Red is the color of this (or rather, last) week's wine columns, with only one or two bucking the season by talking about whites. Of the latter, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher's vilification of cheap Chardonnays is the most notable. Something about merlot still captivates many of the wine writers, but Fred Tasker wins the prize for this week's most entertaining wine column by imagining Jerry Springer asking of syrah, "Who's your daddy?" Wines from lesser known regions are also getting press. The Washington Post profiles Liechtensteinian wines, while Matt Kramer in the Oregonian highlights a couple of interesting Portuguese and Sardinian reds. The Chronicle also gets in the regional act by introducing a new series of articles focusing on notable wine regions around the world. Looks quite good.
Finally, Rachel might find a particular poignancy in Paul Gregutt's piece on the 2004 frost which hit Walla Walla...