In this episode of the WIN Insider Series, George Christie sits down with Alison Crowe, Vice President of Winemaking and Partner at Plata Wine Partners, to explore her remarkable journey through the wine industry. From her early days growing up in California’s Central Coast to studying viticulture and enology at UC Davis, Alison shares how curiosity, hands-on experience, and a willingness to take risks shaped her career across roles at Chalone Vineyard, Curtis Winery, and Bonny Doon Vineyard. She also reflects on authoring The Winemaker’s Answer Book and how translating complex winemaking concepts into practical insights has been a common thread in her work. Alison offers a candid look at today’s wine landscape, from the collaborative, client-focused model at Plata Wine Partners to the broader challenges facing the industry, including shifting consumer preferences and increased competition. She discusses the importance of making wine more approachable, the need for

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

Afternoon Brief: NASEM Report Affirms Benefits of Moderate Drinking

The first of the two alcohol studies that will inform American drinking guidelines has been released...

Afternoon Brief, April 18th

E-Tongue Can Detect White Wine Spoilage Before Humans Can: While the electronic tongue bears little physical resemblance to its namesake, the strand-like sensory probes of the “e-tongue” still outperformed human senses when detecting contaminated wine in a recent study...

Afternoon Brief, September 13th

Wildfire Smoke Ruins Taste of Some Wines: Grapes exposed to smoke absorb chemicals that can alter — and sometimes ruin — the taste and smell of resultant wines. This “smoke taint” has become a growing concern for the industry...

How Winemakers Craft Clean Natural Wines: Why are some natural wines marked by volatile acidity, Brett, and mousiness, while others aren't? Alex Russan investigates... The post Afternoon Brief, October 12 appeared first on Wine Industry Advisor. Url:https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2020/10/12/afternoon-brief-1715?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=afternoon-brief-1715 Published Date:Mon, 12 Oct 2020 21:48:21 +0000 

(SANTA MARGARITA, Calif.) – When WarRoom Cellars purchased the Bonny Doon label in 2019, iconic owner Randall Grahm, a self-declared “anti-pointillist”, worried about how the new owners would maintain quality in the 40 year old brand. He needn’t have fretted. The Wine Enthusiast magazine awarded the 2019 Bonny Doon Vineyard Vin Gris de Cigare 92 […] The post Bonny Doon Vineyard Continues on Track Following 2019 Sale appeared first on Wine Industry Advisor. Url:https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2020/10/09/bonny-doon-vineyard-on-track?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bonny-doon-vineyard-on-track Published Date:Fri, 09 Oct 2020 20:01:27 +0000 

  Posted by Laura Ness of Spirited Magazine | Mar 31, 2020 | Packaging, Equipment, Wine, Production    You have to be just slightly natters to engage in a livelihood that can literally blow up on you—and yet, the sisterhood (and brotherhood) of bubbles runs deep. That’s probably why it’s considered the ne plus ultra of winemaking. There are many ways to sparkle a beverage, but méthode Champenoise is considered the highest form of sparkling art. It’s a process that’s been painstakingly perfected, by hand, over the centuries. It requires two entirely separate fermentations, the second of which occurs in the bottle, which is where the magic happens. Says Todd Graff, winemaker and general manager at Frank Family Vineyards in Napa Valley, “The secondary fermentation in the bottle is the trickiest part, because however many bottles you’re making, each is an individual fermentation.” Méthode Champenoise is time consuming, filled with repetitive tedium, complicated (often by many months o