What we’re talking about is late night and early morning low clouds, with a chance of lingering fog around the corner of 40th & Webster, and a creeping feeling around mid-day that summer is on its last legs. A sudden drop in barometric pressure in conjunction with the newness of the moon has led local officials to issue a Wine Flight Advisory, currently in effect this Thursday and Saturday for areas north of MacArthur and west of Broadway.

Gusty winds continue on Fire Island this morning, with wet deer foraging at the choppy water’s edge, and fifty years of memories gathering in puddles between the walkways and the sand. By early afternoon, expect the usual knuckleheads to appear, drifting and reddening throughout the day, followed by an evening of scattered billiard balls, with a smattering of flip flops and tinted Oakleys. Twice daily, the island slowly rises, then sinks back into the ocean.

In parts of Chile, nearly freezing nights will warm into cool and sun-filled days. The Nuble River will continue to make its way through the Itata Valley, slowly depositing clay and alluvial soil, while to the south, the Villarrica volcano will release steam and gas, and an active lava lake within its crater will light the sky above its ice-covered slopes.

Temperatures remain unseasonably high throughout France, where a swarm of jellyfish recently shut down the nation’s largest nuclear power plant, presumably by accident. There are reports of tiny umbrellas appearing in glasses of Chenin Blanc along the Val de Loire, and the crocodile and palm tree representing the city of Nimes have never felt so at home. There is also a high likelihood that my dear Uncle T is spending at least a portion of his eighty-second birthday in the restorative waters of his tiny backyard pool. Happy Birthday my good man! I look forward to seeing you, and my friends back in Oakland, once the wind dies down and the fog has lifted.

Tonight...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: New California Whites & Chilean Reds
2023 Hammerling Point Break Chenin Blanc
2023 Martha Stoumen Post Flirtation White
2024 Jolie-Laide Fanucchi Wood Road Trousseau Gris
2023 Viña Maitia Aupa Pipeño Tinto
2024 Louis-Antoine Luyt Pilen Alto Pais
2022 Pedro Parra País Vinista Itata
Tasting Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY 8/23: LOIRE VALLEY FLIGHTS
NV Jo Landron Domaine de la Louvetrie Atmosphères Brut
2023 Batard Langelier Muscadet
2024 Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy Sancerre Rosé Terre de Maimbray 2023 Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme Le Telquel Rouge
Tasting Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm!

Cheers,
Max