Month: May 2026

A Glass a Day Keeps Stress at Bay

Cyndi

Embracing Wine in the Lives of Everyday People

hand pouring wine to glass

By: Heidi Moore, Host – Wine Crush Podcast

The number of factors bringing stress into our lives has increased exponentially over the past few years. First, there was a global pandemic that brought a wicked mixture of fear, isolation, and uncertainty to our lives. The pandemic was followed quickly by economic instability, in which inflation drove up prices of everything from eggs to oil to airfare. Seeking ways to deal with the economic fallout from inflation, many businesses turned to layoffs, leaving hundreds of thousands of employees suddenly without a paycheck.

  As Americans seek to deal with these and other stressors they face in today’s world, they often turn to activities like hitting the gym, getting out in nature, or talking with a therapist. One of the simplest formulas for keeping stress at bay, however, is taking the time to enjoy a glass of wine.

Sipping the Stress Away

  Wine’s ability to calm us down is founded in science. Specifically, wine contains a compound called resveratrol that has been shown to bring our emotions back into balance.

  Resveratrol is a chemical compound found in grape skins and is often associated with red wines because red grapes typically have thicker skins. However, all grapes are known to produce resveratrol.

  Resveratrol’s stress-reducing properties are related to the effect it has on the body’s stress hormones. In times of stress, the hormone cortisol is released to help the body respond, but when stress is not addressed, an overabundance of cortisol can be released, leading to anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that resveratrol keeps stress hormones from getting out of control, helping our bodies avoid the type of feelings that we typically describe as “stressed out.”

Taking a Break from Stress

  While the presence of resveratrol certainly contributes to the stress relief wine can bring, it is not the only factor at play. Sitting with a glass of wine at the end of the day can help us to embrace a number of other stress-relief strategies.

  For example, stopping our work at “wine-o-clock” is an excellent way to assert boundaries. Stress often flows out of being overloaded, which drives long workdays and restless nights. Sitting with friends and loved ones for a glass of wine is one way to say that our lives are about more than just work.

  Having a glass of wine with friends also creates a space for us to talk about our stress. In many cases, simply talking about the stressful things in our lives can reduce their emotional impact. Sharing our feelings can also lead to finding the support we need to make it through stressful situations.

  Laughter is another common side effect of a glass of wine that can help us with our stress. Laughing releases endorphins that improve our mood and our resiliency. It can also help us reframe our perspectives, taking the power away from temporary situations that trigger stress.

Measuring the Popularity of Wine

  Despite its obvious benefits as a stress-relief tonic, everyday people in the US typically don’t turn to a glass of wine when they want to unwind. Recent stats on alcohol sales show that beer is the drink of choice for most Americans, with beer sales having accounted for 54 percent of all alcohol sales in the US in 2022. Liquor, such as tequila and vodka, were next in line, accounting for 24 percent of retail spending.

  Wine is at the bottom of the list in terms of alcohol sales at just under 23 percent, which represents a decline from sales in 2019. Reports from the wine industry anticipate that sales of wine will continue to go down because millennials don’t appreciate it as much as the baby boomers who came before them.

  The apparent lack of interest in wine in the US doesn’t track with alcohol consumption in the rest of the world. In fact, in terms of per capita wine consumption, the US does not even make the top 10. Portugal is at the top of the list with 67.5 liters per capita, followed by France with 47.4 liters per capita. In comparison, the number for the US is 12.6 liters per capita.

Understanding the Way we See Wine

  To understand why wine is not embraced by more people in the US, one must understand its reputation in US culture. Compared to other alcoholic drinks, wine is more often portrayed and perceived as a drink of the high class and elite. As often portrayed in Hollywood films, wine is typically referenced as a beverage that wealthy people drink on their yachts or order in exclusive restaurants.

  Wine is not seen as a drink for everyday people. When the working class unwinds and cracks open a cold one, they are typically reaching for a beer. Beer is commonly considered the go-to drink for sporting events and family picnics. It is what you’ll find at campus parties, where Americans typically develop their drinking habits.

  If wine is enjoyed by everyday people, it is typically only for a special occasion. A couple will share a bottle of wine on their anniversary, but have a draft on a typical date night. Beer is the “everyman” drink seen as more accessible, more masculine, and — by many — more patriotic.

  This attitude toward wine is not universal, which is clearly shown by the stats on per capita wine consumption. In Italy, for example, drinking wine is considered an everyday custom, not a luxury for special occasions. Similarly, in Argentina, one of the world’s top wine producers, wine is present at virtually every meal, but especially when families gather.

  In France, wine is something that is enjoyed every day, often at lunch and dinner, by a large part of the population. In fact, it is said that parents in the Champagne region of France give their children a taste of their famous wine even before they give them breast milk.

Seeing Wine in a New Way

  To promote the image of wine as an everyday drink for everyday people, the wine industry has launched many new initiatives in recent years. Educating consumers is at the forefront of these initiatives. The belief is that a deeper understanding of wine will lead to more appreciation and greater comfort.

  Enhancing the information available on a wine label’s website is one way to educate consumers. Through online blogs, companies can go beyond product information to share ideas on when, how, and why to drink wine.

  Providing educational information via social media is another promising strategy to increase the public’s appreciation for wine. With social posts, wine companies can target certain demographics or join ongoing conversations. Social media also allows companies to gain a deeper understanding of how their products are perceived by the public, and to address misconceptions.

  Bringing potential wine drinkers into wineries and wine shops is another way to further their education. This can include winery tours, which build an appreciation for the care involved in the wine-making process, and classes or seminars on wine-making. Wineries can also offer tasting room experiences specifically designed for those new to wine.

  Podcasts provide another excellent opportunity to increase the general public’s wine IQ. There are a host of popular podcasts available today on wine that introduce listeners to wine culture, helping them navigate the process of buying, serving, and enjoying wine. Many of the podcasts feature episodes for those who are new to wine. Some podcasts focus exclusively on wine newbies.

Bringing Inclusivity to the Wine Industry

  Boosting inclusivity in the wine industry is another initiative launched in recent years to make wine more accessible to the masses. Several years ago, media reports drew attention to the fact that minority communities were largely underrepresented in the wine industry. The reports argued that wine’s image as an exclusive drink was something that the wine industry perpetuated by failing to promote diversity and inclusivity in its ranks.

  In response, the wine industry has sought to make wine culture more accessible by increasing its inclusivity. In 2020, for example, Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) committed $1 million to efforts to increase diversity in the wine industry. NVV is a trade association that represents more than 500 wineries in the US.

Addressing the Affordability Issue

  Affordability is also a factor that needs to be considered in efforts to inspire everyday people to add wine to their routines. Because wine is viewed as a more exclusive drink, it is also considered a more expensive drink. Helping consumers understand that inexpensive wine is available and enjoyable is an important part of the education process.

  Sharing tips for buying wine on a budget is one way to make it more accessible. By buying directly from the winery, for example, consumers can avoid paying mark-up costs. Consumers may also not be aware that they can get good wine at good prices by shopping for it at grocery stores, discount outlets, and warehouse clubs.

  A variety of factors have led to the perception that wine is not a drink for everyday people. The truth, however, is that everyone can enjoy wine and, more importantly, everyone can benefit from its stress-reducing properties. Now is a perfect time to change the narrative on wine, rewriting the story so that a more diverse group of people can call themselves wine lovers.

  Heidi Moore is an insurance broker by day with a special focus on wine, craft beer, cider, and farming. Ten years ago, she was not a wine drinker, but when the opportunity to learn about wine presented itself, she jumped at the chance to learn something new. She ended up falling in love with the personalities, the process, and the farming surrounding the wine industry. After that, she created the Wine Crush Podcast and felt it was a great opportunity to showcase the personalities in the wine industry, dispel the myths surrounding wine, and encourage those unsure about it to step up and try it!

Keep it Moving

Cyndi

Fast & Efficient Ways to Help Material Handling

man moving crops using a forklift

By: Cheryl Gray

Before wine is bottled, labeled and ready to ship, wineries and vineyards have to shift large quantities of materials from one place to the next.

  The movement, storage and protection of these assets form an entire industry known as material handling. This industry sector performs a major role in ensuring the smooth operational flow of goods throughout wineries and vineyards. Its evolution includes automation and technology designed to prevent injuries, cut costs and boost productivity.

  Fortunately, there are companies, large and small, that can handle these critical tasks. Among them is Bishamon Industries Corporation, founded in 1986 to serve as the United States production arm for its parent company, Sugiyasu International Corporation.

  Bishamon works with wineries and vineyards of all sizes, from small boutique operations to large commercial establishments. It touts a line-up of products and options designed to offer solutions that meet clients’ specific needs, regardless of scale.

  It all happens at Bishamon’s 78,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Ontario, California, with a rooftop solar system generating more than 80 percent of the facility’s energy needs. In its early years, the company produced automotive lifts and imported material-handling equipment from Sugiyasu. By the 1990s, Bishamon introduced the Bishamon EZ Loader®, which the company says revolutionized the manual palletizing industry, winning awards such as Plant Engineering Product of the Year. The product is patented worldwide and has been awarded CE certification.

  Following the success of its EZ Loader®, Bishamon launched additional material handling products, including the UniLift, which the company describes as the only product of its kind to lift and transport a standard pallet without straddling it. There is also the  EZ X Loader®, which offers a new design that targets cost savings and greater flexibility in performance. Another product, the Lift Pilot®, is described as a one-of-a-kind floor-level pallet positioner. Brian Dedmon is the director of sales for the company.

