The seventh annual Rich Smith Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the American grape and wine industry was presented yesterday to Marty Clubb, co-owner of L’Ecole No. 41, a premium winery in Walla Walla, Washington, and a major contributor to the Washington and American wine industry. “We are pleased to present this award to Marty Clubb, a WineAmerica colleague …
With a sold-out tradeshow and robust sessions in all things wine and grape, guests here at the 29th Unified Wine & Grape Symposium sipped wines, learned about trends, perused innovative products and enthusiastically reconnected with colleagues from around the nation after years of pandemic isolation. “It felt like a gigantic class reunion,” said Natalie Collins, president of the California Association …
The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) recently added Mindy DeRohan to its team, joining the association as its communications manager. “Mindy brings with her a decade of experience in both agriculture and communications and will play a vital role in creating and delivering value to our members and key stakeholders,” said Natalie Collins, CAWG President. “It is important that our growers, business …
California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) Chairman Tom Slater announced today that the Board of Directors has named Natalie Collins the association’s president. Collins has served as Interim President since June 1, 2022, after the retirement of John Aguirre. “The Board is extremely grateful for the job Natalie has done for the past six months and is very excited she …
Caraccioli Cellars was recently awarded three of the four gold medals to United States wineries in the world’s most prestigious sparkling wine competition, The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2022 (CSWWC). Scott Caraccioli, General Manager of Caraccioli Cellars, was in attendance at the CSWWC’s 2022 Awards Ceremony in London on November 3rd. Created by one of the most esteemed …
Gracianna Winery of Sonoma County adds to their 2022 accolades for with this stunning honor: The Beverage Testing Institute—the top U.S. wine review source for over four decades—has awarded the Gracianna 2019 Bacigalupi Vineyard Pinot Noir the “Best Pinot Noir in 2022.” This gold star wine having been sold out thanks to its previous Gold Medal and 95-point review in February 2022, now …
The Lake County Winegrape Commission announces it secured a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to fund Lake County Pruning School over multiple growing seasons. The grant is part of the 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) and will provide funding to the Commission to deliver Lake County Pruning School for three seasons, thus providing …
Funding growth is a hurdle for most wine entrepreneurs but can be particularly challenging for people of color. A new program from the Association of African American Vintners (AAAV) is designed to help by annually awarding $5,000 grants to Black-owned, AAAV-member businesses to positively impact their operations, marketing or innovation efforts. AAAV will award five grants in the first quarter …
As a student in Germany, Ingrid Weilack was inspired by Washington State University enology professor Jim Harbertson. Now, the visiting scholar is experiencing what it’s like to work with him at the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center. “I’m excited to be working with Jim,” said Weilack, a PhD student who comes to WSU from the University of …
Wine grape growers in the Central Valley made it through another challenging year and brought in a quality, but lighter harvest. Watch this brief interview with Jeff Bitter from Allied Grape Growers as he describes the season’s successes and challenges, as well as wine market conditions — based on his recent State of the Wine Grape Industry address at the …
