Papapietro Perry Winery and Four Roses Bourbon Take Top Honors (March 6, 2026) — Winners have been announced in the fifth annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A pinot noir from Papapietro Perry (Sonoma County, Calif.) and a small batch bourbon from Four Roses Distillery (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) topped their fields to be named Best of the Best. The competition was established in 2022, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the United States. Judging took place February 18-19, 2026. Competition this year was stellar, says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine Competitions Management & Production: “Year after year, our judges continue to be impressed with the depth in each category. The quality of product was fantastic!” Wh

The unofficial flag of DTC marketing  — circa 2019 I once asked a pilot what it's like to fly a plane. The answer was "hours of boredom interrupted by brief moments of terror." Over the last decade, many wine merchants could say the same about piloting their DTC marketing. Following the lead of other industries, wine merchants developed a repeatable success formula, neatly summarized by Angelsmith, and adopted as the unofficial flag of an entire generation of DTC wine marketers. During the "rinse & repeat" era, wine marketing became boring and lucrative. Then our brief moments of terror came in the form of a pandemic upending our comfortable routines. Now that we've survived the pandemic, today's wine marketers face a choice. Retreat to the past or chart a new path to success in a changing marketplace.   But no matter how much we miss the past, we all know there's no going back.   AN URGENT NEED FOR A WINE MARKETING RENA

How have natural corks stayed on top of the wine world? Antonio Amorim’s efforts to make the cork business more innovative and sustainable have a lot to do with it Antonio Amorim has seen the closure industry change dramatically during his two decades at the helm of his family's 150-year-old cork business. (Courtesy of Amorim Cork) For centuries, cork has been the primary method of closing wine bottles. Then in the late 20th century came cheaper stoppers and—though not without some controversy—the value end of the market was suddenly awash in bottles topped with colorful plastic “corks” or metal screwcaps. That would have been alarming enough for a family cork business founded in 1870. But at the same time, high-end wineries were facing a problem with TCA taint, which could make wines smell and taste like musty cardboard or—in a way even worse for the producers—muted and boring, without being obviously flawed. The problem was largely blam

Afternoon Brief, October 18th

US Department of Labor Finds California Grape Grower Illegally Gave Wage, Hour Preference to H-2A Visa Holders at Expense of US Workers: Investigation recovers $54K in lost wages for 14 affected workers in Sonoma County...

Anaba Wines Sets a New Direction of Sustainable Winemaking with Updates to Turbine Portfolio

(September 1, 2022; Carneros, CA) – Anaba Wines, a premium producer of Rhône and Burgundy varietal wines from Sonoma County, has reimagined its popular Turbine line of wines with the debut […]

Gehricke Wines Announces Debut Release of Sonoma Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 

Innovative Négociant Representing Terroir-Driven Wines Announces Line Extension for its Flagship Sonoma Winery SONOMA, Calif. (June 7, 2022) – Gehricke Wines is pleased to announce the debut of the Sonoma-based winery’s first Sauvignon Blanc, […]

With inflation on the rise and delays across the supply chain driving prices up, BevZero knows that our customers are looking after their bottom line now more than ever. We are proud to help them experience dramatic reductions in power usage and associated costs when processing and storing wines with our signature PolarClad technology, a tank insulation system which keeps wines cool – without additional refrigeration.  We had a chance to speak with Royden Keeley, General Manager of BevZero Equipment brand PolarClad, to learn more about PolarClad equipment. PolarClad Tank Insulation is a thermal barrier, or external paneling, consisting of a three inch-thick sheet of polystyrene foam with a durable skin of aluminum or stainless steel. PolarClad Insulation maintains an internal tank temperature, dissipates ambient heat, and offers a thermal barrier shell which is resistant to weather, birds, and pests. PolarClad’s panels can also be cut to the precise shape and curvature

Wine on tap has its fair share of myths. We at Free Flow Wines want to debunk those myths and help wineries, restaurants, hotels, and other venues expand their zero-waste efforts by switching their by-the-glass wine programs from glass bottles to steel kegs.  Myth #1: Only low-quality wine is packaged in a keg & served on tap Quite the contrary! Quality preservation is the primary reason for pouring wines on tap. If a winery wants to sell on-premise, they may choose to keg their wine instead of bottling it. The steel keg will preserve freshness from the first pour to the last. Bottles used for by-the-glass programs can be problematic for a variety of reasons: Wine may be corked Bottles opened for too long will oxidize the wine Bottles are often not stored properly and can spoil the wine Glass bottles can expose the wine to sunlight or heat Staff may not be able to assess an opened bottle’s quality All these factors impact the consumer and their impression of that glass a

Constellation Brands Announces Establishments of a Dedicated Fine Wine & Craft Spirits Business Unit: Constellation Brands, Inc., a leading beverage alcohol company, today announced the promotions of three leaders in the company’s wine and spirits division and the establishment of a dedicated business unit focused on its Fine Wine & Craft Spirits brands... The post Afternoon Brief, March 31st appeared first on Wine Industry Advisor. Url:https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2021/03/31/afternoon-brief-1833?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=afternoon-brief-1833 Published Date:Wed, 31 Mar 2021 21:50:22 +0000