Hello my friends. Happy Spring, Easter, Holy Week, Passover—however and whatever you celebrate, I hope you enjoy it with good friends and shenanigans galore. For those celebrating a bit extra this weekend because, well, Easter and Orthodox Easter fall on the infamous 4/20—you’re in luck! My shameless self-promotion this week is a byline brag in Full Pour’s spring release. Where Wine Meets Weed is an exploration in the similarities between the aromas, flavors and structural components of both imbibes, meaning cross-category enjoyment can be possible. Yes, you can be both a wine and weed enthusiast. Read the full article online or download the PDF here.
And continue scrolling through for a lot of other news/newsy items from the last week, as well as fun facts like, alcohol can stay in your hair for 90 days. Yeah.
Silly comments are all my own. ✌️🥂
The Section of the Wine Store Our Columnist Can’t Resist
Sometimes a store manager or sommelier will file a wine under ‘miscellaneous’ when it doesn’t fit comfortably elsewhere. Lettie Teague goes straight to this section for interesting discoveries and terrific bargains. READ MORE…
Go into your music and put a proper category on anything marked “alternative.” That’s how I feel about the ‘misc.’ section at the grocery store lol.
Jackson Family Wines Trims Headcount
Jackson Family Wines let an unspecified number of employees go this month in a round of layoffs attributed to a challenging business environment. Social media posts indicate cuts included positions in sales, marketing and operations across the company.
Jackson Family Wines confirmed making recent adjustments within the organization as part of broader efforts to navigate the challenging business environment. In a statement the company said difficult but necessary decisions were made to help ensure the long-term health of the business. “While some roles were affected, our commitment to our people and the communities we serve remains unchanged.”
Jackson Family wines makes roughly six million cases of wine annually. It owns and farms 13,000 vineyard acres and as of last year employed approximately 1,750 people.
And yet…
Enter Jackson Family’s Washington winery: Jett
There was a ripple of excitement throughout the Washington wine industry when Jackson Family announced in 2022 that the company was expanding into the state, purchasing a vineyard in Walla Walla Valley. Now, with the company’s initial Washington wines out in the wild and more on the way, that initial response was surely well-deserved.
Jett, Jackson Family’s new Washington winery, is one of the most exciting debuts in the state in the last 15 years. It marks a new chapter for Washington and for Jackson Family. READ MORE…
Demolition proposed for legendary Calif. roadside stop Pea Soup Andersen’s
Questions and concerns over what’s next for Pea Soup Andersen’s began to surface in 2021 when the property was first listed for sale for just under $5 million. Speculation about the must-stop restaurant in the heart of the Central Coast reached a boiling point in January 2024 when the business shuttered without warning.
With the new development, the original building seems destined for a date with the wrecking ball. READ MORE…
Sad face. This was our usual pitstop during our annual Disneyland pilgramage.
Chef Charlie Palmer’s 1st food-focused hotel opens soon in Lodi — Healdsburg, Petaluma next
Appellation Hotels, the Healdsburg-based culinary-first hotel brand led by Chef Charlie Palmer, is readying to open the first of five planned hotels.
The first, however, is not in the North Bay. READ MORE…
Just to be clear, this is the old Wine & Roses
How Ukraine has tamed the “wild horse” Odesa Black grape variety
“After all, who wants to taste yet another Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon?” I’ve heard this rhetorical question more than once from industry professionals and influencers seeking new, unusual, and unique grape varieties that produce excellent wines with a clear expression of terroir.
Ukrainian winemakers, who, despite the ongoing full-scale war initiated by Russia in February 2022, continue not only to make wines but also to steadily improve their quality and expand their exports, have chosen not to overlook this trend. About a decade ago, Ukraine saw the revival of its signature local grape varieties – most notably the white Telti Kuruk and the red Odesa Black. Since then, Ukrainian winemakers have confidently brought these wines to the international stage, where they have achieved remarkable success.
For over three years, visitors to the Wines of Ukraine booths at ProWein, The London Wine Fair and other important international wine events have been discovering unknown gems from Ukrainian wine regions: the Danube Bessarabia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Zakarpattia. READ MORE…
Blogs Worth a Read
Taken from the list of Blogs and other media outlets I follow regularly, here are just a few posts from this past week I think are worth a read. Shoot me a note if you have suggestions of independent media to follow or want your outlet included on that list.
Wine Gourd: How long does alcohol stay in your system?
I noted in my previous post (More medical results suggesting that wines are usually safe to drink) that it is often difficult for drinkers to estimate their own intake. This is because even Small changes in wine alcohols can make a big difference. I presented a table showing the blood alcohol concentration for an average 130-pound woman who consumes two 5-ounce glasses of wine over 1.5 hours. It looked like this…READ MORE…
Yo—in your hair? 90 days (days). Mic drop…
Miquel Huden: A wine writer needs a wine education
My good friend and well-respected drinks writer,
recently wrote an engaging post titled, “Do wine writers need qualifications?”
It rightly gained a great deal of attention given that both the “writing” and “education” aspects of wine are hotly-discussed amongst winedrinkers.
I’m always quick to read anything Henry writes, but right from the start, this piece caught my eye with the tagline:
After 15 years as a wine autodidact, I am wondering whether it would help to study for some professional qualifications.
What’s interesting is that he and I share a great deal in common as we’re the exact same age (“youthful” GenXers), hold degrees in English Literature, and have been writing professionally about drinks for nearly the same amount of time. Despite this, we each came at the profession in rather different manners. READ MORE…
This piece hits home in SO many ways. Thanks, dude.
Press Releases
These are some press releases I received this week that I actually thought were interesting…enjoy!
Groundbreaking Study Explores THC Beverages as a Wellness Alternative to Alcohol
MoreBetter, a leader in Real-World-Data collection and research, has announced a pioneering study aimed at understanding the impact of THC-infused beverages on alcohol consumption, mood, and overall quality of life. This innovative effort comes at a critical time, as alcohol sales are experiencing a decline, and as consumers are increasingly curious about trying “better-for-you” alcohol alternatives.
The observational research study is currently recruiting up to 2,000 qualified participants who will provide daily feedback over a three week period on their infused beverage and alcohol consumption patterns, as well as self-assessments on their overall quality of life. The study is sponsored by multiple leading beverage brands, who are collectively supplying participants with free infused beverage products to use throughout the course of the study. READ MORE…
Sadly, the study is full-up. Trust me, I tried to apply. There is a waitlist. (Yes, yes I’m on the waitlist.)
Albertsons Becomes First Grocer To Join Wine Market Council
Albertsons has made history by becoming the first grocer to join the Wine Market Council.
In a LinkedIn post, the nationwide grocer made the announcement and shared that executive Curtis Mann has joined the council’s board.
“We are thrilled to share a major industry first involving Albertsons Companies. We are the first-ever retailer to officially join the WINE MARKET COUNCIL, a membership group that’s been primarily for wineries,” read the company’s official statement. “As part of this milestone for the Council and our company, Curtis Mann, MW, Master of Wine and Group Vice President of Alcohol at Albertsons Cos., has joined the council’s board.” READ MORE…
BriscoeBites officially accepts samples as well as conducts on-site and online interviews. Want to have your wine, winery or tasting room featured? Please visit the Sample Policy page where you can contact me directly. Cheers!