Winefeed

California and Pacific Northwest vineyard owners idle acreage to survive weak grape market

• Vineyard idling, a temporary pause in production lasting one to three years, saved northern Willamette Valley producers an average of 38 percent per acre on management costs in a 2025 study of 19 vineyards.
• Viticulture managers in California, Washington, and Texas are idling blocks rather than removing them permanently, using the time to assess variety demand, graft to new cultivars, or diversify into other crops.
• Proper idling requires ongoing expense: consistent irrigation, aggressive pruning, weed control, and light fungicide application to prevent vine damage and ensure vines can return to production within two years.

Early harvests shift wine tourism, threaten shipping and cooling costs

• Grapes across Europe and California are harvesting six to eight weeks earlier than historical norms, with Domaine Lafage in Roussillon starting July 23 and Kevin Merrill on California's Central Coast reporting the earliest harvest in 27 years.
• Operating costs are rising due to peak electricity demand shifting into August rather than October, new water and insurance fees in heat-stressed regions, and supply-chain strain on glass bottles and labeling as multiple harvests compress into weeks.

Spain's worst wildfires destroy 200 hectares in Sierra de Gredos wine region

• Fires between July 22 and 26 destroyed 77,000 hectares across Ávila and Madrid provinces; approximately 200 hectares of vineyards in Cebreros DO, roughly 40 percent of registered area, suffered fire, smoke, or both damage.
• Bodegas Bernabeleva lost office space, facade sections, windows, and equipment; Bodega El Reventón's San Gregorio parcel burned, though owners expect to recover 80 to 90 percent of vines; Comando G's Las Iruelas slate parcel faced heavy smoke exposure.
• Wine producers including Comando G and Rico Nuevo have drafted proposals to regional authorities requesting subsidies for forest clearance, firebreaks, vineyard replanting, and dry-stone wall restoration to prevent future fires.

Southern Glazer's pays $12.5 million to resolve DOJ bribery investigation

• Southern Glazer's reached a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ and TTB on Thursday, paying $12.5 million to resolve a bribery investigation spanning 2016 to 2024.
• Former employees allegedly provided cash, gift cards, luxury goods, golf trips, and resort bookings to California retailers for better shelf placement and used false invoices to conceal payments.
• The distributor agreed to strengthen compliance oversight and internal controls, including additional staff and proactive auditing, with further obligations over two years.

U.S. tariff lift and India trade deal reshape Scotch whisky market in 2026

• U.S. lifted 15-month tariff on Scotch in July 2025, reversing a 15 percent export decline to one of Scotland's largest markets.
• U.K., India free trade agreement signed July 2025 could expand access to the world's largest whisky market with more affordable Scotch.
• Post-pandemic oversupply has forced major distilleries including Diageo and Brown-Forman into production pauses, while premiumization fatigue shifts focus toward sub-$100 quality releases.

Trump bans Canadian alcohol imports, escalating U.S.-Canada trade war

• U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ban on Canadian alcohol imports effective Sept. 29, encompassing wine, spirits, and malt beer alongside dairy and auto parts.
• The ban follows Canada's retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion of U.S. goods that began Tuesday, continuing a cycle that started with U.S. tariffs on Aug. 22.
• Canada's April 2024 alcohol ban stripped U.S. wine, beer, and spirits from Canadian retail and bars, damaging U.S. industry export revenue in 2025.

Nine alternatives offer Chardonnay's texture at lower cost

• Chardonnay's buttery, oaky profile comes from winemaking technique, not the grape itself; the variety ranges from crisp Chablis to age-worthy Burgundy depending on oak aging, malolactic fermentation, and lees contact.
• Aligoté, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Sémillon, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Garganega, Godello, and Xarel-lo offer similar texture, body, or minerality at lower prices and broader climate adaptability.
• Wine professionals recommend specific bottles: Godello from Valdeorras mirrors French Chardonnay structure; South African barrel-aged Chenin echoes richness; Spanish Xarel-lo delivers minerality and texture comparable to Champagne's Chardonnay base.

