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

Afternoon Brief: NASEM Report Affirms Benefits of Moderate Drinking

The first of the two alcohol studies that will inform American drinking guidelines has been released...

Afternoon Brief: What Do Neo-Prohibitionists Really Want?

Organizations that advocate for more stringent policies around the sale and marketing of alcohol are gaining momentum. What does this mean for the beverage industry?...

LIGHTSABERS & JEDI IN THE WINE INDUSTRY Special Event Discussion on Technology in the Hands of Viticulturists   Vineyard Team announces a limited-space, intimate conversation with Cornell University’s distinguished researcher on precision viticulture, Dr. Terry Bates. On Monday, November 13, 2023, preceding the first day of the in-person Sustainable Ag Expo, Dr. Bates will lead a discussion on technology in the hands of viticulturists. The conversation will examine the metaphorical connection between lightsabers and skilled vine cultivators, and discuss how cutting-edge tools could transform modern viticulture. In 2021, the Precision Viticulture market was valued at $1,528.56 million US dollars. It is projected grow at a 9.17% compound annual growth rate over the next seven years, reaching $3,308.66 Million US dollars by 2030. (Verified Market Research, 2023) While growers have large spatial variations in soil, vine growth, and fruit yield, they

The Rich Smith Distinguished Service award honors the legacy of an icon in the U.S. wine industry who was integral in the creation of Winegrape Growers of America, WineAmerica and the National Grape Research Alliance. The Boards of the three organizations collaborated to honor the spirit and legacy of Rich Smith.  Smith, from California’s Monterey […] The post Nominations Open for Wine Industry ‘Distinguished Service’ Award appeared first on Wine Industry Advisor. Url:https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2020/09/23/nominations-open-distinguished-service-award?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nominations-open-distinguished-service-award Published Date:Wed, 23 Sep 2020 18:45:18 +0000