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...

Halter Ranch Texas Becomes First Certified Organic Vineyard in Fredericksburg, TX

Esteemed Winemaker Kevin Sass to Begin Growing Organic Blanc du Bois Grapes this Summer. Paso Robles, CA (June 26, 2024) – Halter Ranch, a 2,700-acre nature estate located in the heart […]

Afternoon Brief, May 8th

In a Major Pinot Noir Purchase, Constellation Buys Sta. Rita Hills Icon Sea Smoke: The Santa Barbara County winery was a key player in the region’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay renaissance...

Afternoon Brief, August 18th

Potential Rain in Hurricane Hilary’s Wake Worrisome for Sonoma County Winegrowers: North Bay winemakers have been tracking the forecast closely, worried about what any rainfall could mean at this key time of year...

Afternoon Brief, June 24th

Climate Change Is Altering the Chemistry of Wine: Warming, wildfires and unpredictable weather threaten to disrupt the delicate processes that underlie treasured wines. Researchers and producers are innovating to keep ahead...

Afternoon Brief, May 27th

Armed Group Occupies Oldest Mexican Winery Over Water Shortage: People wielding machetes invaded the vineyard in the northern state of Coahuila this week, the company’s manager told Mexican media...

Afternoon Brief, May 20th

Hundreds of Sonoma Farmworkers May Have Been Exposed to Toxic Smoke During 2020 Wildfires: Amid a contentious debate over farmworker safety protocols in fire-prone Sonoma County, a new report says that hundreds of wine industry laborers were sent to work in close proximity to a pair of huge 2020 wildfires, leaving them potentially exposed to both flames and toxic smoke...

Afternoon Brief, March 2nd

Two Brits Charged in New York Over Massive Wine Fraud: Two British men have been charged by federal prosecutors in New York over claims of a massive wine fraud. It is alleged that the two men defrauded people into investing nearly US$100 million in loans supposedly backed by an inventory of fine wine that did not, in fact, exist...