winefeed

California and Pacific Northwest vineyards idle acres to weather weak demand

• Vineyard idling, a temporary halt to production lasting one to three years, cut average management costs by 38 percent per acre among 19 northern Willamette Valley vineyards studied in 2025.
• Richard Hoff at Mercer Ranches in Prosser, Washington has idled roughly 1,000 of 3,350 acres since 2025; Dusty Timmons at Lost Draw Vineyards in the Texas High Plains is using idle time to evaluate replanting Pinot Grigio with Picpoul Blanc.

Early harvests shift wine tourism, shipping windows, and cellar costs across regions

• Domaine Lafage in Roussillon began harvest on July 23, weeks earlier than traditional schedules; California's Central Coast started six to eight weeks ahead of normal, the earliest in 27 years for some growers.
• Aaron Jackson, winemaker at Aaron Wines in Paso Robles, reported that wine-club and direct-to-consumer shipping blackout periods are lengthening as safe shipping windows shrink, delaying customer payments and cash flow.
• Operators face rising costs from earlier electricity demand during peak-price summer months, water fees, insurance, label adhesion failures in heat, and supply-chain strain on glass, bottling, and crush facilities.

Devastating Spanish wildfires damage Sierra de Gredos vineyard revival

• Fires between July 22 and 26 destroyed 77,000 hectares in Ávila and Madrid provinces, where 85 percent of Sierra de Gredos's 2,000 vineyard hectares are located.
• About 200 hectares, or 40 percent of registered vineyards in Cebreros DO, suffered fire, smoke, or both damage; specific losses include entire vineyards and winery infrastructure at Bodegas Bernabeleva and partial vineyard loss at Bodega El Reventón.
• Regional wine producers including Comando G and Rico Nuevo have proposed firebreak subsidies and land-clearance funding to regional authorities to prevent future disasters.

Federal THC limit to devastate hemp drink retailers from November 2026

• US hemp-infused beverage retail sales reached $239 million in the 52 weeks to April 2026, up 135 percent, but Congress passed legislation in November 2025 capping total THC at 0.3 milligrams per container, effective November 12 2026.
• Massachusetts retailer Art Nergaryan, whose Art's Specialties saw sales rise 25 to 35 percent after adding THC drinks, lost that business overnight when state regulators banned cannabis beverages from wine and liquor stores in May 2024.
• States have enacted conflicting rules: Minnesota and Georgia permit hemp beverages, while California, Washington and Vermont restrict or ban them, yet federal law still classifies interstate THC beverage sales as unlawful.

Southern Glazer's pays $12.5M to settle DOJ bribery investigation

• Southern Glazer's, the largest US alcohol distributor, agreed to pay $12.5 million and enter a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ and Alcohol and Tobacco Trade Bureau on Thursday.
• Former employees allegedly gave cash, gift cards, luxury goods, and travel to California retailers from 2016 to 2024 to secure better shelf placement; the company used false invoices to conceal payments.
• Southern Glazer's must reinforce compliance measures and fulfill undisclosed obligations over two years under the settlement terms.

US tariff lift and India trade deal reshape Scotch whisky market in 2026

• US lifted a 15-month tariff on Scotch whisky in July 2026, reversing a 15 percent export decline to one of Scotland's largest markets.
• UK-India free trade agreement signed same month opens the world's largest whisky market to more affordable Scotch imports.
• Post-pandemic oversupply and premiumization fatigue push distilleries toward affordable, age-stated releases under $100 rather than high-priced flagship bottles.

Trump announces ban on Canadian alcohol imports effective September 29

• President Donald Trump announced a ban on Canadian alcohol imports, including wine, spirits, and beer, to take effect September 29, escalating an ongoing tariff dispute.
• The ban follows Canada's retaliatory levies on $20 billion of U.S. goods that began Tuesday, itself a response to U.S. tariffs imposed August 22.
• A Canadian province-wide alcohol ban on U.S. products that began in April 2024 cost the American wine, beer, and spirits industries significant export revenue in 2025.

American single malt ratification fails to lift sales two years on

• The US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ratified American single malt as an official whiskey category in December 2024, but distillers have not seen the sales uplift they anticipated.
• Major producers including Westland Distillery in Seattle, Balcones in Waco, and Westward in Portland have laid off staff or ceased production as the category faces the same economic headwinds affecting all whiskey.
• Distillers are adapting by launching lower-priced cask-finished variants, blending single malt with bourbon, and diversifying into other spirits rather than relying on the ratification to drive growth.

Campania's volcanic whites emerge as fresh, food-friendly alternative to reds

• Campania produces Fiano, Greco, Falanghina, and Coda di Volpe whites from volcanic soils near Mount Vesuvius, offering crisp acidity and mineral character that appeal to drinkers favoring lighter, lower-alcohol wines.
• The region's hilly terrain and stainless-steel aging preserve acidity and freshness, creating wines that pair with fish, shellfish, and vegetables rather than heavy dishes.
• Campania's white-wine values, many under $20, resemble Etna Biancos in style: high-acid, textured volcanic wines that represent strong value in the market for everyday and food-pairing bottles.

