It's wine time

Critic Elin McCoy is here with a special harvest edition of the newsletter [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi, I’m [Elin McCoy](, the wine critic for Bloomberg for the past two decades, during which I’ve enjoyed way more than my fair share of the world’s great wines. But don’t think I just sit around sniffing and sipping (and spitting). I go [everywhere]( wine is [grown]( and [made]( and right now, my mind is on harvest. It’s my favorite season because its weeks of drama are all about hope and a new chance to make something great—but also about loss and heartbreak. That puts it on par with opera, one of my other loves. Despite this year’s disasters (spring frost, extreme heat, drought, hailstorms, and wildfires) last-minute rainfall saved the day for some, while others are celebrating luscious grapes that will make stunning wines. Success always depends on chance, location, timing, skill. You can read all about how regions in Europe and the US fared in [my 2022 harvest report](. During last year’s harvest, I followed grape guru Steve Matthiasson, who oversees 27 vineyards both for his own wines and high-profile clients, through a hectic day in Napa. Here he is roaming the vines at 8:29 a.m. Photographer: Cayce Clifford for Bloomberg Businessweek My memories of the dirty, nitty-gritty work of picking grapes and crushing them in cellars aren’t in my annual reports. Yes, I have stomped grapes with my feet (in Portugal), knee deep in purple juice while dancing the Iberian version of “Le Chicken” with the local crew, and I have a T-shirt stained with souvenir footprints to prove it. The air was heady with the scent of fermenting wine and the beat of music from a portable electric organ. The slippery mash made it pretty tough to keep my footing. It felt like an old-time slapstick movie moment in the making—and was incredibly fun. The first time I worked harvest I picked a quarter ton of chardonnay grapes in the [Gamble Ranch Vineyard]( in Napa to make a barrel of my own wine. Luckily, instead of the traditional wicked-looking, razor sharp, hooked grape knife pickers used, I was given grape shears as finger insurance. The sun beat on my essential straw hat and buzzing bees hovered above my juice-drenched hands. I spent hours in a backbreaking stoop selecting perfect clusters, dropping them into plastic boxes, which I dragged onto a truck. At the winery, I dreamed of a lean, elegant, Chablis-like white. (The result was balanced and delicious, but not nearly as grand as I’d hoped.) Sorting merlot grapes at Château Palmer in Bordeaux, first by hand and later by an optical machine. Click through to see more on how one of the world’s top red wines is made. Photographs by Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg During another Napa vintage, I shivered in a shed at [Cain winery’s vineyard]( near the summit on Spring Mountain, where fog obscured the rows of vines, sheets of rain pounded out a deafening beat on the metal roof, and the grapes looked like goners. No picking that day. In 2020, grapes in that same vineyard looked ideal until [devastating fires suddenly swept through](, destroying the winery and blackening the vines. An estimated 80% of top Napa cabernet was lost that year. Meaning: At harvest, everything can change overnight. Skin fermenting grapes are added to the pét-nat juice at Channing Daughters in Long Island, N.Y., to help kickstart fermentation. The popular style of funky fizz goes from vine to bottle in just nine days. Photographs by Eric Medsker/Bloomberg Behind those work and weather scenes, there’s even a fashion component, centering around the personal choice of boots. Most California winemakers wear [Blundstone](, [Redback](, or [Rossi](, all of which come from Australia, but I’ve seen cowboy boots, too. [Polarized Raybans]( are favored. For luck, Napa vintner [Cathy Corison]( wears a special old blue shirt, while [Tim Mondavi]( dons a favorite 20-year-old broad-brimmed Mexican hat. Oregon’s [Maggie Harrison]( of Antica Terra pockets a copy of the poem “The Children’s Orchard” because it evokes the emotion of harvest. Winery tees commemorating the vintage are a badge of honor because usually only the working team gets them. Did I mention the daily adrenaline of excitement? Napa wine whisperer Aaron Pott