Category: Wine

Wildfire smoke poses an escalating threat to wine regions on the West Coast, but the science of smoke damage in grapes and wine is evolving at a pace that outstrips the insurance standards that compensate growers. At a recent summit hosted by the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force, researchers…

Russia’s increasing excise taxes on alcohol are severely impacting Georgian wine producers, who are facing a dire choice between aligning with the west or the north. Patrick Honnef, winemaker at Château Mukhrani in Georgia, emphasizes the precariousness of their situation: with Russia accounting for 60-65% of Georgia’s wine exports, a…

One of Oregon’s most celebrated LGBTQ+ events, Queer Wine Fest, is gearing up for its final celebration. The fifth and last edition of this groundbreaking festival is set for June 28, 2026, in the picturesque Willamette Valley. While it may seem like an ending, organizers emphasize that the event has…

Orange County Wine Society Announces the Winners of the 2026 50th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition On June 9, 2026, the Orange County Wine Society (OCWS) announced the noteworthy winners of the 50th Annual OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition. This year, the competition received a remarkable 2,548 entries from…

The partnership between LibDib and BeyondVino aims to streamline the way wineries handle both direct-to-consumer (DTC) fulfillment and wholesale distribution. Announced on June 8, 2026, this collaboration is set to provide wine brands with enhanced flexibility and reach, alleviating operational challenges that they typically face. The integration leverages LibDib’s web-based…

A luxury real estate brokerage, Engel & Völkers St. Helena, has unveiled a new advisory and brokerage platform called Benchland Wine Advisors, dedicated to vineyard, winery, and ranch real estate in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and other wine-producing areas. This initiative comes at a challenging time for the wine industry,…

The wine industry is encountering significant challenges due to climate change, particularly through rising temperatures and drought conditions that threaten grape quality and flavor. In response, winemakers across the country are rethinking how they cultivate their crops to lessen climate impacts and minimize their carbon footprints. Increasing global temperatures may…

Australia’s wine industry faces a significant challenge, with approximately 263 million liters of excess wine currently stored due to years of overproduction and a worldwide decrease in consumption. This surplus comes at a time when the country is grappling with a fuel crisis, exacerbated by disruptions in the Strait of…

Sommelier Morgan Gray is set to open a new wine bar named Frenchie’s in Santa Rosa, California, this summer, filling a gap in Wine Country, where the largest city lacks a dedicated downtown wine bar. Gray initially intended to establish Frenchie’s in Healdsburg, a bustling wine destination, but chose Santa…

Treasury Wine Estates, known for its ownership of the Penfolds brand, plans to streamline its brand portfolio down to just ten key labels. The company aims to pivot towards investing more heavily in lighter wine styles, including zero and low-alcohol options, in response to changing consumer preferences. Additionally, Treasury Wine…