What's Happening

A changing wine industry. Train ride to Philly. New archival findings.

I was humbled by the response to my last piece, On Thomas Jefferson, and all the people who subscribed after. Welcome to the newcomers. Thanks for being here. I’m tip-toeing toward the end of my research fellowship at the International Center for Jefferson Studies. Here are some updates on what’s happening in my corner of the wine world and beyond.

Happenings in the wine world:

• The UC Davis Library announced Meg Bernhard as its 2024 recipient of the Spurrier-Winiarski Wine Writer-in-Residence Award. I met Bernhard at last year’s Wine Writers’ Symposium. Her recently published book, Wine, a series of personal and well-researched vignettes, is the kind of wine writing we need. This career-changing award will allow Bernhard to advance her exploration of wine, climate change, and labor.

• Wine & Spirits Magazine’s spring issue will be its last print edition, for now, claims publisher Joshua Greene, who wrote a charged letter about how much the landscape has changed since he got into the business in 1984. Meanwhile, the team has been laid off. My time at Wine & Spirits was short-lived, but in those early years of my career, having Greene as an editor undeniably influenced my identity as a wine writer.