Pursuing balance in California no longer

On 23 May, Jasmine Hirsch and Rajat Parr issued a press release announcing their intention to end the massively popular ‘In Pursuit of Balance’ wine-tasting events (see IPOB – The tasting that became a movement) that they initiated in 2011. In the past two years the event had expanded to several international locations, including London, where Jancis moderated a session on California Chardonnay (see California Pinot and Chardonnay tower over London and the Instagram photo below).

Hirsch, the daughter of pioneering Sonoma Coast winegrower David Hirsch, and Parr, a famous sommelier-turned-winemaker, conceived of IPOB as a way of shining...