“Bishamon can address the specific needs of wineries and vineyards by offering a range of equipment designed to improve efficiency, safety and productivity in the winemaking process,” Dedmon said. “Solutions include hydraulic lift tables, mobile lifters and pallet positioners. To help wineries and vineyards select the right equipment for their unique requirements, our team takes a consultative approach by assessing the customer’s needs and offering recommendations, training and support. By offering a diverse range of equipment and providing personalized support, Bishamon strives to be a trusted partner for wineries and vineyards, helping them optimize their material handling processes and achieve greater efficiency and success in their operations.”  

  Dedmon points to some key Bishamon products that wineries and vineyards can add to optimize production, reduce costs and enhance their products.

  “Three products wineries and vineyards can benefit immediately from are the implementation of hydraulic lift tables, mobile lifters and pallet positions in their work processes,” he said. “Bishamon’s hydraulic lift tables are ideal for lifting and positioning heavy wine barrels, crates and equipment. These versatile tools come in various sizes and weight capacities to suit different tasks in the winery, ensuring smooth and ergonomic material handling for easy maneuverability. Bishamon mobile lifters are perfect for moving materials within the winery or vineyard premises. They can assist with transporting grapes, bottles, and other items efficiently, minimizing the need for manual labor and reducing the risk of injuries. Bishamon’s pallet positioners enable winery workers to load and unload materials from pallets at comfortable heights, promoting efficient workflow and reducing strain on the worker.”

  Dedmon talks about some of the company’s most widely purchased products.

  “Our most popular products are the UniLift and the EZ Loader,” he said. “The Bishamon UniLift is the only two-in-one pallet positioner/lift on the market that works with closed-bottom pallets and skids. This unit utilizes a retractable outrigger operation that allows the user to pick up closed bottom pallets without the use of a straddle stacker. This allows the unit to be used in small areas where you need more maneuverability and versatility for pallet options. Our EZ Loader is one of the best self-leveling pallet positioners on the market. It utilizes a self-contained air system with an adjustable knob to allow the user to adjust the system without resetting the air pressure or the hassle of replacing springs like other brands. The EZ Loader will raise or lower as the user adds or takes off the product, keeping the working height at an ergonomic position.”

  Dedmon adds that the company has introduced an upgraded option to its UniLift product.

  “The UniLift is an all-in-one pallet transporter and positioner designed for transporting and lifting pallets,” he said. “It also serves as a dual-purpose tool by eliminating the need for a forklift or lift table in certain applications. Now, the customer may add a Power Assist Drive System that will significantly improve the ease of maneuverability and reduce operator fatigue.”

  It is possible to reduce fatigue through innovative solutions grounded in artificial intelligence. That is the mission ofAugean Robotics. The company has invented a robot platform it callsBurro, showcasing what the robot can do through collaborations designed to give grape-growers a peek at what autonomous farming can achieve. Augean Robotics has created a team of robotics experts with vast computer knowledge and seasoned entrepreneurs with years of experience selling high-tech farming machinery to build and market Burro.

  Burro deploys A.I. in vineyards to help grape growers maximize harvests. The robots act as carrying devices or can assist with harvesting fruit. According to the company, a Burro robot is typically paired with a team of six to eight workers and can help increase productivity anywhere from 10 to 50 percent, depending upon the vineyard layout, fruit volume and other variables. Burro can also assist in patrolling, scouting and capturing data. It can serve as a platform for tasks such as UV lighting to combat powdery mildew that can wreak havoc on vineyard crops. Augean Robotics can provide a CAD file to prospective clients to outline Burro’s shape and enable a potential buyer to model items and technologies that will customize a purchase.

  When wineries and vineyards need to transport products, Magline, Inc. can help. Based in Standish, Michigan, the company has been in business for over 75 years. It manufactures various material handling products, including its recently launched Magliner Powered Lifting Hand Truck. According to Magline, the product allows its users to lift easily and lower heavy loads of up to 200 pounds, which helps to prevent injuries. When used as a traditional hand truck, Magline says that its Powered Lifting Hand Truck provides a 500-pound overall load capacity with a design featuring many of the same components as other Magliner lightweight, aluminum hand trucks. The company adds that in some instances, one person using the product can do a job that would normally take two people.

  Another popular product series from Magline is the company’s line-up of LiftPlus® powered stackers. This product features user-friendly, one-hand controls and combines the functions of a walk-behind pallet jack with those of a lift truck. It is used to handle bulk materials in manufacturing, distribution, warehousing and other areas where large material handling is  required. Unlike forklifts, no operating license is needed, and the machinery helps to reduce injuries since it is powered to carry large loads.

  Experts agree that investment in proper material handling equipment pays off in real-time by helping to prevent on-the-job injuries, smoothing the transport of critical materials and automating processes that reduce labor costs. 

Wines of Argentina

Cyndi
charcuterie board with wine

 By: Tod Stewart

Bonnie and Clyde. Jekyll and Hyde. Bread and butter. Salt and pepper. Some things are so synonymous with something else that it’s almost impossible to mention one without the other. In the oenophilic world, it’s hard to mention Argentina without mentioning (or at least thinking about) malbec.

  Personally, I can’t think of any other country whose vinous history is so inexorably linked to a single grape variety. (Okay, New Zealand and sauvignon blanc; I’ll give you that.) So important is malbec to Argentina’s wine industry that it accounts for almost 40 percent of all Argentine wine sold. And each year, April 17 is celebrated as Malbec World Day, a global initiative created by Wines Of Argentina (the organization responsible for, among other things, promoting the country’s wines) that seeks to position Argentine malbec as one of the most prominent varieties in the world. 

  First introduced in the mid-19th century, malbec vineyards in Argentina continue to expand, with close to 110,000 acres in the ground today.

When I visited Argentina a few years ago, I got a first-hand look at what progressive winemakers were doing in terms of technological improvements, vineyard site selection and viticultural and vinicultural practices. In other words, serious winemaking practices by dedicated, quality-oriented vintners. It wasn’t always like this.

“Until the late 1980s, Argentina was probably the worst wine producing country in the world,” admitted California vintner Paul Hobbs during an interview (and being careful not to mince words).” Having established a number of successful partnerships in California, Hobbs set out to prove to himself and the rest of the world that, when treated with respect, Argentine malbec could yield wines as good (and in the case of those from his Argentinian venture Viña Cabos, often better) than the best any country has to offer. The reason for the poor quality was simple: nobody really wanted to make anything better.

“Wine was strictly for consuming, not selling in bottle,” Hobbs maintained, “and for the most part it was all oxidized. There was really no concept of how to make good wine.”

  Thanks in large part to the pioneering efforts of local winemaker Nicolás Catena, whose epiphany came while in Napa Valley (and who took inspiration from Robert Mondavi’s contribution to the wine scene there), the scene began to change. Hobbs experienced a similar epiphany on a road trip from Santiago, Chile, to Mendoza, Argentina, at about the same time that Argentina’s winemakers were starting to get serious.

  “I saw what was possible,” he recounted. “There was a strong culture of wine, but a lack of practical knowledge. The vineyards were poorly farmed. The vines, especially for malbec, were over-irrigated, and in an effort to mitigate the threat of hail, trained far too low to the ground.”

  However, he saw a strong work ethic in the people and the potential in the land to support a world-class wine industry. “What I saw,” he says, “was an unpainted canvas.” Transforming this canvas into a vinous Rembrandt has been, essentially, what Hobbs has been able to do.

  While controlling yields and bringing more modern winemaking equipment and techniques to bear has certainly led to the continuing improvement in the overall quality of Argentina’s wines, perhaps the most significant factor behind the positive developments in the country’s wine industry hasn’t been so much about how to treat the fruit, but rather, where to plant the fruit. And as winemakers began to explore grape varieties beyond malbec, it has become apparent that they behave quite differently depending on where they are planted.

  “In our case [site selection] is the most important thing,” admitted Germán di Césare, winemaker at Bodega Trivento. “The vineyard selection is critical because it is where the whole process begins. Each site provides different characteristics to the wine, so we plant according to the wine we want to produce.”

  I also asked Gonzalo Bertelsen, general manager and chief winemaker at Mendoza’s Finca el Origen, who elaborated further:

  “Every vineyard suits a particular vine and wine,” he told me. “And even within the same vineyard, we see big differences in how the vines behave depending on weather, grape variety, soil, rootstock, irrigation, canopy management, hang time, and so on.” He notes that merlot wines made from fruit grown in the eastern part of Mendoza are typically very different than those sourced from the region’s western part, which is 600 meters higher.”

  In fact, elevation has turned out to be one of the most critical considerations in the critical process of vineyard location. The vines for Hobbs Viña Cobos wines are planted in numerous high-elevation vineyards throughout the Uco Valley and the department of Luján de Cuyo. The soils in these vineyards tend to be poor in organic material and blessed with deep layers of rock and mineral, as well as good drainage, resulting in fruit with concentration, structure and complexity.

  “High-altitude vineyards provide a wide temperature range,” Di Césare confirmed, going on to explain that “low temperatures at night and higher temperatures during the day make for perfect conditions for the harvesting of perfectly ripened fruit.” 