E&J Gallo's Apothic partners with Heidi Klum on Halloween blood bag wine release

• Apothic Type 'A' Blood Bag, a limited-edition soft cooler holding two empty resealable bags, sold for $10.31 online Thursday, designed by E&J Gallo with model and Halloween host Heidi Klum.
• Gallo's Marshall Dawson, vice president of power and ascending brands, frames the release as a usage vehicle for adult party spaces, not a product variant, with hints of a second drop later this month.
• The collaboration targets Millennials and younger Gen X drinkers who overlap with Klum's audience; purchase includes a prize draw for two tickets to Klum's annual Halloween party.

Four candidates pass Master Sommelier exam in Houston

• Thirty candidates sat for the final two portions of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas' Master Sommelier Diploma examination in Houston, September 8-10; only four passed.
• Alex Mares, wine director at Bourbon Steak New York, scored highest in the cohort after multiple attempts; he emphasised mental preparation and open-label tasting practice.
• Kaysie Rogers at SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg and Steven Washuta, co-owner of Denver Wine Merchant, were among the four who passed; Washuta's previous 2018 pass had been invalidated in a cheating scandal.

AriZona Iced Tea launches artist residency program at Woodbury headquarters

• AriZona launched an artist residency at its Woodbury, N.Y. headquarters in July 2025, hosting groups of up to four artists for six-week sessions with stipends, living space, studio access, and materials.
• Three cohorts have completed the program as of August 2025, with participants like Eleanor Dexter and Lucas Carlo Monasterio developing paintings, sculptures, and textiles inspired by the company's Southwest aesthetic.
• Artist work is exhibited at the end of each session and added to AriZona's permanent collection, continuing the founder's 1992 approach of embedding personal design vision into the brand's identity.

The Pluralism Of Wine Writing

• A winning entry in the Pall Mall awards' short-form writing competition allegedly used AI, prompting controversy among contenders and organizers to defend it as "not 100% AI-generated.".
• Tim Atkin argues wine writing encompasses multiple forms, journalism, criticism, and travelogues, with quality and thinking rarely being primary aims, making the field broadly defined.

Video: Vintage time at Hundred Hills, making the Rosé de Saignée cuvée

• Hundred Hills in Oxfordshire is harvesting Pinot Noir for its Rosé de Saignée cuvée, made by macerating destemmed grapes on skins then pressing to barrel at desired color.
• The 2022 Rosé de Saignée release has been completed, with the 2026 vintage currently undergoing skin-contact trials.

Vinography Images: Fog of Riesling

• A photograph captures vines emerging from morning fog across the Mosel River in Germany's steep slate vineyards.

Heading Out

• Meg Maker travels to Piemonte next week on a press tour of Roero to taste wines and handmade foods with eight American journalists.
• European wine press trips are funded through EU subsidies to regional consortiums, making journalists the product acquired to generate favorable media coverage.
• Sarah Marsh MW argues that not all old vines are superior; many carry viruses and health issues that can affect resilience to climate extremes.

Myths of The Douro

• Global port wine sales declined 25% over the last two decades; today the Douro produces as much table wine as port.
• The Douro's strict regulations penalize wines lacking typical 'Douro character' (hefty, high alcohol, oaky), causing innovative lighter-style producers to declassify wines.
• New-generation winemakers like Rita Marques, Luis Seabra, and Pedro Coelho produce structured, high-altitude Douro table wines with acidity and restraint, departing from port-influenced heaviness.

Of Substack & wine

• Substack created a separate Wine & Spirits subsection within its Rising and Top lists, breaking it out from the larger Food & Drink category to improve discovery.
• Miquel Hudin updated the Wine Substack List (WineStack) one year after its initial launch, now requiring paid subscriptions and human-written text only.
• "Thirst Behavior" by Bodhi Landa was removed from the updated WineStack List after Substack's AI detection tools revealed the majority of its text was AI-generated.

What I Learned at a Conference on Drinking

From the invention of moderation to the return of temperance