Penny’s Hill of McLaren Vale Awarded the Prestigious ‘Best in Show’ at the Annual Decanter World Wine Awards

June 19th, 2024 – The 2023 Penny’s Hill ‘Yeenunga’ Single Vineyard McLaren Vale Grenache was awarded “Best in Show” at this year’s Decanter 21st World Wine Awards. The Decanter World […]

Papapietro Perry Winery and Four Roses Bourbon Take Top Honors (March 6, 2026) — Winners have been announced in the fifth annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A pinot noir from Papapietro Perry (Sonoma County, Calif.) and a small batch bourbon from Four Roses Distillery (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) topped their fields to be named Best of the Best. The competition was established in 2022, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the United States. Judging took place February 18-19, 2026. Competition this year was stellar, says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine Competitions Management & Production: “Year after year, our judges continue to be impressed with the depth in each category. The quality of product was fantastic!” Wh

Forget the harsh, high-proof jars of yesteryear. This is Moon Moonshine, a modern spirit for a modern drinker: smooth, flavorful, mixable, and built for today’s drinkers. It’s low sugar, low calories, no artificial ingredients, and has a lighter, smoother finish than most tequila or whiskey.  Crafted in Kentucky with non-GMO corn, premium limestone and shale–filtered spring water, and distilled in copper pot stills, Moon Moonshine delivers a clean, contemporary take on America’s original spirit. Three all-natural flavors—Citrus, Berry, and Tropical—come in at 35% ABV. Launched just four months ago, the brand is already picking up major traction in Florida. College bars, beach bars, cocktail bars—they’re all leaning in. And with good reason: Moon Moonshine is easy, versatile, and profitable for Buyers. “Moon Moonshine takes a timeless spirit and gives it a bold, modern twist. We wanted a people-forward brand that’s s

Boost Holiday Wine Club Sales with a Mobile App Ready in 7 Days Let’s not beat around the bush… Direct-to-consumer (DTC) wine sales are down, and fewer wine country visitors fill our tasting rooms. So, this holiday season, all eyes are on wine club sales. But you already know there’s a problem. Many of your best customers complain that they “never see your emails.” And the growing costs and complexity of SMS can overwhelm any wine marketing team. So how can you win this game? Your Secret Weapon: A Custom Wine Club App Email still matters.  It’s great for long-form content, images, or receipts. But between spam filters and overcrowded inboxes, you’re lucky if 50% of your club members see your pick-up reminders, deadlines for customizing shipments, or special holiday sales offers. And even if you text your club members, many of your best customers won’t opt in. That’s why leading brands turned to branded mobile apps over a dec

Garrison Brothers Distillery and Ledson Winery Take Top Honors  (March 17, 2025) — Winners have been announced in the fourth annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A merlot from Ledson Vineyards & Winery (Sonoma County, Calif.) and a small batch bourbon from Garrison Brothers Distillery (Hye, Texas.) topped their fields to be named Best of the Best. The competition was established in 2022, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the United States. Judging took place February 25-26, 2025. Says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine Competitions Management & Production, “Year after year, our judges continue to be impressed with the depth in each category. The quality of product was fantastic!” Competition this ye

[This third in a series of articles on the art of event marketing is a guide that focuses on all the main event. Reference post #1 post, Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail, to discover proactive tactics to complete first, followed by #2: It’s Showtime, to grab quick lessons on game-time decisions at the event.] Don’t Stop Now You’ve planned for the conference. You’ve attended the conference, and you hit it out of the park. The booth garnered oohs and ahhs. Attendees came from far and wide to learn more about the brand with the coolest setup on the floor. It would be easy at this stage to deem the event a success and call it a day. Not so fast. A successful event program depends on post-event activities as much as it does on the event itself. As you wind down one event, you’re already preparing for the next by reflecting on how the event unfolded. What worked? What didn’t? Did we meet our goals? Can we do better? Check out our all-in-one Confere

Your website is the heart of your winery’s online presence and a critical driver of sales. Whether visitors are learning about your wines, booking a tasting, or shopping your latest releases, your website’s design and functionality will determine whether they stick around, or click away. For a winery, a high-converting website doesn’t just look pretty. It has to guide users through the buying journey effortlessly, reflect your brand’s unique story, and make it easy for customers to take action. Let’s break down the key elements of a website that not only attracts visitors but turns them into loyal customers. 1. Mobile-First Design: Meeting Customers Where They Are The majority of users will visit your website from their mobile device. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re losing out—plain and simple. A high-converting winery website has to look and function beautifully on a phone or tablet, with fast load times, easy navigation,

HEALDSBURG — The owners and management at Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estates at 4155 Wine Creek Road pay particular attention to sustainability in the winery and vineyard, where the company has made significant strides in solar energy efficiency and water conservation. “Our reservoir is filled by winter and spring rains, and provides 100 percent of our water needed for irrigating our vineyards, thus eliminating the need to divert much-needed water from our drought-depleted rivers and streams,” said Chief Financial Officer Jeff Cummings. “Today we have a solar energy system providing 99.9 percent of our electricity needs. The only exception is a single water pump powered by a separate line. "We haven’t paid a penny for power since turning on this system". Excess electricity produced by this solar array is fed back into the grid, and our invoice from PG&E showed a big credit on the first anniversary after installing the panels. For us, this is z

Two K Farms Cidery and Winery 2022 Bubbly Riesling Takes Top Honors November 15, 2024 — Winners have been announced in the 2024 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition. After two spirited days of judging,Two K Farms Cidery and Winery 2022 Bubbly Riesling took the top prize. It was also awarded Best of Show Sparkling Wine. Coming in at 97 points, judges praised the wine for its “Mouth watering citrus and honeysuckle”; “Lingering tropical finish”; and “Perfect bubbles.” They also called it “Well balanced.” With a record number of entries from across the globe, the Harvest Challenge bases judging on a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions and grapes that combine to give personality to the wine. In other competitions, terroir is ignored. At the Harvest Challenge, judges taste wines alongside other wines of the same appellation. W

JUNE 24, 2024 – Experience Rosé, a wine competition that focuses exclusively on expressions of pink wine — sweet, dry and sparkling — has announced results of the 2024 contest. Taking top prize this year is Breathless WInes’ NV Brut Rosé, which judges described as “Toasty, nutty”; “raspberry and exotic spice”; “elegant, balanced with a long finish.” In addition to Best of Show, the wine also took honors as Best Domestic Sparkling. “This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. This blending brings out the best of all three varieties and complexity to the finished wine,” says winemaker Penny Gadd-Coster. “Flavors of white cherry, lime and watermelon all wrapped up with an elegant style of Rosé. The fine mousse brings a creaminess that adds to the elegance in the mouthfeel of this beautifully crafted wine. I always want the grapes to be featured, but also give a nod to tradit