Wakefield Taylors Wines and 1800 Milenio Take Top Honors July 14, 2025 — Winners have been announced in the 18th annual Women’s International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWWSC). The competition, which took place recently in Santa Rosa, Calif., was founded on the premise that the majority of wine purchased for home consumption is bought by women. The IWWSC judging panels consist entirely of professional women in the wine and spirits industries — winemakers, distillers, marketers, buyers, sommeliers, educators and journalists.  This year, Wakefield Taylor Wines 2024 Estate Riesling and 1800 Milenio Extra-Aged Añejo took top honors. Wakefield Taylor, a heritage winery in Australia’s Clare Valley (a region known for quality Reislings), wowed judges with its “mouthwatering citrus blooms” and “gentle salinity.”  A representative from 1800 Mileno remarked, “1800 Milenio is backed by 11 generations of tequila-making e

CDR WineLab Overview Video  (3 minutes)   ** CDR WineLab In-Stock  ** Immediate shipping available   CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY  “The CDR WineLab Junior has expanded our winery’s in-house analysis capabilities. It is an excellent option for copper analysis and a tool we use constantly for wine bottling preparation and quality control. The equipment is easy to use, easy to maintain, and easy to replenish consumables due to the constant communication and support that Gusmer provides its customers." Victoria Mayer – J. Lohr Winery Lab Supervisor Paso Robles, CA  CDR ANALYSIS ON WINE AND MUST •  Alcohol by Volume •  Acetic acid (volatile acidity) •  Fermentable Sugars •  Total Acidity •  L-Lactic Acid •  L-Malic Acid •  Free sulfur dioxide •  Total sulfur dioxide •  Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen     (YAN) •  Galacturonic Ac

CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY  “The CDR WineLab Junior has expanded our winery’s in-house analysis capabilities. It is an excellent option for copper analysis and a tool we use constantly for wine bottling preparation and quality control. The equipment is easy to use, easy to maintain, and easy to replenish consumables due to the constant communication and support that Gusmer provides its customers." Victoria Mayer – J. Lohr Winery Lab Supervisor Paso Robles, CA CDR ANALYSIS ON WINE AND MUST   •  Alcohol by Volume   •  Acetic acid (volatile acidity)   •  Fermentable Sugars   •  Total Acidity   •  L-Lactic Acid   •  L-Malic Acid   •  Free sulfur dioxide   •  Total sulfur dioxide   •  Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen       (YAN)   •  Galacturonic Acid   •  Calcium   •  C

The Australian ‘Black Summer’ of 2019/20, which saw bushfires destroy swathes of vineyard land across the country was a dramatic reminder of the growing challenges facing winemakers around the world. We spoke to leading Australian winemakers and lab technicians to find out how agile decision-making is helping to deal with the consequences of global warming. Offering alarming proof of the escalating effects of climate change, in November 2019 bushfires blazed through New South Wales, scorching more than five million hectares of land following Australia’s hottest and driest year on record. In December 2019, the fires swept through the Adelaide Hills, destroying 650 ha of vines in the region, and wiping out entire vineyards. Making matters worse, the smoke from the fires was far-reaching, rendering vineyard plots from Canberra to the Hunter Valley useless. Ravaging an estimated 24.3 million hectares of land in total and destroying over 3,000 buildings, the September 2019

Lula Cellars 2020 Rescue Block Pinot Noir Takes Top Honors November 17, 2023 — Winners have been announced in the 2023 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition. After two spirited days of judging, Lula Cellars 2020 Rescue Block Pinot Noir took the top prize. It was also awarded Best Red Wine and Best of Anderson Valley AVA (Mendocino County, Calif.). Coming in at 98 points, judges praised the wine as “rich, ripe” and for its “Bing cherry,” and “hint of orange peel.”  Lula Cellars is a boutique winery located in California’s Anderson Valley. Its focus is on world-class Pinot Noirs both from its estate and across Anderson Valley, as well as other single-vineyard offerings from the greater Mendocino County. When preparing to plant their own vines, Lula owners discovered some-1,000 old vines “literally lying down, as if waiting to be rescued.” Lots of TLC later, these mystery Pinot Noir grapes have thrived. There’s no in

Afternoon Brief, August 8th

NASA Helps Spot Wine Grape Disease from Skies Above California: In a case study, scientists detected the costly infection in cabernet sauvignon grapevines before they showed symptoms visible to the human eye...

Afternoon Brief, June 30th

Catching Zs: How Drinks Brands Can Tap into the Gen Z Market: Thanks to a groundbreaking app experience, drinks brands are targeting the hard-to-reach Gen Z market, offering free drinks in return for harvesting vital data about them...