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News from the Middle -
an update on the state of the non-coastal wine regions of America

Once upon a time, in the mid nineteenth century, the Cincinnati Wine Company was the most successful wine venture in America, producing sparkling wines from Catawba. One hundred and sixty years ago, El Paso, Texas was the site of the most important fortified wines in America . And about one hundred years ago, Missouri was the most significant wine producing state in the country, with the equivalent of a million cases of wine being shipped through the port of St. Louis each year. more....

Oregon's Story - The Cast of Characters Grows

Don't blink because Oregon's identity is morphing. The state's seemingly single-minded pursuit of pinot noir has spread to sister varieties pinot gris and pinot blanc. Indeed it may be that America's best hopes for quality pinot gris lie here in vineyards nearly throughout the state. more...

Rum Running: Full Speed Ahead

What is Rum anyway? One, Bacardi, is the single most successful spirits brand in the U.S. Yet, the vast majority of brands, including some of the best, are unknown, unavailable and completely at odds with the flavor, use and image of the number-one brand. more...

Corksniffers Advisory: sniffing a screwcap is bad form…

…but sniffing corks was just as silly, if for different reasons.

Not because the wine in a screwcap bottle isn't worth the perusal. In fact, some of them are great.

Got a problem with that? Well, get over it. Or as Randall Grahm, proprietor of leading edge winery Bonny Doon likes to say, “get totally screwed.” Some of Bonny Doon's new bottlings have POS that offer exactly that temptation and the winery often uses screwcaps instead of corks. more...