W. Blake Gray
@wblakegray.bsky.social
Best Online Wine Columnist in the World! 2013 Roederer Award in that category, and they stopped giving out that award immediately afterward. In perpetuity!
Dear Headline Writers: The average price of a bottle of wine sold in the United States is NOT the same as the average price of a bottle ordered direct from the winery.
The actual average price is significantly lower because most wine is sold in supermarkets.
Please get it right.
The actual average price is significantly lower because most wine is sold in supermarkets.
Please get it right.
January 30, 2026 at 10:05 PM
Dear Headline Writers: The average price of a bottle of wine sold in the United States is NOT the same as the average price of a bottle ordered direct from the winery.
The actual average price is significantly lower because most wine is sold in supermarkets.
Please get it right.
The actual average price is significantly lower because most wine is sold in supermarkets.
Please get it right.
Sign of the times: California grapegrowers attended a seminar this week to learn how to get out of the grape growing business.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
California Needs to Lose More Vines | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion
There is a lot more work – and pain – required before supply and demand return to balance. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
www.wine-searcher.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Sign of the times: California grapegrowers attended a seminar this week to learn how to get out of the grape growing business.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
Reposted by W. Blake Gray
Assumption of the Virgin, by Guido Reno, 1598-99, 📸 by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey
January 29, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Assumption of the Virgin, by Guido Reno, 1598-99, 📸 by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey
Uncertainty is the theme of the wine industry this year, so much that two of the industry's leading analysts made a bet.
Will California have a grape shortage this summer? The analysts put actual money on it.
Which side are you on?
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
Will California have a grape shortage this summer? The analysts put actual money on it.
Which side are you on?
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
California Awash with Unsold Wine | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion
A small harvest this year likely won't be enough to reduce the huge oversupply facing the California wine industry. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
www.wine-searcher.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Uncertainty is the theme of the wine industry this year, so much that two of the industry's leading analysts made a bet.
Will California have a grape shortage this summer? The analysts put actual money on it.
Which side are you on?
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
Will California have a grape shortage this summer? The analysts put actual money on it.
Which side are you on?
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
Why don't more Americans drink wine?
Research shows 30 percent of American adults simply don't like the taste. For the rest of us, many people have health concerns -- but not the health concerns you might expect.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/wi...
Research shows 30 percent of American adults simply don't like the taste. For the rest of us, many people have health concerns -- but not the health concerns you might expect.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/wi...
Wine's Unpopularity a Matter of Taste | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion
There are many reasons US consumers aren't drinking wine, but health isn't as important as you might think. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
www.wine-searcher.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Why don't more Americans drink wine?
Research shows 30 percent of American adults simply don't like the taste. For the rest of us, many people have health concerns -- but not the health concerns you might expect.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/wi...
Research shows 30 percent of American adults simply don't like the taste. For the rest of us, many people have health concerns -- but not the health concerns you might expect.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/wi...
Reposted by W. Blake Gray
JOURNAL OF WINE ECONOMICS: “Sip or smoke: The link between wine consumption and cannabis use” by Sophie Ghvanidze, Milan Ščasný and Jon H. Hanf. Free access: www.cambridge.org/core/service...
January 23, 2026 at 3:55 AM
JOURNAL OF WINE ECONOMICS: “Sip or smoke: The link between wine consumption and cannabis use” by Sophie Ghvanidze, Milan Ščasný and Jon H. Hanf. Free access: www.cambridge.org/core/service...
California has had so much excess wine that half of its grapes may not have been harvested in 2025.
This might be a bit of welcome news for farmers: an industry analyst says big wineries may be scrounging for grapes this summer.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
This might be a bit of welcome news for farmers: an industry analyst says big wineries may be scrounging for grapes this summer.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
California Could Face Grape Shortage | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion
Despite a recent overabundance of grapes, California could face a paradoxical shortage of wine this year. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
www.wine-searcher.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:37 PM
California has had so much excess wine that half of its grapes may not have been harvested in 2025.
This might be a bit of welcome news for farmers: an industry analyst says big wineries may be scrounging for grapes this summer.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
This might be a bit of welcome news for farmers: an industry analyst says big wineries may be scrounging for grapes this summer.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ca...
A useful guide for people who want to work a harvest. People sometimes ask me how to find such a gig. Good luck, and be warned: making wine is hard work.
daily.sevenfifty.com/so-you-want-...
daily.sevenfifty.com/so-you-want-...
So, You Want to Land a Wine Harvest Job? | SevenFifty Daily
A practical guide for wine professionals who hope to land a seasonal internship at a winery…
daily.sevenfifty.com
January 22, 2026 at 11:12 PM
A useful guide for people who want to work a harvest. People sometimes ask me how to find such a gig. Good luck, and be warned: making wine is hard work.
daily.sevenfifty.com/so-you-want-...
daily.sevenfifty.com/so-you-want-...
Another one bites the dust, this time Arista Winery in Healdsburg (sorry, paywall).
www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/ar...
www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/ar...
