Here we are, end of another week and, if you’re like me, lots of catching up to do with the news. No surprise, the leading headlines are all about the tariff conundrum. This may sound naive, but, can’t we all just get along?
You’ll also find some shameless self-promotion, some great scientific studies, and more.
Buona lettura.
Snarky comments are all my own. ✌️🥂
White Wine from Red Grapes
It’s not a new concept. Winemakers have been doing this for ages—in fact, two out of the three main varieties used to make Champagne, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, are red. But leaving the red skins behind to make still white wines from reds is a more recent trend. … Cindy Cosco of Sonoma’s Passaggio Wines has been experimenting with making still white wines from rustic Italian reds like Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. READ MORE…
👆Shameless self promotion 🙃
IWSR on Trump and tariffs: how might trade tensions affect beverage alcohol?
The new import tariffs now confirmed from the second Administration of President Donald Trump could have serious consequences for beverage alcohol in the US, but the exact picture is complex, nuanced and subject to a host of uncertainties.
Now tariffs are introduced on imports from Canada and Mexico and potential EU tariffs in discussion, a number of single origin beverage alcohol categories are most at risk – products with a legally protected designation of origin, meaning that they cannot be “re-shored” and produced in the US.
These include agave spirits, Canadian whisky, Irish whiskey, Cognac, Champagne and Prosecco, according to analysis from IWSR, the global authority on beverage alcohol data and intelligence. READ MORE…
Ontario removing U.S. alcohol from LCBO as ‘first round of retaliation’ against Trump’s tariffs
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is removing more than 3,600 American-made alcohol products as part of its “first round of retaliation” against U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods.
“As the exclusive wholesaler, American brands will no longer be available in LCBO catalogue, meaning other retailers, bars and restaurants in the province will no longer be able to restock U.S. products,” Ford told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
“This is an enormous hit to the American producers. Every year, the LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of U.S. wine, beer, cider, seltzers and spirits, including more than 3,600 products from 35 states.” READ MORE…
Horticulturists, Biologists, Engineers: Federal ‘Bloat’ or Valued Experts?
The National Plant Germplasm System, a vast federal collection of seeds, roots, branches and stems, is probably unknown to most Americans. But to Rachel Spaeth the system is a “living library” — and America’s safeguard against “famine on a global scale.”
Dr. Spaeth was a horticulturist at an Agriculture Department research site near Davis, Calif., where she oversaw 7,000 trees that produce “stone fruits,” including apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, prunes and nectarines. Her mission: to keep the plants healthy and genetically diverse, so breeders can produce disease-resistant strains.
She was fired two weeks ago.
The extraordinary campaign underway by President Trump and his right-hand man, Elon Musk, to shrink what the administration calls a “bloated, corrupt federal bureaucracy” has targeted a growing list of often obscure scientists, engineers and other specialists whose expertise has helped form the backbone of the modern federal government and positioned the United States as a research leader in the world. READ MORE…
Here’s how Trump’s tariffs could crush California wineries
On Thursday, Trump said that he would delay tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods until April. The rapidly changing policies added to the sense of uncertainty pervading the American wine industry, which is intertwined with its North American neighbors. READ MORE…
Dr. Bronner’s Statement on Dropping B Corp Certification
To Dr. Bronner’s and many Certified B Corps, ‘Business for good’ is more than a trendy and profitable marketing strategy. As a purpose-driven company, we do business to model a more just economy, and to demonstrate that a truly constructive multi-stakeholder approach to capitalism could be the norm. The integrity of the B Corp Certification has become compromised and remaining certified now contradicts our mission. READ MORE…
Hand clapping for someone pointing out how some certifications just miss the mark….
Breakthrough Allows Winegrowers to Reuse CO2 Emitted in their Cellars
Founded in 2021 by Matthieu Planté and Jean-Philippe Ricard, Bordeaux start-up W Platform has developed innovative technology that captures the fermentation carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during wine-making and offers half a dozen different applications to recycle it in-house. “Some customers asked us to create solutions to reuse CO2, especially when it comes to pumping over and extracting procedures. After over a year of research and development, our team of engineers, overseen by Jean-Philippe Ricard, designed the CO2Box, which is covered by a patent,” explained Matthieu Planté. The installation, a network of pipes placed above vats, naturally captures CO2, without consuming energy, by the sole pressure of rising fumes. When the CO2 is compressed to a density under 70 bars, it takes on a liquid form, thereby allowing vintners to produce dry ice or CO2 ice pellets, thanks to specific equipment. It can then be used to cool down or protect harvested grapes and to inert tanks or presses. CO2 can also be injected into the winery’s water supply network to improve upon the vats’ rinsing capacities while saving water. READ MORE…
This is cool. Plain and simple
Bordeaux joins the no and low revolution
Of course they are. But….
