• Most influential wine type: The blog Dr. Vino wants to know who the most influential wine person of this decade is, and you can vote here. Among the choices are Robert Parker, John Casella, the founder of Yellow Tail, and Eric LeVine, the man behind the Cellar Tracker Web site wine tracking system. Not sure how relevant most of those names are, since the biggest development in wine this decade has been the continuing consolidation of producers and distributors. But the results will be interesting, nonetheless, given Dr. Vino's role in the Winestream Media.
• No duty-free wine sales? The World Health Organization wants to phase out tax-exempt liquor sales in an attempt to reduce drinking and the social ills associated with it. If the policy is approved next month, and it is expected to be, member governments would not be required to eliminate wine from duty-free shops, but many are expected to do so. Still, would it make that much difference? I haven't noticed wine prices in duty-free stores being that less expensive.
• Global warming will hit wine in U.S.: Or so says a report from Stanford University researchers. Global warming could reduce the current U.S. wine grape region by 81 percent by the end of the century -- primarily because of a projected sharp increase in the frequency of extremely hot days. The other key finding? Warmer weather and earlier springs mean more crop pests, since there won't be enough cold weather to kill them.
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