• Superstar Drew Barrymore, who started drinking at age 8, is launching her own wine label with the Barrymore Pinot Grigio. Wine mogul may not be the best job for someone with a history of substance-abuse issues, but power to her. [Haute Living]
• Reality star Bethenny Frankel launched her Skinnygirl wines last week, and here’s why one writer thinks they’re stupid: Unlike the brand’s bottled margaritas, which are less than half the calories of the real thing, these wines only save you about 25 calories per glass, and they’re basically just pandering to women. [HuffPo]
• The esteemed Château Margaux estate has been testing out screw-cap enclosures on their wines, and in taste tests of nine-year-old bottles, the screw-capped wines tasted better than the same wine sealed with a cork. [Decanter]
• We talked about the trend toward lower alcohol wines for food pairing a while back, and now consumers are starting to buy more lower-alcohol varietals, with Moscato — perhaps owing to its recent hip-hop cred — being the fastest seller. [Press-Democrat]
• Meanwhile, Gallo Family Vineyards is launching a Moscato of their own. Probably smart. [Off License News]
• The San Francisco Chronicle just hosted the public tasting for their annual wine competition, and Bachelor Ben Flajnik, winemaker for Envolve Winery, was the big star. [SF Chron]
• Here’s a discussion of blends versus varietal wines. When something is labeled Cabernet Sauvignon in this country, it’s usually a blend anyway, and only has to be 75 percent Cab. [Napa Valley Register]
