Firearm Deaths and Wine Consumption in the U.S. by State, 2020. There is no causal relationship, but wine consumption is a fairly strong predictor of firearm deaths.

The spotted lanternfly is a serious vine pest in the Eastern U.S. Here is its amazingly intricate wing design.

E-Tractors coming to Vineyards. The first mass-produced fully electric vineyard tractor of a major brand. The Fendt e107 V Vario is a fully battery-electric, narrow-track tractor designed for use in vineyards and orchards.

My Brooklyn vineyard — just a single vine — was overwhelmed by Spotted Lanternflies today, a serious pest for grapevines. However, as their life cycle nears its end, most of them are already quite weak. By themselves, they are actually beautiful insects.

Dr Patrick McGovern, a leading biomolecular archaeologist in the field of ancient alcoholic beverages, has died aged 80. IMcGovern provided strong scientific evidence that winemaking in Georgia dates back to the Early Neolithic (~8,000 years ago). www.decanter.com/wine-news/in...

Praise to the Grape (c. 1390). Note, the vines are growing on trees. In "Taccuinum Sanitatis," a medieval handbook primarily focused on health and intended for a cultured lay audience. This version originates from Lombardy, Italy.

Vineyards in Poland. 1950s photo of the vineyards of the state-owned Lubuska Winery Plant in Zielona Góra/Poland, formerly part of Grempler & Co (when Zielona Góra was Grünberg in Silesia/Germany). This area is now part of Zielona Góra's Wine Park.

2023 Per Capita Consumption of Still Table Wine in the U.S., by State

Georg Tappert (German 1880-1957) ”Fest (Reimann Fest),” c. 1925. Oil on canvas 50.3 × 38.7 cm.

Poland's Wine Trade by Volume, 1994-2024

Fruit eaten by chimpanzees contains on avg 0.26% alc by weight. With a daily consumption of 4.5kg of fruit, this amounts to roughly 14 grams of ethanol — the equivalent of one US standard drink. Adjusted for body weight this translates to 2 standard drinks. www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/09/chim...

WWII: Cpt Lewis Nixon of the 101st Airborne wakes up after a night of celebrating courtesy of Hermann Göring’s private wine & champagne collection. On May 4, 1945, Nixon’s division moved to take the Bavarian mountain town of Berchtesgaden, where they discovered Göring's cellar with >10,000 bottles.

There is a slaughterfield of tens of thousands of dead and dying spotted lanternflies (a serious invasive vine pest) in downtown Brooklyn — as well as in Manhattan. By mid-September, many adults are nearing the end of their natural lifespan and die off after having laid their eggs.

U.S. Wine Exports to Canada by State of Origin, 2024. More than 90% of U.S. wine exports to Canada originate in California. Illinois (3.3%), Washington (3.2%), Oregon (1.3%), and New York (0.8%) are distant followers.

Per Capita Alcohol Consumption in Poland, 1992-2023: Wine - Beer - Spirits

In 2021, Neustadt an der Weinstraße (Palatinate, Germany) introduced pedestrian traffic lights featuring the wine queen motif. The German Wine Queen is crowned every year in Neustadt an der Weinstraße.

California Wine Grapes Left for the Birds. The quality of this year's harvest looks great but it could also be the smallest in 40 years. www.wine-searcher.com/m/2025/09/ca...

German wine queens as wine ambassadors through the ages. In 1931, the Palatinate became the first—and for a time, only—German wine region to crown a regional wine queen as a way to promote its wine. After 1949, wine queens from all of Germany’s wine regions began competing for the national crown

Imports from the EU account for nearly 2/3 of U.S. sparkling wine consumption by volume (even more by value). US sparkling wine imports from Italy alone far exceed domestic production (122.6m v 101.1m liters). Import tariffs on EU wines will significantly change the sparkling wine market.

Map of the phylloxera invasion in Spain, 1899

Wine racking at Champagne Pol Roger, Épernay, postcard 1907

In 2024, sparkling wine consumption in Germany was 255.3 million liters — the lowest in many decades, following a long-term decline. This decline is mainly due to per-capita consumption, which fell from 5.82 liters in 1991 to 3.06 liters in 2024 (-47%).

The Rheinhessen region of Germany is known for its distinctive trulli-like vineyard houses, many of which were built in the late 18th century, with one dating back to 1756.

M. C. Escher (Dutch 1898-1972) Farmhouse, Ravello (1931); with many pergola-trained vines. Maurits Cornelis Escher was a Dutch graphic artist known for his woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints, many of which were inspired by mathematical concepts, including impossible objects.

57% of U.S. wine consumers are women—well above their 52% share of the population. For sparkling wines, the female share rises to 60%.

