Afternoon Brief: Washington Welcomes It's 21st American Viticultural Area

On October 29, 2024, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) published the final rule for the Beverly, Washington appellation to officially define it as a designated wine grape-growing region...

JUNE 28, 2024 – Winners have been announced in the 17th annual Women’s International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWWSC). The competition, which took place June 10-12 in Santa Rosa, Calif., was founded on the premise that the majority of wine purchased for home consumption is bought by women. The IWWSC judging panels consist entirely of professional women in the wine and spirits industries — winemakers, distillers, marketers, buyers, sommeliers, educators and journalists.  “As always, the International Women’s Wine & Spirits Competition shined a spotlight on hundreds of deserving wines,” says Debra Del Fiorentino, owner of Wine Competitions Management & Production, which organizes and presents IWWSC. “And even though entry is open to all winemakers regardless of gender, I found it gratifying that six of this year’s sweepstakes wines were created by women. And our overall wine winner also was named Best Woman Winemaker

Afternoon Brief, December 14th

Winemaker Mike Grgich, Who Grabbed Worldwide Attention with His Napa Chardonnay, Dies at 100: After emigrating from Croatia, the winemaker worked at top Napa cellars like Beaulieu Vineyard, Chateau Montelena and Robert Mondavi Winery before founding his own winery...

Afternoon Brief, April 25th

Vintage Point LLC Files Lawsuit Against Bacchus Capital Management Over Bill: A wine broker has filed a lawsuit against a wine company over a bill exceeding $157,000, according to court records...

To meet the increasing demand for sustainable, alternative packaging for non-alcoholic craft beverages, Free Flow Wines has expanded its Kegging and Canning Services to include both wine and no-alcohol products.  Sonoma, CA, March 30, 2022 – Free Flow Wines, the pioneers of premium wine on tap, will expand their wine-focused Kegging and Canning Services to now include non-alcoholic beverages at their Sonoma, CA facility. The new program will provide turnkey filling services for sparkling waters, botanical teas, kombucha, coffee, and other non-alcoholic craft beverages. “With the surge of demand for non-traditional wine products and ready-to-drink, nonalcoholic beverages in  sustainable packaging, we’re excited to expand our offering to support our innovative partners.” Said Rich Bouwer, Chief Executive Officer. Free Flow’s Canning Program accommodates an array of formats including the 375mL, 355mL, 250mL, and 187mL cans with fully automated pack-