April 28th, 2026 — For today’s wineries, delivering a great customer experience means more than great wine. It requires timely, personal, and relevant communication at every stage of the relationship. From the tasting room experience to the first purchase, to club shipments and beyond, customers expect to feel known and valued. To meet that expectation, wineries are using more technology than ever before—but the real magic happens when these tools work together. RedChirp and Corksy have announced a new integration that connects Corksy’s modern DTC platform with RedChirp’s texting and automation capabilities. By bringing these systems together, wineries can turn real-time customer data into timely, personalized communication, driving more revenue while delivering a more seamless, high-touch experience. Turning Data Into Action: Instead of toggling between systems or piecing together customer context, winery teams can now work more fluidly, moving from

Domaine Della 2023 Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Takes Top Prize  November 18, 2025 — Winners have been announced in the 2025 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition. After two spirited days of judging, Domaine Della 2023 Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir took the top prize. It was also awarded Best of Show Red Wine and Best of Monterey County AVA. Coming in at 98 points, judges praised the wine as “warm and spicy” with “fig and nutmeg.” Other descriptors included “meaty,” “prosciutto,” and “dried rose petal.”  With 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, this terroir is ignored. At the Harvest Challen

For decades, wine and spirits inventory at wholesalers followed a model of large first orders. Makers shipped big quantities to distributors, who stocked them in massive warehouses and waited for orders to roll in. Today, that model is mostly gone—unless you’re part of the top ~20% of Makers doing tens of millions in annual sales under contract. Few Makers reach that level, and contracts of that size are rare. So why aren’t large inventory purchases common any more? What’s Changed Here are a few of the major reasons: The Cost of Money - Wholesalers typically carry inventory financed via lines of credit or similar instruments, and are paid back when accounts pay. Interest rates now are much higher than a few years ago, so carrying inventory (i.e. borrowing money to finance it) is more expensive. Excess Inventory Already in the System - There is a large glut of wine and spirits sitting in warehouses across the country. Distributors and wholesalers are

Though the Sunset International Wine Competition is in it’s 9th year introducing western wine drinkers to best wines in the industry, this will be the 4th year that we’ve had the category “Best of the Best”. Beyond Gold, Double Gold, Best in Class and Best in Show is the one wine that’s considered the very best of that competition year. Take a look at the Best of the Best of the past three years. The Best of the Best 2022 2018 Wapato Point Cellars Cabernet Franc 2023 2022 Brecon Estate Albariño 2024 2022 Trentadue Montepulciano Entry now open for the 2025 competition The Sunset International Wine Competition will take place June 10th - 12th, 2025. The final deadline for submission is May 22nd, 2025. Enter the Competition

It is widely accepted that oak tannins can have a very significant influence on the tannic structure of wines. Besides their influence on mouthfeel, oak tannins are also antioxidants, and are viewed with renewed interest for their protective effect against wine oxidation. This hasn’t always been the case.  Measuring tannins contributed by oak barrels (or barrel alternatives) is a challenging task. Analysis methods have consistently failed to adequately measure these compounds in wines, preventing both researchers and winemakers from fully understanding and assessing their impact. Why Do Oak Tannins Seem to Disappear in Wine? Oak tannins are ellagitannins, relatively complex molecules containing ellagic acid as a main building block. Ellagitannins belong to a class of tannins known as hydrolysable, due to the fact that they easily degrade in acidic aqueous solutions, like wine. Degradation by oxidation is also a cause of their decline in wine. For a long time, it could be ar

Sustainable Ag Expo Welcome Event Featuring an Exclusive Presentation  We are kicking off the Sustainable Ag Expo with a welcome event on Monday, November 11th, from 5:00-7:00pm at beautiful Center of Effort Winery in Arroyo Grande, California. Expo Headliner Fritz Westover presents, Dormant Grapevine Pruning & Vine Training: Are we Slowly Killing our Vines?  This intimate conversation delves into the critical impact pruning and training have on vine health, and discusses whether diseases or improper techniques are more detrimental. Attendees will walk away with pruning strategies that minimize disease. Westover will also share methods for in-season vine training and summer pruning to enhance vine longevity using a closed system approach.  After the presentation, enjoy a flight of SIP Certified wines and gourmet hors d'oeuvres from Alba Provisions while networking with fellow attendees. Sustainable Ag Expo ticket holders can claim two free tickets while supplies

Afternoon Brief: Seaport Strike Could Spike NYC Wine Prices, Leave Produce Rotting Offshore, Experts Warn

A looming longshoremen's strike at seaports across the East Coast is slated to hammer New York City's supply chains -- and experts said the labor action could lead to a spike in wine prices, in addition to hundreds of tons of fruit going bad on ships stuck outside the harbor with no place to dock...

The 2024 Sustainable Ag Expo is set to be an unforgettable event, offering a unique blend of educational sessions, exhibitors, and exclusive networking opportunities November 11th - 13th, 2024. Here are three reasons you won't want to miss at this year’s event:   Reason #1: Welcome Event Featuring an Exclusive Presentation  Kick off your experience with a pre-Expo event on Monday, November 11th, from 5:00-7:00pm at beautiful Center of Effort Winery in Arroyo Grande, California. Expo Headliner Fritz Westover presents, Dormant Grapevine Pruning & Vine Training: Are we Slowly Killing our Vines? This intimate conversation delves into the critical impact pruning and training have on vine health, and discusses whether diseases or improper techniques are more detrimental. Attendees will walk away with pruning strategies that minimize disease. Westover will also share methods for in-season vine training and summer pruning to enhance vine longevity using