Many people seem to forget that at its core, wine is a food product which is produced by a plant, which in this case we call a vine.

Seeing a story about seasonal allergies being higher earlier in the season this year made me start to ask how this influx of allergens might affect wine and grape production.

The good news is pretty simple when it comes to buying wine or even the wine we tend to give as wine gifts.

Wine benefits from a long growing season, vines dont want temperatures which are either too warm, or too cold. That is exactly the situation which is unfolding across much of the country currently, leading to higher than normal (or in some states, higher than ever recorded) allergy levels.

Overall, it is looking like the 2012 wine vintage may easily be one to remember long term, perhaps right up there with the all time greats of recorded history.