More info and apply here: txstate-sa.terradotta.com/_portal/tds-...

This is happening, y'all! Applications for our Summer 2026 program to Tuscany & Umbria (hosted by the @Umbra Institute and run in conjunction with @txst.edu) is now open!! See details and apply at the link in the comments!

Special Report: California Wine Production Plummets — Lowest Since 1999 By Tim Carl

Image and quotes from: napavalleyfocus.substack.com/p/special-re...

"...during the Great Recession (2005–2008)...[These losses are] not cyclical but systemic, and in the last year [have] only accelerated."

According to the most recent Wine Institute report, US wine production dropped 15% in 2024. “Since peaking in 2017, US output has declined 27%...This is not a seasonal or vintage blip. It's the steepest single-year production collapse in at least three decades, sharper than the multiyear decline..."

praxis: the act of applying theory or knowledge into practice; enacting or exercising ideas in the real world

(it's my favorite)

Inside Information: The Data Dilemma and the Future of Winery Resilience Knowing what information you have — and understanding how to use it — can be a step toward success. The wine industry is at a crossroads. Wineries

quote and image from here: wineindustryadvisor.com/2025/09/09/i...

"Too Much Data, Too Little Clarity"...

....while this quote is pulled from an article about wine, it seems fitting in our wider cultural contest as well.

In an era of hyper-access to data and AI-based analytics, we are awash in "information" but still (nevertheless) struggling for ~insight~.

We are officially recruiting for our program to “Tuscany and Umbria, Italy” (based in Perugia) for June 2026! The topical focus is “geography of food and agriculture” and “food ethics” and we’d love to have you along whether you are a student or just a “lifelong learner”! Please get in touch!! 🇮🇹 🍷🍝

I had a classic peer review experience today:

Reviewer 1 liked the paper and made a handful of helpful suggestions while reviewer 2 wrote a very brief response that amounted to “this paper is pretty garbage” and made no substantive suggestions for improvement.

You win some, you lose some!

These are my people, folks, and I am so glad to see them praised for their ambition and high quality products!!

Texas Wine Is Growing Up The Hill Country’s tourist capital is full of dozens of wineries and tasting rooms. Here’s where to find the best—and where to stay and eat, too.

I am so excited to share an article by Paula Forbes of @texasmonthly.bsky.social highlighting Texas wine & featuring some of my personal faves--both in terms of people and wine(ries)! My ongoing "Sustainability in Texas Wine" project also got a shout out. Yay! 🤩 www.texasmonthly.com/food/texas-w...

I officially notified my publisher today that my book manuscript would not be ready for submission by the date promised (Aug 15). **womp womp** But, I have been doing a ton of a good, productive, fully community-engaged work, so I am going to trust that the delay will be worth the eventual outcome!

RSD 325 #everydamnday (‘til tomorrow)

So, if I want to take a break for a day (or, heck, even two!), then that is a perfectly valid thing to do. (Yes, I am talking to myself here… 😝)

325 days is a pretty good run, though—literally! Catch y’all tomorprw for one more this round. 😎

#runstreak day 324! #everydamnday

Tomorrow (RSD 325) will be the last day of this streak. I have some periods of travel commencing and I’d rather prioritize family/recreation time over self-imposed stress. Oh, don’t you worry, I *will* be running, but: I own the streak, the streak doesn’t own me.

Actual quote from a student reading response: "The [chapter] is extremely pretentious and self-aggrandizing, and those are two of the ten things that I hate most in this world." Now I am honestly very keen to hear what the other eight things (they hate) are! I love it when students keep it real. 🤓

Let's be honest, I have a bit of a "wine belly" even now. 😆

Actual title of an article that made its way into my inbox this morning: "De la vigne au verre: remplacer les vins américains" ("From Vine to Glass: Replacing American Wines"). What are we doing to ourselves??🤦‍♀️

🍷

I am excited to share what I’ve learned, and I am also very excited to generally blow folks’ minds with regard to quality wine production in Texas. Yeehaw! 🤠 🍷🍇

Setting the metaphorical pen to page (it’s more like fingers to keyboard) for the “Pinot Noir and Identity Symposium” in Oxford, UK, which commences one month from today. I have to admit, this side project has been a ton of fun! (Remember I am supposedly writing a book about Sagrantino??)

Doing the best kind of work (talking with wine people and walking in vineyards).

Interviewee: “Here I am saying things I didn’t even know I had to say, but clearly have been thoughts rolling around in my head.”

You’re welcome!

(I love my job.)

I guess this is for real! My syllabi are done, my Canvas pages are live, and I even sent a welcome message to both sets of students. 26 brave souls in one and 11 in the other. Woohoo, let's do this thing! 🥳🥳 #summer #teaching #txst

For better or for worse, I am learning that Fulbright programs in Australia are very competitive (even more competitive than Fulbright programs generally), so maybe I can take a tiny bit of consolation in that given my recent rejection. <<sigh>>

Try, try again, I suppose!

It paired perfectly with carbonara style tortelloni. **chef’s kiss**

This 50% Merlot red blend is not your average, plastic mini bottle of “airplane merlot.” The High Plains Merlot, together wirh 25% Malbec and 25% Cabernet, create a very balanced, delicate wine with backbone that says, “I am here! Please enjoy.”

We had a lovely wine from Elisa Christopher Wines for dinner tonight!

Oh, plus some pasta. 😝

#texas #wine

Radical Food Geographies Radical Food Geographies - Power, Knowledge and Resistance; This collection presents critical and action-oriented approaches to addressing food systems challenges across places, spaces, and scales. Wi...

Words and image from: bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/radical-food...