The Duckhorn Portfolio, North America’s premier luxury wine company, has selected InnoVint as its winery operating system following a comprehensive evaluation and RFP process. The decision reflects Duckhorn’s focus on modernizing its winemaking operations with a platform and a partner capable of supporting both current complexity and long-term growth. Why The Duckhorn Portfolio Chose InnoVint The Duckhorn Portfolio sought a modern, scalable solution to unify winemaking operations across multiple facilities while maintaining accuracy, compliance, and operational visibility. InnoVint was selected not only for its integrated, production-first platform, but for its deep industry expertise and proven ability to guide complex wineries through system transitions with confidence. “InnoVint stood out as more than a technology provider,” said PJ Alviso, Vice President of Winegrowing at The Duckhorn Portfolio. “During our evaluation of the winemaking software options

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

Wine fulfillment isn’t just about getting bottles from point A to B—it’s about delivering an exceptional customer experience while keeping costs under control. In this Wine Sales Symposium session, Devin Joshua and Jim silver from WineDirect will break down the key strategies wineries can use to streamline fulfillment, minimize expenses, and enhance customer loyalty. From smart inventory management to optimizing packaging, discover how the right fulfillment approach can drive both efficiency and satisfaction. Join us at the Wine Sales Symposium, May 14 at the Hyatt in Santa Rosa. The Secret to Seamless Wine Fulfillment: How to Reduce Costs While Improving Customer Satisfaction Register with promo code: WINEDIRECT2025 to get $20 off the ticket price Devin Joshua, VP of Fulfillment Sales Devin Joshua is a seasoned wine industry executive and currently serves as Vice President of Fulfillment Sales at WineDirect. With more than 25 years of experience across nearly every t

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

Early morning fog from the Pacific Ocean flows into the Anderson Valley through the coastal redwoods and rises into the hills before dissipating as day warms the air. These maritime influences keep daytime temperatures low, making it the coolest wine-growing region in California and the perfect environment for the Pinot Noir grapes for which it has gained fame. “Over the past decade, Anderson Valley has entered the world stage,” says Kristen McMahan, Winemaker at Goldeneye. “As one of the largest producers in the Valley, we take that to heart. We want people to explore Anderson Valley, and we want to be a good representative and steward of the place where we grow grapes and make wine. We're really proud of it, and so we aim to deliver the best possible examples of the Valley’s wines.” When it was designated an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1982, two-thirds of the Anderson Valley’s 582 vineyard acres were planted to Chardonnay and Alsace Var

Afternoon Brief, February 16th

Hoopes Winery Civil Trial in Napa County Wraps After 11 Days, Ruling Could Take Months: Whether Napa Valley vintner Lindsay Hoopes has been using company structures as a shield against liability was the focus Wednesday of the 11th and final day of trial in a county lawsuit over alleged winery permit violations...

Nobody does Pinot Noir like Anderson Valley, one of the most beautiful places in California. More than 50 wineries pour, including two dozen prestige labels from Napa and Sonoma that covet our fabulous fruit. Sample delicious food pairings, acquire library wines, exclusive experiences, and other treasures during our silent auction. Learn alongside winemakers at Friday’s educational seminars … enjoy wine and music at the Friday sunset BBQ… immerse yourself in amazing Pinot, rosé and sparkling wines at the Grand Tasting on Saturday … Elevate your Saturday experience in the VIP Bubble Lounge… then explore the valley during Sunday’s winery open houses. Event Website

Lula Cellars 2020 Rescue Block Pinot Noir Takes Top Honors November 17, 2023 — Winners have been announced in the 2023 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition. After two spirited days of judging, Lula Cellars 2020 Rescue Block Pinot Noir took the top prize. It was also awarded Best Red Wine and Best of Anderson Valley AVA (Mendocino County, Calif.). Coming in at 98 points, judges praised the wine as “rich, ripe” and for its “Bing cherry,” and “hint of orange peel.”  Lula Cellars is a boutique winery located in California’s Anderson Valley. Its focus is on world-class Pinot Noirs both from its estate and across Anderson Valley, as well as other single-vineyard offerings from the greater Mendocino County. When preparing to plant their own vines, Lula owners discovered some-1,000 old vines “literally lying down, as if waiting to be rescued.” Lots of TLC later, these mystery Pinot Noir grapes have thrived. There’s no in

September 21, 2023 — The 2023 International Eastern Wine Competition and West Coast Wine Competition match-up has announced Eberle Winery’s 2021 Cotes-du-Robles Rouge, a Rhone-style blend, as the Best of the Best…of the Best. A blend of 54% Grenache; 38% Mourvedre and 8% Syrah, Eberle’s red blend wowed judges, who described the wine as “Very well balanced,” “Black currant,” “Shows Grenache really nicely,” with a “really nice mouthfeel.” Located in California’s Paso Robles AVA, Eberle Winery (www.eberlewinery.com) was established in 1979 and now produces up to 15 wines annually. In addition to this year’s top winner, five other Eberle entries earned gold awards or better. This two-pronged East vs. West contest first chooses winners in the separate International Eastern Wine Competition and West Coast Wine Competition (see parameters below), before the top wines from each are pitted against each other in

VinesOS offers Stripe-based Point of Sale for small to midsize wineries. Small to midsize wineries that are looking for a modern, all-in-one, flat-rate priced solution to accept contactless payments and utilize QR codes for their direct-to-consumer sales will find all in VinesOS. VinesOS enables wineries to manage all DTC channels from a single dashboard: POS, Clubs, Subscriptions, eCommerce, and Reservations. VinesOS’ Stripe integration offers flat-rate pricing with no hidden fees or contracts. Wineries can start processing immediately upon signup, with no third-party merchant account setup. SELL ANYTHING, ANYWHERE  Staff can quickly ring up a sale anywhere they go, on any device, with a swipe, tap, or click, using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a card on file. New members can be added on the spot, or customers can scan a QR code to sign up for a club in less than a minute. MODERN QR CODES ACCELERATE SALES  The cloud-based POS allows wineries to sell wine, flights, bot