  As alluded to a few paragraphs back, malbec might be the preferred weapon in most Argentinian winemakers’ arsenal. Still, plenty of other red and white varieties are being used with generally favorable results.

  “We are sure that we can show there is much more Argentina can offer than just malbec,” Julián Iñarra Iraegui, commercial director for Proemio wines, told me. “The region we are in, Maipú, from my understanding, is the best region for growing cabernet sauvignon. We also make wines from petit verdot, syrah, grenache and cabernet franc.” Iraegui said that Proemio is looking to “deconstruct and reconstruct” classic French blends to craft wines that are both single varietal expressions and blends featuring those same grapes. He stated the winery’s style is “more French.”

  “We avoid over-extraction and the heavy use of oak,” he said. “We import our barrels from France, and we are also using some barrels that are made from tree branches rather than trunks. We are the first winery to use these in Argentina.”

  Tasting through a range of Proemio wines with Iraegui, I was impressed by the complexity, poise 

and refinement of the wines crafted by French-thinking (though of Italian descent) Marcelo Bocardo. “Marcelo loves blends,” Iraegui revealed when asked whether malbec might be better as part of a blend than as a single varietal.

  Though the winery makes a couple of 100 percent malbec wines, Iraegui said that the winery “loves cabernets.”

  Indeed, the Proemio cabernet sauvignon “Reserve” 2016, with its aromas of tobacco, black currant, mint, pepper and dark plum, more than adequately showed the potential of this grape variety. Juicy and dense, it was nonetheless perfectly balanced and elegant, with a hint of spice intermingling with the chewy cassis fruit.

  Just as Argentina isn’t solely about malbec, it’s also not strictly about vino tinto. Most of the main international white varietals (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, viognier, semillon, chenin blanc and muscat) have taken root in the country’s soil. But the most interesting white variety is something unique to Argentina.

  A cross between the Listán Prieto and Muscat of Alexandria varieties, Torrontés (or more precisely, Torrontés Riojano (there are three variations of the grape), gives white wines with intense aromatics and lively flavors (very much like a dry muscat…not surprisingly).

  “Torrontés is a magnificent variety, with a high oenological value and [versatility] to obtain different wine types,” Susana Balbo of the Eponymous Winery explained to me. “In our case, we produce low-alcohol wines, natural sweet wines, dry wines, barrel fermented wines and late harvest wines from Torrontés grapes. Due to its great aromatic richness and its adaptability to diverse types of climate, Torrontés provides an interesting range of aromas that makes each wine unique.”

  I’m not sure if the situation is different in the United States, but in Canada, the wines of Argentina have generally been relegated to the “cheap and cheerful” category, which isn’t really fair and certainly doesn’t allow consumers to experience what the country really has to offer, wine-wise. Sure, you can get perfectly acceptable wines for under $20 (that’s CDN, so apply the current conversion factor for USD). But I highly recommend springing for something a bit more upmarket. You’ll likely find that the flavor profile will increase dramatically even though the price will still be below that of wines from more recognized countries and regions.

The 21st Amendment Enforcement Act & Retail Sales in Interstate Commerce

Cyndi
man holding gavel

By:  Brad Berkman and Louis Terminello, Greenspoon Marder

Direct to consumer (“DTC”) sales of wine and other beverage alcohol from out of state shippers is presumably here to stay, at least from the perspective of retail shippers. The Granholm decisions, as most readers are familiar with, burst open the door to DTC sales by suppliers and in particular winemakers. Wineries, with and without distribution in the various states, took advantage of the new opportunity and began shipping direct to consumers outside the sacrosanct three tier system.  In addition to winemakers, other business types began to sell their beverage alcohol wares in interstate commerce, directly to consumers in states other than their home markets. Retailers, in particular, have grown substantial sales revenue streams from selling to consumers outside of their home markets via the internet. Of course, third party e-commerce platforms have turned the three-tier system and interstate sales on its head through highly creative and not always beverage law compliant sales strategies often at the disdain of state regulators. Recently, some states have turned to legislation passed in October of 2000 to bring enforcement actions against out-of-state entities that seemingly violate their laws on the importation and shipment of beverage alcohol across their borders. The purpose of this article is to introduce the reader to this twenty-three-year-old piece of legislation known as the 21st Amendment Enforcement Act, some of its key provisions and its recent use by certain states.

The Act-What is it?

  The 21st Amendment Enforcement Act, (the “Act”), became law in 2000 and effectively amended the Webb Kenyon Act of 1913. The act allows for states attorneys general to bring civil actions in federal court against parties that import or transport beverage alcohol into a state in violation of the Act and the states laws.  Certain provisions of the law are printed below that are worth looking at, however, it is not necessary to reprint the full Act to understand its effect and implications, In a nutshell, the Act permits a state’s attorney general, to move for an injunction against the offending party to force cessation of the activity complained of that is in violation of a state’s beverage law. It is worth noting that relief in federal court takes the form of injunctive relief. The Act, as drafted, does not allow for states to bring actions, or impose monetary fines for violations brought under it. Further, nothing in the Act prevents states from bringing actions in state courts for violations of its beverage laws.

Certain Provisions of the Act Are:

      SEC. 2004. TWENTY-FIRST AMENDMENT ENFORCEMENT.

      (a) SHIPMENT OF INTOXICATING LIQUOR IN VIOLATION OF STATE LAW.—The Act entitled ‘‘An Act divesting intoxicating liquors of their interstate character in certain cases”, approved March 1, 1913 (commonly known as the ‘‘Webb-Kenyon Act”) (27 U.S.C. 122) is amended by adding at the end the following:

      SEC. 2. INJUNCTIVE RELIEF IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT.

(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section

(1) the term ‘attorney general’ means the attorney general or other chief law enforcement officer of a State or the designee thereof;

(2) the term ‘intoxicating liquor’ means any spirituous, vinous, malted, fermented, or other intoxicating liquor of any kind;

(3) the term ‘person’ means any individual and any partnership, corporation, company, firm, society, association, joint stock company, trust, or other entity capable of holding a legal or beneficial interest in property, but does not include a State or agency thereof; and

(4) the term ‘State’ means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States.

(b) ACTION BY STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL.—If the attorney general has reasonable cause to believe that a person is engaged in, or has engaged in, any act that would constitute a violation of a State law regulating the importation or transportation of any intoxicating liquor, the attorney general may bring a civil action in accordance with this section for injunctive relief (including a preliminary or permanent injunction) against the person, as the attorney general determines to be necessary to—

(1) restrain the person from engaging, or continuing to engage, in the violation; and

(2) enforce compliance with the State law.

(c) FEDERAL JURISDICTION.

(1) IN GENERAL.—The district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction over any action brought under this section by an attorney general against any person, except one licensed or otherwise authorized to produce, sell, or store intoxicating liquor in such State.

(2) VENUE.—An action under this section may be brought only in accordance with section 1391 of title 28, United States Code, or in the district in which the recipient of the intoxicating liquor resides or is found.

(3) FORM OF RELIEF.—An action under this section is limited to actions seeking injunctive relief (a preliminary and/ or permanent injunction).

(4) NO RIGHT TO JURY TRIAL.—An action under this section shall be tried before the court.

(d) REQUIREMENTS FOR INJUNCTIONS AND ORDERS.

(1) IN GENERAL.—In any action brought under this section, upon a proper showing by the attorney general of the State, the court may issue a preliminary or permanent injunction to restrain a violation of this section. A proper showing under this paragraph shall require that a State prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a violation of State law as described in subsection (b) has taken place or is taking place.

  Over the past few years some states have brought actions under the Act aimed at perceived violators. It is indeed worth taking note of these actions and to bring them to the attention of readers who may be sending alcohol beverage products into these states. Emphasis should be added that states have not often relied on the Act to enforce its laws against allegedly illegal transport and shipment of beverage alcohol but we are likely to see more actions by states brought under it.

Tennessee and Ohio

  This past July, Tennessee’s Attorney General brought an action for an injunction in federal court against six out of state retailers. These retailers were shipping distilled spirits, not wine, to Tennessee consumers in violation of that state’s beverage laws. It should be noted that those sued were out-of-state internet retailers, that allegedly sold distilled spirits without a license and were untaxed by the state. The retailers included Bottle Buzz, Cask Cartel, and others.

Ohio

  Ohio was the first state to make use of the Act. Its Attorney General filed a complaint and motion for a preliminary injunction in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio against several out-of-state retailers including Wine.com and Ace Spirits. The attorney general argued that the illegal shipment by out of state retailers takes business aways from licensed Ohio retailers and the alcoholic beverage were not properly taxed. Though, as noted above, the Act did not include monetary fines, the action against Ace Spirits ended with a consent order that called for financial penalties of $150.00 per violation should the activity complained of continue.

  As noted, the 21st Amendment Enforcement Act has not been often used. It is clear that the Act provides an additional tool for the states to use to enforce its beverage laws. Retailers that engage in interstate sales to consumers should carefully review state laws prior to shipping to remain in compliance. This caveat holds true for e-commerce sellers of alcohol that act under an agent for consumer model. E-commerce sales of alcohol have led to creative routes to market for brand owners as well. As we move forward, state laws may indeed carve out certain exceptions from their legislative floors. For the time being, state and federal courts will remain the arbiter of disputes of this sort. Consumer demands and technology are changing the face of alcohol sales. Until exceptions are carved out at the state level, retailers are well advised to remain in compliance with the beverage laws of receiving states shipping laws.

