News Round-Up: Week of September 7-13

Record Early Harvests in Champagne and Burgundy, But With a Return to Normal or Higher Harvest Levels Across France.
France saw record early harvests in many of the main wine regions, including the earliest harvest in centuries in Burgundy, as production levels rebounded after a tough year in 2019.
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Bloomberg - 9.8.20

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Germany 2019 - One of the Best Vintages Ever?
It pains a little to see how little German wine Americans really drink. These wines are tremendous, balanced and juicy, and pair really well with a lot of the healthier and fresher meals we eat, today. These are great choice for the fall season ahead, as well. Plus with slightly lower alcohol levels almost always involved, these wines do not hit your head like many New World wines can. Read all about the new vintage hitting our store shelves in this report by one of the leading sources for great info on the German wine industry, and for CRYING OUT LOUD - grab a bottle of Mosel Riesling, already.
Mosel Fine Wines #53 (you may need to subscribe, but it free!)

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Mezcal is Having a (Long) Moment
And why not? This unique and generally misunderstood beverage from Mexico can be as subtle and sophisticated or as bold and brash as any drink category out there. Some producers making dozens of different expressions from different agave, multiple attitudes and with a variety of wood combinations. All contributing to a spirit that is remarkable more complex than that bottle someone had at a dorm party where the challenge was to not be the person eating the worm (which I can say from first hand experience does not cause any hallucinations). Check out this article detailing what you should know about Mezcal, and then go have a Smoking Margarita!
10 Things You Should know Before Drinking Mezcal - Delish

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Will You Be Heading Out This Holiday Season?
With so many businesses changing their model this year, the entire world has had to review its standards for operations and practices, and this includes an adjustment to what the holiday season may look like in the next few months. Will there be any Christmas/Holiday parties, lunches, social gatherings? Your local restaurants sure hope there is, but what will they look like and how safe can they be will really be the big question. The lasting impact fromt he Covid crisis is still playing out, but anyone who works in the on-premise trade will surely be looking to see what can be salvaged from a terrible year. Vaccine? Maybe, but can't count on that to save us - at least this year. Safety and service is what we can control, so assuring our guests that a normal delivery of the holiday traditions is our best (and perhaps only) option. Here are some thoughts from Imbibe on that front.
Safe Festivities - Imbibe