On the heels of this snippet of wine-crime news out of SoCal, we thought we’d revive this news roundup for your wine-nerding pleasure. Happy Friday.
• Billionaire William Koch, brother of the more politically active Charles and David Koch, has just had a lawsuit against Christie’s auction house dismissed. He claimed they had conspired to sell some fraudulant bottles of French wine from 1787 purportedly owned by Thomas Jefferson, but a judge ruled the statute of limitations had run out. [Chicago Tribune]
• The Napa Valley Wine Wave, which is an effort to break the Guinness World Record for the longest relay wine toast, happens Sunday in St. Helena. It costs $100 to participate, and proceeds will go toward agriculture and winemaking scholarships. [St. Helena Star]
• SF Mag’s Jordan Mackay pens a quick profile of Steve Matthiason, an unassuming vineyard manager and winemaker from Napa who’s recently been making a name for himself with his own wines, under the Matthiason label, which are cult favorites of some top local sommeliers. [SF Mag]
• Beaujolais is going to be a bit harder to get this year, with production down by about half, after severe weather this past winter and spring destroyed many of the grapes. [Wine Enthusiast]
