The ninth annual Rich Smith Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the American grape and wine industry was presented today to Emily Hodson, the winemaker at Veritas Vineyards and Winery, a co-owner of Flying Fox Vineyards and Winery, and an active leader in the Virginia wine industry. Members of the Smith family and sponsoring organizations present the Rich Smith award to Emily Hodson (third from left). The prestigious award annually reflects the spirit and accomplishments of the late Richard (Rich) Smith, founder of Valley Farm Management and Smith Family Wines in California’s Santa Lucia Highlands wine region in Monterey County. Rich was first and foremost a family man, but also a successful grape grower and winery owner, and a highly respected colleague known for the combination of passion, commitment and collaboration which helped advance the American grape and wine industry. Ever since Rich passed away in December 2015, three organizations—WineAmerica, N

Guala Closures North America will be promoting the most luxurious aluminum wine closures manufactured in North America – WAK and Savin. The WAK closure combines tradition and innovation to deliver the benefits of an aluminum closure with the look of a traditional cork. As used by trusted customers Caymus, Coppercane, Hope Family wines and John Anthony Cellars. Guala’s SAVIN PREMIUM closure offers a sleek sided closure, showing no visible thread, with a patented aluminum insert – compared to other plastic alternatives in market. This delivers a premium and sustainable choice for wine customers to highlight the value of their brand. As used by trusted customers Constellation and Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. Guala Closures also offers the Blossom sustainable range of closures specific to the wine industry, as well as QR coded liners and aluminum closures for sparkling wines, alongside safety closures and bar-tops. Guala Closures Unified Symposium Booth: 1218 Guala Closu

Afternoon Brief, June 12th

Sonoma County Wine Auction to Be Hosted at Historic Chateau St. Jean Winery: Sonoma County Vintners Foundation is delighted to announce that the charitable Sonoma County Wine Auction has been renamed as the Sonoma County Wine Celebration and will be held at the beautiful Chateau St. Jean Winery on Saturday, September 21...

Afternoon Brief, April 2nd

North Coast Wine Challenge Begins Tuesday: How do organizers conceal the identities of the entries in this blind tasting?...

Afternoon Brief, March 13th

North Coast Wine Industry Cautiously Optimistic as 2024 Grape Season Starts: Wine grape growers and vintners are cautiously optimistic as the 2024 season gets underway for the North Coast crop...

Afternoon Brief, February 27th

US FTC Suing to Block $25 Billion Kroger-Albertsons Supermarket Deal: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and eight states said on Monday they are suing to block supermarket chain Kroger's $24.6 billion deal to buy smaller rival Albertsons, saying it would boost grocery prices for millions of Americans...

Afternoon Brief, October 26th

Washington State University's Sensor-Laden Chardonnay Block Collects Data for AI Scientists and Offers Demonstrations for Growers: Automating vineyard irrigation requires a network of sensors, solar panels, wires and data loggers that can be at risk of run-ins with equipment. That’s one of the first lessons the engineers learned at Washington State University’s Smart Vineyard demo farm in Prosser...

Afternoon Brief, July 25th

Alexandre de Lur Saluces, Longtime Proprietor at Bordeaux’s Château d’Yquem, Dies at 89: The aristocrat was a global ambassador for the Sauternes icon, then waged a bitter battle to prevent LVMH’s takeover...

Afternoon Brief, July 11th

PD/GWSS Winegrape Assessment Set at $1.25 for 2023 Harvest: To continue funding crucial research combating winegrape pests and diseases, the Pierce’s Disease/Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Board kept the PD/GWSS Winegrape Assessment rate at $1.25 per $1,000 value for the 2023 harvest...