The third week of August served as a wake-up call to Mother Nature’s awesome power. A siege of more than 12,000 lightning strikes ripped through the state, touching off wildfires particularly in Northern California. The numbers are frightening. CAL FIRE is currently tracking three wildfire...

2020 saw more wildfires up and down the west coast. As wines made from smoke exposed grapes finish malolactic fermentation, the acrid, off-putting aromas of smoke contamination may become evident. While traditional reverse osmosis techniques will reduce the free volatile phenols that make up smoke...

The past two months have left many Sonoma & Napa County residents wondering, “Why us?” How many times can we continue to go through this traumatic experience of wildfires? When we start to assess the damage caused by the most recent Glass Fire, we are reminded that there are many items that must be...

Leading Alcohol and Flavor Management Company Provides Critical Smoke Taint Relief to Winemakers During Historic Wildfires “The difference here is the timing and the magnitude of the fires.” So notes Jerome Nathan, the CEO of ConeTech Inc., a specialized California-based company dedicated to...

Our thoughts are with all those affected by the recent and ongoing wildfires across California and the West Coast in general. In mid-August, remnants of an eastern Pacific tropical storm brought intense thunderstorms and a record number of lightning strikes to much of California, including to...

MAY 18, 2021| CLAY POPKO, REGIONAL BANKING EXECUTIVE AND DEANNA MARTIN, VICE PRESIDENT OF LENDING, VINEYARD AND WINERY GROUP The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States has had a significant impact on agriculture. From growers, processors, and handlers all the way to consumers in the...

I was reading an article about early-spring gardening tasks, and they were suggesting that May was a great time for maintenance. The types of things recommended, such as cleaning and sharpening tools, checking bulbs and seeds for moisture or mold, mulching existing flower beds, and planning for new...

As the first quarter of 2021 draws to a close, we can say California’s bulk wine and grape markets continue to be active following the supply adjustment brought about by last summer’s wildfires and the shorter 2020 crop – last month’s grape crush report confirming, at 3.4 million tons, the smallest...

The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s preliminary 2020 crush figure, published February 10th, was in line with our pre-harvest estimate at 3,404,298 tons. This volume represents a 13% decline from 2019’s 3.91 million tons and is the lightest crop since 2011’s 3.34 million tons. The...