Bubbles, Borders & Bottles: The Coolest Wine Moments of July

From Alpine terroir and multilayered culture in Alto Adige to Napa’s fight against wine fraud and a sparkling revolution in New Mexico, July delivered unforgettable stories in the glass.

Raise a glass to the authenticity of Tom Gamble this weekend.

July offered a peek into some of the most fascinating people, places and practices in the wine world.

Here are a few of my favorite stories from July, with an eye on what’s to come next month for the 1 Minute Wine Guy.

First, every conversation with Tom Gamble is an eye-opener. The Napa Valley vigneron walks the walk when it comes to authenticity. His Rutherford, Mount Veeder and Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon bottles now include a three-part authenticity system: a hologram seal, a QR code linked to traceable data, and—perhaps most boldly—the Gamble Estates name etched in raised letters into the glass bottom. Read all about it in the link.

“I want people to know that what’s in the bottle is genuinely mine,” Gamble said. “Too many wines today are hard to verify. This is our way of saying: you can trust this.”

It’s a bold move and a benchmark for wine integrity in an age of growing counterfeits.