An acclaimed California winery, once a darling of the Pinot Noir movement, is closing
A beloved Sonoma County winery, which became a darling of the Pinot Noir movement in the mid-aughts, is calling it quits.
www.sfchronicle.com
January 22, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Another one bites the dust, this time Arista Winery in Healdsburg (sorry, paywall).
www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/ar...
www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/ar...
I have spend the last year trying to be objective and apolitical.
But after President Trump's latest threat to tariff French wines and spirits 200% for personal, not economic reasons, it's time for the Supreme Court to step in. A red line must be drawn.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ti...
But after President Trump's latest threat to tariff French wines and spirits 200% for personal, not economic reasons, it's time for the Supreme Court to step in. A red line must be drawn.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ti...
Time to Talk Truth on Tariffs | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion
US editor W. Blake Gray explains his opinion on how tariffs are about more than just wine. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
www.wine-searcher.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:54 PM
I have spend the last year trying to be objective and apolitical.
But after President Trump's latest threat to tariff French wines and spirits 200% for personal, not economic reasons, it's time for the Supreme Court to step in. A red line must be drawn.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ti...
But after President Trump's latest threat to tariff French wines and spirits 200% for personal, not economic reasons, it's time for the Supreme Court to step in. A red line must be drawn.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ti...
Reposted by W. Blake Gray
Interesting chart. I'd like to see how it compares to a generation ago.
Young wine consumers?
Many young Europeans (age between 18-34) live with their parents, esp in southern and eastern Europe; men more than women. The U.S. is at the lower end, 38% of men, 29.7% of women live with their parents. Only GER, FIN, DNK and SWE are lower
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Many young Europeans (age between 18-34) live with their parents, esp in southern and eastern Europe; men more than women. The U.S. is at the lower end, 38% of men, 29.7% of women live with their parents. Only GER, FIN, DNK and SWE are lower
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
January 20, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Interesting chart. I'd like to see how it compares to a generation ago.
Very interesting to read this chart while considering historical events.
Converging Per Capita Wine Consumption in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, 1880-2023
January 19, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Very interesting to read this chart while considering historical events.
A California natural wine producer that was up to 20K cases per year runs out of money and ceases production. (Sorry, paywall.)
www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/ar...
www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/ar...
This Bay Area winery, once one of the biggest natural wine producers in the country, is shutting down
A Bay Area winery that was once among the country’s largest producers of natural wine has “made the difficult decision to wind down our operation.”
www.sfchronicle.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:27 PM
A California natural wine producer that was up to 20K cases per year runs out of money and ceases production. (Sorry, paywall.)
www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/ar...
www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/ar...
"Wine porn isn’t like food porn. Visually, it is one of four coloured liquids in a glass. It doesn’t give the viewer’s imagination much to go on. So to communicate anything meaningful about the liquid, we often over-intellectualise it."
www.the-buyer.net/opinion/tom-...
www.the-buyer.net/opinion/tom-...
The Buyer | Tom Planer on the art of selling more wine with fun and emotion
Arguably one of the biggest things to happen in the UK wine industry over the last 18 months has been the arrival of Tom Gilbey on Instagram who has transformed the world of “wine influencing” with ...
www.the-buyer.net
January 19, 2026 at 4:22 PM
"Wine porn isn’t like food porn. Visually, it is one of four coloured liquids in a glass. It doesn’t give the viewer’s imagination much to go on. So to communicate anything meaningful about the liquid, we often over-intellectualise it."
www.the-buyer.net/opinion/tom-...
www.the-buyer.net/opinion/tom-...
This isn't good for anyone, including Chile's struggling wine industry. This area in the southern part of the country makes some really interesting cool-climate white wines.
Climate change is real, folks, and it's here.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/w...
Climate change is real, folks, and it's here.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/w...
‘Come Help Us’: Wildfires Grip Parts of Chile, Killing at Least 16
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:43 PM
This isn't good for anyone, including Chile's struggling wine industry. This area in the southern part of the country makes some really interesting cool-climate white wines.
Climate change is real, folks, and it's here.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/w...
Climate change is real, folks, and it's here.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/w...
A lot of people online would benefit from reading this.
"Another potential sign of rumination is if you’re overthinking issues that lack a solution ... People with depression who ruminate also tend to experience worse depression, and for longer."
www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/w...
"Another potential sign of rumination is if you’re overthinking issues that lack a solution ... People with depression who ruminate also tend to experience worse depression, and for longer."
www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/w...
How to Stop Ruminating (Published 2023)
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 5:28 PM
A lot of people online would benefit from reading this.
"Another potential sign of rumination is if you’re overthinking issues that lack a solution ... People with depression who ruminate also tend to experience worse depression, and for longer."
www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/w...
"Another potential sign of rumination is if you’re overthinking issues that lack a solution ... People with depression who ruminate also tend to experience worse depression, and for longer."
www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/w...
I am preparing to cover the looming US Supreme Court decision on tariffs.
Not going to write a whole story about this development, but if any SCOTUS justice hasn't finalized their opinion, I think this will sway them against the administration.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/u...
Not going to write a whole story about this development, but if any SCOTUS justice hasn't finalized their opinion, I think this will sway them against the administration.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/u...