New Grapevine Crop Insurance Coverage Now Available

Cyndi
stormy dark skies over a vineyard

By: Trevor Troyer – Vice President at Agricultural Risk Management, LLC

The USDA Risk Management Agency has just released the new Grapevine crop insurance plan.  This has been something that vineyard owners across the US have wanted for years.  Coverage is now available starting for the 2024 crop year. The sign-up deadline is November 1st in all states where it is available.

  The states where you can obtain this new coverage are: California, Idaho, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.  It is not available in all counties though.  The counties that are listed in the actuarial documents are not the same as the Grape crop insurance program.  This new program is available for grafted grapevines only in 91 counties.

  What is covered with this new insurance product?  The Causes of Loss that are listed in the Grapevine Crop Provisions are below:

      11. Causes of Loss

      (a) In accordance with the provisions of section 12 of the Basic Provisions, insurance is provided only against the following causes of loss that occur within the insurance period:

(1) Freeze;

(2) Hail;

(3) Flood;

(4) Fire, unless weeds and other forms of undergrowth have not been controlled or pruning debris has not been removed from the vineyard;

(5) Insects, diseases, and other pathogens if allowed in the Special Provisions; and

(6) Failure of the irrigation water supply if caused by an unavoidable, naturally occurring event that occurs during the insurance period.

      (b) In addition to the causes of loss excluded in section 12 of the Basic Provisions, we will not insure against damage other than actual damage to the vine from an insurable cause specified in this section

  The vine needs to be completely destroyed, or is damaged to the extent that it will not recover in the 12-month insurance period from November 30th.

  Any damage other than damage to the grapevine from an insured cause is not covered.  For example, chemical drift, terrorism etc. are not covered.  Failure to follow good farming practices or the breakdown of irrigation equipment are also not covered.

  For the grapevines to be insurable they must be adapted to the area they are being grown in.  They must be being grown and sold for fruit, wine or juice for human consumption.  The vines must be grafted to be insurable as well.  The Crop Year begins December 1 and extends through to November 30 of the following year. You must have a minimum of 600 vines per acre to be insurable also.

  Vines are classified into 3 stages of growth for the policy.  Here are the exact definitions:

      (a) Stage I, from when the vines are set out through 12 months after set out;

      (b) Stage II, vines that are 13 through 48 months old after set out; and

      (c) Stage III, vines that are more than 48 months old after set out.

  Values are determined by the Stage (age) of the vine and the county they are located in.  Obviously Stage III vines are worth more than Stage I vines.  These prices are set by the USDA Risk Management Agency.

  Vines are insured in four different categories; Group A, Group B, Group C and Group D.  Without listing all the varieties in each group, which would take up a lot of space, suffice to say that any variety can be insured.  Group A for example has Concord, Niagra and other natives and some hybrids.  Group B has mostly hybrids such as Chardonnel, Diamond, Elvira, Vidal Blanc but does have some Vitis vinifera like Reisling.  Group C has the most European grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gamay and others but does have hybrids as well.  The catch all is Group D which has “All Other Varieties”.  You can select a different coverage level for each Group.  You could have 60% coverage on your Group A and 75% coverage on your Group C vines. Depending on which vines you think are more at risk.   If you choose Catastrophic Risk Protection (CAT) level for any vine type then CAT will be applicable for all of your insured vines in that county.

  You can choose coverage levels for your Grapevine insurance from CAT (Catastrophic) to 75%.  CAT insurance is 50% coverage but you only get 55% of that 50% value per vine. Coverage increments are 5%, so you have 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70% and 75%.   There is a sort of a double deductible with Grapevine insurance.  You have a damage deductible and a value/price deductible.  For example, if you choose 75% coverage you would have a 25% damage deductible.  That means that the first 25% of damage is not payable.  So, if you had 30% of your vines killed because of a freeze you would have a payable claim of 5% (30% minus 25% deductible).  There is also a value deductible as well. Again, if you have 75% coverage you would have a grapevine value deductible of 25%. For example, if the grapevine is Stage III in California in Napa County it would be worth $39.  At the 75% coverage level the dollar amount for that vine would be $29.25.

  There is an optional endorsement that changes the damage deductible.  This endorsement does cost a little more but is worth it, in my opinion.  This is called the Occurrence Loss Option or OLO for short.  It changes the damage deductible to a 5% damage trigger.  If your loss is 5% or more of the total value of the vines in a unit you would have a payable loss.  Plus, you are paid on the full value percentage of the loss.  So, if you had a 30% loss, you would get paid on the full 30%.  This does not change the value percentage of the coverage level, if you choose 50% you get that amount.  You cannot exceed the total insured value, Liability, of the vines in any case. 

  OLO has been available for other types of insurance like citrus trees, avocado trees etc.  To keep premiums down growers often elect lower coverage levels with OLO.  That way you are likely to get a claim paid but the premium is not too high, you just get a little less per vine.

  Once you sign up and complete all the forms with your agent, they are then submitted to the underwriter.  The underwriter will open an inspection and an adjuster will come and take a look at your vineyard.  The adjuster will determine if the grapevines in your vineyard are insurable.  The vines could be uninsurable for any of the following reasons.  The vines are unsound, diseased or in someway unhealthy.  They could have been grafted within a 12-month period before the beginning of the insurance period. Or they could have been damaged prior to the beginning of the insurance period.  Once the adjuster has completed the inspection, it is sent to the underwriter and then on to the USDA Risk Management Agency for final approval. 

  If you have damage from an insured Cause of Loss, you should contact your agent to get a claim opened.  It is always best to get a claim opened up sooner rather than later.  48 – 72 hours after discovering damage is best.  I know that a lot of growers want to wait and see how much damage there is before they do anything.  It is always better to get a claim opened up rather than wait and see.  If there is not enough damage then you just let the adjuster know.  After you open up a claim an adjuster should be out within 10 days to inspect the vineyard.  Do not remove any damaged vines until it has been inspected!

  This is a good program, and it will provide protection to vineyards that need to mitigate losses from Freeze, Hail, Flood, Fire etc.  But you will have to determine, with your agent, whether or not it is a good fit for your vineyard.  Some growers and locations have less risk than others.  While some areas are constantly pummeled by the elements and other factors.

What is a Website Template & Ten Reasons You Want One

Cyndi

By: Susan DeMatei, Founder of WineGlass Marketing

In today’s fast-changing landscape, web experts agree that we should redesign our websites every three years. Don’t get us wrong, that doesn’t mean touch your website every three years. You should constantly update and keep your website current, but we’re talking about a complete reboot every three years. This refresh is necessary because our content and feature-needs change, and our consumer eCommerce and browsing habits are constantly changing. Look at the wine business in the past four years and how much has changed since pre-COVID. In addition to the obvious design revitalization, we should also be re-evaluating our website goals and needs on this three-year frequency.

Image showing 75% of consumers will judge a brand's credibility based on their website design source Stanford Web Credibility Research

  When facing a redesign, the first question that crosses the minds of most is, “Should I use a template or have this custom-built?” If you have done a big website from scratch. before, you hired a designer and then a developer, and they walked you through Photoshop comps and wireframes. It worked back then, but that long and expensive process is no longer the only way to build websites. In the final months of 2023, the vast majority of the websites on the internet are built with a template or theme. For most of our clients, a template is the best place to start unless you are a complex corporate entity with multiple brand or feature needs (and even in that case, you might want to start on a template.) But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s define a template and then break down some pros and cons of using a template.

What is a template?

I am currently car shopping, so I have automobiles on the brain. I let my lease go during COVID and for a time my husband and I have survived on one car, but it’s getting to be logistically difficult. For the past few weeks, I have been comparing features and reading reviews and am no closer to making a decision than I was when I started. Is it wrong to want heated seats in Northern California? Will I really use the Navigation system if I can plug in my iPhone? What the heck is torque, anyway? If anyone has an SUV suggestion. I’m all ears. So, forgive all the car analogies and puns when discussing websites, but that’s what’s racing out of me at this moment. (See what I did there?)

There are Three Parts to a Website

1.  The base structure is like a chassis of a car. Your base will include basic feature choices like a type of Navigation menu, the ability to incorporate eCommerce, mobile optimization, a photo carousel, or slider. It will also suggest plugins options like a recipe section, a mailing list signup, or a blog page. A good base with have pre-built areas for what you need and easily be able to incorporate additional special touches you want.

  This base is a template (or theme or stencil) and is a blank slate that can host very different websites. If the template is the chassis in our car analogy, it is mostly unseen as what you put on top of it defines the car. This is why a Toyota 4Runner, an SUV, can have the same chassis as the Toyota Tacoma, a pickup truck. (Ok, I’ve read entirely too much Car & Driver lately.)

2.  Your website content is the shell, or car, that is put on the chassis. This is the second part of the website and contains your copy and images. These areas flesh out details of your website like a wine club membership section, an events schedule, or that wedding venue picture gallery. On top of the template, your content provides the site’s function as well as content specific to your winery.

3.  But the third part is where most people think about – the design. The design of your website are fonts and colors added on top of everything with a style sheet. This is the trim of your car. It dictates what color it is, if it has the sports or the luxury package, or if the interior is cloth or leather. (Um, with four dogs, leather. Definitely leather). The designer crafts these tweaks to make your site look like your winery and nobody else and puts thought into how your content is best displayed.