These wines fall outside Bordeaux AOC rules, but, in certain conditions, they may be sold as Vin de France, a label that can only mention the country, not the region of origin. READ MORE…
Ravenswood Reborn
Iconic California Zinfandel brand Ravenswood is back after a five-year hiatus, returning a beloved wine label to the market. What’s more, founding winemaker Joel Peterson is consulting on the relaunch. Owner E. & J. Gallo recently released the first new wines, beginning on a modest scale, with just 3,400 cases of four Sonoma County Zins from the 2023 vintage.
The debut encompasses a Dry Creek Valley bottling and single-vineyard wines from MacMurray Ranch, Monte Rosso and Teldeschi vineyards. The Dry Creek Valley Zin has the largest production, with about 1,900 cases, and it retails for around $27. Production of the single-vineyard bottlings is about 500 cases each, with Teldeschi and MacMurray selling for around $50 and Monte Rosso for $70. READ MORE…
He’s baaaaaack!
Constellation Eyeing Exit from Wine Business 👀
Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ) is in negotiations to sell its entire wine portfolio to two other top producers in a deal that would see the fifth largest U.S. company throw in the towel on what’s been a brutal fight for share in a decreasing wine market.
Speculation on Constellation’s possible sell off has swirled for some time given its success producing and importing Mexican lager and lackluster wine sales. WineBusiness spoke to several people with knowledge of the negotiations and potential buyers.
The purported deal would break up Constellation’s wine portfolio between Delicato Family Wines and Duckhorn, which was acquired by Butterfly Equity in December 2024. Coastal brands and assets would go to Duckhorn while Delicato would acquire Constellation’s Central Valley wine business. READ MORE… 👀
This will be the year of California winery closures
In the Bay Area, we began to see notable wineries announcing closures in the middle of last year (Edmunds St. John, Carlisle, Brendel, Tarpon, Sbragia). The first three months of 2025 have delivered even more fallen soldiers, notably Napa’s Newton Vineyards. A slate of others — Brian Arden, Arista — have sold off their facilities while hoping to keep the brands alive in a different form.
“It’s going to be a slow decline,” said Dale Stratton, managing director at Napa consulting firm Azur Associates. “The 20-year run that we had as a wine category was phenomenal. As all of that consumption growth was happening, infrastructure was growing along with it to support it. As we see consumption moderate, we’re going to see some of that infrastructure” — vineyards, production facilities, tasting rooms — “go away too.” READ MORE…
Curious…
Here are the restaurant brands Gen Z consumers are talking about the most
Research and strategy firm dcdx released its Magnetic 100 Restaurants Report today, highlighting which brands are resonating the most with Gen Z consumers based on their organic conversations online.
The firm typically does a report focused on the top 25 brands across sectors but expanded the list to 100 for the first time because there was high interest in the restaurant industry’s hyper-competitiveness, according to chief executive officer and founder Andrew Roth. The idea is to measure digital word-of-mouth conversations to understand the relevance of a brand for the Gen Z demographic (ages 12 to 27), which is expected to wield $12 trillion in spending power by 2030, according to Nielsen, likely making it the wealthiest generation ever. READ MORE…
Not for nothing, but these ‘restaurants’ (actually, most are fast-food chains) are some of the most transparent in terms of nutritional information in their menus. So…you know… (and if you don’t know…just ask).
Peter Sichel, Wine Merchant With a Cloak-and-Dagger Past, Dies at 102
Refugee, prisoner, wine merchant, spy: Peter Sichel was many things in his long, colorful life, but he was probably most often identified as the man who made Blue Nun one of the most popular wines in the world in the 1970s and ’80s. At its peak, in 1985, 30 million bottles of this slightly sweet German white wine — its label featuring smiling nuns holding baskets of grapes in a vineyard — were sold.
