Archived Articles

By: Tod Stewart  It’s more than a little ironic to learn that the first known “wine law” was distinctly anti-wine. In an effort to increase the food supply, Roman emperor Domitian (c. 92) issued a decree banning the planting of any more vines in Italy. The hope was that available growing land ...
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By: Hanifa Sekandi  South Africa, a place where, if the Winelands could speak, they would tell a story that would leave you spellbound and wanting more, down to the last sip of Pinotage. Every grape has a story: how it began and the many trials and tribulations it endured to take form ...
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Neal D. Hulkower Except for my own personal use, as a favor to a friend or colleague, or to satisfy a requirement for a gig, I eschew writing wine tasting notes. Consequently, I dismissed Vicki Denig’s rant against alleged sexist terms on wine-searcher.com on 20 October 2020 (https://www.winesearcher.com/m/2020/10/time-to-kill-gender-stereotypes-in-wine) as yet ...
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By: Cheryl Gray From vine to wine, the preparation for harvesting grapes means that some vineyards will explore the latest equipment, some will remain loyal to the tried and true, and others may deploy the best of both. For all of these options, vineyards turn to equipment and tool suppliers ...
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By: Tom Payette, Winemaking Consultant During harvest, the winemaking staff will often cold settle the juices for white wine making and potentially for cold pressed reds to be made into a blush/Rose style wine. Many smaller wineries may collect the sludgy bottoms of the tank and try to ferment them ...
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By: Judit Monis, Ph.D. As the fall season approaches, symptoms of virus infection become more pronounced in the vineyards. Arguably, leafroll and red blotch are the most notorious and important viral diseases that manifest in late summer and the fall season. Often, it is difficult to distinguish leafroll from red ...
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By: Neal D. Hulkower Two were born in Mexico and one in the US to parents from Oaxaca. Each had carved a path to success in Oregon’s wine industry and wanted to pay it forward by easing the way for those at the beginning of the winemaking process, the vineyard ...
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By: Susan DeMatei We’ve been waiting, and it’s finally here – tasting rooms can finally open for many of us. But 2021 began as 2020 ended, with much uncertainty as to when a significant revenue driver – tasting rooms -- will open. And when they do open, how quickly will ...
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Photo Courtesy of Messina Hof By: Nan McCreary One of the hottest trends in the wine industry today is wines on tap. Far from its inauspicious beginnings in the 1970s when haphazard equipment and practices marked the keg wine debut, drinking wine on tap is now a totally different story ...
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By: Michael Harding, Senior Risk Solution Specialist, Markel Specialty With the intensity of the wine season gearing up and peak times just around the corner, how prepared are you to protect the health and safety of your workers? Protecting your employees is crucial to attaining your orchard and vineyard goals ...
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