Fewer insects, fewer nutritious crops: Pollinator decline puts human health at risk – Phys.org
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-insects-nutritious-crops-pollinator-decline.html
#food #agriculture #sustainability
Remote
Alex Bardsley 
@AlexGBardsley@epicure.social
mastodon 4.7.3Veteran sommelier with two degrees in Asian Studies and a thing for owls.
208 Followers
101 Following
50 Posts
Joined November 22, 2022
pronouns:
he/him
@GeePawHill@mastodon.social
Mary Shelley
RE: https://epicure.social/@sbwino/116501007598408328
To me, the biggest challenge is the hollow midpalate in dealcoholized wines. I'm intrigued by yeast strains producing more glycerol. How about mannoproteins? Perhaps extensive lees aging with frequent battonage? https://enology.fst.vt.edu/downloads/wm_issues/Nature%20of%20Wine%20Lees.pdf
#wine #nolo
As warming waters fuel increasing numbers of invasive green crabs, a local nonprofit turns them into a traditional delicacy – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/04/20/maines-cambodian-community-aims-to-keep-invasive-green-crabs-at-bay/ #food #sustainability
Wine’s leftovers could help wean chicken farms off antibiotics – Cornell Chronicle
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/05/wines-leftovers-could-help-wean-chicken-farms-antibiotics #food #agriculture #wine #health
RE: https://mastodon.online/@globalmuseum/116512704488814543
One of the simple changes that reduced the incidence of cork taint in wine has been not to use the first few inches closest to the ground, which are more likely to be contaminated by chlorine compounds in the soil. #wine #TCA
Virginia vineyards are full of native grasses as well.
Simple vineyard growing practice impacts soil microbiome deep below surface – Phys.org
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-simple-vineyard-impacts-soil-microbiome.html
#wine #sustainability #agriculture
RE: https://mastodon.social/@MarkSquiresWine/116385707775471392
Importer Wine Traditions has a particularly good selections of wines from SW France.
https://winetraditions.com/distribution/
Replying to
@SabrosiaVit@epicure.social
Like many somms, I'd heard of Belluard's wine, but never seen the unicorn. Then one busy night, my assistant brought me a taste of something a guest brought in. I wasn't listening to him, but the wine stopped me in my tracks.
"What the f is this?!"
He repeated his story.
"This is gringet? This is Belluard?"
Since then I've been able to source some wonderful gringet from Belluard's neighbor in Ayze, Montessuit, thanks to importer Plant Wines. Seek it out.
And there I was thinking this was about the Amazon and deforestation. Nope.
https://apnews.com/article/brazil-animal-products-exports-eu-2633ba2c6d42e98ab1a041fb97bb3d5a
#food #beef #sustainability
@marksquires.com
This book may be a bit dated but covers the basics:
https://archive.org/details/tocorkornottocor0000tabe_z2u0
#wine #cork
USDA Reorganization Expanded to Include Food Safety Inspection Service – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/04/24/usda-reorganization-expanded-to-include-food-safety-inspection-service/ #food #health
Emerging contaminants in soils: What we’re learning about organic waste applications – Globalfoodleeds
https://medium.com/globalfoodleeds/emerging-contaminants-in-soils-what-were-learning-about-organic-waste-applications-7e6160035044
#food #agriculture #sustainability
Maine's catch of lobster declines again as high costs and climate change impact industry
https://www.news4jax.com/business/2026/03/06/maines-catch-of-lobster-declines-again-as-high-costs-and-climate-change-impact-industry/
#food #sustainability
Replying to
@SabrosiaVit
I spent a weekend in Chambéry in 2024, and regret not visiting Dolin. Recently discovered a ridiculously tasty apéritif à la fraise Dolin makes called Chambéryzette.