By the time Mr. Sichel (pronounced sea-SHELL) took charge of his family’s wine business in 1960, he had lived a long, clandestine life. READ MORE…
White Papers
Adsorption properties of molecularly imprinted polymers designed for removal of smoke taint compounds from wine
The presence of elevated concentrations of smoke-derived volatile phenols (and their glycoconjugates) in wine after grapevine exposure to wildfire smoke can give wine unpleasant smoky and ashy characters. To date, options for remediation of ‘smoke taint’ are limited, therefore, this study evaluated the potential for a commercially developed molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) to remove smoke taint compounds from wine. A single-solute adsorption study was conducted in model wine and demonstrated adsorption of guaiacol, phenol and m-cresol by a diverse range of binding sites on the MIP surface. The adsorption capacity of the MIP towards guaiacol was estimated to be 1.2 μmol/g, with a higher capacity and affinity estimated for m-cresol (being 1.7 μmol/g). When a fixed-bed column packed with MIPs was used to treat smoke tainted Chardonnay, ros´e and Cabernet Sauvignon wines the MIP column removed up to 47 % of the volatile phenols present in wine (but not volatile phenol glycoconjugates), with no detrimental effect on wine colour density and phenolic composition. Experiments evaluating column break-through and the reusability of MIPs were also performed to further establish the application potential of MIPs for remediation of smoke taint in wine. READ MORE…
Monitoring and Building Soil Health in California Vineyards
Soil health is central to sustainable agriculture and a key goal of regenerative and organic farming. Practices like the application of organic amendments, cover cropping, reduced tillage and livestock integration are promoted to improve soil health. Traditionally, sustainability or organic certifications have relied on the adoption of certain practices for monitoring and verification. However, newer regenerative agriculture certifications are introducing requirements for direct monitoring of soil health. 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.
Meiningers: How Do You Reach Young American Consumers? We Asked a Panel of Experts
The Wine Market Council has identified younger Millennials and Gen Z as crucial to wine’s future in the US The catch? These two demographics appear to be much less interested in wine than their parents and grandparents, and wine’s sales in the US have suffered accordingly.
So how does the wine business reach these two heretofore unreachable generations? We assembled a virtual roundtable of five top wine marketers to answer that question. The email discussion centred around wine’s inability to reach these groups and what needed to change in the wine business’ marketing approach, looking for proven examples of success.
The marketers: Jane Kettlewell of Creative Palate Communications, with experience working for producers and importers large and small; Gino Colangelo, whose self-named public relations agency is one of the most respected in the US; and Dan Fredman, an independent West Coast marketer. In addition, Denise Clark, who works with US regional producers; and Canadian marketer Leeann Froese added much-needed perspective. READ MORE…
Hwy 29: Crafting Winery Content That Captures New Audiences and Club Members
From blog posts and email campaigns to Instagram Reels and virtual tastings, the content you create sets the tone for how people discover, engage with, and connect to your winery. Great content isn’t just filler for your website or social media—it’s a powerhouse tool for growing your winery’s audience, converting casual visitors into loyal wine club members, and driving revenue.
Even better, content works double-duty: it supports inbound marketing, by attracting new customers who find you organically, and outbound marketing, by amplifying your message through ads, email, and other promotional efforts. Whether you’re sharing your winemaking journey, crafting a how-to wine pairing guide, or highlighting your latest release, well-planned content is key to building your brand and boosting your sales.
Here’s how to create winery content that attracts, engages, and converts your audience into loyal customers and club members. READ MORE…
Press Releases
These are some press releases I received this week that I actually thought were interesting…enjoy!
The Donum Estate Achieves Regenerative Organic Certified® Status of the Iconic Savoy Vineyard in Anderson Valley
The Donum Estate, a leader in Northern California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, is pleased to announce the achievement of Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC™) status of their iconic Anderson Valley vineyard, Savoy. Savoy Vineyard joins Donum’s four other ROC™ Estate vineyards in Carneros, Russian River Valley, and Sonoma Coast.
The Donum Estate acquired Savoy Vineyard in June 2023 and achieved ROC™ status by December 2024. Honoring its rich legacy as an exceptional vineyard, Donum transitioned Savoy from organic to regenerative organic farming to further enhance the ecosystem, develop better balance of the vines, and ultimately, elevate wine quality. READ MORE…
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