starts a frantic, high-stakes harvest day at 6 a.m. punching down grape skins at Quixote Winery. Photographs by Laura Morton/Bloomberg All this is why I spent much of the pandemic dreaming of where I’d most like to spend harvest—[Sicily](, on the Aeolian island of Capofaro, on [smoldering Mt. Etna](, or in [the shadow of Mt. Fuji](.This year I’m [fantasizing about Bhutan](. Connect with Elin on her [website]( or via [Instagram](. My insider’s guide on how to experience harvest. [The Napa Valley Reserve]( Members of this private estate wine club, founded by vintner Bill Harlan 20 years ago, can dip their toes into the world of picking and sorting even before the sun rises. [The Vines Global]( A worldwide winemaking club with outposts in Europe, the US, and Argentina. Next month, you can fan out in the vineyards and make wine in Champagne and in Italy’s Montalcino. [The World’s Best Vineyards]( Announced at the end of October, these annual awards single out the top 50 most amazing vineyard experiences. The consistent winner is Argentina’s Zuccardi, where harvest starts in late February. [Collective Napa Valley Vintage Celebration]( Reserve Nov. 4 and 5 for vineyard experiences, winemaker stories, and a lavish three-star Michelin dinner at Opus One winery. A word on climate change. Today, every harvest is a reminder of [how climate change]( is [upending]( the wine world. I’m fascinated by the ways wineries are adapting, often sharing their experiences at conferences such as this year’s[Green Wine Future]( and [LVMH’s World Living Soils Forum](, both of which I spoke at. The latest good news is the bold move by activist [Yvon Chouinard to donate his entire Patagonia company]( to fight climate change. They’d already moved into [the organic wine space](. Patagonia’s Chouinard tastes his company’s wine—some of which I found to be surprisingly good. Photograph by Tim Davis Here’s what I’m paying attention to: - Planting trees in vineyards is[Bordeaux’s latest obsession]( - California’s Jackson family offers a template for wineries to [survive radical weather changes](. - [Are wine cargo sailboats the future?]( Charles Heidsieck’s new $700 cuvee Champagne Charlie arrived in New York on a Grain de Sail sailboat, a way to leave an almost zero carbon footprint. - [“Regenerative organic”]( is the wine world’s new sustainability buzzword. Follow the brilliant Tablas Creek winery blog (and their [menagerie of animals]() to understand it. - Because of their weight, glass wine bottles make an outsized emissions impact. [Can luxury wine live without them?]( - Thanks to global warming, the wine world is expanding north—[to Norway](. - What else I’m reading, drinking, thinking about. Wine and food murder mysteries. Seriously—I’m addicted to the deliciously charming series by former foreign correspondent Martin Walker. Set in France’s Perigord region, the mysteries feature detective Bruno, chief of police in the land of duck fat and foie gras. The latest, [To Kill a Troubadour](, features Walker’s usual mouthwatering mix of politics, country paté, and Bergerac wines like Chateau de Tiregand. The pleasures of chardonnay. Remember how wine snobs used to diss this grape? Clearly, they weren’t drinking the great, creamy-textured estate and single vineyard Kumeu River chardonnays from New Zealand. I tasted the latest vintage releases (and a few older ones) this week over dinner with winemaker Michael Brajkovich. [All rival white Burgundy]( for a much cheaper price. Wine during war.  This article digs deep into inspiring real-life stories of sommeliers in Ukraine, where they’ve been [trading corkscrews for artillery compasses]( and selling off cellars to raise funds for uniforms, drones, and army essentials. Organic tea from Napa.  