Bouchard Cooperages, a leading representative of premium oak solutions for the wine, spirits, and beer industries, as well as non-oak vessels for aging and fermentation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Austin Culver as International Barrel, Oak and Tank Consultant, working exclusively with winemakers in Washington State, British Columbia, the Columbia Gorge of Oregon and Idaho. An accomplished winemaker with more than 15 years of hands-on experience across nearly every major West Coast wine region, Culver brings a rare blend of technical production expertise and relationship-driven sales acumen to the role. He will collaborate closely with winemaking clients on barrel and tank selection, fermentation strategy, and long-term cellar planning. Based in White Salmon, Washington, Culver is the owner and winemaker of CLYZM Wines, sourcing fruit from vineyards throughout the Columbia Gorge and Eastern Washington. His career includes leadership roles in wine production and cellar man

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

Flextank Provides Winery Conference Attendees with Methods to Cut Costs and Increase Margins and Revenue April 1, 2025 - Flextank, the leader in advanced oxygen-permeable polyethylene tanks for wine, cider, spirits, and craft beverage fermentation and storage, successfully presented innovative ways for wineries to reduce operational expenses (OpEx), expand production, increase efficiency, and improve revenue and margins at the WiVi Central Coast Conference & Tradeshow, held on March 13 in Paso Robles. At Booth #227, Flextank’s team of winemaking experts engaged with winery professionals, demonstrating how Flextank solutions can help lower costs and enhance productivity.  “For more than two decades, blind taste trials have confirmed that there is no difference in the quality or oak profile of wines produced in a Flextank compared to a traditional oak barrel,” said Flextank CEO, Jonathan Smalley. “Winemakers using Flextanks enjoy the benefit of

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

Come Over October, approaching fast, will be a national celebration of wine as the beverage that brings us together—as family and friends, in homes and restaurants, for occasions large and small, or just hanging out. The kickoff event will occur in Congress on Wednesday, September 25, at a bipartisan wine reception co-hosted by WineAmerica, the national association of American wineries in Washington, DC. WineAmerica has previously hosted receptions in conjunction with its legislative fly-ins each spring, but this is an even better opportunity to bring a divided Congress together over a glass of wine, highlighting the spirit of Come Over October. WineAmerica’s mission involves federal public policy advocacy to protect and enhance the business climate for wine. While Michael Kaiser engages in the normal process of position papers, coalitions, and legislative meetings, we in the wine industry have a unique opportunity to tastefully remind legislators that wine is produced in a

Celebrate Taste Washington Wine Month All March Long

Just announced: Chef lineup for Taste Washington Dinner Series, Sunday Brunch SEATTLE (March 1, 2024)—Calling all Washington Wine fans! March is Taste Washington Wine Month. Anchored by the beloved Taste Washington event, […]

2024 may well be one of the most challenging years in recent history for the American wine industry. Let’s change that. Multiple Alarm Bells At the recent Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, several prominent experts in various fields sounded the alarms during the enormously popular “State of the Industry” session attended by several thousand industry members. Wine Economist Mike Veseth compared the present with the distant past when similar clouds were on the horizon. Wine market analyst Danny Brager cited several troubling trends in consumer demographics, beverage preferences, anti-alcohol pressures, and apparent wine industry apathy. Steve Fredricks of Turrentine Brokerage repeatedly urged California wine grape growers to immediately tear out 30,000 acres of vineyards—roughly the total in New York State for grape juice, wine, and table grapes–to alleviate the current and chronic excess supply situation. Let’s Get to Work! We possess

September 21, 2023 — The 2023 International Eastern Wine Competition and West Coast Wine Competition match-up has announced Eberle Winery’s 2021 Cotes-du-Robles Rouge, a Rhone-style blend, as the Best of the Best…of the Best. A blend of 54% Grenache; 38% Mourvedre and 8% Syrah, Eberle’s red blend wowed judges, who described the wine as “Very well balanced,” “Black currant,” “Shows Grenache really nicely,” with a “really nice mouthfeel.” Located in California’s Paso Robles AVA, Eberle Winery (www.eberlewinery.com) was established in 1979 and now produces up to 15 wines annually. In addition to this year’s top winner, five other Eberle entries earned gold awards or better. This two-pronged East vs. West contest first chooses winners in the separate International Eastern Wine Competition and West Coast Wine Competition (see parameters below), before the top wines from each are pitted against each other in

Afternoon Brief, March 16th

Chateau Ste. Michelle Partners with Live Nation as First-Ever National Wine Sponsor: Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington’s founding winery and host to the Pacific Northwest’s most beloved summer concert series, has partnered with the world’s leading live entertainment company Live Nation to become its first-ever national wine category sponsor...