09/18/20 Cabernet Retains Lead in Retail, DtC Sales as Consumer Spending Falls 3% While the growth rate off premise was off the highs seen earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant shift was apparent as consumers opted for more expensive options. Similarly, Wines Vines Analytics/Sovos ShipCompliant reported that the value of DtC shipments in August was 29% higher than a year ago at $177.5 million. While shipments usually moderate in the summer, the ongoing strength of online orders from consumers new to the channel or those shifting their wine buying from tasting rooms and restaurants has kept more wine moving.

09/18/20 Fires Leave 2020 Vintage in the Balance A spokesperson for Gallo said the company is "optimistic". "While most of our vineyards were not directly impacted, some locations experienced significant smoke exposure based on their close proximity to the fires and the prevailing winds. As a result we will have portions of vineyards which will not be harvested in 2020, and in some cases we may not bottle a 2020 vintage for select single-vineyard wines."

09/18/20 California governor signs laws to protect workers from virus California companies must warn their workers of any potential exposure to the coronavirus and must pay their employees workers compensation benefits if they get sick with the disease under two laws that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Thursday.

09/18/20 Local winemakers rally around small winery lost in Almeda Fire Ten different growers donated grapes. Now Simple Machine Winery will have a full 2020 harvest. Along with grapes, barrels, bottles, storage space and equipment were all donated.

09/18/20 Proposed 475,000-gallon Napa Valley winery raises size concerns Rich and Leslie Frank already run their Frank Family Vineyards winery on Larkmead Lane near Calistoga. The proposed, new winery producing up to 475,000 gallons annually is to be on their 87-acre Benjamin ranch along Conn Creek Road near Highway 128.

09/18/20 O'Neill Vintners & Distillers Unveils Biofiltro's Largest Worm Powered Winery Wastewater System in the World The new system takes up five acres at the winery's Parlier, California facility, near Fresno and consists of 12 basins, or worm beds, each larger than an Olympic sized swimming pool. with 28,000 cubic feet of wood chips and shavings, 6,750 tons of crushed rock and 100 million worms. Each bed is filled with drainage cells, crushed rock, geotextiles, and topped off with a layer of wood chips and shavings. During start up, the beds were seeded with microbes and 22,000,000 California red worms (Eisenia fetida) and which will reproduce and exceed 200 million in population.

09/18/20 Impact Reveals Its Latest Roster Of "Hot Prospect" Wine Brands Domestic wine Hot Prospects above the 100,000-case mark include Ava Grace, Gruet, 7 Moons, Z. Alexander Brown, Proverb, Josh Cellars Reserve, Imagery Estates, 1924, Sutter Home Rosé, Beringer Bros., Crafters Union, and Raeburn.

09/18/20 A September Wine Romance The end of summer has a particular feel to it as the bountiful fresh produce ebbs. These 12 wines can make the seasonal transition.

09/18/20 Restrictions on gatherings continue to sting Napa Valley's events industry Events industry frustrated by what it says are inconsistent and restrictive regulations after a renewed state ban on all gatherings.

09/18/20 September 2020: quick primer on pH, TA, and acid adjustments some quick reminders, needed protocols and some tips for acid adjustment

09/18/20 California winery comes to Kansas Faced with challenges presented by COVID-19 and wildfires in California, the owners of Dakota Shy wine decided to bring their product to the communities that support them.

09/18/20 Will rain, thunderstorms impact Oregon wildfires? Details, maps, evacuation information Wildfires throughout Oregon have killed eight people, left 12 more missing and burned about 1 million acres, authorities say, and smoke resulting from those fires have left much of the state dealing with poor air quality.

09/18/20 The next wave of the global recovery could send commodity prices soaring "We've already seen a metals-intensive response in China, highly metals-intensive."

09/18/20 Grocery Round-Up: Amazon Fresh Opens, Whole Foods Cuts Prices And The US Grocery Sales Boom Slows Down This week, the eCommerce giant gave the public open access to the shop, located in Los Angeles. Anyone could shop, try out the new high-tech Dash Carts and settle up using the combined power of a Dash Cart and the Amazon app rather than using a checkout line.

09/18/20 Napa County supervisors wary about countywide water ideas The draft Napa Countywide Water and Wastewater study released last May by the county Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) is meant to spark conversations. On Tuesday, the Napa County Board of Supervisors joined in.

09/18/20 More Aid for Ag, But Also for Oil President to Announce New Aid Package for Farmers as Spotlight on CCC Fund

09/18/20 PepsiCo launches beverage to help you relax, sleep better PepsiCo says the functional drink contains 200mg of L-theanine and 10% of the daily recommended intake of magnesium. There are studies that claim L-theanine, an amino acid found in mushrooms and black teas, promote stress reduction and better sleep.

09/18/20 It's now possible to detect counterfeit whisky without opening the bottle Counterfeits of rare single-malt whisky are a growing problem for the industry.

09/18/20 'Strongest beer in the world' sells out in 1 day after rival brewers work together Scottish, German brewers collaborated over Zoom because of coronavirus