Team C&J
Here’s some insight into the last week of wine. Dennis Murphy, the owner of Caprio Cellars, has acquired interests in Seven Hills Vineyard and SeVein, partly from the Figgins family, known for Leonetti Cellar and FIGGINS. The Figgins family’s decision to sell their Seven Hills interests is due to its reduced strategic importance, as they now source Merlot from cooler sites. They’ve also sold their SeVein interests to focus on higher elevation estate sites in light of global warming. In another acquisition, WarRoom Cellars has bought Toad Hollow Vineyards, maintaining its winemaking style. Meanwhile, the UK plans to redefine wine to accommodate low-alcohol versions, and Australia’s alcohol consumption continues to decline. The role of wine in American restaurants is evolving as they focus more on cocktails and spirits, while Woodinville in Washington attracts visitors with unique wine experiences. DOC Rioja suggests a vine planting moratorium to address oversupply, and Jackson Family Wines achieves organic certification for its Napa Valley estate vineyards. Italy’s 2023 grape harvest faces challenges but expects high-quality grapes.
Why the Figgins family sold its interests in Seven Hills, SeVein – Northwest Wine Report
Dennis Murphy, the owner of Caprio Cellars in Walla Walla Valley, has acquired interests in Seven Hills Vineyard and SeVein, with some of these interests coming from the Figgins family, who owns Leonetti Cellar, FIGGINS, and Toil Oregon. The Figgins family decided to divest their interests in Seven Hills Vineyard due to its decreased strategic importance as they developed other vineyard sources in the area. While they used to receive most of their Merlot from Seven Hills, they now use other cooler sites. The Figgins family also sold their interests in SeVein to Murphy, representing a changing of the guard. This sale allows the Figgins family to focus on their higher-elevation estate sites and aligns with their belief in the benefits of higher elevations for grape growing in light of global warming. It also helps secure fruit sources that they own entirely. This move is part of their estate planning, ensuring a strong foundation for the next generation.
WarRoom Cellars Acquires Iconic Toad Hollow Vineyards
WarRoom Cellars has acquired Toad Hollow Vineyards, a renowned wine producer known for its unoaked Chardonnay. Toad Hollow joins WarRoom Cellars’ portfolio of wine brands, including Lapis Luna and Bonny Doon Vineyard. The company plans to maintain Toad Hollow’s winemaking style and sourcing under the oversight of Rodney Strong Vineyards and co-founder Frankie Williams. Toad Hollow, established by Todd and Frankie Williams in 1994, has seen a successful ownership transition, with Frankie Williams expressing confidence in WarRoom’s ability to bring renewed energy and passion to the brand’s future. WarRoom Cellars will continue its collaboration with Total Beverage Solution (TBS) for sales and distribution, ensuring a seamless transition and a promising future for Toad Hollow Vineyards.
Wine definition to be watered down in post-Brexit move – BBC News
In a post-Brexit initiative to cater to the demand for low-alcohol wine, the UK government plans to revise the legal definition of wine. Currently, wine in the UK must contain at least 8.5% alcohol by volume to be marketed as such, while lower alcohol or alcohol-free versions are labeled differently. This rule will be eliminated in England next year as part of broader measures to boost the British wine industry post-Brexit. The government intends to lower the minimum alcohol by volume (ABV) requirement for all types of wine to 0%, allowing low and no-alcohol wine to be marketed as “wine.” This change is in response to consumer demand for low-alcohol alternatives and will apply to wines produced in England throughout the UK. The government also plans to relax other EU-derived regulations, including those related to bottle shapes and corks for sparkling wine, to adapt to market trends and reduce waste.
Australia’s alcohol consumption continues downward trend – The Shout
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has reported that Australia’s alcohol consumption continues to decline, with per capita consumption decreasing from around 13 liters of pure alcohol in 1974-75 to 10.1 liters in 2019-20. In 2019-20, 208.8 million liters of pure alcohol were available in Australia, a 0.7% decrease from the previous year, with wine consumption decreasing by 3.8%. The data reflects a mature and responsible relationship with alcohol, with Australians increasingly favoring quality over quantity, embracing premiumization, exploring new products, and showing interest in lower alcohol alternatives. Alcohol Beverages Australia noted that this trend aligns with responsible drinking principles and is indicative of Australians enjoying alcoholic beverages responsibly.
