Keeping up with industry news and trends is one of the most underrated disciplines in beverage alcohol. It’s a frightening habit, admittedly — slowing down long enough to read or at least skim several articles every day when the return on investment takes months or years to materialize.  When sales are down, it’s human nature to scrounge for the fastest wins available. In our desperation to keep the lights on, we abandon most eagerly the very practices that would lead to longevity and profitability for our business. The inconvenient timing of these insights — namely, that the best articles and industry reports tend to circulate precisely when everyone has checked out for the holidays —only intensifies the competitive advantage up for grabs by those who are paying attention. An up-to-date understanding of consumer preferences and behavior can inform our production, focus our messaging, and align sales & marketing so that everything from tasting ro

Afternoon Brief: Sonoma County Vintners Announces “Wine Is Us” Campaign Promoting Positive Benefits of Wine

Sonoma County Vintners (SCV) is excited to announce their new Wine Is Us multimedia campaign as part of their ongoing efforts to advocate for and promote Sonoma County wines to the world...

Afternoon Brief, April 16th

Eleanor Coppola, Filmmaker Who Helped Rebuild Inglenook Winery's Legacy, Dies at 87: The artist, documentarian, author and vintner left her mark on Hollywood and Napa Valley...

OAK FARM VINEYARDS AND STEELBOUND DISTILLERY TAKE TOP HONORS IN 2024 LOS ANGELES INVITATIONAL WINE & SPIRITS CHALLENGE  MARCH 6, 2024 – Winners have been announced in the third annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A Barbera from Oak Farm Vineyards in Lodi, Calif., and a Bourbon from Steelbound Brewery & Distillery in Ellicotville, N.Y., topped their fields to be named Best of the Best.  The competition was established in 2022, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the United States.  Judging took place February 26-28, 2024. Says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine & Spirits Competitions Management & Production, “The competition grew again this year to attract close to 1,100 entries, and our

Afternoon Brief, March 8th

Women Are ‘The Emerging Market’ for Fine Wine – But Merchants Must Invest to See Growth: Fine wine merchants and private client teams may be missing a trick by failing to invest in high-net-worth women as fine wine collectors, according to some of the leading voices in the industry – with the first merchant to crack this emerging market set to have “a massive advantage”...

Afternoon Brief, March 6th

First-of-Its-Kind Industry-Wide Initiative Launches to Address Sexual Harassment in Beverage Alcohol and Hospitality: 86 Harassment is a free industry resource providing employers and employees with access to training, education, a confidential hotline, and prevention tools from industry experts...

First-of-Its-Kind Industry-Wide Initiative Launches to Address Sexual Harassment in Beverage Alcohol and Hospitality

86 Harassment is a free industry resource providing employers and employees with access to training, education, a confidential hotline, and prevention tools from industry experts. New York, NY – March […]

Afternoon Brief, January 12th

Labeling Laws Another Challenge for Wine: Wine labeling laws are already in use in the EU. Should US producers be freaking out?...