Sonoma County Winegrowers Reorganizes to Scale Proven Collaborations and Unlock National Growth Opportunities  At its annual Dollars & $ense meeting today, themed, “The Next Chapter: Elevating What Works and Expanding What’s Possible,” Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW) announced a strategic reorganization and renewed organizational focus to build demand, expand partnerships, and increase sales of Sonoma County wines to support long-term grower success. The moves reflect a proactive response to an evolving marketplace and are designed to ensure Sonoma County remains competitive, relevant, and well-positioned for future growth. Moving forward, Jennifer Dieckmann, currently Chief Operating Officer of Sonoma County Winegrowers, will assume the role of Executive Director and COO, leading the organization’s day-to-day operations, program execution, and team leadership, while maintaining operational excellence and strengthening grower and stakeholder engagement

The California Department of Food & Agriculture has announced it has certified the votes on the referendum to continue the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, also known as the Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW), for another five years.  Garnering 85.77% percent of the vote, winegrape growers strongly supported continuation of the organization.  The Commission was established in 2006 and is required by California law to conduct a grower vote every five years to determine if they want to continue to be assessed to fund the organization.    “It is very gratifying to see the efforts of the Commission recognized and supported by the very people who fund it and make all the great work possible,” said Bret Munselle, chairman of the SCW board of directors and owner of Munselle Vineyards.  He added, “Through the assessment, the growers have been personally investing in promoting Sonoma County for nearly 20 years and with this vote, SCW will continue

Enhanced Bird Deterrent Technology for Vineyards Takes Flight with New Identity When the grapes are ripe and the birds are hungry, there’s no better vineyard protection than a sharp-eyed peregrine falcon soaring above the vines. Just a glimpse of this bird of prey sends starlings and other destructive flocks fleeing. Historically, wineries have installed netting to try to protect their crops, especially their most prized grapes. While effective, netting is also expensive, and installation and removal are labor-intensive. Other safeguards, such as cannons, broadcast distress calls, streamers or stationary decoys, offer fleeting results and can be intrusive.  Ten years ago, Falcon Crop Protection developed an innovative and cost-effective solution: realistic kites that mimic the shape and predatory movements of a peregrine falcon as it soars from a tall fiberglass pole. With just a slight breeze, the kite takes flight and patrols all day, triggering birds’ natural f

Planned Activations Will Bring Sonoma County Wines to Game Day and Beyond SANTA ROSA, Calif. (November 7, 2024) – Continuing on their growing success in bringing its world-class wines to new and divergent audiences, Sonoma County Winegrowers is teaming up with one of the NFL’s most storied franchises, the Chicago Bears, to introduce, share and immerse fans in Chicagoland with all things about Sonoma County wine. This is the latest sports partnership and the first NFL team sponsorship for Sonoma County Winegrowers which also has collaborations ongoing with the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Rockets. “We are very excited to partner with the Chicago Bears and share our Sonoma County wines with their legendary fans and team,” said Karissa Kruse, president and chief executive officer of the Sonoma County Winegrowers. She added, “We love to reach new audiences in memorable ways and let them experience all that makes Sonoma County a world-class region for g

By Nick Thomas October 3, 2024 9:54 pm (Washington Examiner) Wine consumption globally is continuing its downward trend, and some winemakers and other industry players are failing to see what could be an existential crisis for the nectar of the gods.  Wine has been facing a long-term structural decline for some time. Major wine markets such as France and Italy have indeed been in such decline for decades while the United States, the world’s most valuable market for wine, appears to be in a downward cycle, according to industry body IWSR.  The reasons for such decline are multiple, including a trend toward drinking moderation. But one key area is the apparent di culty of attracting younger generations to wine. “The wine category is becoming increasingly reliant on older drinkers, thanks to a number of factors, including aging populations in regions such as Europe, and a challenge recruiting younger LDA (legal drinking age) consumers in certain markets,” accor

After veraison, as grapes develop their enticing color in the vineyard, the age-old battle between man and nature — in the form of hungry birds — begins. Vintners and farmers have experimented with gas cannons, reflective flash tape, sonic sound systems, drones and netting to scare off their voracious flying opponents. But, the noise of cannons and sonics can irritate neighbors, and drones and netting are labor intensive, making them too expensive to maintain. Nature often provides the best solution, and in the case of birds raiding vineyards, the natural solution is birds of prey like falcons. Small birds' instinctive fear of their natural predators causes the flock to shift direction, saving the crop from invasion. After five decades in the bird abatement business, Falcon Crop Protection has an intimate knowledge of bird behavior and has brought this knowledge to wine country after their marketing manager moved to Healdsburg, launching Falcon Crop Protection to help

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

February 9, 2024 – Novato, CA – The California Department of Food and Agriculture Preliminary Grape Crush Report, containing tons crushed and prices of wine grapes sold during the 2023 harvest, has been released. The Crush Report provides growers and wineries insight into the inventory position of the California wine business as a whole and influences market dynamics for the current bulk wine market and grape market.  The 2023 Crush Report, coming in at a total of 3.6 million tons, fails to capture the full story of the 2023 harvest. The crop would have been considerably larger if not for soft demand and disease pressure that caused some acres to go unharvested. Despite the size of the overall crop, most wineries found themselves with an excess supply amid challenging conditions in consumer sales.  For specific details on 2023 harvest, see below: Key Insights by Region   Tons Crushed 2023 Tons Crushed 2022 Net Gain/Loss Equivalent Gallons

Afternoon Brief, May 15th

Wine Industry Sales Symposium (WISS) a Success: Last week’s Wine Industry Sales Symposium, presented by Wine Industry Network (WIN), proved to be an unparalleled platform for learning and networking...

Afternoon Brief, November 14th

The Science Behind UV Light in Vineyards: Wine regions that receive higher levels of UV light are finding it comes with unexpected challenges—and benefits...