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

Do Fining Agents Require Filtration? Maybe you've seen debates on Reddit or brewing & winemaking forums. Do you really have to filter out Biofine? “I don't need to filter. My product is already clear, so surely racking off the Biofine is enough…right?” Heck, maybe filtering out Biofine didn't even occur to you at all. “You mean I have to filter out my filter additive? That makes no sense!” While there are many areas where the US government could stand to be more transparent, the question of whether you need to filter after using Biofine (a.k.a silicon dioxide) is completely clear—no pun intended. For breweries, here's what the FDA has to say: § 172.480 Silicon dioxide (c) It is used or intended for use as a stabilizer in the production of beer, and is removed from the beer by filtration prior to final processing. And lest you think they forgot about wineries: § 27 CFR 24.246 - Materials authorized for the treatment

Afternoon Brief: Wine Market Council Tackles Domestic Wine Industry's Current Setbacks

This past April 2 at the 2025 Wine Market Council (WMC) Annual Research Conference and Members Meeting, held in the City of Napa, there were some illuminating discussions on the overall state of the American wine industry...

Afternoon Brief: New Study Shows Pierce’s Disease Investment Saves Winegrape Growers $56 Million Annually

According to a study released today, the California Department of Food and Agricultures Pierces disease (PD) and glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) prevention, control and research efforts save California winegrape growers $56 million annually by reducing losses from the fatal grapevine disease...

Steam is hot!! And it does a business good – in so many ways. From improved cleaning and sanitation to tackling everything from sterilizing soil to sanitizing tanks and barrels, steam is  incredibly versatile. And today’s forward-thinking companies, from wineries to medical facilities to municipalities, are taking notice. So how can you get steamed up? Do you know all of Steam’s super powers? Steam kills germs, viruses, and bacteria. You may not be able to see viruses, bacterias, molds, mildews and other potentially infectious pathogens with your naked eye, but it’s everywhere around you. Because of steam’s high temperatures (over 212 F), it penetrates surface pores, and removes dirt, debris, bacteria, and other tiny elements with hot vapor molecules, that are able to kill even the strongest pathogens like E. Coli and Salmonella. Steam is the best degreaser. When steam is propelled through a nozzle, it cleans grease better than any other

Today's #winebiz news for #wineindustry professionals...  Finally, Some Good News About Smoke Taint Smoke taint is a scourge that can ruin a harvest. But as Jeff Siegel discovers, research has unlocked some answers...

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