• Karl Lagerfeld, the famed designer of the House of Chanel, recently designed a wine label for the 2009 Chateau Rauzan-Ségla — a Bordeaux estate that happens to be owned by the same guys who own Chanel. [On Wine/WSJ]
• In an attempt to make an educational video about grape-growing hilarious and viral, Jordan Winery put together this spoof of that Honey Badger video, featuring the Talking Grape. [Grub Street]
• The first ever Flavor! Napa Valley food fest kicks off in less than a month, featuring demos and events with celeb chefs like Thomas Keller, Michael Chiarello, Tyler Florence, and Richard Blais … and also buckets of wine. Tickets are still available. [Flavor! Napa Valley]
• One wine writer admits why so few wine writers (apart from the professional critics with full-time gigs) ever write anything bad about the wines they taste. [Gray Report]
• Vineyards in California may be whining about the low yields from this cold growing season, but in Italy they’re marking the smallest grape harvest in 60 years. Climate change, anyone? [Reuters]
• There’s an ongoing battle happening in southwestern Australia where wineries and farmers are battling a coal company to prevent mining exploration near the Margaret River. [Decanter]
• Eric Asimov and the Times crew do a tasting of wines from St.-Joseph, a Rhône region that specializes in Syrahs, and whose flavors Asimov says “harmonize with the essences of autumn.” [NYT]
