Though the 2020 growing season enjoyed near-perfect growing conditions, a mid-August lightning storm during a global pandemic resulted in a dramatic turn for Sonoma County’s winegrapes and a financial blow to the region just as it has with other wine regions across California.  “No one could have predicted how the external events of 2020 would impact the entire community in Sonoma …

Australia’s table grape production is expected to continue to expand in marketing year (MY) 2020/21 and is forecast to reach a record 240,000 metric tons (MT), up 15,000 MT from the revised MY 2019/20 estimate. This higher production is due to increased vine plantings coming into fruiting, and nearly all of this increased production is expected to go for export. …

Oregon State University Extension — Vineyards on the west coast have experienced wildfires over the past few years and are currently faced with a difficult 2020 wildfire season. Vineyard exposure to smoke can lead to smoky aromas in wines. While grapes can be tested for smoke marker compounds, wines produced from micro-fermentations can yield more comprehensive information when they undergo sensory and …

Wine drinkers across key consumption markets have been turning more often to wine as a beverage during the Covid-19 pandemic, spurred by new ‘lockdown’ occasions and more drinking outside of mealtimes, according to a new report published on October 5th 2020. Wine Consumer Trends in the Covid-19 Era draws on tracking data collected from nationally representative samples of wine drinkers …

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, and the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are offering laboratory services, with limited capacity, to test winegrapes and wine for the presence of smoke compounds due to recent wildfires. In addition to commercial laboratories already performing tests, these laboratories are offering …

On September 27th Stomp Teams from across California competed in the first of its kind, “Virtual Grape Stomp:Backyard Edition” during pandemic. The event took place online using Zoom Webinar from 11:00-3:30 with an Awards Ceremony at 4:30. Stomp Kits were picked up at the Wine Info Center in Murphys, CA and included a half wine barrel bucket, 25 pounds of Syrah grapes …

Bâtonnage, a forum aimed at opening up conversation about women in wine, has launched a new mentorship program designed to transform conversations about equality into actions that create equity. The Bâtonnage Mentorship Program seeks to create a pragmatic, positive, inclusive course forward wherein individuals who have traditionally been overlooked or spoken over achieve equal opportunities, equal representation, and especially equal leadership positions within all sectors and tiers of our industry. Since …

Mendocino WineGrowers (MWI), the wine marketing organization for Mendocino County, is proud to announce their success in getting conjunctive labeling passed for the County.  As of January 1, 2023 all wines labeled with an AVA located in Mendocino County must also include “Mendocino County” on the label.  This designation is a huge coup for an area whose grapes are prominently …

On Saturday, November 14th from 6-8 pm, San Francisco Wine School invites the public to join their Anniversary Celebration and Scholarship Auction benefiting the newly formed Glancy Wine Education Foundation, which provides financial aid to low income and minority wine & hospitality professionals. Co-Owners of San Francisco Wine School, Master Sommelier David Glancy and Chief Operating Officer Kristin Campbell, have made it their mission to open up …

Entomologists have a unique toolbox of gadgets designed to trap and collect otherwise hard to nab insects.  Beating, sweeping, sucking, and carefully brushing, these scientists have no lack of creativity when it comes to collecting what most people can’t even see.  Yet these collections are critical keys to unravel the mystery of crop-threatening disease, where insects often play the role …