November 13, 2025 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Soper Reese Theater 275 S. Main St., Lakeport Join us for an engaging afternoon that brings together growers, winemakers, and industry professionals to explore what makes Lake County winegrapes truly distinctive. Through guided tastings, insightful discussions, and expert-led panels, this event will highlight the character, variety, and innovation that define our region. Register now to secure your seat for this special half-day tasting and learning experience. Program highlights: Aromatic Whites – Explore how Lake County’s high elevations and varied microclimates shape these fragrant, expressive wines. Sauvignon Blanc Comparison – Side-by-side tastings that reveal how Lake County terroir and grower–winemaker collaboration define the region’s signature variety. Alternative Reds – Discover lesser-known reds that thrive in Lake County’s volcanic soils and diverse vineyard sites. Cabernet Sauvignon Co

Afternoon Brief, June 24th

New Tariffs Threaten Europe's Winemakers: After a period of alarming flat-lining and decline, the wine industry is finally showing signs of strength, vitality and growth. Two storm clouds on the horizon threaten that success though...

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, 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...

Brassfield Estate Winery on the Move for National Expansion

Clearlake Oaks, CA (December 13, 2023) – Luxury North Coast wine producer, Brassfield Estate Winery is pleased to announce that it has named industry veteran Chris Baker as its new President along […]

Afternoon Brief, February 28th

Wine, Terroir and the Human Touch: We think of terroir as natural magic, but what is the human contribution to this elusive concept?...

The InnoVint team sat down with Brassfield Estate to understand what caused them to make a change in winery software from vintrace to InnoVint. The team, led by head winemaker, Carlos Valadez, told us about problems they had after stepping away from InnoVint for a short time due to a change in winemaking leadership.  And though they realized their mistake early on, they couldn’t switch back until after the 2020 harvest, making for a tough season.  “At first, the software that we switched to looked great…but then once we started doing the work, putting in weight tags, and trying to do work orders, we decided it was more work than it was worth. We realized that we had switched away from InnoVint at a terrible time…just a couple of months before we started picking’” says Joy Tackett, Production Assistant. Before digging into their experience further, it might be helpful for you to know a bit about the history of Brassfield.  History:&

SPARKLING WINE TAKES TOP HONORS FOR FIRST TIME EVER April 12, 2021 (Santa Rosa, Calif.) — Winners have been determined in the 2021 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge (NCWC), and for the first time in the event’s nine-year history, a sparkling wine has bested the competition. Sonoma-Cutrer's 2014 Grand Cuvée was chosen by judges as the Best of the Best. This regional competition rates wines exclusively produced and bottled in Northern California's premier winegrowing region. Eligible wines must be made from fruit sourced in the North Coast AVAs of Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Marin and parts of Solano counties. This includes any bottled wine labeled with these AVAs as their main source of grapes and whose winery is in California. This year’s NCWC had the highest ever number of entries (nearly 1,200) from a record number of individual wineries (221), indicating both the prestige of the competition and the hunger for the r