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

With so many wineries, lodgings, and wines along the Wine Road, the WineStopper Program highlights a different winery, lodging, and wine every week. It’s a great way to learn a little bit more about what’s happening along the Wine Road.  Recently, Spicy Vines in Healdsburg was the featured winery: Click Here to Learn More About the WineStopper Program...

Afternoon Brief, June 17th

Winery Owners, Guests Flee as Point Fire Erupts in Sonoma County Wine Region: Guests enjoying an afternoon of wine tasting at Capo Creek Winery on West Dry Creek Road were forced to flee after the wind-driven Point Fire broke out Sunday afternoon in the heart of one of Sonoma County’s most iconic wine regions...

DaVero Farms & Winery Hosts Summer Art Installation Celebrating Farming and Nature

Healdsburg, CA – June 17, 2024 – DaVero Farms & Winery, a regenerative biodynamic farm winery, is delighted to announce an exclusive summer art installation and two engaging events. From […]

Sales Trends and Predictions, Consumer Motivation, Wine Club Retention, Navigating Wholesale Distribution, Wine Marketing Winners, and MORE! Join us Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Santa Rosa, CA, for this one-day event focused on delivering insights, advice, and predictions from industry leaders and winery executives from thriving brands sharing their strategies for succeeding in this competitive landscape. The Symposium program will open with a keynote address by Ben Dollard, President of Treasury Americas, and continue with topics that cover insights into customer demographics, industry sales trends and predictions, luxury wine consumer motivations & behaviors, converting website traffic into revenue, wholesale channels success, wine club retention, and more! Session panels will host speakers from notable brands that include Clif Family Winery & Farm, Customer Vineyard, DaVero Farms & Winery, Distinguished Vineyards, Far Niente Family of Wines, Knights Bridge Winery, L

Afternoon Brief, April 17th

Ackley Brands Acquires Washington Wineries Columbia Winery and Hogue Cellars: Ackley Brands, a family-owned company based in Seattle that owns and operates premium beverage brands in the Pacific Northwest, has announced its acquisition of Columbia Winery and Hogue Cellars from Gallo...

The Partnership Will Feature a “Sonoma in the City” Cloud Club Theme & New Wine Region Video Series Building on the success of their partnership which began shortly before Spring Training this year, the Sonoma County Winegrowers and the San Francisco Giants are teaming up for a “Sonoma in the City” theme in the Cloud Club, one of Oracle Park’s private lounges. During twelve (12) home games from August 25 through September 13, the Cloud Club will exclusively feature wines, winegrowers and wineries from the iconic region.  The San Francisco Giants historic hiring of Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein last year established  the team as the first professional sports organization to invest in the wine industry. This partnership underscores the Giants dedication to providing exceptional gameday experiences by cultivating the look, taste and feel of Sonoma County throughout the Cloud Club for all visitors.  “This is an incredible opport