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

Custom Crush + AP Space Available – Turnkey Winemaking in Paso Robles Located just off Highway 46 West in Paso Robles, Fortress Custom Crush is now accepting clients for the 2025 harvest, offering turnkey winemaking services scalable from 1 to 200+ tons. Benefit from top-tier equipment such as Puleo bladder presses, Carlsen destemmers, jacketed stainless tanks, and concrete/oak fermenters, backed by full lab services, Vintrace compliance tracking, and a sustainability-driven philosophy. Led by acclaimed winemaker Jeremy Leffert, whose team has crafted over 48 wines scoring 94+ points, the facility delivers high-touch expertise, AP support, and access to The Anderson, a collaborative tasting and events venue. Whether launching a label or ramping up production, Fortress provides the precision, partnership, and flexibility to bring your winemaking vision to life, reserve your space now before harvest capacity fills. View Listing Explore by Category Grapes Bulk Wine Shiners Pr

AI-Powered Winery Concierge Delivers 24/7 Hospitality to Sell More Wine Boost your DTC sales with the AI-Powered Winery Concierge—a 24/7 digital assistant that engages website visitors, answers questions, recommends wines, assists with orders, and captures leads in real time. Fully customizable and trained on your brand voice, it delivers seamless, always-on hospitality without added staffing, helping you convert more visitors and build lasting customer relationships. Explore the listing to see how this smart tool can elevate your customer experience and drive more sales. View Listing Explore by Category Grapes Bulk Wine Shiners Production Vineyard Real Estate Services Grapes Beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir Need Grapes? Ciatti Has You Covered Bulk Wine Need Bulk Wine? Ciatti Has You Covered Shiners Custom Sparkling Shiners Available Now! Production Equipment 1/6bbl Kegs - No Term Month-to-Month Rental 2100l 7bar Jacketed Tank - Container Logic 350-Gal Wine T

Verdi Block Controller – Wireless Irrigation with Verified Flow Verdi’s Block Controller brings smart irrigation to your fingertips—fully wireless, battery-powered, and installable in minutes with no trenching or rewiring required. Just connect your solenoid, scan the QR code, and start automating irrigation across blocks and properties with 24/7 scheduling and remote control from your phone or computer. Designed to retrofit existing infrastructure, it’s compatible with 99% of sensors and delivers real-time alerts for leaks, flow issues, and system failures—so you can respond instantly and avoid crop loss. Save up to $500/acre on irrigation labor and fuel, reduce water use by 10–30%, and boost crop revenue by 10–20%, all with bilingual support and easy access to AI-powered documentation anytime. View Listing Explore by Category Grapes Bulk Wine Shiners Production Vineyard Real Estate Services Grapes Beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains P

Two K Farms Cidery and Winery 2022 Bubbly Riesling Takes Top Honors November 15, 2024 — Winners have been announced in the 2024 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition. After two spirited days of judging,Two K Farms Cidery and Winery 2022 Bubbly Riesling took the top prize. It was also awarded Best of Show Sparkling Wine. Coming in at 97 points, judges praised the wine for its “Mouth watering citrus and honeysuckle”; “Lingering tropical finish”; and “Perfect bubbles.” They also called it “Well balanced.” With a record number of 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, terroir is ignored. At the Harvest Challenge, judges taste wines alongside other wines of the same appellation. W

Lula Cellars 2020 Rescue Block Pinot Noir Takes Top Honors November 17, 2023 — Winners have been announced in the 2023 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition. After two spirited days of judging, Lula Cellars 2020 Rescue Block Pinot Noir took the top prize. It was also awarded Best Red Wine and Best of Anderson Valley AVA (Mendocino County, Calif.). Coming in at 98 points, judges praised the wine as “rich, ripe” and for its “Bing cherry,” and “hint of orange peel.”  Lula Cellars is a boutique winery located in California’s Anderson Valley. Its focus is on world-class Pinot Noirs both from its estate and across Anderson Valley, as well as other single-vineyard offerings from the greater Mendocino County. When preparing to plant their own vines, Lula owners discovered some-1,000 old vines “literally lying down, as if waiting to be rescued.” Lots of TLC later, these mystery Pinot Noir grapes have thrived. There’s no in

Afternoon Brief, April 4th

A Forgotten Corner of Napa Could Become an Official Wine Region Soon: For the first time in more than a decade, Napa Valley could soon define a new official sub-region for wine...

Afternoon Brief, July 22nd

Despite Fires, Wine's Glass Still Half Full: Although the vintage is likely to take a hit, it remains unlikely that the European fires will lead to a global wine shortage...

Afternoon Brief, July 15th

Edible Coats Possible to Keep Smoke Off Wine Grapes: When lingering smoke surrounds grapes, they can take in that undesired flavor. For winemakers, especially in Western states, that’s a concern because each year there is a threat of wildfires...