For wine lovers, 2022 has had its moments, from the intrigue of legal filings and government proceedings to the gut-wrenching angst of unpredictable weather events. For this final post of the year, you’ll find five favorite themes from 2022 that are less “moment” and more “development,” as their ongoing impact will reverberate well into the New Year and beyond.
Sustainability, Clarified
The word “sustainability” itself is on the verge of burn out: it’s overused and worn out from multi-tasking as a catch-all for a wide range of efforts and schemes to prioritize earth- and climate-friendly practices and production. Which is why it’s refreshing – and a favorite development this year – to see sustainability clarified, defined, and parsed into meaningful iterations, such as Randall Grahm’s relentless, meticulous, heroic efforts to breed new grape varietals at Popelouchum in San Benito County, California; to Brian Freedman’s newly published CRUSHED: How a Changing Climate is Altering the Way We Drink (particularly his two chapters on the Hill Country of Texas and the Western Cape of South Africa); to frankly exciting, imaginative options for packaging and transporting wine, beer, spirits and low-alcohol versions of those beverages. Sustainability has become more visible, more adeptly discussed, more relatable, and more relevant than ever before. Finally.
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