• Cheap Chilean wine: Spend any time with Chilean winemakers, and you notice two things. First, how young everyone in the business is, and second, that the inexpensive wines are so well made. Case in point: Calina, some very nice $8 wine from a company affiliated with Kendall-Jackson, made by winemaker Marcela Chandia. I didn't ask (politeness, of course), but she graduated from college in 1999, which means she probably isn't 30 yet. I was especially impressed by the chardonnay, with more fruit than oak, and the carmenere.
• Rosenblum update: Top zinfandel producer Kent Rosenblum reports that he will stay with his winery for three years after it was bought by massive Diageo. Rosenblum told the San Francisco Chronicle that Diageo was clear that it wouldn't make big changes. "They want to keep the culture," he said.
• Paul Newman wines: Yes, that Paul Newman. His Newman's Own food company has released a California cabernet and chardonnay, about $16 each. The project is a joint venture with Rebel Wine, which is affiliated with Three Thieves, best known for the quality wine it sells in jugs and juice boxes.
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