By Amy LaHue, Oak Solutions Specialist with guest contributor Andrew Wiehebrink, R&D Spirits Division Distillers have mastered their craft, but even the most refined spirit can sometimes fall short of the rich color they envisioned. When that happens, I am here to work alongside them to determine the best path forward. During a recent collaboration, we explored one of the most natural methods for enhancing color— exposure to new oak.  This process imparts color primarily through two key factors: toast profile and tannin content. But I began to wonder which of these has the greater impact? There are many things to consider.  For instance, French oak contains roughly ten times more tannin than American oak. It’s only natural to assume a dark-toast French oak would be ideal, as it offers the best of both worlds— high tannin content and a deep toast profile. But there’s a catch… toasting degrades tannins, especially in French oak. Knowing that r

Afternoon Brief, March 14th

Wine Blogger from New Jersey Disappeared in Italy 5 Years Ago—FBI Seeks Help Trying to Find Him: The FBI is asking for the public’s help as they continue to search for a New Jersey native and self-described wine blogger who was last seen nearly five years ago in northern Italy...

Afternoon Brief, February 29th

TTB Listens to Wine Industry: The TTB wants to hear what the industry thinks about label regulations, so Wine-Searcher's US editor had his say...

Afternoon Brief, February 15th

Rainy Weather Makes for Another Wet California Winter: Historic levels of rain were delivered to California in the form of atmospheric rivers, which are expected to continue to bring rain throughout the month of February. Decanter's Clive Pursehouse speaks with wine producers across the state to get a sense of how the vines are faring...

Afternoon Brief, February 1st

Vinoshipper Releases 2nd Annual Craft Wine Direct Sales Report: Vinoshipper, the nation’s largest Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) wine shipping platform with more than 3,000 clients, released its second annual report today that shows a unique and optimistic perspective on direct sales across 47 states...

Afternoon Brief, June 21st

Registration Now Open for Growing Forward Virtual Conference: Wine Industry Network (WIN) has opened registration for Growing Forward, a Vineyard & Grower focused Virtual Conference tackling the most pressing topics and issues faced throughout the grape growing cycle. The Conference is set to broadcast on July 19, 2023, beginning at 9:00am...

Afternoon Brief, March 1st

Registration Is Open for the Wine Industry Sales Symposium In-Person Event: Wine Industry Network (WIN) has opened registration for the Wine Industry Sales Symposium, a one-day educational conference that will be held on Thursday, May 11, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country, in Santa Rosa, Ca...

Afternoon Brief, February 15th

An English Lord and Lady Are Selling Their Napa Valley Vineyard for $35 Million: Once upon a time, winery acquisitions almost always tended to happen in secret, brokered by investment bankers...