Papapietro Perry Winery and Four Roses Bourbon Take Top Honors (March 6, 2026) — Winners have been announced in the fifth annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A pinot noir from Papapietro Perry (Sonoma County, Calif.) and a small batch bourbon from Four Roses Distillery (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) topped their fields to be named Best of the Best. The competition was established in 2022, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the United States. Judging took place February 18-19, 2026. Competition this year was stellar, says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine Competitions Management & Production: “Year after year, our judges continue to be impressed with the depth in each category. The quality of product was fantastic!” Wh

Afternoon Brief, February 1st

Vinoshipper Releases 2nd Annual Craft Wine Direct Sales Report: Vinoshipper, the nation’s largest Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) wine shipping platform with more than 3,000 clients, released its second annual report today that shows a unique and optimistic perspective on direct sales across 47 states...

Serendipity Wines Expands California Presence Through Acquisition of Obvious Wines’ Distribution Business 

Serendipity Wines Strengthens Portfolio and Market Coverage, Marking a Milestone in Growth  with Obvious Wines Partnership  Los Angeles, CA: Serendipity Wines has announced their acquisition of the California  distribution business […]

Nestled in a valley roughly an hour north of Toronto lies a small property known as Foxglove Farm. The 1840’s era farm was purchased by owner and co-founder of Foxglove Spirits, Malcolm Roberts, and would become the inspiration for the pursuit of a lifelong passion. With over three decades in the spirits marketing business, Roberts had always dreamt of hand-crafting his own spirit. Serendipity struck when he met, now partner, Shelly Perry, and she shared his vision. Realizing they could use crops from their farm in the recipe, Foxglove Spirits was born. Their vision for the product, both in taste of the liquid and aesthetic of the package, was clear from the start. The name would be Valley of Mother of God, named after an eponymous area near their farm, and the product would be gin. They cut no corners in the three plus year process of perfecting the recipe, just as they didn’t with the premium packaging. With a unique bottle shape sourced from Spain, and label design done