  So don’t feel like a template will be cookie-cutter. A template should be the basis for the content and styling that will make your site your own. A template is not an excuse not to customize everything. Sure, you bought it with some fonts and colors but you should absolutely customize it.

Image says it takes .05 seconds for visitors to form an opinion about a website source behaviour & information technn\ology

10 Reason’s To Choose a Template over a Custom Build

  Have you ever tried to configure a car at a dealer? It’s nearly impossible. They don’t like it and quickly try to sell you a configuration already on the lot. If you resist and genuinely want your custom car, you have to wait, sometimes for months. Having your dream car is pretty sweet but time-consuming, costly, and requires a hefty dose of patience. 

  On the other hand, using a template is like buying a car on the lot. It might not match your dream features perfectly, but it’s close, quick and convenient, you still get that new car smell, and it’s much easier on your wallet.

  But sometimes, the heart wants what it wants. Both options have their merits, and the choice largely depends on your unique needs and circumstances. But, for those who appreciate a straightforward, no-nonsense approach, there’s something inherently attractive about going the template route.

Here’s are ten reasons why you might lean towards a template for your website:

1. Time-Efficiency:  Templates are like website-building cheat codes. They come pre-designed with layouts, color schemes, and content placeholders. You can go from a blank screen to a functioning website in days, not months. Templates get you online faster, which can be a game-changer in the digital world and allow your team to focus on sales versus infrastructure.

2. Cost-Effectiveness:  Custom builds can be expensive. You’ll need to hire web designers and developers, and the bill can quickly spiral out of control. Templates are often affordable, making them a budget-friendly option. You can save your development dollars when you start with a template.

3. Beginner-Friendly:  Not everyone is a web development guru. With templates, you don’t need to be. They are designed with the average Joe in mind, so you can create a professional-looking website even if you’ve never coded a line. While I recommend getting a designer to design your template initially, you should be able to maintain it independently. Templates always come with a CMS, and if you’re using something like WordPress, once you learn the basics, all those skills are transferable throughout your career. You don’t need to be a coding wizard to use templates. On the other hand, custom builds require extensive technical knowledge or the hiring of a developer, which can be a headache if you’re not tech-savvy.

4. Built-In Features:  Many templates come with handy features like responsive design (your site looks good on any device), SEO optimization (helps your site rank higher on Google), and e-commerce functionality (perfect for online stores). Why reinvent the wheel when it’s already rolling your way?

5. Stability and Maintenance:  Technology is like a never-ending racetrack with new updates and emerging trends constantly rounding the corner. With templates, you can breathe easily. Templates typically receive updates from their creators. This means you don’t need to worry about your site becoming outdated or vulnerable to security breaches. It’s like having a virtual mechanic on standby. Also, this template has been used repeatedly, so all the issues have been worked out. With a custom site or something only your winery uses, you and you alone are the guinea pig. With templates, you’re minimizing the risk of major technical issues.

6. They Are Highly Customizable To Your Brand:

  As discussed, the template is just the base. (The most popular WordPress theme, DIVI, has been downloaded over 800,000 times. And all these websites look very different from each other.) The point is to make it your own with customization. It is recommended that you initially get a designer to customize your template for you, but with some reading and trial you can likely do it yourself.

7. They Are Developed To Change:  We started this blog by saying the web is dynamic and constantly changing. One of the cool things about templates is that they are built to be changed. Don’t design your website and then walk away from it. Design it, then watch customer activity. Track your sales conversions, track your visitors, and then try different landing pages, sliders, or content. Templates are made to be modular and editable, so take full advantage of that. This allows you to experiment with different layouts, content, and features to optimize your site’s performance and user experience. Custom builds require additional development to implement such testing capabilities.

8. SEO Friendliness:  Templates often come with built-in or the ability to add SEO features or plugins that make optimizing your website for search engines easier. Custom builds may require additional development to implement these features, adding to your time and costs.

9. Mobile Matters:  In today’s mobile-first world, having a responsive website that looks great on smartphones and tablets is crucial. Most templates are designed with mobile responsiveness in mind, saving you the headache of ensuring your custom site is mobile-friendly.

10. Future-Proofing:  Website templates are built to adapt to changing technologies and trends. As design and functionality evolve, templates evolve with them. Custom-built sites can become outdated quickly, requiring more significant investments in development to keep up with the times.

When asked what visual elements they value on a company website 40% of consumers said images 39% of consumers said website color scheme and 21% of consumers said video source top design firms

  Ultimately, the content of your website matters most. Whether you choose a template or a custom build, what you say and how you say it will be the driving force behind your online success. A beautiful custom design won’t save poor content, just as a template won’t hinder great content from shining.

  So, why choose a template over a custom build for your website? Because sometimes, speed, affordability, and ease of use trump the pursuit of perfection. Templates offer a fast track to getting your online presence up and running without draining your bank account or sanity. For most small to medium-sized businesses and personal projects, templates offer a hassle-free and efficient way to get your online presence up and running.

  In the end, the choice between a template and a custom build is a profoundly personal one. It’s like choosing between that dream car and one off the lot. Both have their merits; it just depends on what drives you (Sorry, I can’t help it).

  So, get out there, explore the world of website templates, and remember that the web is an open road. Whether you go with a template or a custom build, the most important thing is to get your voice, brand, and ideas out there for the world to see.

  Susan DeMatei founded WineGlass Marketing; the largest full-service, award-winning marketing firm focused on the wine industry. She is a certified Sommelier and Specialist in Wine, with degrees in Viticulture and Communications, an instructor at Napa Valley Community College, and is currently collaborating on two textbooks. Now in its 11th year, her agency offers domestic and international wineries assistance with all areas of strategy and execution. WineGlass Marketing is located in Napa, California, and can be reached at 707-927-3334 or wineglassmarketing.com.

The #1 Pruning Tool Your Vineyard Needs Right Now

Cyndi
Picture of hand holding INFACO_sécateur_F3020 pruner in vineyard

By: Alyssa L. Ochs

Here at The Grapevine Magazine, we have covered many pruning-related topics for vineyards in past issues, such as pruning techniques, best practices and seasonal tips. But if your vineyard is looking to really improve your pruning practices this year, you may benefit from specific product recommendations from industry experts that can make your life easier by saving you time and money while keeping employees safe.

  For example, a pruning shear called the Infaco F3020 is one of the best products available on the market today for vineyard pruning to consider buying for your wine grape maintenance and upkeep. Two industry experts told The Grapevine about this tool and what vineyard owners should know before buying it. 

Pruning Tools and Techniques

  Pruning may seem simple enough on the surface, but the tools you use and how you train your staff really go a long way in a vineyard. While removing unwanted fruit and foliage, you are also helping to control vine damage, prevent disease and improve your chances for a successful yield.

  The most common vineyard tools used for pruning are hand and lopping shears, but you may also need saws and larger tools for challenging jobs.  

  Safety must always be the top priority while using sharp tools among the rows of grapevines, so it is helpful to be well-stocked with gloves and accessories that make the job easier and more efficient. Meanwhile, properly training your staff members to use these tools can prevent many common pruning-related injuries, such as hand lacerations, strained shoulders and aching neck and back muscles.

  The pruning process is relatively straightforward: remove the canes first, remove the spurs second and ensure all old growth is out of the way of new fruiting canes and renewal spurs. Yet recent innovations in pruning tools make this tedious but necessary maintenance task more productive than ever. 

Infaco F3020 Professional Battery-Powered Pruning Shear

  While researching the latest and greatest pruning tools for vineyards, Infaco’s brand-new F3030 electric pruning shear stood out. After over six years of research, tests and fine-tuning, Infaco released this new and improved version as a follow-up to its F3015 model. The new F3020 builds upon the F3015’s technical base and adds numerous improvements to improve cutting speed and work comfort. It is ideal for vine pruning and is lighter, more compact and easier to handle than the previous versions of the tool.

  Infaco-USA, Inc. carries on the legacy of M. Daniel Delmas, who invented the world’s first electric pruning shear in 1984. The company has designed, produced and sold over 350,000 pruning shears in more than 45 countries.

  “Our founder invented the world’s first-ever electric pruner in response to friends he had in Southern France with vineyards,” Ananda Van Hoorn, operations manager for Infaco-USA, told The Grapevine Magazine. “At the time, they had an incredible labor shortage, and back in the 1980s, pruning was the single biggest labor expense for vineyards, just as it is today. So, the shear he invented was designed to work with all kinds of vineyards – cane pruned, cordons, goblet and so on.”

  Van Hoorn said that the F3020 electric pruning shear increases productivity by an average of 30 percent in a vineyard since users can keep making the same number of cuts per hour all day long.

  “So, vineyards that switch to our shear will find that they don’t need to purchase one shear per worker,” she said. “Instead, some of the workers who were previously pruning will be reassigned to cleaning up canes or other vineyard tasks.”

  Van Hoorn explained how this shear has a built-in safety system, so her top safety tip is simple: use the F3020, and you’ll never have to worry about losing a finger again!

  “The trigger on the new F3020 is metallic and connects to your entire body’s electric system through your trigger finger,” she said. “This means that when you touch the metal blade of the shear to your skin, the circuit is grounded out.”