AriZona Iced Tea launches artist residency at Woodbury headquarters

• AriZona Iced Tea hosts six-week artist residency sessions at its Woodbury, N.Y. headquarters, with up to four artists per cohort receiving stipends, housing, materials, and studio access.
• The program, which began July 2025, completed its third session in August 2025, with artists creating work inspired by the brand's Southwest aesthetic and cherry-blossom motifs.
• Participants like Eleanor Dexter and Anna Fleury developed paintings, silkscreen projects, and stained-glass pieces while collaborating with company creatives in a shared workshop called The Lookout.

Ten brewers name mass-market and nostalgic beers as their secret favorites

• Ten US brewers were asked to name beers they enjoy despite craft beer culture dismissing them as unfashionable, mass-produced, or trendy.
• Choices ranged from Abita Strawberry and Young's Double Chocolate Stout to Pabst Blue Ribbon, Busch Light Apple, and Miller High Life, often linked to childhood or college memories.
• Brewers cited nostalgia, reliable drinkability, and specific sensory qualities as reasons they return to these beers, contradicting industry presumptions about professional taste.

Seven volcanic wine regions worldwide offer complex terroir beyond Mount Etna

• Volcanic soils create high-acidity, mineral-driven wines with savory rather than fruit-forward flavors, and inhibit pests and disease, enabling organic farming across regions from Santorini to Oregon's Willamette Valley.
• Santorini's Assyrtiko, Hungary's Tokaji Aszú, and Canary Islands' Listán varieties showcase distinctive depth from volcanic terroir, with old vines preserved by isolation from phylloxera and volcanic pest resistance.
• Volcanic regions employ specialized viticulture: Santorini trains vines in basket shapes to protect from wind and debris; Lanzarote hand-digs individual holes called hoyos with rock walls around each vine.

Pierce's Disease Found in Europe; 41% of Vineyards at Climate Risk

• Xylella fastidiosa bacterium, which causes Pierce's disease, was detected in continental European grapevines in Portugal in 2023 and persists in regulated zones across Spain, Italy, Portugal, and France.
• New 2025 climate modeling shows 41.2 percent of European vineyards face climate risk from Pierce's disease, up from 21.8 percent in earlier models, with river basins and valleys especially vulnerable.
• California researchers warn Europe that early detection and integrated vector management are critical; once the pathogen becomes established, strategy shifts from eradication to slowing spread and minimizing damage.

An almost perfect meal at Noble Rot, Mayfair (London), with Sarris, Keller and Sadie wines

• Keller Abts E Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2024 Rheinhessen scored 96/100: mineral, intense, textured with crystalline citrus from the Abtserde site.
• Sadie Family Sonvang 2024 Swartland, a new field blend of 12 varieties, scored 96/100 with fresh red cherry fruit and development potential.
• Sarris Panochori 2024 Kefalonia scored 95/100, made from 65-year-old ungrafted Robola vines with citrus drive and saline minerality.

Vinography Unboxed: Week of 9/6/26

Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep asking

Do the Right Work

• The 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards faced criticism after announcing a winning piece suspected of being AI-generated, prompting debate over A.I. use policies and transparency in wine writing.
• Dining in Spain has shifted one hour earlier since the pandemic, with restaurant booking data showing the trend continues away from traditional 10:00 PM dinner service.
• Dan Petroski explored wine pairings for summer pastas from Sicily, Tuscany, and Campania, finding that regional wines paired best when their behavior matched the dish rather than geographic origin alone.

Raising Standards

• Montpeyroux became France's 369th AOC, with stricter controls on red grapes and maximum yields of 45 hectolitres per hectare, though around 80% of its vineyards are already certified organic or sustainable.
• Muscadet rebuilt its reputation through site-specific crus (10 created from 2011), better winemaking, and natural selection: vineyard area halved from 700 producers in early 1990s to fewer than 300 today.
• Soave created 33 geographic crus in 2020 after declassifying 1,300 ha, but producers remain confused about designations and Italian consumers lack clear perception of the wine's identity.

Of Substack & wine

• Substack created a dedicated Wine & Spirits subsection within its Rising and Top lists, separated from Food & Drink, improving wine writing discoverability on the platform.
• Miquel Hudin updated the Wine Substack List (WineStack) to require paid subscriptions and human-written text only, removing 'Thirst Behavior' by Bodhi Landa for AI-generated content.
• Matthew Jukes passed away last month, marking a significant change in traditional wine media.

Remembering Branko Čotar

• Branko Čotar, pioneering natural winemaker from Slovenia's Karst region, died aged 78 on 27 August following a short illness.
• Čotar began with 500 vines for his restaurant in 1974 and started commercial bottling in 1990; the winery now produces around 30,000 bottles annually.
• He skin-fermented white grapes organically with no added sulphites decades before Radikon and Gravner popularized orange wines in the late 1990s.

What I Learned at a Conference on Drinking

From the invention of moderation to the return of temperance