Afternoon Brief
Afternoon Brief, July 26
Radioactive Isotopes in California Wines? Don’t Panic
Bordeaux scientists find (harmless) evidence of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Napa Cabernets…
Afternoon Brief, July 25
New Wine Shopper Data Solution Helps Wineries Achieve Distribution Success
Label Analytics has a new unique tool for wineries already in the wholesale market, or those just jumping on the bandwagon when it comes to distribution. Many wineries find it difficult to break into the threetier system and gain any traction when a preponderance of the wines on the shelf are owned by large operations…
Afternoon Brief, July 24
France’s AXA Millésimes Buys Outpost Winery in Napa Valley
AXA Millésimes, the wine division of the French insurance giant, is expanding to California. The company, which owns wineries in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Portugal and Hungary, is purchasing Outpost, a winery on Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain, from Kathy and Frank Dotzler…
Afternoon Brief, July 23
A Gap on the Label – Building an AVA Reputation
Establishing an American Viticultural Area, or AVA, is a slog. The effort it takes to gain recognition for a bit of the earth that allows grapes to grow with a distinction that should warrant a “stamp” that screams quality, uniqueness and, yes, a higher price tag takes time, money, paperwork and then more time…
Afternoon Brief, July 20
Subscribe to the Afternoon Brief Trending Story: Wine Marketers Turn to ‘Big Data’ to Uncork More Sales For an industry steeped in tradition over hundreds of years, the business of making fine wine has been undergoing a technological renaissance in the vineyard, cellar and C-suite… Today’s News: ‘Indulgence Gap’ Could Be a Factor in […]
Afternoon Brief, July 19
Fukushima’s Nuclear Signature Found in California Wine
The Japanese nuclear disaster bathed north America in a radioactive cloud. Now pharmacologists have found the telltale signature in California wine made at the time…
Afternoon Brief, July 18
Napa County Handling of Williamson Act Agricultural Land Contracts Draws Grand Jury Scrutiny
Napa County’s grand jury says a decades-old program giving property tax breaks to agriculture land owners suffers from a lax of oversight and puts the county in the role of “subsidizing a lifestyle.”
Afternoon Brief, July 17
Napa’s Duckhorn Wine Company announced this morning that it is purchasing Sonoma Pinot Noir powerhouse Kosta Browne Winery. Duckhorn will replace Kosta Browne’s current stakeholders, the investment fund J.W. Childs, as the sole owner. The deal includes Kosta Browne’s winery and tasting room in Sebastopol, as well as 80 acres of owned vineyards and leases on 90 additional acres, as well as all inventory…
Afternoon Brief, July 16
French ministers’ plans to require bigger health warnings on bottles of wine have provoked a furious response from leading chateaux, which say the move would damage ‘the soul of France’ and turn wine into a ‘criminal product’…
Afternoon Brief, July 13
Subscribe to the Afternoon Brief Trending Story: The World’s Most Wanted Wines It’s the usual suspects for our most searched-for wines, but there’s a surprise among the most-improved rankings… Today’s News: Amorim to Eradicate TCA by 2020 “We will have a non-detectible TCA guarantee for everything, it’s in our company strategy for 2020; we […]
Afternoon Brief, July 12
Napa County Superior Court will consider whether Bremer Family Winery is a recalcitrant, rule-breaking rogue winery or the victim of a bad rap…
Afternoon Brief, July 11
Hybrid grapes don’t get much love. France bans them in classified wines, except for Baco Noir in Armagnac distillation. Austria permits their use in the making and selling Uhudler wines in Sudburgenland but affords them the lowest labeling standard – Wein (formerly Tafelwein). In the United States, despite all the cold winters these grapes hardily endure, they dont always receive the warmest welcome among wine buyers…
Afternoon Brief, July 10
Does Napa Valley have too much Cabernet? The question informed most of last month’s Vineyard Economics Symposium…
Afternoon Brief, July 9
Millions of Bottles of Spanish Rosé Sold as French: French authorities have uncovered millions of bottles of rosé imported in bulk from Spain being passed off as French, with at least one producer facing prison and fines of up to 300,000…
Afternoon Brief, July 6
Relief as Napa Fire Risk Recedes: Napa Valley can breathe easier this weekend. The huge fire raging just outside the valley appears to be coming under containment, with no damage to wineries or vineyards…
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