Afternoon Brief, March 14th
Sonoma County Supes Narrowly Approve Winery Events Ordinance: The hours-long discussion included a presentation from Permit Sonoma, questions and comments from board members, input from community members (on both sides of the issues) and the board’s discussion of concerns raised. In the end, the ordinance was approved with a narrow 3-2 vote...
Afternoon Brief, March 13th
Silicon Valley Bank Closure Leaves Wine Industry Clients in the Weeds: There may not be quick answers to the biggest questions facing the wine industry after Silicon Valley Bank collapsed on Friday — including the future of the bank’s landmark wine industry report...
Afternoon Brief, March 10th
Hard-to-Find Napa Valley Wines Available Now Through Collective Napa Valley: Starting today, rare Napa Valley wines are available through the Napa Valley Reserve Wine offering for Collective Napa Valley...
Afternoon Brief, March 9th
California Wine Country’s Race to Build Wine Palaces: Today, there are over 8,000 legally bonded wineries in America with California leading with over 4,763 in 2021 according to Statista. Even Alaska has 24 wineries. While the total number of wineries has doubled since 2009, the production of wine has only gone up 3% in the same period. So, why has the number of wineries increased much faster than the actual gross production of wine?
Afternoon Brief, March 8th
Brazilian Wine Giants Linked to 'Conditions Analogous to Slavery': Three of Brazil’s biggest wineries have been suspended by ApexBrasil, the government Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, following an operation to rescue over 200 workers from what were described as “conditions analogous to slavery”. The story could affect Brazil's ambition to boost wine exports...
Afternoon Brief, March 7th
French Politicians Wining on the Job: News publications across France went to town last week over reports of drunken and booze-based antics in the country's National Assembly...
Afternoon Brief, March 6th
Couple Jailed in Spain Over 1.6 Million Euros Wine Heist: A Spanish court on Monday jailed a couple for stealing 45 bottles of wine worth over 1.6 million euros from a hotel restaurant in what police called a "meticulously planned" theft...
Afternoon Brief, March 3rd
Foreigners Keep Buying Napa Valley Wineries. But This One Is Different: There’s a controversial consolidation trend in California’s Wine Country, and Florence Cathiard doesn’t skirt around it. She acknowledges that this shift is driven by investments from foreign entities — just like her...
Afternoon Brief, March 2nd
Angelo Sangiacomo, Pioneering Sonoma Winegrower, Dies at 92: Angelo Clement Sangiacomo, a pioneering winegrower who helped revolutionize California grapegrowing and a founding partner of Sangiacomo Family Vineyards, a third generation family business in Sonoma, Calif., has died on Monday, February 27, 2023. He passed away peacefully at his home at the age of 92 years old...
Afternoon Brief, March 1st
Registration Is Open for the Wine Industry Sales Symposium In-Person Event: Wine Industry Network (WIN) has opened registration for the Wine Industry Sales Symposium, a one-day educational conference that will be held on Thursday, May 11, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country, in Santa Rosa, Ca...
Afternoon Brief, February 28th
Wine, Terroir and the Human Touch: We think of terroir as natural magic, but what is the human contribution to this elusive concept?...
Afternoon Brief, February 27th
Napa Cabs Go Big at Auction: The skies over Napa Valley may have literally been dark on a stormy Saturday, but the outlook for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon has never been brighter after a phenomenal outcome at the Premiere Napa Valley Auction...
Afternoon Brief, February 24th
Beckstoffer To Kalon and the Mystery Bottle: An intriguing lawsuit pits an opportunistic wine company against a Napa heavyweight. We know which side our money is on...
Afternoon Brief, February 23rd
‘Help Us Fight’: California Farmers Ask for More Aid After Deadly Storms: Despite a new relief fund in Sonoma county, farm workers face economic catastrophe when storms and fires strike...
Afternoon Brief, February 22nd
For Emerging American Wine Regions, Can Trends Trump Terroir?: Respecting the alchemy of terroir and grape varieties is obviously paramount, but how much do trends dictate the varieties, the styles, or even the practices of up-and-coming AVAs, and possibly define a region?...
