3) The NYT had a much-discussed, front-page article on a member of Congress who is close to an industry in his district. Was it: a) John Boehner and the spray-on tanning industry. b) Mike Thompson and the wine industry. c) Eric Cantor and the reinsurance industry. a) Luxury resorts. b) Walnut trees. d) Honeymoons. MORE >>

Off the L at Morgan Avenue, right on Bogart–a stark industrial landscape. At the corner there’s a wine shop–Big Tree Bottles; turn right on Moore, and there, stands Roberta’s a sweet spot with thin crust brick oven pizza (pesto, mushroom, artichoke–yum!), housed in what was once a garage. MORE >>

What intrigues me are the myriad unintended consequences of the policy, particularly for the wine industry. Prohibition dealt the American wine industry such a disastrous blow that it left a lingering finish that can be measured in decades (not seconds, as wine tasting notes sometimes include). Online wine sales have been hampered. MORE >>

The (British) industry is trying to lightweight materials: Marks & Spencer has ten wines in pouches this year and 200 million liters of wine will be sold across Europe in cans next year. When you get a wine in a can, does the sommelier let you sniff the lid? And place it on the table during dinner? The Telegraph (!) MORE >>

Although wine was first made in 1659, the industry has confronted numerous challenges from the weather, economic crisis, economic boycott, and phylloxera over the years. I’m in South Africa right now, attending a biennial trade show called Cape Wine 2012. Is there anything you are particularly interested in? Advertisement: South Afric MORE >>