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

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

The fog along the California coast is alive — it flows from the Pacific Ocean up through passes in the protective coastal ranges and into the valleys like a tide. It rises into the hills and breathes before slowly receding to the valley floors and retreating through the mountains, across the sands and into the ocean waters. Toward the north, these fogs nurture the redwoods, and all along the coast, they provide relief from hot daytime temperatures for many wine country vineyards. The Niner Estate vineyards are near Paso Robles, about 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean. They are protected from the cold maritime winds by the Santa Lucia mountain range that parallels the coastline. One of the valleys the fog creeps through is the nearby Templeton Gap. For over a decade, Niner Wine Estates’ winemaker Patrick Muran has been crafting the Fog Catcher Bordeaux blend that he says is “named after the cool banks of fog we often see drifting over our vineyards on early mornings in

Afternoon Brief: Wine Industry Network Recognizes 5 Companies with 2024 WINnovation Awards

The winners of Wine Industry Networks 12th annual WINnovation Awards for excellence in wine industry innovation are...

Wineries can now offer bubbles from California’s mid-state AVA Manveer Sandhu Rack & Riddle, the #1 custom sparkling wine producer in the United States, has expanded their portfolio of wine offerings to include two new sparkling wines from California’s Central Coast region.  Rack & Riddle’s new Central Coast Sparkling Wine Program includes a Méthode Champenoise Brut and a Rosé. Vineyard sourcing is from the Central Coast American Viticultural Area. This region includes Monterey Bay and Santa Lucia Highlands sub-AVA’s, places long prized for growing cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, ideal for crafting premium sparkling wines. “The Central Coast, with its maritime influence, is a region optimal for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir,” said Rack & Riddle Executive Director of Winemaking Manveer Sandhu, “Elegant grapes with bright acidity are grown in this AVA, ideal for making premium sparkling wines f

Afternoon Brief, April 23rd

Wine Industry Makes Sustainability Push with New Packaging Alliance: A new alliance of wine brands is launching a push for sustainable packaging solutions across the US wine industry...

A Dazzling New Addition to Our Premium Méthode Champenoise Custom Label Wines! Elevate Your Portfolio with an Exquisite NV Sparkling Wine from California’s Central Coast! From Monterey Bay to the Santa Lucia Mountains, comes our Central Coast Brut! California’s Central Coast is renowned for its exceptional fruit and decadent wines celebrated for their depth of flavors. It’s maritime environment creates the perfect conditions for growing premium grapes used in our Central Coast blend. Book Central Coast Brut Production Now For Spring & Summer 2024 Release We are currently booking production starting in April 2024. Production slots are limited. BOOK YOUR RELEASE DATE

From premium label design and production to a people-first culture to an industry-leading sustainability initiative, “innovation” drives all aspects of Eurostampa’s business. One of the leading global suppliers of high-quality labels for the premium spirits and food industry, Eurostampa has six production facilities throughout North America and Europe – including headquarters in Bene Vagienna, Italy, and Cincinnati, OH, USA. The company’s mission to “create beauty that inspires emotions” is made possible only by its people’s passion to elevate the standards of what a label can be. Family has been at the heart of Eurostampa’s business since Luciano Cillario started the company in 1966 in Italy. After running the business for almost 60 years, Cillario turned the business over earlier this year to his sons, Gianmario (chief executive officer), Gianfranco (head of European facilities), and Giuseppe (global sales and marketing director)

Afternoon Brief, August 29th

E & J. Gallo’s Luxury Wine Group Announces Acquisition of World-Renowned Rombauer Vineyards: E. & J. Gallo’s Luxury Wine Group announced today that it has reached an agreement with the Rombauer family to purchase Rombauer Vineyards, producer of critically acclaimed wines from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, the Sierra Foothills, and the Santa Lucia Highlands...