  She also said that maintenance of the tool is easy and only involves greasing the tool once per day and sharpening it twice daily with the included grease and sharpening stone.

  Among the various pruners and canopy products offered by BDi Machinery, Paul J. Licata, the owner and president of this company, says that the best and most commonly purchased pruner is the battery-powered Infaco F3020. BDi Machinery Sales, Inc. is a complete source for innovative, specialty agricultural machinery and offers everything from pruners to sprayers, hedgers, leaf-removers, shredders, cultivators, mowers, row-mulchers and more. BDi Machinery is an authorized Infaco provider for routine and annual service programs. Licata spoke to this pruner’s cutting speeds, work comfort, compact design and ease of handling. The F3020 is used for pruning during the dormant and growing season. 

  “Loaded with technological advances, the pruning shear can now be ‘connected’ using an optional Bluetooth box,” Licata said. “This new system makes it possible to report highly relevant data in order to achieve ever more effective pruning work.”

  Licata also said that this connectivity option, combined with the Infaco application, can make many adjustments directly from a smartphone, such as adjustable blade opening management, blade crossing and new “soft mode” speed configuration. Additionally, it offers advanced reading and analysis of the data collected during the device’s use.

  “A technology differentiator is the Infaco electronic safety system (DSES) – Wireless DSES/hard-wired DSES,” Licata said. “Infaco has always considered safety to be essential. A true pioneer in the 1990s, it has never stopped investing in cut-prevention solution research for its user clients. The new safety system comprises a conductive trigger that connects the user’s body and the shears’ electronic system, Infaco patents. As soon as the cutting head touches the opposite hand, bare or wearing a glove, the pruning shear instantly opens to prevent injury.”

Pruning-Related Parts and Accessories

  When discussing additional parts and accessories that vineyards may need for their pruning tools, the suggestion of additional head sizes arose. Infaco’s shear is the only electric shear in the world that features interchangeable heads, so the most common accessories that Infaco’s clients buy are additional head sizes to increase their cutting capacity up to 55 millimeters or 2.17 inches.“

  This lets vineyards use the same tool for cane pruning as they do for Eutypa surgery without having to invest in a whole new set; just buy the head!” said Van Hoorn. “We also find some vineyards using our electric shear with the medium head 100 percent of the time. This is because with manual pruning, some vineyards have workers carrying around two different tools that they have to switch between when they identify a larger cut to make. Buying the F3020 with medium head gives workers a 1.75-inch cutting capacity, and they can easily flip between a customized smaller opening and the full capacity. This means that this one tool replaces carrying around a set of pruning shears and a pair of loppers or saw and cuts down on wasted time switching back and forth between tools.”

  BDi Machinery’s Paul Licata pointed out that you can carry the Infaco F3020’s battery in four different ways: on a vest with straps, on the belt without the removable straps, using the trouser belt clip or directly in a pocket thanks to its small format. He also said a new shear holder with a minimal size is secure and easy to use because the cutting head is protected and stored in its sheath with just two steps.

The tool’s main asset is its versatility, thanks to the medium and maxi kits,” Licata said. “It only takes five minutes to easily transform your shears for other occasional or permanent pruning applications. The Infaco design office engineers have completely revolutionized the pole system to propose an innovative and ergonomic solution. Simply clip the F3020 pruning shear to the end of the pole and the battery to the other end: that’s it, the tool is ready for use. Forget the previous cables, and operate your tool using a wireless Bluetooth trigger system. Also, you can keep the blade profile sharp easily and in record time using the Infaco electric sharpener.”

Innovations and Considerations

  Van Hoorn from Infaco-USA told The Grapevine Magazine how you’ll see many things her company offers that the competition can’t match because Infaco has been perfecting its shear for nearly 40 years. This includes the built-in safety system, more accessories to increase the tool’s versatility and the absolute lightest battery on the market that will power a shear for an entire workday.

  “Quality and reliability have always been core concerns to Infaco,” said Licata from BDi Machinery. “From design, through production, then in the after-sales department, it offers users excellent products and services that fulfill the company’s strong values.”

  Looking ahead, Van Hoorn from Infaco shared with us something new that will be coming from the brand in the months ahead.

  “Infaco will be announcing a brand-new tying tool that works with the same battery as our F3020 shear for this spring,” Van Hoorn said. “The new AT1000 electric tying machine is designed specifically for cane-tied vineyards and will be an absolute game-changer!”

Robots in the Vineyard

Cyndi

How AI and Other Technologies Are Changing the Landscape for Vineyards & Wineries Worldwide 

Picture of vineyard tractor bakus enjambeur electrique-L-scaled

By: Cheryl Gray

From grape-picking robots to mechanized pruning machines, just name it, technology has a cutting-edge answer for virtually any vineyard need to reduce dependence upon manual labor.

  Studies show that technology-driven equipment is becoming increasingly used in the viticulture industry. When deployed, those studies show that the results show greater productivity when it comes to caring for and, eventually, harvesting grapes. 

Westside Equipment Company is one of the corporations at the forefront of making this a reality for its clients. A global leader in its field, Westside Equipment is headquartered in  Madera, California in a grape-growing region designated as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) since 1985. The company, which also has three other locations in the Golden State, has been in business for nearly 40 years.

  Westside Equipment Company, which designs and manufactures harvesting equipment at its Madera location, recently acquired VMECH for its portfolio, adding an entire new line of technology-driven vineyard products, including the Chariot Mechanized Vineyard Pruner. Stephanie Hawkins is the marketing and sales coordinator for the company.

“The VMECH Chariot’s dual precision pruner adapts to various trellis types and enables pre-pruning and near finish pruning, covering up to three acres per hour and  saving up to $600 per acre. With a vision-based approach, our AI technology identifies and scans the cordons, adjusting based on the incoming data. The versatile Chariot has multiple attachment options to keep it useful year-round, including shoot thinning and trunk suckering. A single row pruning unit will be available in fall 2023.”

  The Chariot is useful for applications that include work on high wire, VSP and quad trellises. According to Westside, the equipment is built to supplement pruning capacity and comes equipped with individual joysticks for seamless operation. While the machine requires three operators, it promises to save money by pruning two rows at a time and one to three acres an hour, depending on row spacing and length. 

  Another feature of the Chariot is that its pruning heads are efficient, versatile, and can be customized. The heads attach to each of the machine’s booms. In addition to its pruning capabilities, the Chariot can be used to cane-cut vineyards in spring.

  The VMECH Toolbar is another vineyard productivity tool. The unit is designed to be mounted on virtually any tractor, with Westside Equipment providing manufacturing assistance to ensure a proper fit. Customer support, Hawkins says, is important to Westside Equipment.

  “All Westside Equipment Company products are custom built at our manufacturing headquarters in Madera, California and come with 24/7 in-season service and parts (limited to California vineyards) to conveniently serve the wine grape industry,” Hawkins said.

  For companies that take over when the grapes arrive at the winery, Prospero Equipment Corporation considers itself a frontrunner in supplying processing and packaging equipment for wineries of every size. The company, founded in 1972, started as a supplier to home winemakers. 

  In the 1980s, Prospero expanded into commercial wine-making equipment, opening an office in California to begin servicing and distributing products from Italy to West Coast wineries. The product roster includes imported tanks, fillers, labelers, commercial presses, filters and crusher destemmers. The family-owned and operated business now specializes in offering the latest technology to help wineries keep pace in an ever-changing industry.

  Prospero represents SK Tank, which builds wine tanks, wine presses and equipment for other beverage industry sectors. Andy Robinson represents Prospero’s sales division.

  “Working with SK allows Prospero to offer full tank storage capabilities as well as supporting harvest equipment,” Robinson said. “Prospero’s brewhouse division offers the highest quality brewhouses and beer tanks accompanied by full engineered designs and complete turnkey installations.”

  Robinson adds that Prospero has recently launched new products that focus on the use of technology, thanks to a newly formed relationship with GAI Machinery, which Prospero now represents.

  “GAI sets the upper standard of machine manufacturing and offers the highest quality packaging equipment available,” Robinson said. “Prospero now offers a revolutionary new technology with the UNICA filling valve, which is an Electro Pneumatic filling valve capable of filling from 0 – 6 BAR pressure. This has allowed many companies to expand their product lines and be able to package all of them within the same Monoblock. The UNICA filling valve is now also available with a Volumetric Electro Pneumatic filling valve, offering the most precise filling for a wider range of container sizes and formats. Offering still and counterpressure filling in the same filling valve has brought the new technologies to the forefront of packaging for the beverage imdustry. The UNICA filling valve is also offered on the GAI canning Monoblocks. The GAI Monoblock design is engineered so all main gears are interlocking and connect all turrets, thus eliminating any risk in loss of machine timing.”

  Robinson adds that Prospero has multiple ways to help its clients with products and services, identifying the absolute essentials for wineries that want to keep up with the latest technology.

  “Prospero offers sales consulting, engineered drawings, parts departments and a technical team for service, installation and training,” Robinson said. “Having effective product and packaging consultation allows direct discussions for future growth and wiser investment strategies. Providing engineered drawings allows for a seamless installation, parts to be on hand if needed and a direct format for our technical team to follow.”

  Robinson says that planning ahead is the key to keeping up with technology.