Trump Announces 10 Percent Tariff on European Countries in Standoff Over Greenland
www.nytimes.com
January 17, 2026 at 5:21 PM
I am preparing to cover the looming US Supreme Court decision on tariffs.
Not going to write a whole story about this development, but if any SCOTUS justice hasn't finalized their opinion, I think this will sway them against the administration.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/u...
Not going to write a whole story about this development, but if any SCOTUS justice hasn't finalized their opinion, I think this will sway them against the administration.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/u...
Neo-Prohibitionists never give up, even when discredited.
January 16, 2026 at 10:44 PM
Neo-Prohibitionists never give up, even when discredited.
I gotta admit, I read some of the endless pretentious navel-gazing commentary that Cevola criticizes here, and felt the same way.
I write about wine, so you'd think I might be interested in writers writing about wine writing. Instead I generally find it insular and boring.
I write about wine, so you'd think I might be interested in writers writing about wine writing. Instead I generally find it insular and boring.
Three wine critics have independently realised that drinking wine produces emotions, a breakthrough they collectively explored at extreme length, as Alfonso Cevola observes. Instead of simply writing better about wine, they wrote thousands of words about why writing about wine is hard.
'Wine writers discover they have feelings and write thousands of words about it'
Three wine critics have independently realised that drinking wine produces emotions, a breakthrough they collectively explored at extreme length, as Alfonso Cevola observes. Instead of simply writing ...
www.thedrinksbusiness.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:28 PM
I gotta admit, I read some of the endless pretentious navel-gazing commentary that Cevola criticizes here, and felt the same way.
I write about wine, so you'd think I might be interested in writers writing about wine writing. Instead I generally find it insular and boring.
I write about wine, so you'd think I might be interested in writers writing about wine writing. Instead I generally find it insular and boring.
Many wineries are expected to be sold this year for a fraction of what they were worth 5 years ago, as an influential report says wine sales aren't predicted to improve until 2028.
"If you're not selling, we don't know what you're waiting for."
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ro...
"If you're not selling, we don't know what you're waiting for."
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ro...
Rocky Road Ahead for US Wine | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion
There are rough seas to be navigated for US wineries and not all are going to make it, according to a new report. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
www.wine-searcher.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Many wineries are expected to be sold this year for a fraction of what they were worth 5 years ago, as an influential report says wine sales aren't predicted to improve until 2028.
"If you're not selling, we don't know what you're waiting for."
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ro...
"If you're not selling, we don't know what you're waiting for."
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ro...
As a fan of one of the non-Dodgers baseball teams, I support a salary cap.
January 16, 2026 at 3:48 PM
As a fan of one of the non-Dodgers baseball teams, I support a salary cap.
The waiter came upstairs with a special request to open a rare bottle of Silver Oak — perhaps the first private indication that Harbaugh was ready to sign.
“He said, ‘The coach wants a glass of wine to celebrate,’ ” Salouros said.
nypost.com/2026/01/15/s...
“He said, ‘The coach wants a glass of wine to celebrate,’ ” Salouros said.
nypost.com/2026/01/15/s...
A peek inside the Giants’ deal-sealing John Harbaugh dinner: ‘I’ll be back’
The red-wine cellar where John Harbaugh was wined and dined Wednesday night with off-the-menu items by owner Chris Mara, general manager Joe Schoen and confidantes is steeped in Giants tradition.
nypost.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:34 PM
The waiter came upstairs with a special request to open a rare bottle of Silver Oak — perhaps the first private indication that Harbaugh was ready to sign.
“He said, ‘The coach wants a glass of wine to celebrate,’ ” Salouros said.
nypost.com/2026/01/15/s...
“He said, ‘The coach wants a glass of wine to celebrate,’ ” Salouros said.
nypost.com/2026/01/15/s...
Many wineries are for sale, and some owners of famous wine brands are going to give up this year and accept a lot less money than they hoped.
This is my main takeaway from Rob McMillan's annual State of the wine Industry report.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ro...
This is my main takeaway from Rob McMillan's annual State of the wine Industry report.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ro...
Rocky Road Ahead for US Wine | Wine-Searcher News & Opinion
There are rough seas to be navigated for US wineries and not all are going to make it, according to a new report. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
www.wine-searcher.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Many wineries are for sale, and some owners of famous wine brands are going to give up this year and accept a lot less money than they hoped.
This is my main takeaway from Rob McMillan's annual State of the wine Industry report.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ro...
This is my main takeaway from Rob McMillan's annual State of the wine Industry report.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/01/ro...
The new US Dietary Guidelines for Adults showed Canada what was wrong with its own process for attempting to create new drinking standards.
www.winelaw.ca/2026/01/13/u...
www.winelaw.ca/2026/01/13/u...
U.S. Report Questions Integrity of Canadian Alcohol/Health Model
A report of the U.S. Congress asks some pretty significant questions as to the basis for Canada's current approach to generating alcohol and health advice.
www.winelaw.ca
January 14, 2026 at 4:51 PM
The new US Dietary Guidelines for Adults showed Canada what was wrong with its own process for attempting to create new drinking standards.
www.winelaw.ca/2026/01/13/u...
www.winelaw.ca/2026/01/13/u...