You know it's hot when you have to ask for new ice in your wine's ice bucket three times over the course of dinner and the wine still never quite gets cold enough. #firstworldproblems for sure. #parisheatdome
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Alder Yarrow 
@vinography@epicure.social
mastodon 4.7.3Wine writer and critic since 2004 at Vinography.Com. Columnist for JancisRobinson.Com, and contributor to the Oxford Companion to Wine. Author of "The Essence of Wine."
I pay the bills as a strategic advisor and brand experience consultant, with an emphasis on brand strategy, customer experience strategy, user experience design, and digital product design. Advisor to Pix.Wine.
I live in Oakland, California. My pronouns are he/him.
317 Followers
68 Following
36 Posts
Joined November 20, 2022
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http:///www.vinography.com
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DAMMIT! NOT SAM NEILL!! A shocking and unexpected loss to hear about this morning. Those of us connected to NZ wine knew not the immensely talented Hollywood celeb, but a kind, funny man who loved an ugly pig, a farm, an industry, and a country. RIP. You'll be sorely missed.
A very thorough and kind article published today about the announcements I made in yesterday's Old Vine Registry webinar. https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/old-vineyards-get-official-seal
Wine lovers! Here's your weekly suggested reading list of all the things I thought might be worth your time that I've read online in the last week. https://www.vinography.com/2026/06/wine-news-what-im-reading-the-week-of-6-21-26 #winethreads
Cool story about the "other things" that winemakers make that aren't wine in their spare time. https://www.decanter.com/wine/california/meet-the-star-california-winemakers-with-beer-whiskey-and-other-drinks-projects-beyond-wine/
We're approaching 3 years since the launch of the Old Vine Registry. Join me on June 30th for a free webinar highlighting our latest developments, the winners of this year's Heritage Vine Hunt contest, and a preview of a new initiative. Register here: https://swirlwine.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a085bbc211e82d2730f7f8f7f&id=f7870cb059&e=d0bd15f1af
Wine aficionados! Here's your weekly suggested reading list of all the interesting things I found online about wine in my past week of browsing. Enjoy! https://www.vinography.com/2026/06/wine-news-what-im-reading-the-week-of-6-7-26 #winethreads
Hug your favorite old vine today(gently) it’s Old Vine Day! Then go open (or buy) a bottle of old vine wine so we can keep ‘em in the ground! #oldvines @ouroldvines @oldvineproject
So wine world, what do we think about Michelin's new ratings for Burgundy? Only 94 producers highlighted, and only nine 3-grape ratings. The "reviews" if you can call them that, are befuddling. Some reference specific vintages, others are generic AF. https://guide.michelin.com/gb/en/article/wine/the-michelin-guide-s-burgundy-wine-selection
Chuffed, as my British friends would say, to be a finalist for the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator awards @67pall_mall. It's a great group of immensely talented finalists to be amongst. I wish all my colleagues the best of luck (but secretly want @MaluLambert to win!).
Wine lovers! Here's your weekly suggested reading list from all the online wine stories I ran across in my journeys through the internet last week. https://www.vinography.com/2026/06/wine-news-what-im-reading-the-week-of-6-28-26
Very proud of my friend & colleague Ana Carolina Quintela for her 1st piece for @JancisRobinson, a profile of Alder Springs, including (very sad) breaking news that they will be ceasing farming operations after the 2026 harvest. Article for subscribers. https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/alder-springs-grape-goldmine-mendocino
Wine lovers! Here's your weekly suggested reading list of all things wine-related that I've found of interest in my cruising about the internets over the past week. https://www.vinography.com/2026/06/wine-news-what-im-reading-the-week-of-6-14-26 #winethreads
My reviews of press sample wines this past week included some Portuguese whites and reds, a couple of getms from Sonoma, and more. https://www.vinography.com/2026/05/vinography-unboxed-week-of-5-24-26
Bravo gentlemen! Three Austrian winemakers pen a manifesto worth reading: https://www.sylvia-petz.at/rte/upload/download/pdf/2026/tu-felix-austria_manifest_en.pdf
Are you a wine-loving photographer? Well, here's something that might interest you. The first annual Old Vine Photography Contest. Submit your best old vine images (old vine = any vineyard over 35 years of age) for fame and prizes. https://www.vinography.com/2026/04/enter-the-old-vine-photography-competition
I recently had to replace a wine fridge, and I can't afford EuroCave. I ended up with this unit, and I'm pretty darn happy with it. Quiet AF, racks spaced to handle even wide-a** Champagne bottles, and overall well put together. Five stars. https://www.wineenthusiast.com/w/wine-enthusiast-latitude-l-26-smart-wi-fi-wine-cellar
