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

Martinez Orchards, Inc. has been a trusted name in grapevine nursery production since 1969, when founder Dan Martinez Sr. began growing grapevine rootstock in Winters, California. What started as a simple farming venture has grown into one of the most respected grapevine nurseries in the industry — known for exceptional plant material and hands-on care rooted in family tradition. Nestled along the fertile sandy loam soils of Winters and Putah Creek, Martinez Orchards specializes in producing field grown dormant vines and rootings, as well as greenhouse grown grapevines — all developed under rigorous quality standards that set them apart in the trade. A Legacy of Quality and Care Today, the company is run by Dan Martinez Jr. alongside longtime partner Santiago Moreno and vineyard veteran Ernie Bowman, who carry forward the same work ethic and devotion to quality that defined the business from the beginning. Despite growing to produce millions of plants annually, the team sti

Bouchard Cooperages is very proud to represent Tonnellerie Damy, based in Meursault, one of the most prestigious cooperages in Burgundy. Tonnellerie Damy, and its French Sales Manager Étienne Martin, work exclusively with their neighbor and client Domaine Élodie Roy in Maranges. This important producer uses Damy barrels exclusively for its production of chardonnay, aligoté and pinot noir. For those interested, the same Damy barrels Élodie Roy uses for the production of these wines are currently available from stock inventory in California, Oregon, Washington, Virginia and Ontario. Tonnellerie Damy - Meursault, France Tonnellerie Damy was founded in 1946 and is managed by third generation Jérôme Damy who overseas the production of 18,000 barrels per year. The cooperage represents a state of the art facility located in Meursault, Burgundy. The majority of Damy's barrels are made from single origin French Oak, sourced from the most

Wine fulfillment isn’t just about getting bottles from point A to B—it’s about delivering an exceptional customer experience while keeping costs under control. In this Wine Sales Symposium session, Devin Joshua and Jim silver from WineDirect will break down the key strategies wineries can use to streamline fulfillment, minimize expenses, and enhance customer loyalty. From smart inventory management to optimizing packaging, discover how the right fulfillment approach can drive both efficiency and satisfaction. Join us at the Wine Sales Symposium, May 14 at the Hyatt in Santa Rosa. The Secret to Seamless Wine Fulfillment: How to Reduce Costs While Improving Customer Satisfaction Register with promo code: WINEDIRECT2025 to get $20 off the ticket price Devin Joshua, VP of Fulfillment Sales Devin Joshua is a seasoned wine industry executive and currently serves as Vice President of Fulfillment Sales at WineDirect. With more than 25 years of experience across nearly every t

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

Each Family Has Continuously Farmed Land for More than 100 Years The image of vibrant farms and rugged ranches set among Sonoma County’s beautiful landscapes has long been sought after by tourists, painters and photographers. The sheer beauty has always stood out, but, given that the area’s first vineyards date back to 1812, it is the region’s agrarian roots and family legacy that makes Sonoma County unique. Today, twenty-two local families, all winegrape growers, were recognized as the original members of the “Century Club” in honor of their continuously farming their family’s original land for more than one hundred years. Sonoma County Winegrowers created the Century Club to mark the unique legacies of farm families in the region and it will recognize new families with the honor as they hit the one-hundred-year mark in the years ahead. Each of these farms – and the families behind them – have endured the ups and downs of the cyclical

JUNE 28, 2024 – Winners have been announced in the 17th annual Women’s International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWWSC). The competition, which took place June 10-12 in Santa Rosa, Calif., was founded on the premise that the majority of wine purchased for home consumption is bought by women. The IWWSC judging panels consist entirely of professional women in the wine and spirits industries — winemakers, distillers, marketers, buyers, sommeliers, educators and journalists.  “As always, the International Women’s Wine & Spirits Competition shined a spotlight on hundreds of deserving wines,” says Debra Del Fiorentino, owner of Wine Competitions Management & Production, which organizes and presents IWWSC. “And even though entry is open to all winemakers regardless of gender, I found it gratifying that six of this year’s sweepstakes wines were created by women. And our overall wine winner also was named Best Woman Winemaker

Daryl Siverly, Laboratory Supervisor - Martinelli Winery & Vineyards Before purchasing the SPICA, we ran all the enzymatics manually, which is horrible since it takes such a long time. We would get results at 4pm on a very busy crush day, when the winemakers require the results around 1:00pm or 12:00pm. Sometimes we would have to re-run samples due to human error or pipetting issues. Therefore, occasionally it would be 5:00pm before we had acceptable results. 2023 crush was the highest tonnage we've ever harvested, with SPICA we had results by 11:00am or 12:00pm. The winemakers were very happy because they had all their results quickly, so they knew what the next production movements would be in a timely manner. That in turn got the work orders quicker to the cellar crew. So, the entire production team was helped by SPICA’s efficiency, accuracy and repeatability.    The winemakers are confident in SPICA’s numbers, especially when it pertains to e

OAK FARM VINEYARDS AND STEELBOUND DISTILLERY TAKE TOP HONORS IN 2024 LOS ANGELES INVITATIONAL WINE & SPIRITS CHALLENGE  MARCH 6, 2024 – Winners have been announced in the third annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A Barbera from Oak Farm Vineyards in Lodi, Calif., and a Bourbon from Steelbound Brewery & Distillery in Ellicotville, N.Y., 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 26-28, 2024. Says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine & Spirits Competitions Management & Production, “The competition grew again this year to attract close to 1,100 entries, and our

Afternoon Brief, October 27th

To Boeschen, committing to this small safety net in times of emergency isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s the way labor relations are headed in the wine business...