We’re not debating calories or whether that charcuterie board counts as an appetizer or dinner. We're talking about the IRS tightening the rules for deductible meals.  Starting January 1, 2026, some winery meals that have historically been deductible will become completely nondeductible. Same harvest crew. Same pizza. Different tax result. Here is what changes and what does not. 1. Harvest Meals on Winery Premises Zero Deduction Beginning in 2026 If you provide meals at the winery so employees can keep working, those meals will no longer be deductible starting in 2026. That includes: Crush pad dinners Bottling day lunches Late night production meals served on site For years these were deductible. Beginning in 2026, they are not. If harvest meals are a routine part of your operations, this is worth budgeting for now. 2. Occasional Overtime Meal Reimbursements Possibly Still 50 Percent Deductible If an employee unexpectedly works late and you reimburse them for dinner, tha

Wine is so simple…and so complex.  It’s just fermented grape juice. But its magic—color, aroma, taste, and pure pleasure—depend on myriad factors like grape variety, region, vintage, sugar-acid-pH ratios, picking dates, winemaker decisions, and so much more. It’s a perfect blend of art and science, and one of life’s greatest pleasures. It’s also a source of 1,750,363 jobs, including nearly 50,000 in agriculture that are not even directly related to winery employment. In the Supplier category there are 41,551 agricultural jobs, and another 7,523 in the Induced category. The American wine industry is first and foremost a farming industry that could not exist without a large, skilled and dedicated labor force as well as the trellises, tractors, harvesters, and supplies needed to grow good grapes that make great wine at a reasonable price. There are 10,761 wine producers and 763,080 vineyard acres in the United States, and all 50 states produ

When the job demands early starts or late-night work, lighting is crucial for safety, productivity, and efficiency. Papé Rents offers a selection of high-quality light towers designed to keep your job site operational no matter the time of day. Whether you're working on road construction, forestry operations, emergency repairs, or remote projects, our rental fleet ensures you have reliable lighting when and where you need it. Light Towers Built for the Toughest Jobs Papé Rents provides durable, fuel-efficient light towers designed to meet the demands of any job site, including forestry, site prep, and infrastructure projects. Whether you’re harvesting timber in remote locations, paving roads overnight to avoid traffic disruptions, or running heavy equipment on long-haul projects, having proper illumination is key to keeping operations safe and efficient. Our Doosan portable light towers are built to withstand rugged environments, offering: High-lumen LED o

Andy White, an Account Manager at Lumo and the author of this article, installing a Lumo smart valve.  I need to be honest with you about something…I had the idea for Lumo ten years ago. Well, that might be an overstatement. But at some point, I realized the flow meter was key for automation accountability. In fact, I’d bet you half the vineyard managers in Napa have had that idea at one point or another, because we’ve all found ourselves at the altar of the irrigation gods, praying that nothing is going terribly wrong with that automated timer system we set up a week ago and haven’t had a chance to go back to check on. And sure, from the outside looking in, you might wonder what would drive a vineyard manager to use a system with no built-in accountability, no remote control, no leak alerts or visibility into how much water you’re applying. Why would you put yourself in that position? It’s obviously not where you want to be. Of course it&

US’ Shamier Little passes on the baton to Bryce Deadmon in the mixed 4x400m relay heat at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP It began years ago, and every day, we have the chance to cross the finish line strong. How we got here is not by accident; rather, it is the result of vision, dedication, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. It started years ago with a vision of a brand. The starting gun may have shot off generations ago, or perhaps it was more recent. Someone somewhere had the idea to set down roots and create a brand. Significant investment was made in the vineyard sources, the winery and production facility, and of course, in the tasting room. The vineyard crew has one of the hardest jobs in our industry. From being outside in the early pre-dawn hours in the cold to working in soaring temperatures during the heat of harvest, these crews show up and are rarely recognized. They face spiders, snakes, and yellow jackets that want to leave a mark. They

Brian Carter Cellars is looking for a qualified winemaking intern for fall of 2024. Join our small team in making handmade wines in Woodinville, Washington. The job commences the end of August and terminates sometime in November.  Location: Woodinville, WA Click Here to Learn More

According to AI, ChatGPT specifically, AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the simulation of human intelligence in computer systems, enabling them to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making. So, does that mean AI is going to take all the jobs? No… but it could mean those who don’t embrace AI will be replaced with those who do. AI should complement, not replace people and traditional marketing. If we do embrace AI, then how do we do so? And how do we avoid sounding like ‘AI’? First, play with it. Try things on a personal level like meal planning, grocery list compiling, finding a place to live, dating, health care, and more. Playing with it on a personal level is less intimidating for many. ChatGPT is NOT a search engine or a data storage but rather an effective tool to apply to our own data and find patterns or brainstorm beyond what we can personally come up with. To get

As the cellar master of Krug, Julie Cavil has one of the most revered and respected jobs in Champagne. She explains the creative process behind the flagship Grande Cuvée, how Krug evolves over time and how the 2022 vintage is shaping up. How did it feel to become Krug’s first female cellar master? Rather than saying I’m the first female cellar master, I’d simply say I’m the eighth cellar master in the history of the house. It’s my job to perpetuate the dream of the house’s founder, Joseph Krug, each year with a new Édition of Krug Grande Cuvée. I’ve been with Krug since 2006 and prior to becoming cellar master, I was winemaking director and a member of the tasting committee alongside former chef de cave Eric Lebel. The transition was seamless for us. I work with an immensely talented team on many projects, which keeps my job interesting.  Krug Grande Cuvée is made from a blend of up to 120 wines from more than