Hello, wine lovers. Here's your weekly suggested reading list of things I think are worth your time to check out online. https://www.vinography.com/2026/07/wine-news-what-im-reading-the-week-of-7-5-26 #winethreads
Reminder - the Old Vine Registry annual webinar will be tomorrow morning at 9 PDT / 5 BST. We'll be covering the last year of progress on the Registry, the annual winners of our Vine Hunt contest, and a new exciting initiative. Register for free here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vmsamhF6Q324FBdLB3iPTw
This month for subscribers of @JancisRobinson I’ve done a deep dive into the wine that so many love but virtually none can sell: California Riesling. https://www.vinography.com/2026/02/california-riesling-improved-and-ignored #winethreads
Here's your weekly suggested Vinography reading list for wine lovers of all the things I found of interest in the last week of online browsing. https://www.vinography.com/2026/02/wine-news-what-im-reading-the-week-of-2-15-26 #winethreads
Hello, wine lovers. Looking for something to read? Here's my recommended list of things recently published online that I think are worth your time: https://www.vinography.com/2026/02/wine-news-what-im-reading-the-week-of-2-22-26 #winethreads
So I didn't keep perfect track, but it looks to me from my notes that the Premiere Napa Valley Auction #pnv2026 raised about $2.7 million today, with an average per-case price of about $2250. That's significantly down (18.5%) from $3.3 million in 2025.
Nice coverage by Sarah Brown of the OVR seal announcement on Tuesday. https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/320116
Hello wine lovers. Here's a list of interesting things to read about wine that were published online in the past week. Only the stuff that I think is worth your time. https://www.vinography.com/2026/04/wine-news-what-im-reading-the-week-of-4-12-26 #winethreads
Every week on Friday I post a wine-related photo just to share something beautiful. Here's this week's view of the Wittmann cellar in the Rheinhessen. https://www.vinography.com/2026/01/vinography-images-large-format-cellar #winethreads
Just a periodic scream into the void for wineries (& their PR agencies) to PLEASE update the damn product info on your website so it reflects your ACTUAL current releases, including tech sheets on those wines somewhere on the site. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Another swanky wine event that you could consider going to if you're anywhere near the San Francisco Bay Area. It's the irregular but always deeply loved Burgundy love-fest called La Paulée de San Francisco: https://www.vinography.com/2026/01/la-paulee-de-san-francisco-2026-feb-25-28 #winethreads
Innocent until proven guilty, and the old saw about being able to indict a ham sandwich notwithstanding.... this is pretty big for the wine world, and seems to anecdotally jive with what industry insiders have been saying for years... https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/california-grocery-store-wine-scheme-062937822.html?guccounter=1&utm_source=AfternoonBrief&utm_medium=newsletter
If you're in the market for swanky wine experiences, it might be worth knowing that tickets just went on sale for #auctionnapavalley in June. https://www.collectivenapavalley.org/events/
Every friday I post a wine-related photo on my website just for the beauty of it. Last week's was an invitation to climb the stairway to Chardonnay. https://www.vinography.com/2026/05/vinography-images-stairway-to-chardonnay #winethreads
Wait, people are calling blends of red and white grapes "blouge" wines now? What the hell was wrong with blush, people? At least everyone can pronounce it correctly the first time! https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/02/02/why-a-new-playful-style-of-wine-is-delighting-drinkers
Hello wine lovers, here's your suggested weekly reading list of all things wine-related that I think are worth spending a little time with online. https://www.vinography.com/2026/04/wine-news-what-im-reading-the-week-of-4-5-26 #winethreads
Flush with extra cash? Need more wine in your life? Love a good deal? It's Berserker Day -- the community-driven super insider wine sale. Be careful with this link, it might drain your bank account if you've got low inhibitions. https://www.wineberserkers.com/t/for-buyers-new-to-berserkerday-help-is-here-how-to-video-and-guide/343685
All I gotta say is that today, after 7 years of mourning, I got my beloved KFOG back thanks to @Spotify Prompted Playlists, and I am absolutely over the moon. Also? No commercials. ROCK ON! 🤘
My weekly sip through a bunch of press samples last week was all about fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from both California and Oregon. There are some spectacular bottles here to recommend. https://www.vinography.com/2026/01/vinography-unboxed-week-of-1-25-26 #winethreads