Wakefield Taylors Wines and 1800 Milenio Take Top Honors July 14, 2025 — Winners have been announced in the 18th annual Women’s International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWWSC). The competition, which took place recently 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.  This year, Wakefield Taylor Wines 2024 Estate Riesling and 1800 Milenio Extra-Aged Añejo took top honors. Wakefield Taylor, a heritage winery in Australia’s Clare Valley (a region known for quality Reislings), wowed judges with its “mouthwatering citrus blooms” and “gentle salinity.”  A representative from 1800 Mileno remarked, “1800 Milenio is backed by 11 generations of tequila-making e

Afternoon Brief: California Winemaking Is at a Dangerous Crossroads

California's vineyards are on the verge of crisis. Vine disease is rampant, labor costs are exploding, and the climate is getting hotter, sometimes wetter, certainly weirder...

JUNE 24, 2024 – Experience Rosé, a wine competition that focuses exclusively on expressions of pink wine — sweet, dry and sparkling — has announced results of the 2024 contest. Taking top prize this year is Breathless WInes’ NV Brut Rosé, which judges described as “Toasty, nutty”; “raspberry and exotic spice”; “elegant, balanced with a long finish.” In addition to Best of Show, the wine also took honors as Best Domestic Sparkling. “This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. This blending brings out the best of all three varieties and complexity to the finished wine,” says winemaker Penny Gadd-Coster. “Flavors of white cherry, lime and watermelon all wrapped up with an elegant style of Rosé. The fine mousse brings a creaminess that adds to the elegance in the mouthfeel of this beautifully crafted wine. I always want the grapes to be featured, but also give a nod to tradit

Afternoon Brief, October 20th

Sonoma’s Toad Hollow Vineyards Acquired by ‘Masters of Guerrilla Winefare’: Unoaked Chardonnay pioneer Toad Hollow has been sold to WarRoom Cellars for an undisclosed sum...

MARCH 1, 2022 – Winners have been announced in the first-ever Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A Cabernet Sauvignon from Adobe Road Winery (www.adoberoadwines.com) and an XO Cognac from Sire Spirits (www.sirespirits.com) topped their fields to be named Best of the Best. The competition was established, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the country. Judging took place February 20-22 and, says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine Competitions Management & Production (winecompetitions.com), “Typically, a strong first-year competition can expect about 500 entries. We were thrilled to receive more than 1,250 submissions — producers were clamoring to get in!” Even with a large number of entries, competition was s

Las Positas Vineyards’ 2020 Albariño Takes Top Honors February 14, 2022 — The 2022 International Eastern Wine Competition and West Coast Wine Competition match-up has announced Las Positas Vineyards (Livermore Valley, Calif.) 2020 Albariño as the Best of the Best…of the Best. This is the first Albariño to ever win this competition. This two-pronged 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 an East Meets West Taste Off. Traditionally grown on the Iberian Peninsula, Albariño is a white grape loved for its rich stone fruit flavors, hint of salinity and zippy acidity. Described by judges as “fruit cocktail, “nicely spiced” and “very balanced with a long pleasing finish,” the Las Positas Albariño met the challenge and bested all-comers. Other Best

Silicon Valley Bank Predicts the Wine Industry Will See a Spike in Demand When Consumers Celebrate Postponed Life Events in 2021: Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the bank of the world’s most innovative companies and their investors, today released its 2021 State of the Wine Industry Report... The post Afternoon Brief, January 13th appeared first on Wine Industry Advisor. Url:https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2021/01/13/afternoon-brief-1778?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=afternoon-brief-1778 Published Date:Wed, 13 Jan 2021 23:05:15 +0000 

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition wine judging took place January 7-10, 2020. Winners were announced on January 12. Rack & Riddle is pleased to announce that our premium sparkling wines earned 16 top medals in the following categories: SWEEPSTAKE WINNER! BREATHLESS WINES — BLANC DE NOIRS Breathless Wines is a division of Rack & Riddle. Along with Breathless, we are proud to announce the Sparkling Sweepstake win at the 2020 SFCWC. BEST OF CLASS 2 MEDALS Blanc de Noirs Brut DOUBLE GOLD 3 MEDALS Blanc de Blancs Blanc de Noirs Brut GOLD 10 MEDALS Blanc de Blancs Blanc de Noirs Brut Rosé