Afternoon Brief

SipSource Issues Third-Quarter Data, Paints Bleak Picture for On-Premise Retail Outlets in 2021: SipSource, the first and only source for wine and spirits distributor depletion data, today announced the issuance of its quarterly report that identifies wine and spirits trends for the time period from September 2019 to September 2020 and explores commercial and consumer trends during the COVID-19 pandemic...

Five Award Winning Innovations That Advance Winemaking and Wine Business: Each year the wine industry faces new trends, new challenges, and the continued pressure to stay ahead of the competition, but with them come opportunities and innovations that savvy wine businesses can take advantage of to strengthen their business and deliver a better product to their customers...

Challenging 2020 Harvest Will Yield High Quality California Wines: For the months of September and October, total fast-moving consumer goods sales have slowed to single-digit growth, up 9% compared to the same time period last year...

North Bay Business Leaders Tackle What Comes Next After Coronavirus, Wildfires: Emerging from a coronavirus crisis into a new world for the North Bay hinges on “shifting, evolving and healing” our way of doing business, but it also requires financial support, a bank wealth manager said at a meeting of local top executives Thursday...

Drinks Industry Performs Better Than Expected in 2020: While total beverage alcohol is expected to see an 8% decline in 2020, that’s a lot less than the double-digit losses predicted earlier this year. But the long term recovery is still expected to be slow...

Researchers Study Ashy Aromas, Tastes in Wine Affected by Wildfires: Grapes exposed to smoke for shorter periods of time may not cause negative impacts to wine...

Accelerated Growth in Digital Wine Marketplaces Offers Opportunity for Wineries in Pandemic Era and for the Future: Keri Tawney has overseen marketing and events at Delille Cellars in Washington, about 20 miles northeast of Seattle, for five years...

Constellation Brands and E. & J. Gallo Sign Agreement with Federal Trade Commission Staff: The proposed consent order marks the final stages in the FTC review process and remains subject to review and approval by the FTC Commissioners...

From Industrial Pesticides to Integrated Pest Management: A New Trend in Vineyard Practice: UAV-IQ is helping organic and conventional growers implement biocontrol in an efficient and cost-effective manner by using drones to release beneficial insects exactly when and where they’re needed to suppress pests...

Nation's Top Women Sommeliers Demand Revolutionary Change After Sexual Misconduct Claims Rock Wine World: Napa-based Court of Master Sommeliers, the most prestigious sommelier professional group in the country, should rescind titles for accused men, some women members say...

King of Wine Fraud Facing Freedom: He's back! Rudy Kurniawan gets out of prison this week, so lock up your wine cellars...

Elite Wine Group Suspends Master Sommeliers: After recent sexual harassment allegations by many women, the Court of Master Sommeliers has apologized and announced next steps...

‘Layers of Crises’: Napa Wine and Tourism Industries Navigate the Virus and Fires: Napa County’s two biggest industries — wine and tourism have one eye on coming winter weather that could dampen the enthusiasm of returning visitors and another on a recent alarming rise in COVID-19 cases...

Napa Nervous Over Cannabis: Concerns over ugly farms and unpleasant smells fuel Napa County's angst over growing cannabis...

Twenty-One Women Told The New York Times That They Have Been Sexually Harassed, Manipulated or Assaulted by Male Master Sommeliers: The Court of Master Sommeliers confers high honors, but many women candidates say they've paid a steep price...