Afternoon Brief
Afternoon Brief, October 25
Constellation Dumps Cheap Wine for Weed: Cannabis is hot, believes the third-largest wine company in the US. Mexican beer is hot. Cheap wine, though? That’s old business, best dumped on somebody else …
Afternoon Brief, October 24
Master Somm Raises More Cheat Questions: It has been more than a month since the incident that caused 23 Master Sommelier (MS) candidates who had previously been reportedly to have passed the exam to have their titles taken away…
Afternoon Brief, October 23
Constellation Brands Rumored to Be Selling Off U.S. Wine Brands: As reported by Reuters, “four people familiar with the matter” revealed that the drinks company was considering selling off U.S. wine brands including Clos du Bois, Mark West, Arbor Mist and Cooks…
Afternoon Brief, October 22
The Wine Group Announces Acquisition of 7 Deadly Brand: The Wine Group announced today that it has purchased the 7 Deadly brand, the #1 Zinfandel brand in the U.S., from Michael David Winery. First released in 2002, 7 Deadlys lead SKU, 7 Deadly Zins, has been the #1 Zinfandel in America since 2015…
Afternoon Brief, October 19
As North Coast Grape Harvest Nears End, Wine Industry Frets About Oversupply: As he walked around a cabernet sauvignon vineyard along a hilly stretch just west of Lake Sonoma this week, Clay Mauritson couldn’t help but be bullish about his 2018 grape vintage…
Afternoon Brief, October 18
Constellation Brands Names Bill Newlands Next CEO: Constellation Brands, Inc., a leading beverage alcohol company, today announced Bill Newlands will assume the role of president and chief executive officer (CEO), succeeding current CEO Rob Sands, on March 1, 2019…
Afternoon Brief, October 17
Big Wine Brands’ Bizarre Beginnings: Wine is weird. After grapes are plucked from vines, cleaned and crushed (or not), they’re ready for fermentation. Eukaryotic microorganisms go in, consume sugar, and burp out carbon dioxide and alcohol…
Afternoon Brief, October 16
Navigating the Changing Landscape of Wine Publicity: Good wine writers look for what appeals to their audience. Who is their reader and are they strictly looking for an examination of wine quality – or lack thereof – or are they seeking lifestyle pieces where the quirky winemaker and extravagant vintner steal the show…
Afternoon Brief, October 15
Wine Supply Is Hitting a Tipping Point: I’ve been pointing out the slowdown in the growth rate of consumer demand by volume for some time now. We are still growing, but the growth rate is slowing, particularly when looking at volume…
Afternoon Brief, October 12
Subscribe to the Afternoon Brief Trending Story: Somm Struck Off over Tasting Leak The man responsible for the cancellation and rescheduling of the Master Sommelier tasting test has still not been officially named, but Wine-Searcher understands that the person in question … Today’s News: Napa Valley Vintners Encourage Other Groups to Join Their Fight […]
Afternoon Brief, October 11
Who Leaked the Somms’ Wine List? – This year’s Master Sommelier Diploma Examination taste test has been controversially struck down amid suspicions of cheating by one of the Master Sommeliers overseeing the examination
Afternoon Brief, October 10
New Master Sommeliers Lose Title After Tasting Exam ‘Compromised’: Detailed information on wines forming part of last months tasting exam was leaked, said the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas division …
Afternoon Brief, October 9
‘Smoke Taint’ Worries Rile Northern California Growers as Wine Grapes Rejected After Summer Wildfires: Major Lake County wine grape grower and vintner Clay Shannon plans to crush about 6,000 tons of grapes this year, enough to make about 360,000 standard 12-bottle cases of wine …
Afternoon Brief, October 8
Subscribe to the Afternoon Brief Trending Story: Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 2018 Congratulations to wine & spirits’ 2018 top 100 wineries … Today’s News: New Research Study Highlights Motivational Differences of Wine Consumers by Generation As a consumer, shopping for wine can be overwhelming. The aisles are full of wine bottles, each […]
Afternoon Brief, October 5
Is it Taint, or Revenge? : Last month, the Oregon Winegrowers Association complained about a deceptive new wine label by California wine producer Joe Wagner, the creator of Meiomi Pinot Noir…
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