Alexander Valley, CA — April 2026 — This April, Alexander Valley Winegrowers invite wine lovers—both new and experienced—to slow down, sip freely, and reconnect with the heart of wine country during TASTE Alexander Valley: Back to Our Roots, a month-long celebration of wine, hospitality, and genuine connection.  Running throughout the entire month of April, TASTE Alexander Valley offers a rare opportunity to experience the region without the usual barriers of tasting fees. Participating wineries will provide complimentary tastings, welcoming guests to explore at their own pace while engaging directly with the growers, winemakers, and owners who define Alexander Valley.  “TASTE Alexander Valley is about removing the barriers that often keep people from exploring wine,” said Jessie Vallery, Executive Director of Alexander Valley Winegrowers. “Whether you’re just starting to learn about wine, or you love tasting but are tired

Still mystified sorting AI hype from reality in the wine industry? Me too… However, my vision improved greatly when I listened to this chat with MIT Professor Rama Ramakrishnan about the pragmatic applications of AI to existing businesses. In under an hour, I understood more about how LLMs work and how to augment them for business use than I’ve learned in days of consuming online content.  As a bonus, his Generative AI Cost Equation sheds light on how leaders can evaluate real-life AI business decisions. When you’re in the mood, pour a glass of something tasty and be prepared to learn from one of the world’s best. Here’s the link: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/video/getting-payback-from-generative-ai/ Cheers! 🍷 Bryan St. Amant Founder & CEO VinterActive LLC NEED HELP WITH AI WINE INDUSTRY INITIATIVES? VinterActive has advised thousands of wineries over the last 20 years and has built AI business systems for even longer. Book a 30-minut

With the hype surrounding AI, it’s hard to know what news matters to today’s DTC wine marketers. I suspect most of us tried using AI for content creation a couple of years ago.   But what has AI done for wine marketers lately, besides confusing us with too many models and few pragmatic uses? The good news is that, amid the usual noise about AI condemning us to a life of misery, the last few months have provided wine merchants with a new generation of valuable survival tools in the form of powerful AI Agents. What the Heck is an “AI Agent?” Leading business productivity tools – including Salesforce, OpenAI, JotForm, and Zapier – now offer their unique interpretations of “AI Agents” that can amplify the results of any sales or marketing team. Intriguing use cases in the wine industry include AI-powered sommeliers, social media assistants, DTC marketing management, and public-facing chatbots, all of which are empowered to represent your

Afternoon Brief, June 18th

California Fire Season Starts Early: At least nine wineries in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley were evacuated Sunday by a fast-moving wildfire. Another 13 wineries were facing an evacuation warning, depending on how fast the fire spreads...

Afternoon Brief, January 31st

Washington the Winner in Bad Wine Year: Each year, when many of Sonoma County’s 1,800 certified sustainable winegrape growers gather for the Sonoma County Winegrowers’ (SCW) annual meeting, they want to know what is next for one of the world’s most sustainable winegrowing regions. Today, they learned the answer to their question...

Afternoon Brief, October 9th

Wine grape growers at the north end of the North Coast region this time of year typically are fretting whether they'll be able to wrap harvest before late fall rains begin in earnest...