We proudly announced the recipients of the inaugural WISE Rising Stars Scholarships during a live presentation at the DTC Wine Symposium last week, celebrating the next generation of DTC wine industry leaders in front of more than 500 winery professionals. As one of the event’s original sponsors, WISE continues to invest in the Symposium’s mission of education, collaboration, and forward‑thinking leadership. The Rising Stars Scholarships extend that commitment—supporting people, developing leadership, and strengthening the DTC community across the industry. The Rising Stars Scholarships received an overwhelming response from across the country. The strength of applications prompted Commerce7 to step in and match one of the scholarships, allowing WISE to expand the program and support additional recipients. Join us as we raise a glass towards this year's recipients! Kelsey Gomes is the DTC Marketing Manager at Lange Twins Family Winery & Vineyards. Upon re

Award Recognizes That Each Family Has Continuously Farmed Local Land for More Than 100 Years  Multiple generations of eleven longtime Sonoma County farming families, all winegrape growers today, gathered to be recognized as the newest members of the “Century Club.”  The honor recognizes families who have continuously farmed their family’s land for more than one hundred years. The 2025 recipients join twenty-two other local farming families who were recognized last year in the first class of the Century Club.  Sonoma County Winegrowers created the Century Club to mark the unique legacies of farm families in the region.  Each member family of the Century Club is a testament to the strength and adaptability required to farm.    “We are thrilled to welcome more families to the Century Club and to honor each new member today,” said Karissa Kruse, President and CEO of Sonoma County Winegrowers.  She added, “Farming is a

Do you know a family — or are you part of one — that has been farming in Sonoma County for 100 years or more and is still growing winegrapes today? If so, we want to hear from you! The Sonoma County Winegrowers Century Club celebrates these heritage farming families, honoring their enduring contributions to our region’s rich agricultural history and ongoing commitment to cultivating exceptional winegrapes. If you’d like to make a nomination, please email the following information to caroline@sonomawinegrape.org: Family/company name Year family began farming in Sonoma County Agricultural products family has farmed in the past, and when Agricultural products family farms today Where family farms within the county How many acres currently farmed Each family honored in the Sonoma County Winegrowers Century Club receives a commemorative pin, a special vineyard sign to display on their historic property, and a congressional resolution from Representative M

The U.S. tariff environment remains unpredictable, with repercussions that stretch well beyond its borders. More recently, Section 232 duties on steel and aluminum were doubled to 50 percent on June 4, 2025, adding another layer of complexity to global trade. While these tariffs primarily affect industries reliant on steel and aluminum, they highlight just how volatile the economic landscape can be: a reality that resonates deeply within the glass industry. Although the UK negotiated a temporary carve-out for steel and aluminum (maintaining rates at 25 percent until around July 9), most other trade partners are experiencing the full weight of these changes. For the glass industry, which relies heavily on stable supply chains and predictable costs, such shifts serve as a stark reminder of the risks posed by an unstable economic climate. For background on earlier tariff impacts on glass from March 2025, including implications for our glass bottle pricing, see our report on the

Each Family Has Continuously Farmed Land for More than 100 Years The image of vibrant farms and rugged ranches set among Sonoma County’s beautiful landscapes has long been sought after by tourists, painters and photographers. The sheer beauty has always stood out, but, given that the area’s first vineyards date back to 1812, it is the region’s agrarian roots and family legacy that makes Sonoma County unique. Today, twenty-two local families, all winegrape growers, were recognized as the original members of the “Century Club” in honor of their continuously farming their family’s original land for more than one hundred years. Sonoma County Winegrowers created the Century Club to mark the unique legacies of farm families in the region and it will recognize new families with the honor as they hit the one-hundred-year mark in the years ahead. Each of these farms – and the families behind them – have endured the ups and downs of the cyclical

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

In partnership with the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, ETS Laboratories has been building a database of grape samples to help growers and winemakers better understand smoke impacts on winegrapes, work with insurance companies to protect their assets, and create individual baselines for the varieties in their vineyards. Since the program launched in 2021, this effort has helped to inform the global methodology around smoke taint testing. Following the catastrophic wildfires of 2020, the winegrowing community expressed interest in an extended list of analytical markers of smoke exposure, however two challenges were identified. The first challenge was with a class of markers known as “glycosylated” or “bound” compounds. Until the Fall of 2020, reference standards were not available for these types of compounds, and there was not consensus between specialists about which ones to measure.  ETS Laboratories worked with the Wine Institute Technical Committee, the Austr

Congressional Wine Caucus Invites Sonoma County Fundación de la Voz de los Viñedos’ Leadership Academy to Washington Reception

Winegrowers’ Commitment to Social Sustainability Reaches New Heights SANTA ROSA, Calif. (April 26, 2024) – The members of the third class of the Sonoma County Fundación de la Voz de los […]

Join Vineyard Team and the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance for an educational event that brings together wine industry professionals and energy partners for a half-day of sessions and networking focused on sustainable energy. THURSDAY, MARCH 14 8:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. SPRINGHILL SUITES BY MARRIOTT 900 EL CAMINO REAL, ATASCADERO REGISTER Itinerary: 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. …………….. Check-in, Coffee & Networking 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. …………….. Program Begins & Introductions 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. ……….….. Session 1: Energy Shift for the Wine Industry 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. …………. Session 2: Building Resiliency 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m......… Session 3: Leveraging Energy Sustainability 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. …………… Networking Lunch REGISTER SPEAKERS & TOPICS INCLUDE: Energy Shift for the Wine In