On April 7-8, 2026, a collection of esteemed wine professionals will gather in Santa Rosa, Calif., to evaluate entries in the 2026 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge. Competition managers are now accepting entries for the 14th annual NCWC, considered among the most prestigious wine challenges in the United States. This regional competition rates wines exclusively produced and bottled in Northern California’s premier winegrowing region to determine which wines are considered the Best of the Best. Eligible wines must be made from fruit sourced in the North Coast AVAs of Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Marin and parts of Solano counties. This includes any bottled wine labeled with these AVAs as their main source of grapes and whose winery is in California. “The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge is unique in that only wines made from grapes grown in the six North Coast counties are allowed to enter,” says Daryl Groom, chief judge of NCWC. “With that, t

Experience California Dreaming with Rack & Riddle at WIN Expo Join Rack & Riddle at the 13th Annual WIN Expo Trade Show & Conference as we celebrate California Dreaming — an exclusive tasting journey through our signature sparkling wines.  11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Sonoma County Fairgrounds — Kraft Hall 1350 Bennett Valley Rd., Santa Rosa, CA 95404 California Dreaming celebrates Rack & Riddle’s artistry in California sparkling wine. From the complexity of Méthode Champenoise California Brut to the fresh and vibrant CALSECCO® Brut, this tasting showcases technique, terroir, and innovation. Also NEW this year – Alcohol Removed California Brut and Rosé! Finishing with the Frizzante Flavors collection — Arancia Spritz, Mimosa, and Bellini — it’s a vibrant expression of how Rack & Riddle brings California’s dream of sparkling excellence to life. California Sparkling Wines We’re Pouring Re

Napa/Sonoma, CA — December 1st, 2025 — RedChirp and WISE (Wine Industry Sales Education) today announced a forward-looking, solutions-driven webinar designed to help wineries solve one of the most urgent challenges facing Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) wine sales today: capturing accurate guest data and the express written consent required to power effective outreach, build lasting relationships, and grow revenue.  This collaboration—led by WISE Partner Liz Mercer and RedChirp Cofounder Jennie Gilbert—was born from a shared recognition that the old “hospitality-first, follow-up-later” model is no longer enough. With tasting room visitation softening, consumer spending tightening, and compliance rules continually evolving, brands must become more proactive in their outreach. Yet most wineries are missing most of the reliable email addresses, phone numbers, and compliant opt-ins needed to keep conversations going after the visit.  Recent WISE

Introducing Avterra, AV’s vineyard technology hub and irrigation guidance system. Avterra is an integrated data portal that links a multitude of sensor and telemetry providers into one cohesive dashboard. Based in advanced crop science, our guidance system is thoroughly nerdy yet is easy to use. Our goal is to make vineyard technology uncomplicated so it can best support your decisions as a grower. Integrating our data streams into a single portal makes interpretation easier and decisions straightforward and repeatable. Dashboards can be fully customized to suit the customer's needs. Create a personalized user interface for your team. Streamline field notes, lab results, and sensor data to view trends as they unfold. Not merely a collection of charts and tables, Avterra includes data interpretations and recommendations. Remove the guesswork by embedding Advanced Viticulture's decades of experience. We make sense out of those squiggly lines. How do we optimize irrigatio

The wine industry is made stronger with collaboration, and we love seeing how winery associations – both formal and informal - support each other to create wins for everyone. From a collection of Oregon's Yamhill-Carlton AVA members referring business to each other to Sonoma Valley’s family-owned Little Vineyards sending tasters deeper into their community, we're designing custom HipMaps that showcase how winery partnerships can elevate the entire visitor experience. A True Community Effort When groups of wineries use HipMaps to refer business to each other, each participating winery displays their custom branded and styled HipMap prominently in their tasting room, making it very easy for guests to discover other wineries to visit. Visitors simply scan the QR code on the map, download our user-friendly app, and enter an access code specific to that map. Then… Our Interactive App Makes This Map Experience Special When guests open the HipMaps app they see their

Come join us for the SCVTG Irrigation Masterclass at Shone Farm! Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned veteran, this event is perfect for anyone looking to improve their irrigation skill set. A half day program will cover all the aspects, and available technology, for enhancing your irrigation decision making process, data tracking, record keeping, and water smart conservation practices, designed to drive quality, improve yields, enhance your bottom line, and feed you (Lunch included!). We’ll see you there! Agenda - June 6, 2024 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM – Check-in & Registration 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM – Brian Rahn – Coastal Viticultural Consultants: Site influences / Irrigation influence on wine quality 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM – Pamela Van Halsema – Sonoma County Groundwater Sustainability Agencies: Voluntary Groundwater Level Monitoring Program 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM – Mark Greenspan – Advanced

Professional development is more than just an option; it's a necessity in today’s fast-paced world. At the Wine Business Institute, we’re dedicated to offering a comprehensive suite of tailored wine industry courses designed to deepen your expertise, broaden perspectives, and prepare you for future challenges. Read along to learn more about our upcoming schedule and about Benjamin Kraemer, one of our amazing instructors! Starting on May 21: DTC Marketing and eCommerce Course description: This course explores the evolution of eCommerce and digital marketing, emphasizing customer relationship management and omni-channel retail. You will learn strategies for enhancing customer engagement, increasing sales, and improving online user experiences. The curriculum includes developing digital strategies and utilizing modern marketing tools to boost wine sales, while also covering best practices in data collection, email marketing, and more. This course will also address eCo

Prima Pavé, Italy’s Most Awarded Non-Alcoholic Wine, Sees Monumental Growth Across Organization with Notable Expanded Distribution

Continued Securement of High-Profile Retail, Hotel and Restaurant Partners and Position as the First-Ever Non-Alcoholic Wine to Be Sold at Williams-Sonoma LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27, 2024 — Prima Pavé, a […]

CalRecycle anticipates bringing 1 billion bottles into the recycling program with the addition of wine and spirits. Amy Cameron, CalRecycle Written by Jeanette Tan  |  Photo by Shutterstock This new law affects all California wineries and out-of-state wineries shipping directly to customers in California. Just a reminder that I’m not a CPA or a Compliance expert. For the rules and regulations go to  CalRecycle CalRecycle YouTube Channel Webinar Recording Register for CalRecycle webinar on December 13th 11/20/23 Update - Turns out (no surprise) some of the rules have been changing. The Sonoma County Vintners held a webinar in Mid-November and discussed these changes: Sonoma County Vintners YouTube Video 11/20/23 Wines bottled and labeled before January 1, 2024 DO NOT need to comply with the label rules, so get your labels for your 2024 botte runs updated now. The winery needs to pay for the CRV for wines sold to Restaurants and DTC (including restaurants is a