Clouds on the Horizon With 40+ years in the wine industry, I’ve seen lots of ups and downs, starting in the early 1980’s when the New York grape industry was in a severe economic crisis. But then American wine consumption enjoyed a long, steady growth curve occasionally disrupted by the 2008 stock market crash, the … Read more

In 1860, Ohio was the nation’s largest wine producer thanks largely to the Catawba grape introduced by Nicolas Longworth in 1825, two years after he planted the Alexander and Isabella varieties. As in all other states, the Ohio wine industry was wiped out by Prohibition, but eventually bounced back to its current status as one … Read more

DC Update: Deadlines and Dead Ends The Senate was back this week, with the House joining them next week after a very long summer recess. Between now and the end of this month, both chambers will be in DC at the same time for just 11 days. That’s important (and alarming) because a government shutdown … Read more

North Dakota was notably the last state since repeal of Prohibition to license a winery—in 2002!    Bordering Canada, it is also one of the many states which have benefited from the extremely cold hardy “Minnesota” grape varieties. In the past two decades, the local wine industry has benefited from the state Department of Agriculture’s … Read more

Falling Fast Fall is officially still three weeks away, but there are plenty of reminders that it’s fast approaching. It’s Labor Day weekend. Dawn is later, dusk is earlier. Daily highs and lows are falling. Keuka Lake temp is now 74 after nearing 80. The first lake-effect cloud appeared early Monday morning. Harvest is over … Read more