We have had some organizational changes over the last year that we want to share. First, one of our co-founders Ward Wilson took a well earned retirement late in 2024. Ward was there from start as we built Azmera from a thought that maybe there was a play for a company to support JD Edwards in the wine industry, to a broader systems and process consulting company that also services agriculture as well as wine. We wish Ward and his wife Jackie a long and enjoyable retirement in Portugal. Then in July, Jared Dalton joined Azmera as a partner. Jared has a background in finance and operations at several wine businesses and has been consulting with Azmera for the last couple of years. Jared brings a different viewpoint, experience, and skillset to Azmera that we expect to open up a lot of opportunities. You can read more of Jared's background here. Related to that, we have been working with Jared over the last few months to bring some new offerings to the wine industry. Stay tuned as ov

In this powerful episode of the WIN Insider Series, George Christie sits down with Anna Brittain, Executive Director of Napa Green and visionary behind the Napa RISE Climate & Wine Symposium. Anna shares her inspiring journey from growing up in Napa Valley to shaping one of the wine industry’s most progressive sustainability programs. From international climate work in Vietnam to leading local action in California, Anna brings a global perspective and deep-rooted passion for environmental leadership.

Irvine, CA — Corksy, the modern DTC platform built for wineries, is proud to announce that Jose Pria has joined the team as Vice President of Client Experience. Pria brings nearly eight years of leadership from WineDirect, where he served as VP of Customer Success, helping some of the industry’s most recognized wine brands optimize their direct-to-consumer operations. In his new role at Corksy, Pria will lead all facets of client experience, including onboarding, support, and long-term client success, with a focus on delivering the personalized, proactive service that today’s wineries expect. His deep knowledge of the DTC wine landscape and his passion for helping brands thrive will play a key role as Corksy continues its mission to help wineries sell more wine through modern tools and exceptional support. “I’m excited to join a company where the client experience is woven into the DNA of the business,” said Jose Pria. “Corksy isn’t just

You can glean a lot of information about a wine from the label. The next time you walk down a wine aisle, you may notice that you feel comfortable with the common terms and symbols like vintage, place of origin, and percent alcohol, but feel some confusion when you see some of the increasingly present ones like natural, vegan, and organic. In this week’s Marketing Tip, we’re giving you a green wine glossary: 5 common wine designations defined so you’ll wonder no longer.   Your Green Wine Glossary Vegan  Not every wine fits a vegan lifestyle. During the winemaking process, small particles can cause haziness or unwanted flavor properties. Winemakers can add a fining agent that will bind to these tiny particles and make them large enough to be filtered out. Many fining agents are animal-based – for example: egg whites, casein, and gelatin. Wine that was fined with any of these materials cannot be considered vegan. Vegan wines include those that

OrderPort Appoints Chief Executive Officer Wine industry technology veteran, Jim Agger, joins OrderPort to lead growth Bellevue, WA (April 24, 2025) - OrderPort, a leading provider of software dedicated to the needs of wineries and beverage alcohol producers, today announced it has appointed Jim Agger as Chief Executive Officer. Jim joins OrderPort after developing 15 years of wine industry technology experience across software, eCommerce, logistics, and compliance. Jim Agger is a highly accomplished industry veteran who will lead OrderPort's next chapter of growth. Over the last dozen years, Jim has served in roles of escalating responsibility at WineDirect, where he most recently served as Chief Revenue Officer and was responsible for the SaaS platform and eCommerce business unit. He also has experience scaling a compliance technology platform at ShipCompliant, where he was the Sales and Business Development Manager. His industry experience started at FedEx Services where

Yandell Companies announces that Rick Moradian has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Moradian is a global supply chain executive, with 30+ years of leadership expertise in domestic and international transportation, warehousing, e-commerce, and fulfillment services.   Most recently, Mr. Moradian was the CEO of Unity Express Logistics, a time and temperature critical last-mile delivery company specializing in the pharmaceutical, medicine, and e-commerce sectors, and Wineshipping, the leading provider of direct-to-consumer fulfillment services to the wine industry. In addition, Mr. Moradian served as the CEO of Fleetgistics, the CEO of ServiceCraft Logistics, and the President of APL Logistics for Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.  Mr. Moradian has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA from Oxford University. “As the CEO of Yandell Companies, I am delighted to lead its distinctive structure and culture,” s

James Beard Nominated Chef Mike Easton Joins the Kitchen at Abeja in Walla Walla

Walla Walla, WA – June 26, 2024 – Renowned chef Mike Easton, a four-time James Beard Award nominee, will join The Kitchen at Abeja as Executive Chef on July 1. […]

Warren Winiarski Memorial Service to Be Livestreamed on June 27th

With a Wake Preceding on June 26th NAPA, Calif. – June 24, 2024 – A public wake and a livestreamed memorial service for renowned Napa Valley vintner and philanthropist, Warren Winiarski, […]

Veteran Bonterra Organic Estates Winemaker Announces Retirement

Jeff Cichocki stepping down at the end of June 2024. Hopland, California June 25, 2024 – Bonterra Organic Estates, the largest Regenerative Organic Certified® winery in the United States, announced […]