Winemakers & Brewers Collaborate on Hopped Up Wines and Sour Beer
By: Robin Dohrn-Simpson Boedecker Cellars & Little Beast Brewing Is it a beer? Is it a wine? Is wine that has been steeped with hops considered wine? Is wort blended with lactic-bacteria-fermented Pinot Gris and fermented with Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces still considered beer? Don’t most winemakers do everything possible to ...
Tariffs and the Industry: Impacts of the Trade War on Wine, Beer & Spirits
By: Jessica Spengler Throughout 2018, the Trump administration’s implementation of tariffs on several foreign goods, and the retaliatory tariffs that followed suit have confused markets and worried many businesses. The alcohol industry—wine, beer, spirits and those who support them—have all been affected in some way by these tariffs, or expect ...
Wine Scholar Guild Reports on the Launch of the Spanish Wine Scholar™ Certification Program
The Wine Scholar Guild (WSG) officially launched its Spanish Wine Scholar™ (SWS) study & certification program on October 14th 2019. Designed to become the reference in Spanish wine education, the program was nearly two years in development at the hands of the WSG Education team with SWS Education Director, Rick ...
WINERIES and the HOLIDAYS: Inseparable Partners in Making the Season Merry
By: Cheryl Gray With the holiday season comes infinite ways to celebrate the fruit of vineyards from coast-to-coast. Wineries and tasting rooms across the U.S. count the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s to be amongst their busiest and, in some cases, amongst their most profitable. Moreover, ancillary businesses, including ...
HERBICIDE DRIFT: A Common Issue Affecting Vineyards Worldwide
By: Judit Monis, Ph.D. and Brian D. Kaider, Esq. Last July, Judit was invited to speak to a group of growers in Pennsylvania. The presentation focused primarily on grapevine diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses but at the group’s request pesticide drift was also covered. Extension specialist colleagues: Mike ...
Wine Industry 2019 Email Benchmark Results
Presented by WineGlass Marketing A clean, transactional website that conveys a story, a consistent and authentic social media presence, and thoughtful targeted emails are the digital super group in your marketing arsenal. Although it seems every year someone comes out and predicts the death of email, it is still the ...
Don’t Get Caught Off Guard During Wildfire Season: Tips for Your Winery
By: Markel Corp. Weather conditions and natural disasters occasionally take a toll on vineyards and other agricultural production systems. Due to climate change and prolonged drought, the frequency and severity of wildfires is expected to increase. These risks highlight the need for winegrowers and winery owners to be as prepared ...
Rethinking Trellis Viability in the Age of Mechanization
By: Tracey L. Kelley Initially, when conceptualizing this article, we wanted to present the feasibility, maintenance and costs of the Lyre trellising system. However, research and interviews revealed that while it was once a viable choice, evolving production practices, reduced labor availability and other factors require growers to think more ...
Exploring the Diverse: Wines Within the Columbia Gorge Wine Region
By: Becky Garrison The Columbia Gorge Wine Region is defined by the Columbia River that cuts through the Cascade Mountain Range, as well as the Missoula Floods that scoured the region 15,000 years ago. Within this compact 40-mile region that includes Washington State and Oregon, lies the Columbia Gorge American ...
Practical Brettanomyces Control in the Cellar
By: Thomas J. Payette, Winemaking Consultant Many winemakers overlook some of the practical control aspects of minimizing Brettanomyces [Brett] growth in their wines. This article will address some of the items and their circumstances that we should keep in mind while working with our juices and wines. This article is ...
