76 Restaurants from across the country and Mexico receive inaugural ‘Magnum Award’  SANTA ROSA, Calif. (September 2, 2025) – Seventy-six restaurants spanning from Graton, California, to Greenwich, Connecticut, are being honored with the 2025 Sonoma County Magnum Award for their exceptional support and promotion of Sonoma County wines.  Earlier this year, Sonoma County Winegrowers launched this new initiative to recognize restaurants that demonstrate outstanding support for Sonoma County wines and showcasing Sonoma County as a world-class wine region. Each restaurant will receive a uniquely etched magnum bottle, symbolizing their role as an ambassador for Sonoma County’s farmers, winemakers, and wines. During the year, Sonoma County wineries submitted nominations of restaurants they felt were deserving of recognition. Input was also provided by partners, trade, and sommeliers from throughout the country. Restaurants were selected based on key crit

Chef-Vintner Dustin Valette Welcomes 100-Point Winemaker David Ramey to Valette Wines’ Distinguished Portfolio

Ramey will oversee the production of Valette Wines’ new Russian River 2022 vintage Chardonnay, scheduled for release on February 5th – accessible solely to members of the Valette Wines Lifestyle […]

Afternoon Brief, February 5th

European Can Recycling Program Expands to the United States: Every Can Counts, the leading awareness programme for drink can recycling, has announced the launch of its United States chapter, a significant addition that follows closely after its expansion into the United Arab Emirates during COP28 in Dubai...

Afternoon Brief, September 28th

Is a Robotic Arm in Calistoga Pouring the Future?: An early-stage piece of technology at Maria Concetto's tasting room in Calistoga is turning heads. Known as RobinoVino, this robotic wine-pouring arm is not merely a novelty but a functional prototype with potentially significant implications for the sector...

Afternoon Brief, July 31st

DTC Market Trends Toward a Re-Balanced Standard: The direct-to-consumer wine market is still trying to figure out what the new normal looks like. Is it the pandemic’s hyper growth? Is it the pre-pandemic’s pretty good growth? Or is it something else entirely?

Afternoon Brief, February 15th

An English Lord and Lady Are Selling Their Napa Valley Vineyard for $35 Million: Once upon a time, winery acquisitions almost always tended to happen in secret, brokered by investment bankers...