My afternoon ritual got an instant boost with my discovery of Erda, [intensely flavored whole leaf and flower herbal teas](, from celebrated viticulturalist Annie Favia. She grows and dries chamomile, lavender, spearmint, and more on the Coombsville farm she owns with her winemaker husband Andy Erickson. Right now I’m loving the pure, clear taste of Annie’s lemon verbena. Restaurant wine lists. Over the summer, I spent days [reviewing hundreds of restaurant wine lists]( as a judge for the World of Fine Wine’s annual awards, whose winners were announced this week. Despite desperately difficult years for restaurants, these look forward to better times. My personal favorite lists this year? Frasca in Boulder, Colorado, and Domaine Les Crayeres in Reims, France. Wine cellar trends. The [smart wine cellar market]( is pegged to pass $1 billion (!) in value in five years, according to this fascinating article on the topic. One downside to some service—you can only drink your wine on a whim in the metaverse. Also a hot topic: wine NFTs. But don’t pop that crypto cork just yet! Source: Trefethen So, you’ve got questions? Here’s some answers! Whatever the topic, keep them coming for next week via our [Bloomberg Pursuits Instagram]( and [ e-mail](mailto:daydreams@bloomberg.net?I%20have%20a%20question). Does aerating wine actually make it better? It all depends on the wine. Exposing wine to air—in wine speak, letting it “breathe”—is largely overdone, except for a rich, powerful, tannic red. Letting it mix with air releases more aromas and flavors and softens and smooths the wine’s tannins. In a hurry? Just swirl the wine around in the glass several times. Don’t invest in useless so-called “aerators.” The only one I’ve tried that really works is the [WinePro2](, designed by an engineer with a degree in applied physics. And no, you don’t need a different glass for every type of wine either. Choose a universal wine glass instead. Source: Vendors What’s the best way for someone new to wine to get a good baseline of knowledge? The self-serving answer: [read my column regularly](! Besides that, drink a wide variety of wines, keep track of their names, and record your impressions— one popular app to help you is [Vivino](. You’ll discover what you actually want to know. Also, hang out at tastings with people who love wine. For basic info with entertainment flair, check out Winefolly.com’s Wine 101 (there’s a free section) and the site’s[amusing wine videos](. And grab a good intro-to-wine book: My latest favorite is the brand-new third edition of [The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil](, out on Oct. 15. Wine fridges, like this EuroCave, are worth the investment. Source: Wine Enthusiast Catalog What’s the ideal temperature to store red or white wine? Always, always 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures can make wine taste flat and tired. What’s an undervalued Burgundy, if such a thing exists? Ah, the quest of us all. Hunt in less-prestigious appellations like Marsannay, Fixin, Auxey-Duresses, Mercurey, and the Hautes Cotes, as well as the new Bourgogne Cote d’Or appellation, a cut above Bourgogne Rouge. Three wines I’m currently high on: [Domaine David Duband Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits Louis Auguste]( and [Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits](, both can be found under $35. [Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay Clos du Roy](, under $60. Eight ways you’re ordering wine wrong—but it’s not a lost cause. Photographer: Noah Fecks Is there any strategy for ordering off a wine list when you don’t recognize any of the names? Don’t be shy. [Talk to the sommelier!]( They live to give advice. Describe your price range, mention a couple of specific names and types of wines you like, and ask them to describe a few choices that would match the food you’ve ordered. How much do wine classifications such as grand cru and premier cru matter? They matter a lot. But they’re not perfect guides. Passionate winemakers who up the farming of their vineyards can improve wine quality way beyond what you’d normally expect from a lower classification. In Burgundy, a village wine labeled with a specific vineyard name (a lieu-dit) can sometimes be as good as a premier cru. Grand cru Clos de Vougeot is a huge, 125-acre vineyard with 80 owners, and not every part deserves that status. How often do you personally encounter fakes? Very rarely these days, only at [dinners with old vintages](. The most recent was a bottle of 1947 Cheval Blanc, which is one of the world’s most counterfeited wines.  And because who doesn’t love a deal? Here’s my annual list of 50 best wines under $50. Photo Illustration: 731; Background: Getty Images; Bottles: Vendors Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Pursuits newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](