As Restaurant Staffing Evolves, Wineries Reassess Their On-Premise Priorities | VinePair
The long-standing relationship between wineries and restaurants is undergoing significant changes as wine’s place in American drinking culture faces challenges, and the restaurant industry adapts to shifts driven by economic conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Wine pricing in restaurants, marked up from retail prices and high corkage fees, has deterred patrons, who have grown accustomed to buying wine for home consumption through liquor stores or online apps. While restaurants traditionally played a pivotal role in introducing consumers to wines, this impact is waning. The decline is attributed to a lack of dedicated wine professionals in restaurants, shrinking wine programs, and cost pressures. Many restaurants are focusing more on cocktails and spirits, contributing to the decrease in wine sales on their menus. Wineries, too, have shifted their focus away from on-premise sales, with increased emphasis on off-premise retail and direct-to-consumer efforts. While restaurants remain important for building awareness and connections for some wineries, the role of wine in American restaurants appears to be evolving, with wine seen as just one aspect of beverage offerings, not the central focus.
How Woodinville Wineries Woo Visitors with Unique and Fun Wine Experiences
Woodinville, a wine region just 30 minutes north of Seattle in Washington State, has demonstrated exceptional creativity in attracting visitors to its wineries through unique and innovative wine tourism events. Despite a decline in wine tourism rates in many U.S. states, Woodinville has managed to maintain visitor numbers by offering creative experiences. These experiences include wine and ice cream pairings, a running of the bulls and Cava tasting event, wine tasting paired with floral arranging or calligraphy (Sip & Script), and magnum-filling events. The region has also successfully attracted younger visitors with wine block parties in its warehouse district, characterized by informal settings, live music, food trucks, and no reservations required. The collaborative spirit of the local wineries has contributed to the success of these events, as they collectively promote Washington wine as a whole rather than focusing on individual regions.
DOC Rioja recommends moratorium on new vine planting · Hudin.com
The DOC Rioja council has recommended a moratorium on new vine plantings in the region for 2024, 2025, and 2026 and also seeks to disallow vineyard conversion rights from outside the Spanish wine region. These measures are aimed at addressing the oversupply issue in the wine industry, which has led to an accumulation of excess, unsold wine since 2018, estimated at 100-150 million liters. The council’s actions are part of their “rebalancing measures” implemented since March 2023, which include limiting production yields. The global wine industry is grappling with excess supply, with the French even paying viticulturists to uproot vineyards to control the oversupply, reflecting changing consumption trends, particularly among younger generations.
Jackson Family Wines has obtained organic certification for all of its Napa Valley estate vineyard properties, encompassing approximately 480 acres across 15 vineyards. This achievement aligns with the company’s sustainability initiative, Rooted for Good: Roadmap to 2030. The transition to organic practices involved methods like employing biochar and compost to enhance soil health, adopting no-till farming, and introducing controlled grazing by sheep. Jackson Family Wines aims to further promote harmony between the natural and agricultural worlds and pursue regenerative organic certification. These organic farming practices are part of their broader social impact and environmental sustainability plan, with the goal of transitioning 100% of estate vineyards to regenerative farming practices. The certification is awarded by the Certified California Organic Farmers (CCOF) program, which ensures adherence to organic standards defined by the USDA National Organic Program.
Quality Over Quantity for Italy’s Grape Harvest | Wine-Searcher News & Features
Extreme weather conditions, including heavy rain and heat, have led to a challenging grape-growing season in Italy in 2023. Many regions experienced lower yields due to these conditions, but quality is expected to be excellent. For instance, Piedmont had a late start to summer due to heavy rainfall in May and June, leading to some challenges, but it resulted in excellent ripening conditions for grapes like Nebbiolo. Veneto saw summer rains and fungal attacks but also observed fruit development. Tuscany faced quantity challenges in some areas due to heavy rains but noted excellent growing conditions in other regions, like Maremma. Various other Italian regions reported mixed results in terms of quantities but expected high-quality grapes. Sicily’s Etna region saw slightly lower-than-expected production, but quality remained excellent.
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