hit back harder. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/world/canada/carney-trump-canada-us-trade-war-tariffs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.AFE.Iioi.jj8UD6QNoGkQ&smid=url-share10 Sep 2026 15:35 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6eviy7uk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mv6dfdtacs2bYesterday I started my morning with a Zoom with someone in NYC. Me: "How's the weather?" Her: "Beautiful! It's 85 degrees, maybe the last warm day of summer." Me: "San Francisco is different. It's supposed to hit 85 degrees here. We're melting! We're all melting!"10 Sep 2026 15:08 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6dfdtacs2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mv6bn46dlk2bOutstanding headline! Newspapers don't prize headline writing today because SEO is more important than being clever. But this one ... my compliments to the anonymous NY Times copy editor who came up with it.10 Sep 2026 14:36 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6bn46dlk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mv4pl32wtk2bTorpedo rays deliver powerful electric shocks underwater. I'm a scuba diver, but this species I haven't encountered (and I'm glad). https://dan.org/alert-diver/article/torpedo-rays/09 Sep 2026 23:40 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv4pl32wtk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mv4dzgkeik2bWhiskey stays at the center of a rapidly escalating trade war between neighbors and former friends. Canada retaliates; Trump escalates. Now people in Texas won't be able to buy their favorite whiskey. https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/09/us-escalates-the-great-booze-war-of-202609 Sep 2026 20:14 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv4dzgkeik2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mv3nokqzx22iDrink your best wines now because The Terminator was a documentary. https://nypost.com/2026/09/09/tech/anthropic-researcher-abruptly-quits-warning-some-developers-believe-ai-could-kill-us-all/09 Sep 2026 13:34 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv3nokqzx22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3muzf5vg2pk2iI don't know if Cab needs an advocate, but wine does, and Eric is a fine one. [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 Sep 2026 15:56 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3muzf5vg2pk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3muzf3heazk2iInteresting! Winemakers may not want to risk "natural" fermentations in a hotter environment. I don't know more than this single story. Does anyone have more info on this? [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 Sep 2026 15:55 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3muzf3heazk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3muwq7ubvns2jImportant reading before you go out to buy hamburgers. We can't trust the safety of imported beef in the US in 2026 because our government is corrupt at the very top. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/07/opinion/trump-meat-import.html?unlocked_article_code=1._VA.Er92.355q_TFQuGwk&smid=url-share07 Sep 2026 14:36 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwq7ubvns2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3muwppztbe22jFor all the people smart enough to not attend Burning Man, this column sums up what you're missing: Hiking through sandstorms to look at trash, and trying to tell yourself it's an epiphany. https://www.sfgate.com/travel/burningman/article/trash-fence-22420216.php07 Sep 2026 14:27 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwppztbe22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3muuqnjof3s2jOccasionally it seems my role on BlueSky is to represent the world outside BlueSky.06 Sep 2026 19:38 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3muuqnjof3s2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3muuqkqly7c2jSommelier is another job that is being replaced by AI. (Yes, I'm well aware wine journalists are next.) https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/09/young-generation-prefers-ai-to-somms06 Sep 2026 19:37 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3muuqkqly7c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3musgarr6wc2kCoyote v Acme is great. Hilarious and smart. Support artistic expression: see it in the theater.05 Sep 2026 21:27 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3musgarr6wc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3museotctfk2oBought some tri-tip and I'm going to drink a 25-year-old Napa Cabernet tonight, because I have a few around. Haven't decided which yet. Anticipation is delicious.05 Sep 2026 20:59 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3museotctfk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mup6fjfg4c2i"In Penedès, we cannot simply grub up grapevines—we have no alternatives; otherwise, the fields will turn into forests, industrial parks, or housing estates." (Those sound like alternatives to me.) https://www.meininger.de/en/news/cava-slides-crisis04 Sep 2026 14:29 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mup6fjfg4c2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3munhiosn422xInstead of writing about wine today, I played hooky (sssh!) and saw Coyote v Acme. Highly recommended! Best courtroom movie I've seen in a long time. (We did publish the story below about wine yesterday.) https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/09/napa-tastings-struggle-to-hit-the-spot03 Sep 2026 22:06 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3munhiosn422xhttps://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mumplizeuc27Here's a Northern California harvest report from Bedrock owner/winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson. https://morgantwainpeterson.substack.com/p/first-look-at-vintage-202603 Sep 2026 14:58 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumplizeuc27https://bsky.app/profile/wblakegray.bsky.social/post/3mumopz3f7227Many winery tastings are too expensive AND too lengthy now for the people the industry needs most -- people who actually buy wine. https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/09/napa-tastings-struggle-to-hit-the-spot03 Sep 2026 14:43 +0000at://did:plc:npkph5sh3maoth6bjrid7zmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumopz3f7227