When wine enthusiasts visit a tasting room, they usually have a general knowledge of the winery’s reputation and its wine region. They’re looking forward to tasting and learning more about the wines and enjoying the culinary experience. They may research the area before traveling, follow the winery on social media, search Google, or reach out to friends and family for ideas on other things to do on their trip.  Visitors often ask tasting room staff for recommendations on places to stay, the best restaurants for dining, and other wineries and attractions to visit. While the winery team is always happy to help, they’re often too busy to help with more than a few quick suggestions.  Innovative mapping company HipMaps has a solution. The company works with a winery, chamber of commerce, grower association, hotel, or event organization to design a map customized to their needs and branded with their logo and style. The map can include anything from recommen

Afternoon Brief, December 8th

Additional Layoffs at Ste. Michelle Indicate On-Going Struggles: On December 6th, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE), the largest winery in the Pacific Northwest, announced a substantial layoff. The layoffs impacted approximately 7% of the company’s staff...

Afternoon Brief, April 6th

Jancis Robinson at Napa RISE: "The Younger You Are, the More Concerned You Are": On April 5, 2023, the world’s most famous wine writer, Jancis Robinson, made a rare in-person appearance in St. Helena, Calif., at Napa Green’s Napa Rise sustainability event, highlighting her pet peeves in packaging, green solutions and insights into global wine trends...

Afternoon Brief, April 27th

Wine Trade Faces Supply Chain, War Fallout After Record Year - OIV: Supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine could curb global wine trade after it rebounded last year to a record level as countries eased coronavirus-related restrictions, international wine body OIV said on Wednesday...

Afternoon Brief, June 14th

Wine Tourism Roars Back in Napa and Sonoma: After more than a year of shutdowns, reopenings, reclosings, fires, smoke and surging e-commerce and Zoom tastings, Napa and Sonoma wineries are seeing visitors come back to taste in person. Thus far, arrivals have exceeded many locals’ most optimistic expectations...