  “A company should plan for future development of products and production volumes, this also includes added closures and perhaps canning,” he said. “Investing in high quality equipment helps guarantee longevity, ease in maintenance and the finest quality finished product. Prospero technicians fully train all new equipment owners after installation to guarantee all operators are knowledgeable about the machinery and the supporting equipment. This support is backed up by our service and parts department for maintenance and repairs.”

  Experts say that the cost of labor is the biggest expense grape growers face every season. With the declining number of farm workers available to work the vineyards, those experts say there is a serious labor shortage. The answer for many growers is technology replacing workers to do the tasks of pruning, shoot thinning, shoot posting, fruit thinning, leaf removal and row line cultivation.

  Gearmore, Inc. specializes in implements for those many operations. Gearmore, Inc. has provided quality vineyard implements through servicing tractor dealers for 60 years. To cover all the grower’s requirements, the company has more than 100 different models, with widths and capacities of products for vineyards to handle varying acreage, row widths, terrain, foliage profile and different tractor horsepower.

  Gearmore is headquartered in Chino, California and boasts the largest inventory of implements on the West Coast. Its reach is global and includes sales representatives in charge of territories throughout the southwestern United States, Hawaii and parts of Mexico. Vineyard equipment options include in-row cultivators, air blast sprayers, soil conditioners, air sprayers, boom sprayers, vine trimmers, leaf removers, pre-pruners, compost spreaders, mowers, soil conditioners, mower shredders and more.

  There are other technologies in use by vineyards, such as drones, satellite imagery and GPS. Larger operations use these technologies to monitor vineyard health, and smaller vineyards are following suit. Through satellites and drones, vineyards can easily gather data, including the ripeness of grapes, water shortages and the early signs of vineyard disease. The technology can also help protect the environment because products must only be sprayed for disease and pests when necessary.

  As for wineries, experts say that platforms that merge statistics, such as point of sale, club memberships and e-commerce help streamline sales and improve customer experience.

  In short, technology, including AI, is increasingly becoming the norm rather than an anomaly for vineyards and wineries. Its widespread use is now seen as a way to advance productivity and sales in a highly competitive industry where smart moves driven by technology make money.

An Overview of Washington State’s Vineyards & Wineries

Cyndi
Picture of rose of grape vineyards mountain and blue sky

By: Becky Garrison  

Since the first planting of wine grapes in Fort Vancouver, Washington in 1825, Washington State has risen to become the second-largest producer of wine, with an annual production of approximately 17.7 million cases and a total annual in-state economic impact of $8.4 billion. Currently, the state has 1,070 wineries, with over 400 grape growers and over 60,000 acres of grapevines planted, which produce over 80 varieties of grapes. Of these wineries, 90 percent would be classified as boutique wineries, producing less than 5,000 cases annually.        

Tour of Washington State’s AVAs

  Established in 1983, the Yakima Valley AVA is the state’s oldest AVA, with 708,710 total acres, of which 18,580 are planted acres. This area’s diverse growing region, with an annual rainfall of eight inches, allows for a wide range of wine varieties and styles. Approximately a quarter of the grapes grown in this AVA are chardonnay, with riesling, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah among this region’s other most popular grapes.

  The Columbia Valley AVA was founded the following year and consists of 11,308,636 total acres, 8,748,949 of which are in Washington State. Cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, riesling, merlot and syrah represent the most popular varieties planted in this area. This region is home to 99 percent of Washington’s total wine grape acreage, with the vast majority of Washington State’s 20 AVAs located within the Columbia Valley.  

  Four of Washington State’s AVAs are cross-border appellations. Columbia Valley, Columbia Gorge and Walla Walla Valley are shared with Oregon. Lewis-Clark Valley is shared with Idaho. 

  The Columbia Gorge represents the state’s westernmost appellation east of the Cascade Mountains. Founded in 2004, this AVA is noted for the diversity that produces a greater variety of wines than other AVAs. This AVA consists of 186,610 total acres, 66,604 of which are in Washington State, with 381 planted acres in this state. Rachel Horn, winemaker at Aniche Cellars in Underwood, Washington, states how the western end of the Columbia Gorge AVA is similar in many ways to her favorite cooler climate growing regions in Europe, including Alsace and the Wachau. She observes, “I find that many of the white varieties so seldom grown in the U.S. can thrive here.” Unlike most farms in eastern Washington, they can dry-farm, as the slopes and cooler nights on Underwood Mountain provide enough rain that, according to Horn, can make some gorgeous ripeness in phenolics without becoming jammy or too high in alcohol. “We can focus on elegance and finesse without huge extraction and muscle in our wines,” she said.

Growth of Seattle Urban Wineries

  When Tim Bates, Andy Shepherd and Frank Michels of Eight Bells Winery and Lacey and Charlie Lybecker of Cairdeas Winery launched their respective wineries in 2009, they were among the first winemakers to set up shop inside Seattle’s city limits. Bates reflects on how consumers had a hard time understanding how they could have a winery in the city. “Everyone expected you to be surrounded by vineyards. People are pretty amazed when they come in and see a real winery in action, especially during crush.” Lacey adds, “When we first started making wine, the urban wine scene was concentrated in South Park and Georgetown. It’s now in SODO, West Seattle, Ballard, and beyond. It’s great to see the expansion.”

  As part of this expansion, after the Lybeckers moved their winery from West Seattle to Lake Chelan, they established a second tasting room at SODO Urban Works, a collective of ten of Washington’s finest wine and food crafters situated in one communal space. Nine Hats Winery followed a similar model, with a winery based in Walla Walla and a tasting room at SODO Urban Works. According to Ryan Shoup, who oversees this tasting room, having a presence in this bombing-bustling neighborhood enables them to pivot off this urban energy. “This, in turn, results in a more casual and upbeat feel to their tasting room that attracts a younger audience,” he reflects.

Promoting WA State Wines

  The Washington State Wine Commission designated August as Washington Wine Month (WAugust). During this month, consumers can find special deals and events all month long at wineries, tasting rooms, restaurants, grocery stores and backyards across the state. Also, as part of WAugust, the Washington State Wine Commission partnered with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in 2022 to bring on Wine Spectator as a national media partner for an expanded Washington Wine Month campaign.

  In addition, 2023 marked the return of Taste Washington in March, which is the nation’s largest single-region wine and food festival. This week is marked with a dinner series, seminars and parties. A key highlight of this week is the Grand Tasting, which includes selections from over 200 wineries alongside more than 50 regional restaurants. This event will return in March 2024, with the Grand Tasting slated for March 16 and 17, 2024.

  Another series of statewide events that have returned post-COVID are those from the Auction of Washington Wines. This nonprofit organization seeks to raise awareness of Washington wine through a series of events benefiting their community. Events happen throughout the year, including an online holiday bottle auction, Wine Country Celebration dinners, and a trade-focused Private Barrel Auction. The largest events happen in August and include TOAST!, an industry-focused recognition dinner; the Winemaker Picnic & Barrel Auction, a casual event featuring wines, food and a consumer barrel auction. Their largest fundraising event of the year, a formal gala, where unique auction lots are available through a live auction and money is raised for Seattle’s Children’s Hospital, Washington State University Viticulture & Enology Department and various industry grants.

  On a more regional level, Walla Walla Wine on Tour allows 45 member wineries to pour to sold-out crowds in Seattle and Portland, as well as reconnect to the wine trade and media. In 2023, they expanded this tour to include Boise, Idaho. In 2024, they will return to Seattle on January 29, Portland on February 26 and Boise, Idaho on March 3-4. In 2023, 60 percent of ticket purchasers were first-time attendees to the Seattle and Portland events.

  Along those lines, Horn points to events like the Blood Of Gods 2023 Annual Merrymaking event held in Walla Walla that work to create space and voice for alternative people in the wine industry, including queer, punk, BIPOC and female voices. She proclaims, “I like that people like us are finding wine and taking some ownership.”

  Renea Roberts, the director of community engagement for the Lake Chelan Wine Alliance, points to the importance of in-person events as an essential part of any local wine community. As she notes,

“They provide an opportunity for wine enthusiasts to gather and share their passion for wine while also promoting local wineries. Being able to host wine events means that the wine community can come together to celebrate their love for wine, learn from each other and support local businesses. It also allows wineries to showcase their products and connect with potential customers.”

  Currently, Washington’s wines can be found all over the state in some unexpected settings. Onboard Amtrak Cascades trains from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia, travelers can savor Chateau Ste. Michelles’ chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. Most hotels offer Washington wine to their guests, with the Kimpton Hotels hosting Washington-focused happy hours featuring Washington wines. Other places to find Washington wines include the Seattle Space Needle, Washington State ferries and various performing arts venues, such as the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Fifth Avenue Theatre.

Recent Washington State Winery Trends 

  After Paul Beveridge of Wilridge Vineyard, Winery and Distillery in Yakima led the lobbying effort to permit wineries to hold a distilling license, a select number of wineries have followed suit. Like Beveridge’s winery, most of these other wineries also distill the must from their grapes and other fruits to produce grappa and fruit brandies though a few produce grain spirits. For example, Browne Family Vineyards in Walla Walla established  Browne Family Spirits in Spokane, focusing on locally sourced, limited-edition bourbon and rye whiskeys by Kentucky-native master distiller Aaron Kleinhelter.

  Another growing trend with Washington wineries is offering lodging options onsite. Presently, nine wineries based in either central or eastern Washington offer lodging ranging from guest cottages to yurts, cabins and more palatial offerings.

