Afternoon Brief, July 26
Pushing Back Against "Burgundian" Wine: Talking about wine isn't always easy. Finding the accurate words to describe what's in a glass can be intimidating and challenging all at once. However, nothing disservices the explanation of a wine more than using another region to describe its profile...
Afternoon Brief, July 25
Foley Family Wines of Santa Rosa President Hugh Reimers Abruptly Leaves Company: Hugh Reimers, a hard-charging Australian wine executive, abruptly left his position this week as president of Foley Family Wines of Santa Rosa less than two years after being hired to bolster the company's position in the marketplace...
Afternoon Brief, July 24
Napa Winemakers Tap Sonoma for Pinot, Chardonnay: Pinot noir has been called many things. The heartbreak grape. Temperamental. Finicky. Demanding. Untrustworthy. Difficult to grow and vinify. Yet once in the bottle, pinot noir undergoes a personality transformation...
Afternoon Brief, July 23
How Winemakers Analyze pH and Its Impact on Wine: When presenting wines, winemakers will often mention their pH as an indication of character, to point out whether a particular cuvée is energetic and fresh or more smooth and ripe. But what does the pH number mean, exactly, and how can it be used to better understand wine?
Afternoon Brief, July 22
New Sources of Revenue for Winery Associations Up for Debate: As historic funding sources dry up and impact marketing budgets, vintner associations look to new ideas to increase revenue. Business Improvement Districts (BID) for the wine industry may be the answer, but change always comes with growing pains...
Afternoon Brief, July 19
Gallo Deal Delay Impacts Growers: In April, Constellation struck a $1.7 billion deal to sell 30 wine brands to Gallo, upending the cheap wine market in the US. But the deal has not been approved by federal regulators, leaving some grape farmers unsure what will happen with this year's crop ...
Afternoon Brief, July 18
More Lawsuits Follow Supreme Court Decision: After the US Supreme Court's landmark ruling outlawing discrimination in wine shipping last month, the obvious question was, what's next? This week we got the answer. Lawsuits have been filed against four states Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey and Texas that allow their own wine shops to ship to consumers, but not out-of-state shops ...
Afternoon Brief, July 17
Gallo Deal Uncertainty Delaying Grape Purchases: The sale between two major winemakers is keeping some grapes from being purchased. The $1.7 billion deal in which E&J Gallo Winery would buy 34 wine and spirit labels from Constellation Brands remains in limbo after being announced back in April ...
Afternoon Brief, July 16
Wasps May Save California Vineyards from ‘Invasion’ by Chinese Fly: Researchers are concerned about the potential spread of the spotted lanternfly, which first showed up in the US in Pennsylvania five years ago but was found in Virginia vineyards in early 2018 ...
Afternoon Brief, July 15
The Role of Nanotechnology in the Future of Wine Research: Early research into smart materials or magnetic nanoparticles to remove proteins and unwanted aromas has been promising and researchers say the technology could potentially be used to remove other wine faults such as smoke or cork taint in the future ...
Afternoon Brief, July 12
How to Stop Losing Half Your New Winery Club Members in First 15 Months: Churn may make great ice cream and butter, but churn in winery club membership can sour a significant source of sales for many North Coast wineries. Yet, modern tools for digesting the increasing flow of sales and consumer data can yield greater long-term revenue, according to marketing experts...
Afternoon Brief, July 11
Wine Industry Needs Improvement on Emergency Preparedness: The wine industry received a C+ grade on preparedness for catastrophic events, such as wildfires and earthquakes, that could potentially cripple a business, according to survey released Wednesday by Sonoma State University...
Afternoon Brief, July 10
UC Researchers Probe Mystery Vine Collapse: A team of researchers, headed by plant pathologists from University of California, Davis, is responding to a growing concern over a malady known simply as mysterious vine collapse...
Afternoon Brief, July 9
Napa Valley Vintners Becomes First North American Wine Trade Association to Commit to Porto Protocol: Building on a legacy of environmental leadership and their mission to "promote, protect and enhance" the Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) Board of Directors voted during their June 27 meeting to become signatories of the Porto Protocol...
Afternoon Brief, July 8
Canned Wine Producers See Proposed Rule Changes as a Chance to Expand Their Potential: Canned wines, which for the past few year have been turning the market upside-down, received a significant shout-out Wednesday from Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who took a ride over to the Finger Lakes wine region and pushed for the end of size restrictions...
