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Harvest Kicks Off in Napa; Climate-Controlling Lasers!

“I’ve always said, one man’s ‘moderate’ is another man’s blackout.” Photo: iStock Images

• Harvest has just kicked off in the Napa Valley, with sparkling wine grapes being the first off the vine. The August 29 harvest date was the latest ever on record at Schramsberg Vineyards. [Napa Valley Register]

• The CDC confirms it, everyone: “Moderate” alcohol consumption is one of four keys to longer life. The problem for those of you who like to drink is that “moderate” means five ounces of wine a day for women, and ten ounces a day for men. [Discus]

• Winemakers are notoriously freaky in their battles with the weather, and now scientists at the University of Geneva have found a way to potentially control where and when it rains, using a giant laser beam pointed at the clouds. [Daily Mail UK]

• A new survey by the site Women Winemakers found that less than 10 percent of California wineries are headed by women. This percentage is expected to rise to 15 or 20 percent in the next few years in Northern California. [Decanter]

• Cornas, a relatively unsung wine from the northern Rhone Valley made with Syrah grapes, can become “a gentle red wine with notes of spice and velvety bramble” when aged for ten years or more. [WSJ]

• Even though sulfur dioxide, an agent commonly used by grape growers to combat mold and fungus, has been proven to have ill affects on humans, a new study suggests that it’s quite healthy for the grapes themselves. [Decanter]

Harvest Kicks Off in Napa; Climate-Controlling Lasers!