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

Global wine consumption in 2024 is estimated by the Organisation of Vine & Wine (OIV) to have reached 214.2 million hectolitres, down 3.3% versus 2023 and the lowest level since 1961. In its recently-published 2024 industry report, the OIV attributed the decline in consumption – which has “followed a relatively steady trajectory since 2018” – to significantly reduced Chinese demand and the post-pandemic inflation surge which, although having cooled since 2023, still restricts consumer purchasing power to this day. Elevated input costs have made it harder for wine to compete against alternative beverages able to charge a lower price per unit of alcohol.  The OIV estimated global production in 2024 at 225.8 million hectolitres, 4.8% down versus 2023 and, again, the lowest level since 1961. This is attributable to climactic conditions but also market adjustments, as vineyards get mothballed or pulled out altogether in response to low winegrape demand. Glo

The Southern Hemisphere harvests have wound down and their sizes seem variable: while Argentina’s and South Africa’s appear to have come in close to their downwardly-adjusted averages, Chile’s is estimated to be approximately 25% short; the crop sizes in Australia and New Zealand remain harder to quantify, with some grapes – mainly reds in the former, whites in the latter – unpicked to assist in balancing supply.  It is mid-spring in the Northern Hemisphere, meanwhile, and despite some inclement weather across Europe through March, the vineyards of France, Italy and Spain appear in good condition. March was also wet in much of California, which has now experienced three consecutive winters of average or above-average snowpack for the first time since 1998-2000. It likely that the grape market more than conditions will dictate the 2025 harvest size in California, judging by the number of vineyards across the state yet to be pruned.  The bulk mark

The 2025 harvests in the Southern Hemisphere are now in full swing and the picture – so far – is mixed: white grape tonnages have been exceeding expectations in Australia and bunches are large and heavy in New Zealand, but Argentina and South Africa’s crops appear to be – at best – on course for their downwardly-adjusted long-term averages, while Chile’s crush could come in significantly short due to a hotter-than-normal growing season reducing yields.  Globally speaking, the bulk market can be characterised as slow and steady since mid-February, with the Southern Hemisphere focused on harvest and demand in the Northern Hemisphere dampened by flat or declining retail sales and, in Spain, some elevated pricing on those wines most needed in Europe: generics, and especially generic white. Outside of generic white, few if any wines are making bulk-market waves as need is not pressing.  Pockets of activity have arisen: domestic demand in Chile

Planning a year’s worth of winery marketing campaigns might seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! This guide offers 60 winery marketing campaigns—a mix of traditional ideas, trending concepts, and fresh ways to tie into wine holidays and cultural moments. Whether you tackle five campaigns or all 60, you’ll find plenty of ways to connect with your audience, build loyalty, and sell more wine. January – Fresh Starts and Cozy Comfort Start the year by replenishing wine racks, embracing wellness trends, and celebrating comfort. Restock the Wine Rack: Give customers a reason to restock their post-holiday shelves with irresistible case discounts. January Blues Buster: Warm up dreary winter days with a winery marketing campaign focused on bold reds and bubbly wines paired with hearty recipes. Dry January Wellness Kits: Stay on-trend with non-alcoholic bundles featuring sparkling water, herbal teas, and a voucher for tastings next month. Super Bowl Prep: Fo

HEALDSBURG — The owners and management at Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estates at 4155 Wine Creek Road pay particular attention to sustainability in the winery and vineyard, where the company has made significant strides in solar energy efficiency and water conservation. “Our reservoir is filled by winter and spring rains, and provides 100 percent of our water needed for irrigating our vineyards, thus eliminating the need to divert much-needed water from our drought-depleted rivers and streams,” said Chief Financial Officer Jeff Cummings. “Today we have a solar energy system providing 99.9 percent of our electricity needs. The only exception is a single water pump powered by a separate line. "We haven’t paid a penny for power since turning on this system". Excess electricity produced by this solar array is fed back into the grid, and our invoice from PG&E showed a big credit on the first anniversary after installing the panels. For us, this is z

As the end of 2024 approaches, we are able to look back over a year on the global bulk market that was, despite common perception, different from its predecessor. December 2023’s Global Report began: “A year of flat or declining wine sales owing to consumer pessimism draws to a close with bulk markets exhibiting the same slowness they have done throughout the previous eleven months.” But the bulk market of 2024 has reassumed something of its traditional character, i.e., with activity levels differing between supplier countries, very crudely summarised as follows: short and active (Chile, Italy), long and less active (California, France), elevated in price therefore less active (Spain, Argentina), steady (Australia), and very low on stock (South Africa).  The main cause of any activity upswings and/or elevated prices has not been increases in retailer/distributor demand – which has remained patchy – but two consecutive years of lighter crops: the OIV&

The Northern Hemisphere crops are now well underway and the early suspicion is that most if not all will come in average-sized as best. This is due to climatic but also market factors, with vineyard economising and removals – and some grapes going unpicked – in response to slow grape and bulk wine markets. As this month’s Italy page states: “Over the next few years, the industry will undergo a reset, losing vineyard area and businesses, and emerging on the other side more profitable.” Wine sales at North American and European retail continue to be squeezed by hesitant consumer spending on non-essential items. The tide of post-pandemic inflation has gone out, but it has left behind a residual feeling among consumers that the price of most things is noticeably higher now than it was four years ago, a feeling borne out by the reality: in many cases, earnings increases have lagged inflation, reducing spending power. The resulting economic pessimism – ev

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