It's warm and sunny and... it's FRIDAY! A few wine-related tidbits caught my attention for this post. Rather than "reporting" myself, I'm going to give you a few article links to help you get through your work day and get you closer to your weekend. We only have a few summer Friday's left, so you might as well dig in! First and foremost, I was pleased (and a little surprised) to read that the California harvest has begun and the outlook promising. I know harvest time can begin in August (depending on the grape and location); but it was a little frightening to realize how quickly summer has flown and how near September is. And there have been interesting reports on how the wildfires may/not impact this vintage. Seems like all is on the up and up so far! Check out what Jenna Hudson has to say at Wine Spectator.com.
Lovers of Italian wines and those who have developed particular affection for the grape Montepulciano d'Abruzzo are mourning the loss of another impactful member of the wine community: Gianni Masciarelli. At the young age of 53, Masciarelli died of a heart-related condition. He is known for revitalizing Abruzzo's fame as a leading Italian appellation in the early 80's with his Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Villa Gemma release. His friend Monica Larner of Wine Enthusiast wrote a beautiful, commemorative piece last week.
If you're so lucky as to be pulling up your beach chair this weekend and breaking out your summer reading, you're invited to join this month's Wine Book Club. Natalie MacLean’s Red, White and Drunk All Overis on deck this month. If you've read Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover by Jancis Robinson then you'll be in for a particular compare/contrast treat, I'm told. Give it a go! The dog days of summer are still among us. Before we know it we'll be gearing up for the Holidays (egad!!).
Which type of enthusiast are you?
A) Satisfied Sipper ~ excited to see how the rest of the CA '08 harvest unfolds.
B) News junky ~ saddened by Masciarelli's death.
C) Beach Bum ~ grateful for another good read!