So, this week just flew by. But welcome to your weekly wine news round up. Short but sweet. As most of you know the 200% tariff situation continues to dominate headlines. I have only included one on my list this week—the one that I think is the most well-rounded, eloquently stated and explains things in a way that if you’re super confused about how this effects the industry on a global and local scale, explains it in a digestible way. But you’ll have to scroll aaaaaaalllll the way to the blogs to read it.
I’ve also got a bit of shameless self promotion, some wine nerdy things and other bits and bobs sprinkled about.
That’s it. The end.
Snarky comments are all my own. 
Wine Expert Reveals California’s Hidden Sonoma County Gems
California’s Sonoma County encompasses more than 1 million acres of land, including about 60,000 acres of vineyards, according to the Sonoma County Winegrowers. There are hundreds of wineries, making it virtually impossible for visitors to know the quality of the wine at each one. Local wine expert Stacy Briscoe, an award-winning wine journalist, speaker and educator, can steer you to some of her favorites. READ MORE…
Shameless self promotion and nothing less
As investors swamp his attorney, embattled real estate mogul Ken Mattson confronted in Sonoma park
Comments made by an attorney representing embattled real estate mogul Ken Mattson have sparked a vehement reaction by many of the investors who helped finance his property acquisitions, and now fear their money could be forever lost.
Attorney Micheline Fairbank, in a March 6 Press Democrat story, sought to portray her client not as the scheming villain he’s now made out to be by many those investors, but as a deposed CEO whose hands have been tied by former partner Tim LeFever and the current directors of the company they started together in 1990, LeFever Mattson Inc. READ MORE…
For those of you following the drama. 
But even if you’re not, it’s kind of worth it to scroll down to the YouTube video watching this loser speed walk away. 
“I’m aiming for 3 to 4 million units per year,” this Muscadet winemaker is betting on cans
In Muscadet, the Herbauges estate is enthusiastically launching itself into the canning market with its new canning line. READ MORE…
New Tools for Yeast Propagation Hit the U.S. Market
YEAST IS THE MOST important workhorse for the wine industry; without it there would be no alcohol produced from the sugars in grapes and other fruit. To have well-balanced, finished fermentation results, it’s necessary to deliver the current nutrients at the proper time for the yeast, Automated systems can help reduce the stress of missing an addition.
The first step is to analyze the must to assess the status of the nutrition of the juice. After deciding on harvest parameters for the fruit, the next most important factor for high quality wine is the nutritional status of the fruit, regardless of whether that is for grapes or other fruit. Spoilage is the first element to rule out. The greater the concentration of any volatile acidity and other spoilage organisms that the fruit has at this stage, the greater the chance of a stuck, or sluggish fermentation.
After ensuring spoilage has not occurred, the next most important nutritional item is the nitrogen sources for yeast growth. Assurance should be determined that both nitrogen sources from amino acids and from ammonia are present in the must prior to the start of fermentation. Typical ratios of the two types of nitrogen are 66% from amino acids (especially arginine and glutamine) and 34% from ammonia derived from nitrogen such as DAP. There should be a total of 300 to 500 ppm of the two types of nitrogen combined. There are products available, such as Lallemand’s GoFerm, that support yeast health in the fermenter with other nutritional elements. READ MORE…
For my fellow Wine
Nerds 
Duckhorn aligns itself with country music in major move
n October 2024 the drinks business reported that The Duckhorn Portfolio, one of the biggest players in premium Californian wine, was being acquired by Butterfly Equity in a move that would see the company become privately owned and no longer listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The US$1.95 billion deal completed on 24 December 2024 and new CEO Robert Hanson was appointed in February 2025.
Just one month into the role, Hanson has made a chess move that hints at the direction he intends to take the business. By signing a three-year partnership with the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, he has ensured that Duckhorn’s wines will be front and centre of a growing consumer demographic with cash to spend, not to mention being associated with some of the biggest musical artists of the day.
Teaming up with ACM is just the start, with Hanson, formerly head of Constellation Brands’ global wine and spirits portfolio (2019 to 2024) telling db that such partnerships will play a fundamental part in Duckhorn’s future marketing strategy.
“We are exploring a number of potential partnerships with organisations that will allow us to interact with wine consumers in new and engaging ways,” he reveals. READ MORE…
If Duckhorn is a little bit country 
… who’s a little bit rock and roll
?
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.
200% tariffs on European wines would be extremely dangerous for California wineries
I’ll start with the direct impacts. These tariffs post an extinction-level threat to importers of European wines. A thread by importer Lyle Fass, proprietor of Fass Selections, laid out the math. Tariffs are taxes due from the importer to the US government at the port of entry. Importers would be on the hook for double what they’ve paid for any wine that they order, including wine already paid for and in transit: READ MORE…
Literally the only article on this nonsense that makes sense.
Important Message for USWTA Members: HALT ALL EU WINE SHIPMENTS
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We strongly advise American companies to HALT ALL SHIPMENTS OF WINE, SPIRITS, & BEER FROM THE EU. The current risk of tariffs is too high. READ MORE…
You’ve got a Lot of nerve To say you are My friend
Growing up in Port Pirie in the 1970s my mates and I sat in the gutter under the street light on Saturday nights and talked about all the things that scared us – Catholic priests, prohibition, Brussels sprouts and Jesus. And the Cold War. But we assured each other the US would always protect us. And they did. America was Forrest Gump and Australia was Bubba. Now, for the first time in my life, I feel like we’re on the outer with a special friend. Australian winemakers are set to be slugged 20 percent to export wines to the USA – a $325 million market for us. It follows Australian steel and aluminium failing to win an exemption from tariffs. A bit rich when we have a FTA and we’re close allies. Not to mention that America knows what we have been through with China and the loss of a $1 billion market. It means sleepless nights for John Casella and others in wine. READ MORE…
Press Releases
These are some press releases I received this week that I actually thought were interesting…enjoy!
International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research: Examining risks and benefits of alcohol consumptionThis meta-analysis by Khatiwada et al. (2025) is important since it evaluates the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on one of the mechanistic pathways involved in developing cardiovascular disease, namely lipoprotein metabolism. The authors conclude that alcohol consumption up to 40 grams per day increases apolipoprotein A-I and apolipoprotein A-II levels, whereas further research is needed for apolipoprotein B. Apolipoprotein A-I is the main constituent of the lipoprotein HDL, which transports cholesterol from lipid-laden macrophages of atherosclerotic arteries to the liver for secretion into the bile. READ MORE… |
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