https://www.dolin.fr/en/products/chamberyzette/
#wine #vermouth
Bottle Weight Accord reaches two years – Sustainable Wine
https://swroundtable.org/news/two-years-of-the-bottle-weight-accord/ #wine #sustainability
EPA Affirms Farmers’ Right to Repair – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/02/05/epa-affirms-farmers-right-to-repair/ #food #agriculture #sustainability
Microplastics hinder plant photosynthesis, study finds, threatening millions with starvation – Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/10/microplastics-hinder-plant-photosynthesis-study-finds-threatening-millions-with-starvation
#food #agriculture #sustainability
Replying to
The Persian Gulf Oil Crisis Is a Food Crisis – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/03/17/op-ed-the-persian-gulf-oil-crisis-is-a-food-crisis/
#agriculture #fertilizer #farmers
U.S. Farm Bankruptcies Increased 46% in 2025 – Successful Farming
https://www.agriculture.com/partners-u-s-farm-bankruptcies-increased-46-in-2025-11903416 #agriculture #economy
EPA Reapproves Weedkiller Dicamba Despite Concerns About Drift and Crop Damage – Civil Eats
#food #agriculture #sustainability
Food Businesses and Farm Groups Call on Congress to Rein in ICE – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/01/29/food-businesses-and-farm-groups-call-on-congress-to-rein-in-ice/
#agriculture #immigration #restaurant #labor
Trump DOJ Sues Michigan to Overturn Cage-Free Egg Law – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/01/28/trump-doj-sues-michigan-to-overturn-cage-free-egg-law/
#food #eggs #animalwelfare #farm
Replying to on mastodon.world
@GregArcus@mastodon.world
First, the wine is a gift to your host, and they are under no obligation to open it (although they often do). Decide how much you want to spend.
My "Home" feed hasn't changed since Feb 15. What's up?
RE: https://epicure.social/@sbwino/116501044004257211
What, no verjus?
Columbia Gorge...
In states famous for wine, women vintners find success off the beaten path – OPB
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/18/columbia-river-gorge-women-vintners/ #viticulture #wine
Removing 'forever chemicals' from farmlands—at a fraction of the cost – Phys.org
https://phys.org/news/2026-07-chemicals-farmlands-fraction.html
#agriculture #sustainability
Despite Federal Immigrant Crackdown, Food Workers Sue Over Workplace Abuses – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/02/09/despite-federal-immigrant-crackdown-food-workers-sue-over-workplace-abuses/
#farm #meatpacking #justice #agriculture #food #labor
Betting on whole-grain baking – CivilEats
https://civileats.com/2026/05/06/betting-on-whole-grain-baking/ #food
RE: https://epicure.social/@sbwino/116178279396911519
Tariffs backfiring, or the Tesla effect?
Replying to on universeodon.com
@zimfam@universeodon.com
The humidity makes going spray-free in Virginia nigh impossible; but most growers can just let the native grasses grow between the rows without tilling or even sowing cover crops.
The Power of Perennial Agriculture – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/02/18/the-power-of-perennial-agriculture/
#food #sustainability #farming
‘The worst time for wheat’: US farmers face losses to extreme heat and drought – Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/08/wheat-farmers-face-loss-crops-heat-drought #agriculture #food #climate
Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Advance Offshore U.S. Aquaculture – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/02/13/a-bipartisan-bill-advances-the-launch-of-offshore-u-s-aquaculture/
#food #aquaculture
Trump’s War on Iran Could Screw Over US Farmers – Wired
https://www.wired.com/story/trumps-war-on-iran-could-screw-over-us-farmers/
#food #agriculture #economy
The 15 foods destroying rainforests, in one simple chart – Vox
https://www.vox.com/climate/480083/beef-agriculture-deforestation-amazon-rainforest
#livestock #farming #sustainability #food
US farm economy shows widening cracks as costs rise, jobs vanish – Reuters
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-farm-economy-shows-widening-110230383.html
#agriculture #food
Taking a quick glance at the gold medal winners in this years Virginia Wineries Association Governor's Cup, I count eight albariños! Also one roussanne. Thick-skinned, loose-bunched varieties are the future here.
https://www.virginiawine.org/governors-cup/awards
#wine
@wineecon@mstdn.social
No Juhfark? And I expected to see more Cab Franc relative to Merlot and Cab Sauv because of its success in Villány.
#wine
These Minneapolis Groups Offer Food Aid as ICE Surges – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/01/27/these-minneapolis-groups-offer-food-aid-as-ice-surges/
#community #immigration
Food Companies Backslide on Promises to Reduce Pesticides – Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2026/04/08/food-companies-backslide-on-promises-to-reduce-pesticides/
#sustainability #agriculture
Risks to NATO Food Security in the Age of Hybrid Threats – Lawfare
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/risks-to-nato-food-security-in-the-age-of-hybrid-threats
#agriculture #defense #Europe
RE: https://epicure.social/@sbwino/116479044970514349
I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that a lazy wine list is necessarily a rip-off, but offering value takes effort, for sure.