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

Afternoon Brief: September 5

e Napa Wineries Sue Napa County in Federal Court: After years of their concerns falling on deaf ears, three Napa wineries have joined forces to sue Napa County in federal court to address longstanding violations of constitutional rights. The participating wineries are Summit Lake Vineyard, Smith-Madrone Winery, and Hoopes Vineyard...

Afternoon Brief, February 8th

Napa County Puts Hoopes Winery Leader in Witness Stand: Napa County's attorneys put Lindsay Hoopes of Hoopes Family Vineyard in the witness stand to question her about alleged winery rule violations...

Napa Valley’s Lewis Cellars Launches Community Grants Program 

Winery to Award $175,000 in Local Grants to Provide Non-Profits, Youth Programs, Social Services, and Community Initiatives  NAPA, Calif. – February 8, 2024 – Today, Lewis Cellars announced the launch of […]

Afternoon Brief, September 20th

Wine Industry Analyst Weigh-in: JUSTIN’s Acquisition of Lewis Cellars: It has been a trend recently for wineries to acquire other production capability while eliminating overhead to streamline processes, yet offer a larger range of brands to consumers under one banner...

Wine Industry Analyst Weigh-in: JUSTIN’s Acquisition of Lewis Cellars

Wine Industry Advisor speaks to Rob McMillan, EVP of Silicon Valley Bank, about The Wonderful Company’s newest Napa label. —Barbara Barrielle The Wonderful Company is involved with almost every kind of agriculture and beverage business in California.The $5 billion privately held, Los Angeles-based firm is the brainchild of husband and wife Stewart and Lynda Resnick. […]

Afternoon Brief, September 1st

Paso Robles' Justin Vineyards and Winery Buys Napa's Lewis Cellars: Justin's owner, the Wonderful Company, aims to expand Lewis' audience while adding a luxury brand to their portfolio...

With new APIs from Wineshipping, customers can purchase wine via Commerce7 with a desired delivery date With new APIs from Wineshipping, customers can purchase wine via Commerce7 with a desired delivery date With new APIs from Wineshipping, customers can purchase wine via Commerce7 with a desired delivery date With new APIs from Wineshipping, customers can purchase wine via Commerce7 with a desired delivery date Wineshipping and Commerce7 have announced a new partnership in the form of an API which empowers end-customers to choose their own delivery date. This long-requested feature reduces failed delivery attempts and returns, saving wineries considerable cost and provides customers with a better shopping experience. Users can see estimated package delivery dates for various service levels, empowering them to make more informed choices. “The majority of returns are the result of failed delivery attempts, costing wineries and their clients huge amounts of money. Estimated d