
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...
Read MoreAfternoon Brief, May 8th

In a Major Pinot Noir Purchase, Constellation Buys Sta. Rita Hills Icon Sea Smoke: The Santa Barbara County winery was a key player in the region’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay renaissance...
Accurate, available and cost-effective diagnostic tools have never been more critical to economic survival than in 2020. While the world waits for a COVID-19 vaccine, large segments of our economy have been closed or hamstrung by government restrictions or voluntary measures implemented to slow the...
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Things Certainly Can Change in One Year by Steve Fredricks Last year at this time, mere weeks before the United States shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were in an excess phase of the cycle for nearly every variety in California. Now, less than two months into 2021, the situation is...
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(February 10, 2021, Novato, CA) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture Preliminary Grape Crush Report for 2020 was released today. This harvest was much smaller than average, but from a volume perspective it was in line with the Ciatti Company’s pre-harvest estimate. That said, this...
Read MoreFebruary 10th – Novato, CA – The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Preliminary Grape Crush Report for 2020 has been released. It is a summary for the supply of the wine and grape industry, containing tons crushed and prices of wine grapes sold during the 2020 harvest. The Crush Report...
Read MoreWith California in the midst of harvest, many grape growers are wrestling with contracts -- trying to determine who will be honoring grape contracts this season and in what capacity. The Hennessey and Walbridge fires, both part of the larger LNU Lightning Complex, will most likely create far...
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Heatwave arrives; grape market remains slow July was likely the warmest on record for much of the western US, with California receiving the highest heat levels and areas of the Central Valley suffering two weeks of 100-110°F temperatures. The heat has since dissipated slightly in early August,...
Read MoreAfternoon Brief: As Wildfires Rage Across Wine Country, the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force Aims to Help

Summer on the West Coast is no longer just about sun rays, sea spray and beach days. With climate change cooking landscapes everywhere, summertime today spells wildfire season...

The Australian ‘Black Summer’ of 2019/20, which saw bushfires destroy swathes of vineyard land across the country was a dramatic reminder of the growing challenges facing winemakers around the world. We spoke to leading Australian winemakers and lab technicians to find out how agile decision-making...
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