Sustainability has become a core focus across every industry sector lately, but, as lovers of the traditional, the wine and spirit industries are behind the curve on implementing sustainable glass packaging. According to the IWSR, 48% of American alcohol drinkers say that a company’s sustainability or environmental initiatives positively influences their purchasing decisions. Furthermore, according to a report by the global decision intelligence company, Morning Consult, 7 in 10 American adults would consider purchasing from a food and beverage brand that prioritizes sustainability, the highest share across all industries. In the face of ongoing environmental concerns, a growing number of media stories have cited the need for our industry to find a more sustainable package solution. And the call is validated by consumer demands. We are seeing the emergence of a new category of wine consumer: the environmentally-conscious consumer, who is choosing wines and spirits based on the s

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

The global shift toward sustainability is palpable across nearly every sector. Within the wine and spirits industries, this movement has gained remarkable traction, driven by consumers’ increasing demand for environmentally responsible products. More pressure for industry to put sustainability at the center of all operations but also provides opportunities for businesses to flourish by staying ahead of the trends in innovative and sustainable advancements. Here are four sustainability trends to keep an eye on: Regenerative practices for wine and spirits Recent years have seen a boom in conscious agricultural practices through the philosophy that all aspects of agriculture are connected. This philosophy emphasizes the careful utilization of land management to restore and regenerate the ecosystems and land we use, leaving it in better health for future generations.  Regenerative principles are a push back against traditional industrial agriculture practices which are respons

Do you know a family — or are you part of one — that has been farming in Sonoma County for 100 years or more and is still growing winegrapes today? If so, we want to hear from you! The Sonoma County Winegrowers Century Club celebrates these heritage farming families, honoring their enduring contributions to our region’s rich agricultural history and ongoing commitment to cultivating exceptional winegrapes. If you’d like to make a nomination, please email the following information to caroline@sonomawinegrape.org: Family/company name Year family began farming in Sonoma County Agricultural products family has farmed in the past, and when Agricultural products family farms today Where family farms within the county How many acres currently farmed Each family honored in the Sonoma County Winegrowers Century Club receives a commemorative pin, a special vineyard sign to display on their historic property, and a congressional resolution from Representative M

Why Is Glass Bottle Packaging Important? Wine can be packaged in a variety of ways; however, consumers continue to prefer the conventional glass bottle packaging format, which is by far the most popular. Although glass bottle packaging has less flexibility in its ability to capture attention than labels , it can still convey a lot of information to the consumer and increase brand standout in-store. Purchasing wine is seen as having a high level of risk. People don’t want to risk purchasing wines that result in poor wine quality, financial risk, or social embarrassment. Therefore,  consumers search for information when browsing in-store to lower risk: price, varietal, region, brand/winery, or in-store recommendation. The majority of people who aren’t particularly interested in wine conduct their informational searching in-store and rely primarily on visual cues. A customer is more likely to buy wine if they recognize the brand name or have already tried it. Factors like

Spending a weekend sipping superb wines while savoring the perfect food pairing sounds like heaven. Add in breathtaking scenery and the relaxing ambiance of Sonoma County’s Wine Country, and now you have paradise perfected! This magical wine and food weekend becomes reality on November 1st and 2nd as the Wine Road hosts the 27th annual Wine & Food Affair. A Sneak Peek at the Food Pairings With 50 wineries to select from, there are too many food pairings to list, so here are just a few highlights. If you love Italian-based comfort food, check out: Mushroom and Winter Squash Risotto at Pedroncelli Winery Lobster Ravioli with Vodka Sauce at Pech Merle Winery Tatiana’s Famous Lasagna at Colagrossi Wines If you’d rather pair Mexican, French or Cajun with delicious wines, here are some options: Roger’s Colorado Pork Green Chili at J. Cage Cellars Creamy Mushroom Chicken Facon Grand Mère at GC Lurton Vineyards Alison’s Jambalaya at Mat

Napa, CA (September 30, 2025) – Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty (DP&F) is pleased to announce the addition of three new Associate Attorneys: Leslee Carroll, Nick Conti, and Elena Moreno. DP&F Litigation Group Grows by Two DP&F’s Litigation group, led by firm partner David Balter, grew by two associate attorneys this summer. This expansion serves DP&F’s commitment to delivering effective, efficient, and results-oriented solutions to help clients navigate civil litigation disputes. Leslee Carroll joined DP&F from a firm focused on construction litigation and has experience in all manner of civil litigation, including contract claims, tort actions, and property disputes. She received her law degree from the UC Davis School of Law, and her B.A. from UC Santa Barbara. Leslee is a member of the Richard M. Sangster American Inn of Court and serves on the board of Napa County Women Lawyers. Nick Conti worked in the field of special education law prior to j

Global Package holds ample inventory of wine and spirit bottles in local stock. This provides easy access to an attractive range of stock bottles, which gives you an effective, straightforward and rapid route to market for your brand and project.  We hold bottles from a range of international suppliers across Europe and Asia, connecting you with the best international innovation in bottle packaging.  This stock is held in our warehouses in California, Oregon, and North Carolina, covering East Coast and West Coast wineries and distilleries. We can deliver all across North America – to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We deliver our bottles straight from our warehouse to you.  We store our glass bottles in a clean, food-safe environment which is industry standard, however, we recommend you sparge or rinse the glass bottles before filling.  Pictured is the Eco Philos, an example of our Speciality DobleAlto collection from Estal, which we hold some quantitie

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

A “generic” label design might sound uninspired at first – but not when it comes from the hands of Caroline Becker, Head of Prepress & Marketing at CCL Label Trittenheim, where the labels were also brought to life. The concept perfectly balances creativity, technical finesse and visual storytelling.  These wine labels bring together romantic symbolism and modern branding through the depiction of an angel with a bow and arrow – a clear nod to Cupid, the classical figure of love and attraction. In this context, the angel becomes a playful metaphor: just as Cupid’s arrow makes hearts fall in love, this label aims to make consumers fall in love – first with the label and then with the product. (Read more about the power of labels in article “Choosing Wine is an Emotional Decision“!) Visually, the angel adds a sense of timeless elegance, while the bow and arrow bring movement and impact, reinforcing the emotio