Cuno Amiet (Swiss 1868-1961) Bahnhof Büffet Basel (Basel train station buffet), 1921. 127 x 90cm. He was a painter, illustrator, graphic artist and sculptor. He was a pioneer of modern art in Switzerland

The New Wine: Wine pouches and Tetra Pak cartons with straws — innovative approaches to wine packaging and marketing. (Seen at Weinmuseum am Zürichsee during an excursion with Robert Finger’s team, following Karl Storchmann’s wine seminar at ETH Zürich.) @robertfinger.bsky.social

The Japanese Manicure Finger Grape is a dessert grape variety from Japan, known for its large, oblong, dark red-purple berries with a firm, juicy, sweet-tart flavor and a firm flesh. The vine is cold-resistant, with frost resistance down to -20°C, and can be grown in both pots and the ground.

Per Capita Sparkling Wine Consumption in U.S. States, 2021. Among the 50 states, Illinois is second to none; note, DC is not a state.

1980s Mateus Wine TV commercial. Selling wine with "love" has been a thing for a long time.

Monthly Coffee Retail Prices in the U.S. have been soaring. Given that more than a third of green coffee comes from Brazil (2024 data), tariffs of 50% (in effect since Aug 7) are likely to fuel prices even more.

AAWE WORKING PAPER #290 (History): "Friedrich Zweigelt (1888-1964): Scientist, Grapevine Breeder, Nazi. His Life and Influence as Reflected by Contemporary Sources" by Daniel Deckers wine-economics.org/wp-content/u...

Sparkling Wine Exports from Italy, France, and Spain, 1994-2024

Hans Baluschek (German, 1870–1935), Couple and Wine (1913). Baluschek was a leading representative of German Critical Realism. He was a member of the Berlin Secession and eventually served on its board of directors. His work was labeled Entartete Kunst (“degenerate art”) by the Nazis in 1933.

Call for Papers 18th Annual AAWE Wine Economics Conference Perth, Australia — July 8–13, 2026. In cooperation with the University of Western Australia. More at www.wine-economics.org

EU-Protected: The Bocksbeutel (Cantil) Bottle Shape. Mainly used in Franconia (Germany) and for some (mainly rosé) Portuguese wines (e.g., Mateus).

Main Winegrape Varieties in Franconia (Franken), Germany (2024). 87% of Franconia’s vineyards are planted with white grape varieties. Silvaner is again the dominant grape variety in the region. Notably, as recently as 2018, Müller-Thurgau was the #1.

“Priest in vineyard, Crete, Greece, 1964” Photograph by Constantine Manos (American *1934). Courtesy of Constantine Manos. More at constantinemanos.com

Main Sparkling Wine Brands in the U.S., 2022 and 2023

1905 advertisement for Törley’s sparkling wine. Törley, founded in 1882 by József Törley (Hungarian 1858-1907), quickly became Hungary’s leading sparkling wine producer. It was nationalized after WW2, and became part of Germany’s Henkell & Söhnlein in 1990. It remains Hungary’s sparkling wine leader

François Barraud (Swiss 1899-1934) Still life with carafe of wine, bread and glasses, c. 1930. Coninx Museum Zurich.

U.S. Wine Import Customs Duties Paid in July 2025. Main Trade Partners

Champagne inspector wearing a protective mask against shattering bottles during inspection and disgorging. Early 20th century.

How much has been paid in U.S. wine tariffs so far? June and July each saw record wine tariff payments of US$60 million. HOWEVER, it is unclear who the final payer is—the foreign producer or the domestic consumer.

Average Price of U.S. Wine Exports in Main Markets, 2024 Wine exported to Canada—the largest U.S. wine export market by far—sells for US$7.70 per liter (FOB), which is 47% higher than the average export price of US$5.23

Jean-Jacques ”Hansi” Waltz (France/Alsace 1873-1951) Colmar 1920, Musée Unterlinden Colmar

József Rippl-Rónai (Hungarian, 1861–1927). My Father and Uncle Piacsek Drinking Red Wine, 1907. Oil on cardboard mounted on wooden panel. National Gallery, Budapest.

Avg Effective Tariff Rates on U.S. Wine Imports. From Oct 2019 to Mar 2021, when Airbus-Boeing–related punitive tariffs of 25% were imposed on wine imports from FRA, ESP, GER and the UK, the avg effective tariff rate rose above 5%. In comparison, in July 2025, the effective rate rose to 10.9%.

Refilling wine (or olive oil) into wicker bottles. Italy, late 1940s.

Grocery Report 2025: ALDI is conquering the U.S. as the fastest-growing grocer by both new outlets and square footage added, with 105 new stores opened in 2024. www.jll.com/en-us/insigh...