A vineyard in South Africa.

Eric Asimov has long considered South Africa a “trove of inexpensive, rewarding wines.” Yet at a recent tasting of 20 bottles, he was “hard pressed to find many [he] liked at all.”

Over at WineBerserkers, a fascinating and informative conversation exploring whether the low-alcohol movement in California has gone too far.

In Wine Industry Insight, an update on the financial turmoil at Crushpad.

Oh no!!! “If you value the California wine industry, then you can’t ignore the imminent threat it now faces from an official in southern France, who may singlehandedly destroy California wine.”

From the Wine Doctor, a fantastic profile of Loire vintner Thierry Puzelat. (HT: Eric Asimov.)

Derek Swanson visits one of Virginia’s best wineries, the sparkling house Thibaut-Janisson.

On the Connoisseurs’ Guide’s blog, Stephen Eliot explains why he’s “much more interested in knowing the basic technical data like accurate alcohol readings, residual sugar, total acidity and pH” than he is in seeing an ingredient label.

In Bon Appetit, Levi Dalton offers some tips on ordering wine at a restaurant.

Make Ordering Wine Less Terrifying–Ask a Sommelier!

Dave McIntyre offers some quick “Impressions from the 2012 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition.”

“With 100 different appellations and 684 different named parcels added to that count, you might think that Burgundy produces 784 different wines, but that is not the case… you are looking at 60,000 different wines.” In the Baltimore Sun, Lisa Airey attempts to write a primer on Burgundy.

Lettie Teague visits the suburbs to see if wine is consumed differently.

In case you’re looking for a vineyard, a 235-acre wine estate in Malibu just hit the market for $59.5 million.