Challenges

  Moving forward, the biggest challenge for Washington State vineyards remains wildfire smoke, though the 2023 harvest was not impacted as in the case of some previous years. Also, in August, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates announced to its contracted Washington wine grape growers that it’s not taking nearly half of its contracted fruit this fall. The long-term impact of this decision is not known at this writing.

For updates about Washington wine, visit https://www.washingtonwine.org   

Eagles Landing Winery

Cyndi

Award-Winning Wines In Northeast Iowa

Picture of Eagles Landing Winery from the street with red car in front on street

By: Gerald Dlubala 

Marquette, Iowa, is built for tourism, especially outdoor enthusiasts. The quaint, welcoming town of 429 offers premium hiking, fishing, hunting and camping, along with some of the best fall leaf peeping available. The natural beauty of Marquette’s landscape against a backdrop of the Mississippi River bluffs will put you into a postcard-type setting. And while there, the welcoming residents and hometown feel Iowa is known for will always make itself known. Additionally, nestled in the bluffs of this driftless area of Iowa, the scenic town of Marquette also draws in tourists for their award-winning winery, Eagles Landing Winery.

  Eagles Landing Winery and Vineyard has been serving Iowa and Wisconsin since 2003, with their success driven by a mantra that includes being patient, paying meticulous attention to quality and continuing to focus on their wine’s drinkability and taste.

  Roger and Connie Halvorson launched the winery in 2000 as a retirement hobby. Their son, Jay Halvorson, joined the business in 2003 as the master winemaker. By 2007, Eagles Landing Winery was not only doing well, but they were taking home awards for their wines. Cindy Halvorson joined the company in 2009, and just a few years later, Jay and Cindy Halvorson officially took over the winery from his retiring parents. Since that day, Eagles Landing Winery has received over 400 medals and awards. These coveted awards include the Governor’s Cup and Best of Show at the 2022 Iowa State Fair for their wine, Constance, a clean, crisp and subtle American white wine. In 2022, Jay and Cindy Halvorson also went the route of retirement, selling Eagles Landing winery to current owners Scott and Sharon Patten.

Love at First Sight

  “It was just a wonderful experience and a place that felt familiar and welcoming,” said Sharon. “We literally fell in love with the winery when we visited. The town was so attractive and welcoming, so we knew we had to look into acquiring this place. Scott had experience in winemaking and homebrew brewing, built on a general science background and engineering experience. He was looking to make a change, and we started exploring different businesses available to purchase and came upon Eagles Landing. Scott’s previous background gave him an understanding of the winemaking process and the different production elements, and it all just kind of seemed to click.”

  The Pattens hadn’t previously visited the winery, only making the trip to Marquette a couple of times after seeing that it was available for purchase. They lived in Cedar Rapids at the time, a little less than two hours away.

  “When we visited, it just seemed like a wonderful business, and everyone was super friendly and helpful,” said Sharon. “Jay and Cindy Halvorson were so accommodating and helpful with the transition phase. The winery and the area just became a really good fit.”

  With four children at home and multiple pets to consider, completing the Pattens’ move to Marquette will take some time. In the meantime, there are scheduled days and trips between the two places. Scott runs things at the winery several days a week and comes home on off-days.

  “We are still very much a small family winery,” said Scott. “Everyone pitches in. We include the children on some weekends to help with tasks and gain experience in the different tasks needed around the winery, like different processes, restocking and the never-ending cleanup duties. We’ll produce between 6,000 and 7,000 cases of wine annually, with the main distribution going to Iowa and nearby Wisconsin.”

Wines for Every Palette

  Eagles Landing currently produces 36 wines ranging from dry selections to sweet, dessert-style wines. About two dozen wines are usually available onsite to sample at any given time, including some seasonal blends produced in smaller batches.

  “We source a lot of different kinds of fruit and make a lot of different types of wine,” said Scott. “We offer a little bit of everything in the hopes that our customers will find something they like. Most are what we refer to as Midwestern-type wines. We have a good selection of sweet-style wines because those are typically our best sellers and are always in demand, but when we came on, I wanted to add other types and styles of wines for those who are interested in that as well. And if you’re looking for something seasonal or a unique blend, we do produce those in smaller batches. We’re working on a pear and currant blend that seems to work well. Sometimes, it’s all about trying new things.”

  “And we have to mention our Campfire Hootch,” said Sharon. “It’s a blend of four to seven different berries, grapes and other fruits. The flavor comes through as a sweet, very adult juice that even dry drinkers seem to enjoy. If someone comes in and says they’re not really a fan of wine or a wine drinker, we have them try this, and it usually changes their perception of what a wine can offer. It’s absolutely nontraditional, unlike anything that most people have ever had, so it’s something worth trying when you come in.”

  Grape varieties grown at the nearby vineyard include Edelweiss, Marquette, Marechal Foch, Petite Pearl, Brianna and Frontenac Gris. Patten tells The Grapevine Magazine that the vineyard was not included in the original sale but is contracted to supply grapes to the Eagles Landing. They didn’t want to be overwhelmed with trying to learn the winery plus the farming and agriculture business simultaneously. However, they still use those grapes in their wine production, as well as some coastal grapes for their dry reds and quality Midwest sources for their fruit needs. Patten is hoping to increase the Midwest sources in the future. In addition to its wide-ranging lineup of wines, Eagles Landing Winery offers a large selection of fruit and berry wines and a gold medal-winning honey and blackberry mead.

Come for the Wine, Stay for the Atmosphere, Hospitality and Craft Pizza

  Eagles Landing Winery is a perfect reflection of Marquette, Iowa. The quaint, welcoming surroundings draw you into the small-town hospitality feel of the winery, where samples are always on the menu. Located in downtown Marquette, patrons of Eagles Landing Winery are welcome to sit inside or enjoy themselves outdoors. Visitors can enjoy the outdoor wine garden, complete with an arbor and trellis that supports a network of natural grapevines over the top to make the experience authentic, memorable and relaxing.

  “We wanted a place where people felt relaxed, appreciated and comfortable,” said Patten. “And that attitude includes our drink offerings. We want to offer wines that people like, regardless of their preference. Additionally, we feature live music on the weekends and offer different cheeses and snacks to nibble on while enjoying your time with us. But that’s about to change as well. We’re in the process of installing a pizza kitchen for craft pizzas to enjoy with your wine while hanging out with us. It’ll be a game-changer for us and the total experience we can offer our guests.”

  Patten said that the oven will likely be ready to go when you read this. He projects a November 2023 start date to fire up the pizza oven and make delicious craft pizzas for their patrons to enjoy while drinking Eagles Landing wines.

Eagles Landing Winery Looks to the Future

  “In the short term, we’d like to increase our vendor market,” said Scott. “We currently distribute to Iowa and Wisconsin and have about 200 vendors. We think we can double that in the future. In maybe three to five years, we’d love to have a second location somewhere, but that adds a lot of logistics.”

  Coming from a science, engineering and homebrewing background, you may wonder if another craft beverage endeavor is on the Pattens’ radar as I was.

  “Now that you mention it, we’ve been debating that perhaps we would do something in the future,” said Scott. “We’ll have to see what the market looks like. The future trends and demographics of wine are okay but not entirely sunshine right now, and the numbers for beer aren’t really great right now, but spirits are picking up, so I may be leaning towards adding that.”

Advice to Potential Winery Owners

  Asked for any advice they could provide future winery owners, the Pattens laughed and replied that the experience would be different than they initially expected and planned.

  “Well, Scott and I had a whole strategic plan in place for the first six months,” said Sharon. “But we’ve had to reevaluate that plan simply because knowing things now is much different than going in as first-timers. There are a lot of new things we can bring to the table. It’s important to have a plan, but it’s just as important to be willing to be flexible with that plan. For example, we decided to add the pizza oven, meaning we had to add a previously unplanned physical structure to our site. With this new addition, people will be staying here for longer periods of time, so that has us reevaluating our building’s infrastructure to accommodate those longer stays.”

  “Additionally, everything takes a little longer than we had planned, so I guess if I could go back and change something, I would try to get a jump on some things earlier,” said Scott. “We undertook a rebranding of sorts and wanted to update the look of our product and packaging. It’s the same award-winning wine, but we wanted to freshen up the logos and labeling. That process is taking much longer than a couple of months that we planned for it to take. It’s starting to present some challenges. We could’ve planned that better.”

  “And just knowing how much wine to make for the season will be easier,” said Sharon. “We had to go through the high season of fall, so knowing how much wine to make and when to get it out will be much smoother next season. We had to improvise a bit and update plans on the fly.”

Preserving History

  The Eagles Landing Winery’s offices are located in the historical home of Emma Big Bear. She was the last full-blooded American Indian to live in Clayton County, Iowa. Originally from Wisconsin, Emma Big Bear spent most of her life living by the traditional Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) customs and traditions, known for the handmade woven baskets she made and sold within the McGregor and Marquette regions. She passed away in 1968 at the age of 99, and there is a memorial statue in her honor at the Mississippi River Sculpture Park on St. Feriole Island, Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin.

  For more information on Eagles Landing winery and to plan a trip to Marquette, Iowa, visit:

Eagles Landing Winery

127 North Street

PO Box 472

Marquette, Iowa 52158

(563) 873-1905

info@eagleslandingwinery.com